Durability of 460 V8?
#1
#2
we got 248,000 outta our 87 1ton that had a camper in the back and pulled a boat most of its life. About 15 years worth. And it didnt sit alot. One day the bearings just started goin bad so we put a rebuild in it, and it has 290k on the body c6 trans and dana 44s. I would say its a gas hog for sure! But it is definitally a lasting powerful motor.
#3
the only time i've ever seen a 460 go up under 150000 miles was at 144000 and the guy never serviced the cooling system, the corrosive coolant ate the head gaskets. awesome motor. that or the v10 IMO are the 2 best choices for motorhome. my grandparents own one with a v10 and for the size that thing hauls serious ****, the v10 really impresses me in how well it pulls.
#4
What size motorhome? Class C or Class A? I've had 3 of them in Class C, E-350 MH's They are a terrific engine but you have to remember, a MH engine NEVER gets a rest. It's hauling it's load 100% of it's life. I would say not to count on 150K mi. for the aforementioned reasons. You might get it, but I wouldn't count on it. Open road isn't so bad. Pulling a lot of hills if you live in the west where there are a lot of 'em, not so good. I'm a Ford man, but the MH I have now is a 32 ft. with a Chev. chassis and a 454 which will pull better on a long grind than the 460, but the 454 will probably blow up in about 1/3 of the miles of a 460. The 460's that I have had just keep lugging but won't make it over the top as quick as a 454.
#5
The motorhome we looked at Saturday was a 1994 34' class A Damon. It had 46k miles on it. The exterior is not faded and looks good. Interior looks ok for its age. Evidently the engine is carbureted because when started cold a lot of unburned gasoline came out the exhaust. Would this engine be computer controlled or is it just carbureted with mechanical and vacuum advance? The dealer only wants $7,493 for the MH. Looks like a great deal. I realize that this model is not one of the most expensive brands.
I've also seen for sale class C MHs on a Ford chassis and 460 V8. I haven't been to look at them yet though.
Thanks for the responses guys. I figured the Ford engine would be good but I did not have any personal info on it. I'm not sure I'm ready to make the jump, but I am enjoying looking right now. I'm close to retirement age and I have this dream of touring the country in my motorhome. I'm a decent shadetree mechanic and I'm not looking to buy new.
I've also seen for sale class C MHs on a Ford chassis and 460 V8. I haven't been to look at them yet though.
Thanks for the responses guys. I figured the Ford engine would be good but I did not have any personal info on it. I'm not sure I'm ready to make the jump, but I am enjoying looking right now. I'm close to retirement age and I have this dream of touring the country in my motorhome. I'm a decent shadetree mechanic and I'm not looking to buy new.
#6
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Something wrong there. They went to fuel injection in I believe about '89 in the 460. I think it was throttle body and I honestly don't know if they ever went to port injection as long as they had the 460 or if it was throttle body to the end. I can tell you one thing, with a 34' the 460 isn't going to scream up the hills, it's more like gonna crawl up them. Don't expect any real mileage out of it either. I would say flat land maybe 5-6 if you're lucky at 60 MPH. I would check and make sure it doesn't have carb. because it might indicate that someone put a used older engine in it or it was built on a chassis that was a number of years old when they built it.
Something wrong there. They went to fuel injection in I believe about '89 in the 460. I think it was throttle body and I honestly don't know if they ever went to port injection as long as they had the 460 or if it was throttle body to the end. I can tell you one thing, with a 34' the 460 isn't going to scream up the hills, it's more like gonna crawl up them. Don't expect any real mileage out of it either. I would say flat land maybe 5-6 if you're lucky at 60 MPH. I would check and make sure it doesn't have carb. because it might indicate that someone put a used older engine in it or it was built on a chassis that was a number of years old when they built it.
#7
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#8
I used to have a 1988 Ford E150 Window van and I knew that 88 was the first year for the 351 Windsor engine to get FI. But, I didn't know anything about the 460. If it has fuel injection, it must not have catalytic converters because starting cold it put out some strong exhaust just like the old cars with carbs. But, if it has FI, that's good news. The engine should last longer. Will have a computer to deal with.
#10
Old Motor homes with very low miles should be avoided. They sometimes sit for years and the basically just rot. My uncle has one that been sitting for 10 years the thing is beautiful but I wouldnt touch it. The city came by and made him move it. He got a battery for it and it wouldnt start the fuel pump went out. He had to replace all the belts and i'm sure all the hoses are bad and who knows what else. Some old folks get them use them a few time then they sit until they die. Kids sell them and the guy who buys them get a huge headache.
#11
#12
Jethat is right. I wouldn't wanna buy anything that has sat for a long period of time. Sitting's harder on a vehicle than driving it everyday all day.
From what I've seen from a 460 I'm pretty impressed and think they're pretty durable. One of my friends has an 84 F250 wood truck that never leaves his property. So #1 the thing never runs for more than a couple mins at a time so it doesn't ever really get up to operating temperature which isn't good for an engine. #2 Every time he starts it there's no "warm up" time, its full throttle and slam it into gear since it's carbed and it'd stall. The oil in that engine looks like it came straight from a swamp, I've never seen anything quite so dirty. But the truck still runs great. Engine doesn't make a sound.
About 2 months ago he sold it to one of our friends who says he's gonna restore it. He lives about 7 miles away from where the truck was and he said he was just gonna drive it to his house. This truck hasn't been out of 2nd gear for almost a decade mind you. So he jumps in the truck and goes down the road with me followin him and that 460 seemed to run without any glitches. He jumped on it a few times and it'd spin tire and it'd get up and go without a problem.
I don't have any personal experience with a 460 but I wouldn't think twice about buyin one after seein what all that trucks been through.
From what I've seen from a 460 I'm pretty impressed and think they're pretty durable. One of my friends has an 84 F250 wood truck that never leaves his property. So #1 the thing never runs for more than a couple mins at a time so it doesn't ever really get up to operating temperature which isn't good for an engine. #2 Every time he starts it there's no "warm up" time, its full throttle and slam it into gear since it's carbed and it'd stall. The oil in that engine looks like it came straight from a swamp, I've never seen anything quite so dirty. But the truck still runs great. Engine doesn't make a sound.
About 2 months ago he sold it to one of our friends who says he's gonna restore it. He lives about 7 miles away from where the truck was and he said he was just gonna drive it to his house. This truck hasn't been out of 2nd gear for almost a decade mind you. So he jumps in the truck and goes down the road with me followin him and that 460 seemed to run without any glitches. He jumped on it a few times and it'd spin tire and it'd get up and go without a problem.
I don't have any personal experience with a 460 but I wouldn't think twice about buyin one after seein what all that trucks been through.
#13
Old Motor homes with very low miles should be avoided. They sometimes sit for years and the basically just rot. My uncle has one that been sitting for 10 years the thing is beautiful but I wouldnt touch it. The city came by and made him move it. He got a battery for it and it wouldnt start the fuel pump went out. He had to replace all the belts and i'm sure all the hoses are bad and who knows what else. Some old folks get them use them a few time then they sit until they die. Kids sell them and the guy who buys them get a huge headache.