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Topic: Chasis Maintenance Questions (Read 9 times) previous topic - next topic
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Chasis Maintenance Questions
Yahoo Message Number: 142900
Doesn't "mountain climbing" as you have recently discussed with regard to posts on where to spend the winters place a much higher stress on the transmission/engine? I have very limited experience driving in steep conditions but notice even in New England that I can barely do 40 MPG climbing mild grades. We have ruled out trips to the Rockies because we don't think she can handle it. (We tow a 2002 Honda CRV).
(We want to keep maintenance costs lower by not risking problems caused by undue stress in mountain conditions)
 When I had the new tires put on before leaving for the East Coast, the technician noted that "Bessie" was reaching 100K and that we should have a major job done on the engine because of a problem Ford had with certain years of the V10. Is this something LD'ers automatically do if they have one of these "bad" years? The pistons are too short and can blow out unexpectedly. (I was in a Ford V10 pickup and experienced this first hand)
 Bessie reached "100" yesterday and runs very well. We have put almost 10,000 miles on since our acquisition from the Hunter's last Oct and couldn't be more pleased.

Todd '99 RB and '02 Honda CRV Currently camped in Greenport, Ny "North Fork of LI"
Todd (and Steve)
'17 Winnebago Minnie Winnie and '13 Honda CRV
(Former '99 RB owners from 2012-2016)
 
Re: Chasis Maintenance Questions
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 142905
Grades do indeed place a lot of stress on the entire drive train. However, it doesn't appear the V-10 should be having the kinds of power issues you describe climbing relatively benign grades in the east coast. Also, 100k is not that many miles on this engine, so rather than jump into a full tear down, the two basic tests you might consider are compression & leak down.

Another possible factor is your total weight - have you weighed your rig (total, front/rear, left/right) @ a public scale? It takes less than 5 minutes, and the place where I weighed our rig charged me $10 just for the heck of it. Andy has stories of meeting people whose rigs were grossly overweight due to all sorts of factors, like a couple who collected cast iron cookware. Question: do you drive with empty tanks ie fresh water, grey & black? 100 gallons combined adds up to over 800 extra pounds.

If you have your rig tuned up and do come out west, the best strategy for handling the grades is to drive early in the morning. As the ambient temperature heats up, the differential between that and the engine/coolant depreciates fairly quickly. For example, 60 degrees is a lot different than 100, which means the pavement is probably over 120 degrees.

While this is good practical advice, we are fortunate (or stupid) enough to flaunt the RV gods due to our set of unique circumstances of having the smallest chassis/largest engine combo LD produced. (The 9,000 lb 22' with the Chevy 454. LD made 18' & 20' rigs, but used the 350. The Ford 460 was available by special order for the 23.5' slightly heavier chassis.)

Even so, there have been times where I've watched the gauge. We crossed the Cajon pass in mid-August @ 1pm with the outside temperature @100 and all sorts of cars & big rigs dropping off like flies onto the shoulder. Near the crest, with the a/c off and maintaining a steady 55 mph, our auxiliary fan came on, which indicated the engine had reached a temperature of 225 degrees (normal operating temp is 185-205, while overheat is 260). However, when that fan came on, the engine immediately dropped back to normal, and within seconds were over the top.

Since it sounds like you have some flexibility, you should really consider coming out West. Jim Morrison was spot one when he declared it "the best". (He was originally from FL.) The major scary passes & grades you should become familiar with are the aforementioned Cajon, Baker (the road to Vegas), Tejon (Grapevine), Donner, Spooner (Tahoe), Tioga, Sonora & Sherwin (all on/off the 395), and Cuesta (north of San Luis Obispo).

Think of it like training to get in shape for a 10k/marathon. Go through the things you need to make it happen. There are plenty of people in all kinds of RVs making up/down these roads.