Before our next trip (into the Rockies) we thought we should check on maintenance for the Chinook. I've researched some around the internet and I find it hard to get apples to apples. Someone might post for a 2000 Chinook...others might have the same engine, but it's in a 2006 F350 pickup---that sort of thing. So I'll post mine as a data point and if anybody would like to weigh in, that would be great.Ours is built on a 2005 E350 Super Duty Ford with a V10 Triton under the hood. It has 77K miles and we aren't privvy to what maintenance it has had in the past but the coach is in very good condition so we assume it's been at least average. This is at a Dallas (area) Texas Ford dealer.After looking it over they gave us this estimate.INSTALL NEW SPARK PLUGS $661.79FUEL INJ FLUSH $179.95DECARB ENGINE $149.95THROTTLE BODY SERVICE $99.95REAR AXLE SERVICE $229.95TRANSMISSION SERVICE $219.95COOLANT FLUSH $179.95BRAKE FLUSH $109.95POWER STEERING FLUSH $109.95BATTERY SERVICE $29.95They also charged us $139 for checking the brakes per our request. They said they have 11 mm, which is good.Totalling that out:Parts $1,971.34 Labor $139.00 SS $59.95 Tax $162.64 Total $2,332.93 Thoughts, comments, etc.? As I was telling my wife it seems like we're the "or." Like, 100K miles -or- 10 years...well, we don't have that many miles but the Concourse is now 10 years old.Dave

INSTALL NEW SPARK PLUGS $661.79 FUEL INJ FLUSH $179.95- Probably a waste of money DECARB ENGINE $149.95 - What is this? THROTTLE BODY SERVICE $99.95- What is this? REAR AXLE SERVICE $229.95 TRANSMISSION SERVICE $219.95 COOLANT FLUSH $179.95 BRAKE FLUSH $109.95 POWER STEERING FLUSH $109.95 BATTERY SERVICE $29.95- What did they do to this?They also charged us $139 for checking the brakes per our request.- Wow!Proper preventative maintenance is good but in my opinion you let them get away with some serious high dollar extras to the tune of about $500.

DandD2015 wrote:TRANSMISSION SERVICE $219.95COOLANT FLUSH $179.95BRAKE FLUSH $109.95I would have gone with just this if you had asked in advance.Maybe the throttle body service as mine does accumulate gunk around the butterfly valve.The rest I would have waited for 100k actual miles.

fla-gypsy wrote:INSTALL NEW SPARK PLUGS $661.79 FUEL INJ FLUSH $179.95- Probably a waste of money DECARB ENGINE $149.95 - What is this? THROTTLE BODY SERVICE $99.95- What is this? REAR AXLE SERVICE $229.95 TRANSMISSION SERVICE $219.95 COOLANT FLUSH $179.95 BRAKE FLUSH $109.95 POWER STEERING FLUSH $109.95 BATTERY SERVICE $29.95- What did they do to this?They also charged us $139 for checking the brakes per our request.- Wow!Proper preventative maintenance is good but in my opinion you let them get away with some serious high dollar extras to the tune of about $500.Thanks for the reply!The only thing we're on the hook for at the moment, I guess, is that brake inspection---we haven't agreed to anything else yet, and if I'd known they were going to charge that just for checking the brakes...well, but I didn't know, but it will inform future decisions I'm sure.

smkettner wrote:DandD2015 wrote:TRANSMISSION SERVICE $219.95COOLANT FLUSH $179.95BRAKE FLUSH $109.95I would have gone with just this if you had asked in advance.Maybe the throttle body service as mine does accumulate gunk around the butterfly valve.The rest I would have waited for 100k actual miles.Thanks for the post!Again we haven't agreed to anything yet. I took it for brake inspection, to make sure that was ok. Once in awhile there's some squeal. But since we'll be at higher altitudes I wondered what else we might be taxing.

Couple of thoughts and questions:Battery Service...baloneyBrake Inspection for $140 ...baloney.When I take our diesel in for service they do this and lots more like check and top off all fluids as part of the basic oil change and filter. Question: $660 to change spark plugs. WOW what do they have to do, remove the motor?

Triton V10 maintenance | Good Sam Community

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Jun 26, 2016
Good quality spark plug wires will last 10+ years. The toad has perfectly good TWENTY TWO YEAR OLD spark plug wires. Sealed ball bearings on the distributor shaft would last 20 years. You are trying to compare high amperage points and condenser aux component life with stuff that uses 1/100 the current. My IRON ELECTRODE spark plugs lasted 90,000 miles. HEI distributor caps lasted 6+ years and they weren't even high alkyd plastic. I cannot believe anyone in their right mind would justify four hours to change spark plugs. Like ever increasing computer hard and software obsolescence this stuff is carefully designed to line people's pockets.
fischer
Explorer
Jun 26, 2016
rear axle is guaranteed for life unless submerged in water
ford will do your tranny for $100 (truck)
ford truck will check your brakes(for free) while doing oil change ($45}
like others have said some things are bogas
tpi
Explorer
Jun 25, 2016
What I think they're shooting for with the coil on plug is the flashover (or ground out) issue-either in the distributor cap/rotor, or somewhere along the plug wires. I think it is a fair trade, and I think ignition systems are more reliable now in general than the days of distributors. One big goal of these new systems is to fire a spark plug under less than optimum conditions and to allow the spark plugs to stay in service over 100K miles. Mex, I know you know your stuff but those coil packs are not subjected to 500 degrees. They're probably running much closer to the coolant temperature of the engine-about 200 degrees F (and some may be cooler than that if exposed to airflow). The coil packs are adjacent to jacketed water and oil fed areas. The spark plugs ground out their heat thru the mounting threads contact. And again there are many examples of successful design of these coil packs-with many lasting a very long time.
DrewE
Explorer II
Jun 25, 2016
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:

Retaining the hundred year old tried and true (but ECU controlled) distributor with excellent quality spark plug wires. IDIOTS! Placing electronics atop a 500F spark plug. The entire idea is pure, steaming, fly-ridden, cow paddy.

I don't know enough to comment about the other things, but pretty much every current gasoline car or truck engine, regardless of manufacturer, uses some sort of coil on plug system. In my (possibly limited) experience, they require less maintenance and repair than a mechanical distributor; I've never ever had to do anything to a coil pack other than unplug it to get to a spark plug.

GM (and maybe others) did for awhile use a sort of hybrid system where they had separate coils for each cylinder all in a single box and all connected using plug wires, sort of an electronic distributor. That at least gets rid of the mechanical moving contacts to wear out, though you still had plug wires to replace from time to time.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Jun 25, 2016
They would have been BETTER engines with real steel spark plug inserts into the aluminum. I ran a set of aluminum heads 150,000 miles with steel spark plug inserts.

AND

Retaining the hundred year old tried and true (but ECU controlled) distributor with excellent quality spark plug wires. IDIOTS! Placing electronics atop a 500F spark plug. The entire idea is pure, steaming, fly-ridden, cow paddy.

This is GIMMICK ENGINEERING like FoMoCo Edsel's center-of-the-steering-wheel pushbutton transmission selector that FAILS because the steering wheel has to turn.

Like GM's CS-130 alternator with a FULLY EXTERNALLY EXPOSED A6000 ball bearing riding on a magnetized rotor shaft. B.S. gimmickry.

There is ZERO EXCUSE for MORONIC engineering.
tpi
Explorer
Jun 25, 2016
These Ford modulars had some spark plug issues-too few threads in early ones, and the 2 piece plugs in about three model years (3 valve heads only) before they changed the plug design. But overall they're great engines. Especially the 2 valve unit in the OP E350. I've seen examples of these in motorhome duty exceeding 150K miles without major work. 500K miles in shuttle van service. The 05 V10 in the Chinook has decent spark plug thread length as shown in the link I posted earlier. I've pulled similar spark plugs out of aluminum engines with 140K miles without issue.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Jun 25, 2016
Whom is the head of FoMoCo engine R&D?

Lewis Carroll's

Smoking Caterpillar?
subcamper
Explorer II
Jun 25, 2016
I like to change the plugs in my cars/trucks at no longer than 4-5 years, regardless of the mileage.

With most modern engines having aluminum heads, the last thing you want is a seized spark plug due to many years of dissimilar-metal corrosion. It's good insurance against a BIG problem later.

Steve
gotsmart
Explorer
Jun 25, 2016
Service on my 2004 E450 (Triton V10)

The OP did not include new tranny filter or cost of lube/oil/filter.

2012 replaced all fluids and other stuff. Spring clamps replaced with worm clamps - linky
2013 replaced 10 spark plugs and boots - linky
tpi
Explorer
Jun 25, 2016
Ours is built on a 2005 E350 Super Duty Ford

As far as I know all E series V10s use the two valve head and don't have the problem two piece spark plugs. The problematic spark plugs were installed in 3 valve heads used in other Ford products.

Here's a Bosch listing for the '05 V10 in E series.
https://www.sparkplugs.com/Quickwatch.aspx?zpid=27947