Any Ford RV/ Motorhome experts on here?

[grumpin]

Here is another thought. What about something in the range of a 24 foot fifth wheel. Back in the day I had a 24 footer that I pulled with a 67 Jeep Gladiator J3000. A half ton pickup. Granted I had upgraded the engine from the stock inline six to a 350 Chevy.

One of the things I liked the most about this setup was that I get to the spot to set up camp, drop the gate, unplug the light cable, pull the pin and off to the hunting spot I went.

Another plus is that if you have a como system between the trailer and the truck, passengers can ride in the trailer. I call it a plus because when you have teenagers you can stick them in the trailer and not have to listen to them.

You have a flair side with a warmed up 302, that should be plenty to safely pull one of these and they pull a lot better then a bumper pull trailer. Plus the added advantages already mentioned above about trailers.

I don't recall ever having problems with EFI on the 94 F250 with the 460 I used to own.

The E4OD in that truck was another story. I've often said the "torquers" are hard on them. But after talking and reading I'm starting to think it's hit or miss. Or I had a lemon.

The E4OD in my Bronco has been trouble free and I have over 188,000 on it and I don't think it has ever had any major work on it.

[Rembrant]

You have a flair side with a warmed up 302, that should be plenty to safely pull one of these and they pull a lot better then a bumper pull trailer. Plus the added advantages already mentioned above about trailers.

I don't know how well my '84 would pull anything. With the 5spd and the 3.08 diff, she has pretty long legs. They did come from the factory like that after 1987, but I'd say they were pretty light duty.

There are several reasons for the RV, but the main reason is so we can have our dogs with us...and they weigh 70 lbs each. We can't all fit in the cab of my truck.

If I had a proper pickup for a daily driver, then I'd buy a trailer pretty quickly...it would make more sense.

 

[Rembrant]

The MPC shows the 460's getting EFI in '88, with the exception of the F53 Stripped Chassis, which apparently stayed carb'd in '89 so much have been EFI'd in '90.

But I don't know that I'd worry too much about the first gen EFI. It was EEC-IV, which means speed density and bank-fire. The 460 didn't get EEC-V with MAF and sequential until '96, and then only in CA. But if you are staying stock then the EEC-IV shouldn't be a problem.

And the 460 had the C6 until '89 when it got the E4OD. The early E4's had some problems, but if you are going to drive very many miles the OD would be really nice to have.

So we went to look at two RV's today, and going to go see another on Tuesday. They are all 460 EFI with the E4OD trans. Mostly 1990-1992 stuff. There is another one a fair distance away that is really cheap, but the seller tells me that it has a cracked manifold...and another guy told me today to watch for cracked manifolds on the 460. Is this a known issue with the 460's?

Everybody says they have lots of power, and one guy pulls an enclosed trailer with a drag car in it with his and says it works fine.

My issue with the early EFI systems is when they stop working right. I know when they're working properly they do work well, but I see a lot of people online struggling with them when they have a problem with them. I also see a lot of early EFI trucks converted to carb...I guess that is the default thing to do when you can't make them work right (or you mod them).

[grumpin]

I also see a lot of early EFI trucks converted to carb...I guess that is the default thing to do when you can't make them work right (or you mod them).

Or you don't know how to or want to fix it, and go to what you know.

I can't imagine those EFI systems being something you couldn't fix!

 

[Rembrant]

Or you don't know how to or want to fix it, and go to what you know.

I can't imagine those EFI systems being something you couldn't fix!

True. I guess it depends on the condition I find one in. If I see wiring harness all hacked up and looking like spaghetti, then I'll probably be avoiding it. I actually don't mind automotive electrical...but I don't care for it much once somebody else has been in there.

 

[ArdWrknTrk]

The MPC shows the 460's getting EFI in '88, with the exception of the F53 Stripped Chassis, which apparently stayed carb'd in '89 so much have been EFI'd in '90.

But I don't know that I'd worry too much about the first gen EFI. It was EEC-IV, which means speed density and bank-fire. The 460 didn't get EEC-V with MAF and sequential until '96, and then only in CA. But if you are staying stock then the EEC-IV shouldn't be a problem.

And the 460 had the C6 until '89 when it got the E4OD. The early E4's had some problems, but if you are going to drive very many miles the OD would be really nice to have.

So we went to look at two RV's today, and going to go see another on Tuesday. They are all 460 EFI with the E4OD trans. Mostly 1990-1992 stuff. There is another one a fair distance away that is really cheap, but the seller tells me that it has a cracked manifold...and another guy told me today to watch for cracked manifolds on the 460. Is this a known issue with the 460's?

Everybody says they have lots of power, and one guy pulls an enclosed trailer with a drag car in it with his and says it works fine.

My issue with the early EFI systems is when they stop working right. I know when they're working properly they do work well, but I see a lot of people online struggling with them when they have a problem with them. I also see a lot of early EFI trucks converted to carb...I guess that is the default thing to do when you can't make them work right (or you mod them).

Yes, cracked manifolds are an issue with 460's in motorhomes.

Running a 460 for hours and hours under load (weight and wind resistance) pours a LOT of heat not the exhaust.

Slotting the end bolt holes allows for expansion and contraction but leaves the gaskets prone to failure.

Doing it as Ford intended (milled flat, NO gasket, just graphite paste) in addition to slotting seems to cure this.

[ArdWrknTrk]

So Mrs Rembrant has me looking at RV's again. We've been looking at them for a few years now, on and off. We don't really have any intentions of going all that far, but we do have some friends with lots of property to use. Good friends of ours have an unused lake lot, and another friend of mine has 40 acres on the ocean with lots of space we are welcome to use. Anyway, current budget prices pretty much put us between the late 80's and the late 90's.

Most of the ones we've been looking at have 460's. In these E350 cutaways, when did the 460 get EFI, and what EFI did it get? We've looked at a few with the V10's...later 90's and 2000-2001.

Some of them are in really nice condition, and very well kept and maintained. The early EFI systems are a real boogie man for me, so I'm curious what if any fuel systems should be steered clear of.

The V-10 in a van is a nightmare to work on.

I have experience with Larry's E-350 race transporter.

It was pretty reliable for a long time, but when it did go bad even simple things were 'challenging' to deal with.

[Rembrant]

Yes, cracked manifolds are an issue with 460's in motorhomes.

Running a 460 for hours and hours under load (weight and wind resistance) pours a LOT of heat not the exhaust.

Slotting the end bolt holes allows for expansion and contraction but leaves the gaskets prone to failure.

Doing it as Ford intended (milled flat, NO gasket, just graphite paste) in addition to slotting seems to cure this.

So does the manifold shear the bolts off in the head too, or does it just crack? We had a Jeep years ago with this exhaust manifold issue, and the expansion/contraction of it would shear the end manifold bolts off in the cylinder head.

Ok, good info in any case. I've been told to listen for the tick tick tick exhaust noise.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Yes, cracked manifolds are an issue with 460's in motorhomes.

Running a 460 for hours and hours under load (weight and wind resistance) pours a LOT of heat not the exhaust.

Slotting the end bolt holes allows for expansion and contraction but leaves the gaskets prone to failure.

Doing it as Ford intended (milled flat, NO gasket, just graphite paste) in addition to slotting seems to cure this.

So does the manifold shear the bolts off in the head too, or does it just crack? We had a Jeep years ago with this exhaust manifold issue, and the expansion/contraction of it would shear the end manifold bolts off in the cylinder head.

Ok, good info in any case. I've been told to listen for the tick tick tick exhaust noise.

I haven't seen any bolts sheared off but it's not uncommon to find the rearmost bolts loose.

Been 23 years since any 460 rolled off the line.

[Rembrant]

Been 23 years since any 460 rolled off the line.

And the ones I'm looking at are closer to 30 years old.

They're all relatively low mileage...most of the time well under 100k miles, but they're still old and they've been worked hard.