Class A Motorhome Engines

Fifty4F100 wrote:
We have the V10 in our 99 Holiday Rambler. We have about 42K on ours now. Almost all the new gas burners I've seen are Fords. You would be very much limiting yourself if you don't look at the Fords!

That being said, I've had one problem with ours. We were going on vacation last year when we came up on a heavy rain. Luckily we were in the middle of Nashville. Our coach slowed down and wouldn't get over 25 MPH. Turns out in the early years of this design the air intake snorkel would suck water into the filter and collapse it. When the air shuts down, so does the RPMs. A new Motorcraft filter and we were back on the road. Now I keep a spare. I hear there is a fix from the factory, but my local dealership isn't aware of it, if it still is available. As far as blowing plugs, that was very rare. Mostly involved the 5.4 V8 in 1997. The 6.8 is the 5.4 + 2 cylinders.

Now to your mechanic - if you stay with the same guy (and sometimes its a close friend or family) and you have problems, you will get a lot of "I told you so"s. If its a deal-breaker, go diesel!

I know this is an old post but there is an updated intake available for your V10. It used to be a no cost update through Ford (we had our '00 done), I have no idea if it still is.

yr2017 wrote:

Bruce Brown wrote:

As to avoiding a V10, thats kind of silly. The V10 is and has been an excellent motor, and as of a few days ago Ford announced they are going to offering it in the medium truck market as well, territory previously you'd only find a diesel.

That would be on account of the price of fuels. Diesel is 40 to 75 cents more per gallon. And the V10 motor has almost the same torque numbers.

Well...yes and no. Fuel cost is definately an issue, the torque numbers have a bigger spread.

The V10 is 362HP/457TQ in the Commercial Truck segment.

The 360HP diesel offered (Cummins ISB) is 800TQ.

If you opt for the smallest diesel offered, the 220HP ISB, it comes in at 520TQ.

In the consumer Super Duty truck the new 6.7 PowerStroke offers 440HP/860TQ. My '13 PowerStroke is 400HP/800TQ and it's an animal. I don't see me ever going back to a gasser in a work type truck. An F150, sure.

We are newbies, also looking for our first MH. Is it possible that this engine (or something similar or with a similar name) is/was used on other Ford vehicles? I have heard similar remarks (stay away from the V10) from 2 non-MH mechanics that I generally trust.

Just wondering if thee mechanics are thinking of a different motor, or maybe the motor doesn't pair as well with other components used elsewhere (outside of MHs)?

The Ford V-10 is a very good engine. Those trying to knock down this engine do not know what they are talking about. Where I worked we had a fleet of trucks that had the V-10 Ford and it was nothing unusual to put over 100K miles on the engine with no problems. And that was in 2002, now they even have more horse power then those engines did.

I have a 2005 Bounder 35E with the 8.1 on a w22 chassis. 35,000 mi. and it runs like a top. The floor plan is outstanding. The coach has a grade brake that is wonderful to have when going down grades. Bought it new and keeping it for along time.

I've had a Dodge V10 for many years. It was based on the Lambo 8.3L engine. Three problems with it: a) high reving; b) frequent oil changes; c) required premium gas. While I couldn't do anything with the former, I started using synthetic oil and it eliminated that problem and I haven't used premium in quite a while - I use 89 oct and a bottle of octane booster every other tank. I note that the Ford Tritons don't need premium, but then they are smaller in displacement and didn't originate from race cars.

As per say, you're probably right, since the Vortec was when they went metric (7.4 liter = 454 cu in) and with fuel injection, but the block casting itself, I think has pretty much remained the same for a very long time, now.... Big Block Chevy
Anyway, they're very wide spread from the corvette to cars to trucks to motorhomes and boats as well.
Ford dropped it's big block 460 cu in V8 back in 1998, so there's no way that the present and smaller V10 has had such widespread use. That being said, the V10 is an excellent engine, but has to crank out more rpm's as a substitute for it's lack of cubes and once one gets used to the screaming, they should like this little engine (6.8 liter) very much so.



I've always wondered the same thing. With the 7.5 l. (460ci.) and 2 fewer cylinders to produce friction, the 6.8 should be working with a handicap. Ford never went back to producing the old 460, so they must have a lot of confidence in the V10. And a lot has to do with MPG and emissions. The V10 most likely gets some better MPGs than the cast iron 460. And from my reading, the V10 doesn't have the overheating problems the former was apt to acquire.

Now the late model GM Vortec is supposed to be all aluminum. At least the 4.8 and 5.3 l. are. And at least they share no common components with the previous Chevy small blocks built from around 1955 until 1999.

Fifty4F100 wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

Fifty4F100 wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

Dutch Dolly wrote:
My husband and I are looking at buying a used motorhome (probably around 2004-2005) and were told by a mechanic friend of ours to stay away from the Ford Triton V10 engine. But it seems like everything I look at has this type of engine. What can anyone tell me about this engine and can you suggest other models that have different engines? I did see a 2005 Damon Challenger that has a GM 8.1L engine. Does anyone know anything about this type of engine?

That's ridiculous and you can tell your mechanic I said so, although I wouldn't want one of the first V10's about 1999 or so and feel that they were somewhat underpowered. Now having said all that, I would probably go for a nice Workhorse W chassis, while I could still get one, in that year model with the GM 8.1 and especially with getting an Allison transmission that comes with it. Be sure that the brake recall has been done on all but the W24 chassis, which didn't require it and you should be good to go after a close inspection.
I'm also partial to National products and especially the Dolphin model in those years, while you can still find one of them, except some have basement air, that I would rather not have, so there you have MHO on the subject and for whatever it's worth.

I have the 99 6.8 V10 in a 36' Holiday Rambler. It tows my PT Cruiser ok. The main problem I've had is once in a hard rainstorm. The early Ford F53 chassis had an air inlet that was too close to the road and could suck water into the filer, colapsing it and starving the engine for air. I'm guessing you know how I know this. Now I travel with a spare filter until I can find/make a fix for it.

Not to run down the GM Workhorse chassis, but I've never seen one for sale in my area. I don't know why they quit making them, but I know GM didn't have that engine very long.

There's a story about Workhorse and when they were taken over by their new parent company and what it entailed. As for GM's big block, there's a kazillion of them out there in different forms and vehicles and probably beginning with the 396 cu in back in 1965, which evolved into the 427, then the 454 and later adding fuel injection and going metric with the 7.4 liter. Many a coach on the road are running this engine which includes the later 8.1 and nothing more than a little more stroke over the 7.4. GM had to make a lot of economic decisions as part of their chapter 7 some years back and the reasons go much further for the demise of the beloved big block Chevy.

I was of the opinion that the 8.1 in the Workhorse chassis was of the new Vortec design GM has used since 1999. Not the old big block Chevy.

As per say, you're probably right, since the Vortec was when they went metric (7.4 liter = 454 cu in) and with fuel injection, but the block casting itself, I think has pretty much remained the same for a very long time, now.... Big Block Chevy
Anyway, they're very wide spread from the corvette to cars to trucks to motorhomes and boats as well.
Ford dropped it's big block 460 cu in V8 back in 1998, so there's no way that the present and smaller V10 has had such widespread use. That being said, the V10 is an excellent engine, but has to crank out more rpm's as a substitute for it's lack of cubes and once one gets used to the screaming, they should like this little engine (6.8 liter) very much so.

tropical36 wrote:

Fifty4F100 wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

Dutch Dolly wrote:
My husband and I are looking at buying a used motorhome (probably around 2004-2005) and were told by a mechanic friend of ours to stay away from the Ford Triton V10 engine. But it seems like everything I look at has this type of engine. What can anyone tell me about this engine and can you suggest other models that have different engines? I did see a 2005 Damon Challenger that has a GM 8.1L engine. Does anyone know anything about this type of engine?

That's ridiculous and you can tell your mechanic I said so, although I wouldn't want one of the first V10's about 1999 or so and feel that they were somewhat underpowered. Now having said all that, I would probably go for a nice Workhorse W chassis, while I could still get one, in that year model with the GM 8.1 and especially with getting an Allison transmission that comes with it. Be sure that the brake recall has been done on all but the W24 chassis, which didn't require it and you should be good to go after a close inspection.
I'm also partial to National products and especially the Dolphin model in those years, while you can still find one of them, except some have basement air, that I would rather not have, so there you have MHO on the subject and for whatever it's worth.

I have the 99 6.8 V10 in a 36' Holiday Rambler. It tows my PT Cruiser ok. The main problem I've had is once in a hard rainstorm. The early Ford F53 chassis had an air inlet that was too close to the road and could suck water into the filer, colapsing it and starving the engine for air. I'm guessing you know how I know this. Now I travel with a spare filter until I can find/make a fix for it.

Not to run down the GM Workhorse chassis, but I've never seen one for sale in my area. I don't know why they quit making them, but I know GM didn't have that engine very long.

There's a story about Workhorse and when they were taken over by their new parent company and what it entailed. As for GM's big block, there's a kazillion of them out there in different forms and vehicles and probably beginning with the 396 cu in back in 1965, which evolved into the 427, then the 454 and later adding fuel injection and going metric with the 7.4 liter. Many a coach on the road are running this engine which includes the later 8.1 and nothing more than a little more stroke over the 7.4. GM had to make a lot of economic decisions as part of their chapter 7 some years back and the reasons go much further for the demise of the beloved big block Chevy.

I was of the opinion that the 8.1 in the Workhorse chassis was of the new Vortec design GM has used since 1999. Not the old big block Chevy.

Fifty4F100 wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

Dutch Dolly wrote:
My husband and I are looking at buying a used motorhome (probably around 2004-2005) and were told by a mechanic friend of ours to stay away from the Ford Triton V10 engine. But it seems like everything I look at has this type of engine. What can anyone tell me about this engine and can you suggest other models that have different engines? I did see a 2005 Damon Challenger that has a GM 8.1L engine. Does anyone know anything about this type of engine?

That's ridiculous and you can tell your mechanic I said so, although I wouldn't want one of the first V10's about 1999 or so and feel that they were somewhat underpowered. Now having said all that, I would probably go for a nice Workhorse W chassis, while I could still get one, in that year model with the GM 8.1 and especially with getting an Allison transmission that comes with it. Be sure that the brake recall has been done on all but the W24 chassis, which didn't require it and you should be good to go after a close inspection.
I'm also partial to National products and especially the Dolphin model in those years, while you can still find one of them, except some have basement air, that I would rather not have, so there you have MHO on the subject and for whatever it's worth.

I have the 99 6.8 V10 in a 36' Holiday Rambler. It tows my PT Cruiser ok. The main problem I've had is once in a hard rainstorm. The early Ford F53 chassis had an air inlet that was too close to the road and could suck water into the filer, colapsing it and starving the engine for air. I'm guessing you know how I know this. Now I travel with a spare filter until I can find/make a fix for it.

Not to run down the GM Workhorse chassis, but I've never seen one for sale in my area. I don't know why they quit making them, but I know GM didn't have that engine very long.

There's a story about Workhorse and when they were taken over by their new parent company and what it entailed. As for GM's big block, there's a kazillion of them out there in different forms and vehicles and probably beginning with the 396 cu in back in 1965, which evolved into the 427, then the 454 and later adding fuel injection and going metric with the 7.4 liter. Many a coach on the road are running this engine which includes the later 8.1 and nothing more than a little more stroke over the 7.4. GM had to make a lot of economic decisions as part of their chapter 7 some years back and the reasons go much further for the demise of the beloved big block Chevy.