TheWanderer
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Re: Battery drain issues!
Well checking again this morning I think I am more prone to feel the battery is bad. I will do some further testing once I have a hygrometer and can charge and sit for a bit and all that. Sorry for the lack of info, and yes this motorhome is much older (1988 ford gulfstream) but the battery was replaced since. There is a 45 amp rated power converter and battery charger with fuse block and power routing. I believe is likely the original, and it seems to do a very good job charging the battery. even with current issues the battery still takes a full charge (rests at 12.6-12.8v 20-30 min after charging by running the generator or plugging in). The battery is a Duracell Ultra deep cycle battery however today I noticed there is some yellow fluid buildup near the negative post for the battery. Positive terminal is dry but negative was soaked and seems to be beginning to rust now. :/ I guess I will be replacing that! I will have it tested but I have a feeling I know the answer. Also...this battery is from '05 I think??? It is marked with a sticker labeled "L5" which should mean shipped from factory December 2005? Thanks for getting me off my butt to look further into it again!638Views0likes0CommentsRe: Battery drain issues!
Well I do not own a hygrometer currently but I am planning on taking the battery in to have it tested whenever I leave camp. I can get by a couple more days out here with or without the house battery's help. Haha but yeah I am kind of leaning towards the bad battery as being the culprit. Just with how heavily drained the battery has gotten (10 volts only), I doubt I have any drain on the battery that intense I wouldn't know about.108Views0likes0CommentsBattery drain issues!
Hey everyone! Been a while since I posted last but I am happy to say after having the transmission replaced on my motorhome she has been running well for me and I am back on the road! I have ran into a bit of an issue recently though with my house battery I am hoping y'all can help me investigate. Generally the battery seems to behave as it should. Takes a charge fine while driving or running my generator, and charges to 2.6-2.8v. Generally I can charge my phone on that, run lights, a small 12v fan overnight, and thats about it before recharging the next day around 12-12.2v. I am not currently using my fridge nor furnace so they should not be causing much or any draw. There has been a couple mornings however where I have woken up to a terrible voltage reading of only about 10v! ?? It happened a week ago or so and I was worried my battery might be bad, but after charging it that time it seemed to work correctly for a week without overdischarging until last night. Woke up this morning and another 10v reading. Double-checked at the battery with voltmeter and confirmed at 10.5v. What could be causing such a drastic difference or drain randomly like that? My suspisions are either bad battery (i sure hope not), bad ground possibly, or some other drain/connection issue. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give. :)2.9KViews0likes17CommentsRe: Ford 460 motorhome running hot
Very good info again, thank you! And yeah I inspected the water pump impeller but didnt want to break the gasket for the housing and pay for more parts I didnt think I would need. (I was already nearly $2000 into parts/fluids and was broke. Lol) Also, I didnt remove the motor. I did the rebuild work from under the RV by tearing things down and raising the engine about 8+ inches. If I had to do it again I would pull the motor. Haha it was hell. The thermostat I just hadnt thought of because I didnt know what was causing overheat at the time. Bearings were worn, oil pump shot, etc. However, that is pretty easy to swap on the road. Just gotta take air exhange box off, and disconnect rad hose and there is 2 bolts for the thermostat right up top of the engine. Plus a thermostat only runs $10-15 so its worth me doing soon. Probably shoulda been done already. Also, as an update, I drove the rig a couple 50 mile stretches, mainly early morning hours driving when it was cooler out, and it only hit 200 when climbing hills. Never went over 202 or so even on a bigger hill. Im feeling like it might be more: A: older engine tech. B: loaded to max weight. C hot weather and elevation change. And Im cringing a bit because apparently I was about 1.5 quarts low on transmission fluid for about 100 miles. I just checked it 2 weeks ago, but the fluid musta finished cycling through as I drove more. Topped her off and got another small drop in temp but kind of feels like there is a mild shudder under heavier loads in low gear that developed and made me check fluid levels and discover the low level. Really hoping I am not having torque converter issues from the low fluid driving. Topping off the tranny fluid reduced the shudder some, but its still present under heavy load. Will be investigatimg more as time goes on. *Rant Over* ??720Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ford 460 motorhome running hot
Great tips and info!! I am begining to think it is more an issue of being maxed on weight, 90 degree temps outside, and I feel like the computer may still be adjusting? I took it for about 20 miles twice today, lots of up and down, and only went over 200 when working harder to climb hills. Never went over 205 today though. I am definitely planning to just flat out replace the thermostat, it costs all of $10 plus coolant. Haha I will have to see about the IR gun method, there doesnt appear to be any mineral deposits when I look in the cap or top outlet but there could be further down.. The clutch fan does spin by hand with minimal resistance, and I know it turns well rven at idle so I doubt the fan is the issue, but Im sure some wd40 and cleaning wouldnt hurt! I will update when I get a chance to do some work and get some test drives in. :) Thanks again!721Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ford 460 motorhome running hot
PaulJ2 wrote: OEM thermostat is likely a 195 as are most vehicles now. So 200 would be about normal operating temperature. When climbing a hill you may see about 210 or so at which point the clutch fan should start to engage causing a loud roaring sound. If this does not happen i would suspect a bad fan clutch. The large fan within the shroud of the radiator spins at all times but does spin faster with higher RPMs I believe. I am thinking a 195 or 180 stat now, but still tossing options around. And yeah it only nears 210 when climbing hills or lots of stop and go. Idealy I would like to be 200 tops though. Maybe I am expecting too much of an '88 V8 big block hauling max weight? Mainly it just gets the hood, grill, interior heat shielded 'hood', and anything near the manifolds and exhaust hot which concerns me about wear on components. I did heat wrap the exhaust pipes for the EGR tube, and the exhaust near the oil pan and starter. Also heat wrapped the purge valve solonoid because it was almost melting after a longer drive. Does the engine computer take a long while to adjust things after a timing adjustment? Perhaps I havent driven it far enough? I wondered about that as well. Thanks!720Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ford 460 motorhome running hot
Hey everyone! Wanted to get you an update, as today I brought the RV in to have the ignition timing adjusted to spec. Found a really great garage here in Troy NC called Steves Auto Repair. Steve worked with me and is a Ford Certified technition. My timing was off by 20 DEGREES! D: Thankfully having it corrected seems to have fixed my lack of power issues!! The RV is now able to accelerate up hills (albeit slowly, it is 11,000 lbs. Lol) and accelerates from a stop fine now! Overall the engine itself is performing well now, idles fine, good acceleration, quieter, etc. However... The overheating issue still remains. The temp on my gauge I installed reads about 200 regularly while driving, and while it doesn't near 220 anymore after the timing adjustment, it can still reach up to 210 under heavier load. Keeping my drives to short jaunts for the time being. I am considering starting with replacing the themostat. It should be fairly easy and not overly expensive to at the very least rule it out. The coolant circulates and the pump impeller looked fine when I removed it during rebuild. I am wondering if the thermostat isnt quite opening enough. What temperture rating would be recommended for moderate climate? I dont need heat in the cab much I would rather a cooler engine. What is OEM for a '88 Ford 460? The radiator does not look like it has buildup at least anywhere I can shine a light in. I will be rechecking fluid levels too for oil, tranny fluid, and coolant. Coolant was just topped off recently though. Getting so close to having her running right though! *fingers crossed*719Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ford 460 motorhome running hot
time2roll wrote: TheWanderer wrote: I've heard about $100 is a good estimate for a timing adjustment at a shop? Any thoughts? I would not just ask for a timing check. Tell them the full story and all the issues and ask them to find the issue. Let the shop come up with the diagnosis. Except that alone can cost hundreds of dollars to just find out whats wrong, and I really just dont have hundreds to spare right now. Realistically I only have about $150 a month I can spare for repairs at this time.296Views0likes0Comments
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