Blown Engine - 40" V10 Newmar

timmac wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
Everyone is assuming the engine blew but we don't know for sure what happened. And I seriously doubt the engine was "working over time max weight every mile".

If they were towing a toad over 4000lbs and the weight of that 40ft motorhome its over its max weight for that motor as I see it, why to much of a motorhome for a gas motor, should have been a diesel.


My setup towing my stacker trailer weights 26,500lbs and in the mountains its working hard and I feel that's pretty close to max even though Ford says it can handle 30,000lbs max


Running max all the time puts to much strain on the drive train.

Just my 2 cents

If the motorhome is a little lighter (and 10-15% is a little in my opinion), the motor works just as hard while you go a bit faster up the hill. If it's a little heavier, the motor works just as hard while you go more slowly. It perhaps does spend a bit more time at high power output, and so conceivably may have a slightly reduced service life, but it emphatically should not self-destruct at 25,000 miles!

It makes no sense to blame a potential 10% at most weight over the manufacturer's GCWR as the cause of the engine's life being cut by about 90% of what is typical with proper maintenance. Either there was some significant operator error (something like continued running after a coolant leak or failure to keep oil in the crankcase), or there was some defect in the engine construction, or the owner just happened to have extraordinarily bad luck...but I very rather doubt the last one, and have no reason to suspect the first one.

The V10 does very much sound like it's going to blow itself to bits when it works hard. That doesn't mean, in general, that it's incapable of hauling around that much weight. The F750 can come with the same engine and transmission and a GVWR of up to 33,000 pounds with the proper packages.

My father taught me the "Golden Rule of Business" at a young age. It is simply that "the person with the gold makes the rules". Once you turn your money over to someone else you lose control of it and have to fight to get it back. Plus, insurance companies make a living by giving out less than they take in so a best they are a lottery where the vast majority of people lose. I don't buy extended warrentees but if I did I would only buy from the manufacturers or someone like Good Sam that have reputations to maintain.

At least the V10 is a common engine and not that expensive to fix so you won't be hurt too badly if the worst case scenario materializes and you do have to pay for it. I don't buy the opinions that the engine was overloaded. Yes, it was loaded but it was designed for that load and has a great reputation in motorhomes and medium duty trucks.

timmac wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
Everyone is assuming the engine blew but we don't know for sure what happened. And I seriously doubt the engine was "working over time max weight every mile".

If they were towing a toad over 4000lbs and the weight of that 40ft motorhome its over its max weight for that motor as I see it, why to much of a motorhome for a gas motor, should have been a diesel.


My setup towing my stacker trailer weights 26,500lbs and in the mountains its working hard and I feel that's pretty close to max even though Ford says it can handle 30,000lbs max


Running max all the time puts to much strain on the drive train.

Just my 2 cents

Based on the OP’s comments it’s not very likely they were pulling a toad, otherwise they wouldn’t have needed a rental vehicle.

As for weight, everybody seems to be in the ‘sledgehammer to kill a fly’ crowd.

If the company that designed, built and warranties the drivetrain says itks rated for 26k pounds then I’ll take their opinion over that of armchair engineers every time.

Until recently, when they moved up to the E-450 chassis, nearly every class C was at or very close to its GVWR coming out the factory door. Lots of them went 100’s of thousands of trouble-free miles. My little 1995 24’ C is one of them, albeit with a 7.5 V8 under the hood, well over 200k on it and still going strong.

The 30k GCVWR is just that, a rating, not the point at which it explodes.

Its a good thing they are great folks. Usually, only bad things happen to BAD folks:B Extended Contracts are NOT a fast fix for covered components. When you have a large expensive repair, they will send out Inspectors(not ESC employee's, but independent), and they get all the info required by the ESC so the ESC can determine if it is a covered repair. They have the right to pay and send out another Inspector to verify what the first inspector found. Odds are, the first Inspector found what the ESC determined IS a covered repair and they are sending out the 2nd to verify the findings. Obviously, not a good timeline for when you are on a trip. Even if it is covered by Ford, the timeline would be about the same. Ford would have their shop partial tear down and determine the cause of the failure. This also takes time. Doug

Most extended warranty contracts have a huge list of non-covered items. This is what their inspector will look for. If a non-covered item failed, and caused the problem, they will not pay for the repairs.
It may be something as simple as a couple of burned exhaust valves. Tho not a cheap repair, it is much better than a blown engine, which usually means a complete rebuild.
The first thing they are going to ask for is ALL of your maintenance records. You will have to prove that you were using the correct oil and that it was changed on the correct schedule.

Herdingdog wrote:
25,500 miles, v10, 6.8 liter. # 9 & 10 pistons only have 30 lbs of pressure. No idea why

Don't be afraid to get Ford involved. That's some pretty low mileage. With proper maintenance records you may get some help.

Herdingdog wrote:
These are great people who don't deserve to be treated like this!!!

No insurance company just hands out blank checks. There will be an adjuster out for anything reasonably large.

Same situation for a fender bender. Nothing starts until an adjuster come out.

Tell your friend NOT to touch ANYTHING. If they want the EW company to cover it, they hold all the cards. Read the contract! If it's like 99% of them it will specifically state what rights they have. If you mess with it without following their rules to the 'T' they will deny coverage. Good luck..Dennis

Herdingdog wrote:
25,500 miles, v10, 6.8 liter. # 9 & 10 pistons only have 30 lbs of pressure. No idea why

Any decent mechanic can do something called a "leak down" test. It is a much better diagnostic tool than a simple compression test. That would cost a couple hundred dollars, but it would tell you specifically what is wrong, either intake or exhaust valves or rings.

Just suggesting, it could just be something in valve train.