1990's Ford Engine/Transmission issues

[Dust of the Sun]

Being a newbie and one who is a mechanical klutz to boot...in looking at zillions of ads I see a disturbing trend...very often on 1990's motorhomes with Ford engines I see that the transmission is blown or needs repair or was replaced or rebuilt...VERY often See this moreso than with Dodge or Chevy engines in the ads.. Is there some known issue with 90's ford engines on the transmissions???? And some of the 24 foot class b motorhomes I see have the Triton V-10 or the Ford 460 or the 7.5 L engine...sounds like overkill for a 24 footer but then again gas was cheap circa 1994...wonder anyone be kind enough to tell me the Engines for Dummies version of the difference in these big ford engines?? Why so many different ones??&nbsp; Like with Chevy didn't they JUST have the 454 back around then...you want a big GM engine? That's what you got. Should I avoid any of these ford engines in particular?? I'm also guessing even in a 24 footer that gas mileage might be no better than 9-11 highway ... but then what do I know?.. .thanks for the help!!! Dust (mike)<br>

 

[blars]

The ford 460 v8 was replaced by the v10 in the late 90's.&nbsp; They skipped a model year between them, iirc it was 98.&nbsp; The v10 has odbii, the 460 does not.&nbsp; 7.5L is an appoxomate conversion to metric.&nbsp; So it just depends on when it was made.<br>

 

[vonu]

Being a newbie and one who is a mechanical klutz to boot...in looking at zillions of ads I see a disturbing trend...very often on 1990's motorhomes with Ford engines I see that the transmission is blown or needs repair or was replaced or rebuilt...VERY often See this moreso than with Dodge or Chevy engines in the ads.. Is there some known issue with 90's ford engines on the transmissions???? And some of the 24 foot class b motorhomes I see have the Triton V-10 or the Ford 460 or the 7.5 L engine...sounds like overkill for a 24 footer but then again gas was cheap circa 1994...wonder anyone be kind enough to tell me the Engines for Dummies version of the difference in these big ford engines?? Why so many different ones??&nbsp; Like with Chevy didn't they JUST have the 454 back around then...you want a big GM engine? That's what you got. Should I avoid any of these ford engines in particular?? I'm also guessing even in a 24 footer that gas mileage might be no better than 9-11 highway ... but then what do I know?.. .thanks for the help!!! Dust (mike)<br>

<div><br></div><div>I've noticed a tendency for some class C manufacturers to pick the smaller transmissions to hold down the final price, and that is a good way to obtain an early transmission failure. &nbsp;My last van had the bulletproof inline 6 cylinder engine that Ford brought over from their industrial department, and it drove their C-6 transmission, which could take the largest V-8 they sold at the time.</div>

 

[Seraphim]

'And some of the 24 foot class b motorhomes I see have the Triton V-10 or the Ford 460 or the 7.5 L engine...'<br><br>Dpends on the weight of the rig - they're&nbsp;carrying what equates to&nbsp;an entire house, andthey may be expected to tow something behind it.<br><br><br>

 

[MargaretA]

Couple of questions, from another "mechanical klutz" (I like that term <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> )<br> <br> 1) What is "odbii"?<br> <br> 2) I didn't know transmissions came in sizes. What sizes are good for RVs? And how would I even know what size is in an RV? I've never seen that mentioned in any of the ads I've read. Or is the transmission size matched with the engine size?<br> <br> Meg<br> <br>

 

[blars]

odbii, aka odb2, is a connector you can plug into an engine diagnostic tool or display.&nbsp; Required on cars since 1996, later on trucks.<br>

 

[Seraphim]

They don't label transmissions - per se - for the public according to size. One needs to do a bit of reasearch on the individual components to understand them. Or, you can just ask an expert. Transmissions are manufactured according to expected use, and some are built larger and stronger, have more capacity for transmission fluid, and my often be built with a separate cooler to bleed heat out of the fluid: heat being the enemy of moving parts. Transmissions are also geared - designed - for specific applications: some for hauling power, others for speed. Generally, when you buy a vehicle for a specific purpose, the engine and transmission are matched together by the manufacturer to best suit that purpose.<BR><BR>An RV is going to carry a lot of weight, and if a person travels through steep mountains and/or higher elevations where the air is thinner, an engine with more power is needed, and a transmission matched to the engine, as well. If you climb a steep mountain in a low gear, especially pulling the weight, the engine and transmission are both going to create a lot of heat. They need the strength and the cooling capacity to keep going without failing.<BR><BR><BR>

 

[MargaretA]

odbii, aka odb2, is a connector you can plug into an engine diagnostic tool or display.&nbsp; Required on cars since 1996, later on trucks.<br>

<br><br>Is this the same as "On Board Diagnostics II" (OBDII)? The "B" and the "D" are turned around here but it sounds like the same thing.<br><br>Meg<br>

 

[user 423]

You will see more '90s Ford RVs with a bad trans mainly because Ford had over 50% of the Class C market, so there's just more of them out there. Dodge had most of the '70s market but that started changing in the '80s.&nbsp; Many MHs are low mileage and sit unused a lot (some for years) and this is probably not too good for them (I'm no trans expert but extended disuse leads to dried up seals maybe?).&nbsp; I'm thinking also that many people drive these MHs overloaded and with mountainous driving, poor maintenance,etc. that will lead to early trans failure.<br>

 

[blars]

[<br>Is this the same as "On Board Diagnostics II" (OBDII)? The "B" and the "D" are turned around here but it sounds like the same thing.<br>

<br><br>oops, my bad.&nbsp; I misremember it.<br>

 

[Seraphim]

Our 95 Ford transmission has not given us a bit of trouble (knock on wood) and we've taken it across all types of terrain fully loaded.<br><br>Think of OBDII as a USB port to your car's computer. You can not only get diagnostic information from the port, but you can also reprogram the computer for - for example - better horsepower, torque or better gas mileage; depending on your needs.<br><br>