Ford F53 Question

Hikerdogs wrote:

Keily wrote:
I have a new motorhome , 2014 Adventurer 37F with the F53 362-hp 6.8l V10 Triton engine, TorqShift 5-speed automatic overdrive transmission with tow/haul. Mileage is about 6000 miles.

This is my second motorhome with the same type of engine, it was a 1999 F53 with the Ford V10. My question is regarding the tow/haul feature. In the past I always used the tow/haul when going down steep hills as an engine brake, when activated in the older engine the engine would rev up a bit to maybe 3000 rpm(depending on how steep the grade was) but the overall speed of the mh would slow down. I have noticed on the new mh, when I activate the tow/haul when going down a steep grade, the engine rev's increase quite a bit more and there a lot more of a roar coming from the engine. As the vehicle speeds up the higher the tach goes and the louder the roar, so much so I usually de-activate the tow/haul button, and use the brakes to try to slow down. Does anyone know is this normal for this new engine, I am afraid I might be doing some harm to the transmission or the engine if I leave the tow/haul activated.

Does anyone else have the same thing happening?, maybe this is normal and I got nothing to worry about.

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Here's some information about the Torque Shift transmission that may answer some of your questions. Keep in mind your older motorhome had either the EO4D transmission or the 4R100. Neither of them had the Tow/Haul feature. The button on the end of the shift lever lockout the torque converter. It didn't do anything else.

It's a 5 speed transmission rather than the 4 speeds available with the 4R100. There are several other key differences between it and the previous generation 4R100 transmission.

1. Putting it in tow/haul does not lockout overdrive.

2. When in the tow/haul mode it does delay the upshifts somewhat and increases the oil flow through the transmission to keep the temperature down.

3. This also reduces the transmissions need to "hunt" for the proper gear when ascending hills.

4. When descending a hill if you take your foot off the accelerator the transmission will provide engine braking without the need to manually shift out of overdrive.

5. Also when descending a hill while in the tow/haul mode you can make the transmission shift to a lower gear by depressing and releasing the brake pedal. It will downshift to a lower gear about 1 second after releasing the brake pedal.

6. It will shift down another gear each time you depress and release the brake pedal as long as the Powertrain Control Module sees the engine will stay below the maximum RPM level.

7. It is not necessary to use the tow/haul mode when towing on flat ground.

All this information is included in a handout from a Ford factory rep who was giving a seminar on the features of the F53 chassis at the Winnebago Grand National Rally last July.