Gasser guys and gals ...why not a diesel ?

[LandYacht35dies]

....I’ve seen some people state that they have avoided a diesel .... why so ?

[Rickyrocket]

I think there is some misinformation/fear being spread here.Ive driven tractor trailer since 1988,most trucking companies do the bare minimum maintenance on equipment to save moola. I worked for the guys with the brown trucks(freight division)for the past 13 years,they do a service on the trucks 1 time per year.diesels are beyond reliable, and yes more expensive, but you get longevity and a far better ride with the air ride suspension.

[hohenwald48]

pianotuna wrote:

My Magnum 3000 caught on fire. It is due to poor design on their part. So I can't recommend them. They did replace it under warranty.

I've heard of several people having that problem.

[cbigham]

Reckon so!

[BigRabbitMan]

I am in a whole other category! I have a coach that was a rear engined gas coach. The engine of the 70’s was the Chrysler 440 which mine had. Was nice to drive as was quiet, but got 7 mpg. I always liked Diesel engines but liked my paid for coach better. Then I got the wild idea to convert my 29 ft rear engined coach with its old design gas engine to a modern Diesel engine.

So I did! Bought a rolled 2006 GMC pickup with a Duramax and a six spd Allison. Out of pocket cost was $18,000 to move forward 30 years as to the power train. Hp when from about 220 to 360 and torque from 350 to 620. I weigh 15,000 lbs fully loaded. Mpg went from 7 to 13 and it is fun to drive. I have put 75,000 miles on the conversion and I calculated break even at about 45,000 miles.

A whole different road!

[pianotuna]

PastorCharlie wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
JaxDad,

I hope it works beyond your wildest dreams.

Solar and inverter/charger? (Victron or Outback NOT Magnum).

I have had a Magnum inverter for years and am well satisfied with it. Perhaps the worst problem people have with inverters are purchasing a too small inverter (and installation) for their usage and murderingkilling them. I read on this forum and others all the time of people seeking to cut corners with everything from the cost of fuel to tires, inverters, solar, batteries, cables, wiring, etc.. There is no shortage of threads seeking to cut cost on installs and repairs.

My Magnum 3000 caught on fire. It is due to poor design on their part. So I can't recommend them. They did replace it under warranty.

[PastorCharlie]

pianotuna wrote:
JaxDad,

I hope it works beyond your wildest dreams.

Solar and inverter/charger? (Victron or Outback NOT Magnum).

I have had a Magnum inverter for years and am well satisfied with it. Perhaps the worst problem people have with inverters are purchasing a too small inverter (and installation) for their usage and murderingkilling them. I read on this forum and others all the time of people seeking to cut corners with everything from the cost of fuel to tires, inverters, solar, batteries, cables, wiring, etc.. There is no shortage of threads seeking to cut cost on installs and repairs.

[LandYacht35dies]

Come on man ! .... Richard- just trying to help you from getting DICKED !

I must be way OUT OF TOUCH to not know how bad some people are getting HOSED in the transmission repair biz. FIRST - this is a total LOCK UP converter? How much does the RPM drop when the converter locks up ? How’s the aero of the motor home? How hard do you drive it ? .... more Qs to follow

[jeromep]

FloridaRosebud wrote:

So going down the engine upgrade, I seem to remember back in the late 1970's or early 1980's some company in Detroit took a Dodge 440 and punched is 60 over, stroked it 1/2 inch, and came up with 511 CI. On the dyno they measured, if memory serves, about 475 HP, and 550 ft-lbs of torque (with AL intake, 800 or 850 Holly, good cam). So I think your numbers are reasonable. Too bad the gas engine manufacturers can't come up with an engine like that for our motor homes...

Al

They have. The new 7.3 V8 from Ford is being sold as a crate engine from Ford Performance as a 600 horse naturally aspirated engine for performance and racing folks. It goes out the door in F53 and F59 chassis as a 350 horse 468 lb-ft torque engine. They pair it with the 6 speed automatic.

Then look at the same engine in the F-250 or F-350. It goes out the door with 430 horse and 475 lb-ft of torque. They down rate the engine for stripped chassis, oddly. The F-series is also mated to the 10 speed automatic, not the 6 speed.

That said, like the V10 before it, a number of third party modders are already developing computer adjustment tools which an end user can plug in to the OBD port to change engine and transmission performance. The right company with the right mod instructions can do tremendous things to an engine and transmission pair. I suspect there are already Class A owners with the new 7.3 which have gone to 5 Star or another company and are getting significantly improved horsepower and torque with nothing more than plugging in a device to the OBD port. I haven't looked, but I wouldn't be surprised if Banks hasn't already developed performance gear for the 7.3.

[falconbrother]

Ownership cost. If I was really spending a lot of time on the road I'd want diesel though.

[FloridaRosebud]

jeromep wrote:

RLS7201 wrote:

The torque converter clutch failed and filed the transmission full of shrapnel. The oil was cooked and the front seal failed on the way home, covering the toad with ATF.
Think out the whole concept of what your purpose.
First the ECU would not be happy not finding the E4OD that is was programed to control. That would create a whole new problem as it also controls the engine. My EEC-IV (catch code MOO0) was only used in a 1995 F53.
Then an Allison and an adapter would cost many times more that my old coach is worth.
Then finding a computer that would interface with the 460 and an Allison would be impossible.
You must be really out of touch if you think THREE LARGE for a special tranny such as I ordered is over the top.


Richard

Let's see here, a 460 stroked to 528 is probably putting out 400 horse and 450-500 lb-ft of torque, or are my numbers way too high? Maybe 350-375 horse and 425 lb-ft of torque? It is impressive that you have such a fun engine in a motorhome, but I bet it is a kick to drive.

I'm not surprised that the E4OD gave up the ghost if your torque numbers are as high as I think they may be. It is a stout transmission, but with those possible numbers, it's time was going to be cut short for sure.

3k to have a performance build of an E4OD sounds like a good deal. There is a YouTube channel for Precision Transmission out of Amarillo, TX and they do lots of tear down videos. Just this week they have posted two for Ford 4R100s, which are the successor of the E4OD and have significant similarities. The C6, A4OD, E4OD, and 4R100 are are all related to each other and are great heavy duty transmissions.

A previous poster remarked that the transmission was automotive. Not really. It was always a heavy duty unit for heavier applications, and they have been built by Ford in so many ways to accommodate medium and heavy duty applications, like large passenger cars, all the way to use in the F-series, E-series, and F53 and F59. Ford hasn't used this transmission in a passenger car since maybe the very late 70s or early 80s. After that it was always in a heavy duty application.

So going down the engine upgrade, I seem to remember back in the late 1970's or early 1980's some company in Detroit took a Dodge 440 and punched is 60 over, stroked it 1/2 inch, and came up with 511 CI. On the dyno they measured, if memory serves, about 475 HP, and 550 ft-lbs of torque (with AL intake, 800 or 850 Holly, good cam). So I think your numbers are reasonable. Too bad the gas engine manufacturers can't come up with an engine like that for our motor homes...

Al

[Gjac]

cbigham said: "Enjoyed that funmover, but very needy..and if someone else needed to fix it, it was not commonly available in places I like to go."......... If you never broke down in a remote place you won't understand how important this statement is. Three years ago in July I had a front end failure in Mt on my 33 ft Class A. I could not find a shop within 100 miles willing to work on it. My insurance company finally found one 250 miles away in the opposite direction. There first priority was trucks I did not get it back until Nov, had to drive it home in the snow it was not fun.

[cbigham]

Had older diesel trucks chev duramax, chev 6.5Linternational scout (if you can recall those) and a cat powered diesel funmover I put 92k on. Old stuff I could fix, replace injectors, pumps, pull trans as needed. By the cat acert series generation in the funmover...gotta call Guido with the Ph.d to fix it. Computers powering multiple injector cycles, delicate huie pumps, wasn't the stuff I trained for in the military. Enjoyed that funmover, but very needy..and if someone else needed to fix it, it was not commonly available in places I like to go. We are riders, dirt bikes, Harleys for many years. Sold the Harleys. Focus on diet, dual sport exploration.

Over the years, recognized I want a smaller unit, easily fixed in any small town that can fit in the more remote, intimate campsites. Love those places to see, ride from, be, and meet the people who do the same.

With the funmover, guys would wonder over and talk how much they paid, what broke on their Harley or brand new KTM they didnt have set up, what business they did or do. Questioned me the same. Very few talked about what they'd seen or done or want to. Stuff talk.

Smaller gasser, people now ask where you going? Did you see x? We r riding to y this afternoon, you got to see this! Much more approachable, less pretentious. I very much enjoy those chance meetings I missed.

Another pleasant surprise is so much less maintenance. The little gasser 2017 model is almost always ready to just go. I had a part time maintenance hobby on the funmover. That time now goes for riding.

Diesels are not as reliable or simple to fix as they once were.

[jeromep]

RLS7201 wrote:

The torque converter clutch failed and filed the transmission full of shrapnel. The oil was cooked and the front seal failed on the way home, covering the toad with ATF.
Think out the whole concept of what your purpose.
First the ECU would not be happy not finding the E4OD that is was programed to control. That would create a whole new problem as it also controls the engine. My EEC-IV (catch code MOO0) was only used in a 1995 F53.
Then an Allison and an adapter would cost many times more that my old coach is worth.
Then finding a computer that would interface with the 460 and an Allison would be impossible.
You must be really out of touch if you think THREE LARGE for a special tranny such as I ordered is over the top.


Richard

Let's see here, a 460 stroked to 528 is probably putting out 400 horse and 450-500 lb-ft of torque, or are my numbers way too high? Maybe 350-375 horse and 425 lb-ft of torque? It is impressive that you have such a fun engine in a motorhome, but I bet it is a kick to drive.

I'm not surprised that the E4OD gave up the ghost if your torque numbers are as high as I think they may be. It is a stout transmission, but with those possible numbers, it's time was going to be cut short for sure.

3k to have a performance build of an E4OD sounds like a good deal. There is a YouTube channel for Precision Transmission out of Amarillo, TX and they do lots of tear down videos. Just this week they have posted two for Ford 4R100s, which are the successor of the E4OD and have significant similarities. The C6, A4OD, E4OD, and 4R100 are are all related to each other and are great heavy duty transmissions.

A previous poster remarked that the transmission was automotive. Not really. It was always a heavy duty unit for heavier applications, and they have been built by Ford in so many ways to accommodate medium and heavy duty applications, like large passenger cars, all the way to use in the F-series, E-series, and F53 and F59. Ford hasn't used this transmission in a passenger car since maybe the very late 70s or early 80s. After that it was always in a heavy duty application.

[JaxDad]

pianotuna wrote:
JaxDad,

Since you have plenty of power, I'd go for enough solar to maintain and/or slowly recharge all battery banks in the RV.

It is so nice to not have to worry about things needing to start.

I'd still go for a hybrid inverter/charger as load support makes life easier.

I'm revising my plans for a massive battery bank. I do have remote electric start for my generator--and a way to keep the battery from going stone bone dead when I leave it in 'standby' mode.

Oh, good point there! I hadn’t thought of day to day maintenance on the batteries. Thanks.