Does the Ford V10 have a problematic history?

[Murf2u]

Based on popular opinion, I.E. if they were junk we'd hear about it everywhere (witness PS diesel where 3-5% had problems and it was all anyone talked about) not just one or two unhappy customers here & there.

I have a friend who owns a towing company and has dozens of F-550's (the F-53's cousin) in both roll-back and wrecker format. All of them are V-10's.

Neither he, nor anyone he knows in the towing industry, has a problem with either the Ford chassis or the transmission.

I can't see an RV being any more 'severe service' than towing is.

[jamesrxx951]

Originally Posted by crabtrees1

HeapBigEngin
You seem to take exception, to some of my points of view. Especially when it comes to calling Ford out! I take exception to think I have to replace a transmission engineered and used in F53 that is only good for 20,000 miles. What a joke and was my main point. You will have to take my word for it as to the fact I keep within the weight limitations and did the proper service at the proper intervals. I know I did and I'm very anal about this after driving millions of miles with large trucks that carry in excess of 80,000 lbs. The rest of your point is well taken regarding what the converter responsabilities with regard to the chassis. In my case it is fair to say "Shame On Holiday Rambler" and the list could go on. These are serious safety conserns, On our fisrt trip I remember we had to put on a front stablerizer bar to get home after a close call in a 35 mile hour curve where we almost met our maker. One can only wonder how many acidents can be contributed to this problem. I see where Jayco class C offer JRide option in attempt to get the chassis to stay safely on the road for there customer with the Ford F450

Regards

Actually some may last a few thousand miles and seen some fail off the delivery truck. However this is a very rare occurrence. Transmissions can fail just like engines, and electrical components. That's why there are dealers for every car/truck manufacture out there. However the vast majority of the 4R100's have normal hard working lives and provide years and many miles of reliable service. This is an absolute fact by the many numbers of these vehicles out there. If there was a wide spread problem, customers would still not be lined up at the doors buying Ford products.

My F53 has 50K on the clock and the original transmission.

[axleboy]

Originally Posted by IMPULSE DRIVEN

I have heard there are certain years of the Ford V10 that I should avoid, what years are bad?

Being a Ford motor company employee for 29 years . I am technical and in the field everyday . Our v10 is really the best layout for a c class rv. Makes great hp and torque. As far as the plugs blowing out of the heads.Most plug issues were created by the person working on the engine.Such as improper plug torque, cross threading, impact tools .Not sure on why someone would remove a plug on a low mileage engine unless there was a problem . Feel free to ask questions Regards John

[Stan.Birch]

Originally Posted by crabtrees1

I had a 99 F53 with a V10 and no problem at all it only had 275 hp but no problems at all for 35,000 miles that. However the Ford transmission that is another story that went out at 20,000 miles running transynd fluid.

After 15 years and 80,000 miles, using the cheapest Walmart oil and Mercon spec tranny fluid, along with a a basic bi-annual tranny sump change, the only problem we have ever experienced over those years, has been failure of a couple COPS (coil-on-plug), for a total cost of $160!

A really awesome troube-free chassis, engine, tranny and diff!! The V10 is still just as quiet as new, with oil consumption running about a quart per 4K! And fuel consumption only 9.42 mpg US!

[kewag]

I owned a 2000 Minnie-Winnie with the Ford V10. so, the chassie was a 1999. The Ford V10 was flawless, great engine. I had it serviced as the owners manual recomends. Actually, this was the most trouble free MH that I ever owned. So, go for it!!

[nicpaige]

Only problem I have heard of is the coil on plug going bad causing a huge miss and shudder under load. Easy enough fix though unless you take it to Campers World to get fixed......then may the Lord help you and your wallet.

[dceggert]

A couple of points:

- the V10 can be seen on some 1997 Class C's and all 1998's so the first year looks like 1997 for the E450. Some 1997's still have the 460 cu in (7.5L) likely because those are using up 2006 chassis.
- never ever put anything in your transmission other than what the manufacturer recommends. EVER... Why? Two reasons - 1) it may damage your transmission and 2) Ford will not warrant it because you put something in it that was not recommended. Use common sense here; would you fix a tire under warranty that someone decided to fill with foam instead of air?

Dan

[mikell]

One Ford issue I have heard of and I did have an issue with is the driveshaft throwing weights because of rust. Ours was 10 years old when I bought it and the vibration got me a good price and $500 later a new shaft and bearings. Still was a good deal because the guy put on all new tires and had them computer balanced but still vibrated then somebody told them it needed all new rotors and it only had 40k miles on it. Test drive I knew exactly what it was.

[Harvard]

We had a 28FT 97 (as per the VIN) with a V10 that was marked as a E350. No issues for our period of ownership.

We now have the same make and 28FT model in a 2004 V10 that is marked as a E450. We did not know enough about the E350 weight limits at the time BUT I know NOW we were traveling around over weight.

[George Schweikle]

I don't have a Ford powered RV, and don't intend any offense to happy V-10 owners. This is just to post results of a quick internet search for Ford V-10 problems. This is from the Ford Truck Enthusiast forum http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums. Also, a friend with a Ford V-8 told me that some spark plugs are two piece construction and not recommended for change until 80,000 miles (approx). At this point, some plugs have been known to come apart and leave parts in the combustion chamber. My friend, learning of this, and a dealer recommended cost of $1500 to change split plugs, traded his truck for a later model with improved spark plugs.

Again, just providing information. I know someone who loves his V-10. class C Motorhome and has had no engine trouble.

Common complaints/problems with the V10:
Spark plug blowout - Considered "common" but statistically insignificant, this was a huge PR problem for Ford. All modular motors were susceptible to this problem. Some information became available to me but because of it's legal nature, could not be discussed on FTE. I will not go into the specifics, but for now, there are a few major points:

• 3-4 threads were initally used for the spark plugs in the cylinder heads.
• Initial Ford reaction was to change the torque procedure at the factory, apparently to reduce over- or under-torque. This was around the 2000 timeframe.
• Late in the calendar-year 2000, Ford altered the head to include an "alignment feature" that reduced cross-threading or incorrect torque at the factory.
• Late in the calendar-year 2002, Ford increased the number of threads in the head to approximately 7-8 threads, called "long-thread" heads.

A note about my own 2001 V10, manufactured Sept 2000: Definitely long-thread heads. So Ford's own documentation supplied during investigation into the problem is inaccurate. No concrete determination can be made as to when the long-thread heads were introduced at this time.
Many aftermarket inserts exist, Timesert being one, that cure the problem once and for all. For pre-2001 engines, it has become commonplace to recommend installing inserts on ALL 10 cylinders to avoid problems in the future, especially during an engine or head swap. The old "while you're in there" effect.
COP failures - Like all the later modular motors, the V10's use Coil-on-Plug (COP) style ignition coils. Many MANY reports have been made of changing out COPs to cure misfires. However, all the anecdotal evidence I have read points not directly at bad COPs, but moisture or boot failure, and sometimes the spark plug, as the primary cause of the misfire. Changing the COP and plug solved the problem, but the initial root-cause was either dirt/moisture in the spark plug hole, the spark plug itself, and, somewhat rarely, complete coil failure.
IAC (Idle Air Control motor) failures - When startup and idle quality issues show up, the general consensus of most of FTE's members has been to point to the IAC. Some of the time, cleaning it will cure the problem, other times it requires replacement. In rare instances, the IAC ports in the throttle body are clogged and need to be cleaned. For approximately $30-40, replacing the IAC instead of cleaning it is prudent.
PCV elbow - Some of Ford's molded rubber parts show an amazing amount of degradation in a short amount of time. Within just a year or two after manufacture, the rubber starts to deteriorate so much that rubbing your fingers on it leaves your fingers black with rubber particles. Cracking and complete failure follows rather quickly. The plumbing to the PCV valve includes a rubber 90 degree elbow that cracks and creates a vacuum leak. This can lead to idle or starting issues just like the IAC, so when recommending a cure to these issues, almost all of us immediately point to the IAC and the PCV elbow.
Flutter - This has two meanings.

• One is an exhaust pulsing that happens around the 1600-2200RPM range. This happened on early pre-2001 engines, and Ford came up with a "rams horn" style y-pipe to help cure the problem, which didn't always solve it. Aftermarket exhaust systems, especially with headers and different y-pipe, greatly exacerbate the problem. Theories abound as to what causes it, but it appears to be an unequal y-pipe length on each side, causing interference between exhaust pulses at certain RPMs.
• The other is an exhaust heat-shield or bellhousing inspection cover (on automatics) vibrating in the same RPM range. The inherent imbalance of the V10 causes the vibration. Removing the inspection cover and bending it, or gluing it, or using some sort of rubber strip cures that particular problem. Using hose-clamps on exhaust heat shields or welding them back on helps.

Originally Posted by IMPULSE DRIVEN

I have heard there are certain years of the Ford V10 that I should avoid, what years are bad?

[MacQude]

I have a 2013 V10 for just over a year now full synthetic from first fluid change at 650 miles, no problems, runs great!

[cc8375]

I had a 2000 - V10 , NO engine problems. Put over 42K miles on it in 5 years.

[MikeRP]

I believe the newer ones with the new transmission whenever that started is the best gas engine tranny combo made for medium duty vehicles.

[RELHUB]

We just sold our 2008 Class C with over 70,000 miles on it. It never failed us, our new Class A also has the V-10.