Blown head gasked on Ford 6.8 liter V10

[Hambone46]

Just got our Motorhome (2000 36' Pace Arrow Vision with a Ford V10)this spring and while on a recent trip it overheated and blew a head gasket or blew the gasket then overheated. We're told the engine has to come out and must come out the bottom. We've been unable to find a place willing to do that. Also wonder why heads can't be pulled with the motor in place. Anyone with answers? We live near the Twin Cities of Minnesota.

[John_Joey]

Give Boyer Truck a call. When I was down in the cities they were the goto Ford Class A place.

[Home_Skillet]

The head bolts go all the way to the main bearing journals.
For that reason, the heads "can't" be removed in the cab. The bolts are just too long to be removed in the tight space.

[_40Fan]

I am sure that it could be done in the vehicle, but some much easier and quicker to have it on a stand.

[Wrong_Lane]

My neighbor had to replace a GM engine in his motorhome. He told me that they had to pull the axle, suspension, crossmembers and everything-else in the way. strip as much off the block as possible and drop it out the bottom. He said "never again"

I was looking at my rig just the other day and thinking, how could it be done. On an older rig I would consider cutting a portion of the front cap away and pulling it out the front. Some creative trim work when the patch in the cap is put in and it might not look too bad!

[TennTechMan]

The V10 is a overhead cam engine. To pull the heads off, you have to access and disassemble the front of the engine. The timing chains are in the way of getting the heads off. I wouldn't call it impossible to change with it in place, but probably pretty difficult.

I'm the kind of person that handles ALL of my own car/truck repairs, and enjoy swapping big engines in places they don't belong. That said, I've always wondered how I would get the engine out of my Brave if I ever needed to. Do we have any RV mechanics on the board?

[MountainAir05]

If just the head jacket replacement then no, if a engine replacement then yes. Did it red line on your dash gauge? Neighbor just had it done and for some reason he did not stop and you guest it , a new engine.

[JoeH]

Get a second opinion... I would think that if it's just a gasket, they can do it from the dog house. The question is, what caused it to over heat and what is the extent of the damage ? Engine should have gone into "limp" mode when it overheated and hopefully prevented major issues.
On our Pace Arrow Vision, we had the pressure cap go bad....it on what looks like an overflow tank, but it's actually a pressure cap. Made of plastic. I caught it before we had any real issue. Just got a new cap. Also, the overflow tank is subject to cracking and leaking out fluid.