17 replies to this topic

[bmccarter]

I just bought a new gas motorhome on a Ford chassis, On my maiden voyage with the cruise control engaged the transmission down shifted 3 times into 2nd gear causing the engine to rev to 4800 rpms.

I was on a moderate grade and this scared the life out of me! Is this common? I can't believe this is good on a new engine.

Also, the cruise wouldn't disengage by hitting the brake pedal. I had to turn off the cruise control manually. Anyone have similar problem? When I drove without the cruise the trans shifted normally.

[Jby0070]

I have an older V-10 and have never experienced it locking as a result of cruise control. While your coach may be longer, my 33' seems to shift down as it climbs a hill, more than I want; but, not unreasonably so. I would have your dealer check it out.

[wolfe10]

Also, the cruise wouldn't disengage by hitting the brake pedal. I had to turn off the cruise control manually. Anyone have similar problem? When I drove without the cruise the trans shifted normally.

This is an important safety concern. Please take it to a Ford dealership ASAP-- do not use the Cruise Control until this is remedied. Probably something as simple as a brake switch or loose wire, but it needs to be addressed.

And, yes, the Ford V10 IS a high RPM engine with max HP of 362 horsepower at 4,750 rpm.

[bmccarter]

Thanks for the insight.

[RogerandEllen]

Our Winnebago is only about 10 months old and we have a similar problem with the cruise control. It seems to downshift way too much and way too early when going up even what I would define a slight graded hill. We do NOT have problems with it disengaging either by braking or turning it off manually. When I take the CC off by any method and add just enough pedal to keep the momentum going up the grade, the engine downshifts to a more reasonable RPM and related sound level in the cockpit. When the CC is "on its own" upon downshift, you would think the machine was a 747 on takeoff. I have only had the oil changed so I have not yet had the dealer look at it so who knows if this dramatism is programmed or it is a flaw somewhere. So, the result is, unless I am on a fairly flat grade I do NOT use the CC on this machine.

[Murnane2000]

We have 2004 Holiday Rambler Atlantis with a V10.
Whenever we use cruise it does downshift to third lockup converter disengaged,
then after a few seconds the converter engages.
AND YES the ENGINE SCREAMS like a Formula one race engine.
The wife says im gona blow it up,
But its reving at around 3500 to 4000 rpm on a pull.
It has 47000 miles and I dont think it will ever blow.

[f301359]

I had the very same problem while coming down the El Cajon pass in So. Calif.

I was in cruise control and also out of overdrive/tow-haul and the trans was shifting down and it too was taching about 4800 rpm and when I tried to disengage, the trans wouldn't. I also couldn't take it out of tow-haul and I had to hard brake and then when it slowed down it finally shifted.

When I got home,about 20 miles from the Cajon, I noticed that the trans was leaking trans fluid onto the ground. The temp gauge did not show any temp rise and it appeared that the trans was pushing fluid out the top vent.

This is a 2011 Southwind with 2500 miles on it. The first Ford dealer hosed off the trans and drove it and said it was fine. But in subsequent trips, hard pulls and not so hard the trans still pushed out fluid. So look under your coach for the tell tail signs of transmission fluid puddling on the top of the trans or along the underside where it's saturating your coach.

The coach is back at another Ford dealership and they believe that a pressure valve is stuck, an internal problem and hopefully Ford will do more than just hose it off and tell me it's OK.

Leaking fluid on the road by the way is against the law, as it's toxic and a hazardous material which you could be fined and charged for clean up costs. Also spilling trans fluid on the roadway is dangerous. if enough is sprayed underneath it can involve the rear tires and cause you to swap ends at the most unexpected time and hurt yourself, your family or some other driver.

Are there others out there who have had this little glitch, and if so,how was it resolved?

[Gman69]

Pretty common problem from another forum. My 2012 Thor had the same problem. The problem is not in the cruise but in the software loaded into the computer. I took my coach to numerous Ford dealers and the response was they couldn't do anything for it,"that's why you have a warranty" was the typical response.

I agree it isn't right, and if continued driving with this issue will in time cause severe damage to the engine. I finally fixed the problem by installing a 5 Star tune map into the computer. I hated to spend the $, but it was worth it. The MH now drives, shifts and downshifts like it should. Stays in a higher gear much longer, without all that extreme downshifting.

Trust me, it is worth the money, if nothing more, than in the peace of mind and not having to constantly shut the cruise off to prevent the extreme high rpms from downshifting to a too low gear.

[WILDEBILL308]

The Ford V10 is a high reving engine. You cant hurt it there is a built in rev limiter.

I would keep it at the peak torque and go climb some hills. I also wouldn't worry to much on how long it will last as there are many people reporting over 200,000 miles. A good place to find out more info is the Ford truck forums.

http://www.ford-truc...orums/index.php

Bill

[greybeard101]

On CC mine once downshifted while going down a grade on the freeway here. It screamed. I just figured it was it's way of maintaining the selected speed instead of gaining momentum downhill. Alarming but logical if the whole idea is not to let a large mass of motorhome gain too much speed downhill. ASFAIK I didn't have it on tow/haul mode...but given that I had only driven it once before ...maybe I did.

[jimnorman]

Up hill mine downshifts and races up, not everytime to the same extent, but it does race. Down hill with TowHaul engaged it will 'enginebreak' A real nice feature. Also nice in traffic and in towns. you don;t have to keep on the brakes. I might look into a tuner however to see what is happening and if I can stop the extreme down shifting

[campcop]

I had the very same problem while coming down the El Cajon pass in So. Calif.

I was in cruise control and also out of overdrive/tow-haul and the trans was shifting down and it too was taching about 4800 rpm and when I tried to disengage, the trans wouldn't. I also couldn't take it out of tow-haul and I had to hard brake and then when it slowed down it finally shifted.

When I got home,about 20 miles from the Cajon, I noticed that the trans was leaking trans fluid onto the ground. The temp gauge did not show any temp rise and it appeared that the trans was pushing fluid out the top vent.

This is a 2011 Southwind with 2500 miles on it. The first Ford dealer hosed off the trans and drove it and said it was fine. But in subsequent trips, hard pulls and not so hard the trans still pushed out fluid. So look under your coach for the tell tail signs of transmission fluid puddling on the top of the trans or along the underside where it's saturating your coach.

The coach is back at another Ford dealership and they believe that a pressure valve is stuck, an internal problem and hopefully Ford will do more than just hose it off and tell me it's OK.

Leaking fluid on the road by the way is against the law, as it's toxic and a hazardous material which you could be fined and charged for clean up costs. Also spilling trans fluid on the roadway is dangerous. if enough is sprayed underneath it can involve the rear tires and cause you to swap ends at the most unexpected time and hurt yourself, your family or some other driver.

Are there others out there who have had this little glitch, and if so,how was it resolved?

Was the issue resolved?? I was under mine the other day after returning from a cross country trip and I found trans fluid on the top and the case was wet also. Not a lot but something to get my attention......

[Jfhaas]

Have a 2012 Winnebago 35' Vista. I have found that when it downshifts once that I hit coast button several times. If it is a steeper incline I might have to hit coast two, three or four more times depending on grade. I remember how many time I hit coast and when I crest the hill and tranny shifts up to fifth gear, I hit accelerate button the same number of times. After a while you get a feel for it.

[campcop]

What you're doing is changing the speed setting, most likely to a slower setting, that's why it will stop down shifting. I have the same unit, when I come to a steep hill that I know will cause a downshift, I just kick the cruise off, this usually keeps it from downshifting so far the engine is screaming..

[SkipRD]

As to the cruise control not disengaging when you hit the brake pedal, I just saw this on the rv-recalls website:

Thor Motor Coach (Thor) is recalling certain model year 2011 through 2013 Tuscany, Astoria, Ultrasport, Montecito, and Palazzo recreational vehicles, built on Freightliner brand XB and XC custom chassis, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall potentially will impact 727 units. The vehicles are equipped with diode jumpers that may come loose in their connectors resulting in an open circuit. Two circuits are affected: The one that disengages the cruise control with brake pedal use, and the one that illuminates the brake lights with brake pedal use. Failure of the cruise control to disengage when the brakes are applied may increase the risk of a vehicle crash. Without the brake lights illuminating when the brakes are applied, the driver's intent is not communicated, increasing the risk of a crash. Daimler Trucks (DTNA) will notify owners on behalf of Thor, and Freightliner dealers will inspect the diode jumpers to make sure they are fully locked in place and will correct the vehicles as needed. The recall is expected to begin Jan. 28, 2013. Owners should contact DTNA Warranty Campaigns Department at (800) 547-0712, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific Time Monday through Friday, e-mail address DTNA.Warranty.Campaigns@Daimler.com, or the Customer Assistance Center at (800) FTL-HELP after normal business hours. DTNA's recall campaign number is FL-634.

Not sure if that's applicable to your unit, but thought I'd pass it along anyway.

Skip

[SkipRD]

Winnebago is affected too:

Winnebago Industries is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Winnebago Journey and Tour motorhomes, and certain model year 2010-2013 Itasca Meridian and Ellipse motorhomes, manufactured June 18, 2010, through November 17, 2011. The chassis are equipped with connectors for diode jumpers that may come loose, resulting in an open circuit. Two circuits are affected: The one that disengages the cruise control with brake pedal use, and the one that illuminates the brake lights with brake pedal use. Failure of the cruise control to disengage when the brakes are applied may increase the risk of a vehicle crash. Without the brake lights illuminating when the brakes are applied, the driver's intent is not communicated, increasing the risk of a crash. Daimler Trucks North America will be conducting the recall on behalf of Winnebago Industries. Daimler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the diode jumpers to make sure they are fully locked in place and will correct the vehicles as needed. The recall is expected to begin on January 28, 2013. Owners should contact Winnebago at (641)585-3535 or Daimler Trucks at (503) 745-6910.

Wow.

Skip

[f301359]

Was the issue resolved?? I was under mine the other day after returning from a cross country trip and I found trans fluid on the top and the case was wet also. Not a lot but something to get my attention......

Yes it was resolved. The trans was over filled and after several trips to the dealer they got it right and no more problems. To check, get the coach warmed up and find a level spot and check your fluid level. It should not exceed the top limit mark on the dip stick.

 

After the fluid was corrected, the trans worked beautifully, in fact I drive almost always in tow haul mode. The trans still cruises at 2100 rpm at 60 mph and it automatically brakes on down grades and shift when climbing. Also when coming to a stop, it down shift and I don't have to use as much brake.

[f301359]

This trans is designed to tach at 4800 rpm all day,so when in a down grade,don't panic,it's normal, but if you had problems with shifting or getting it out of CC then check your fluid level. That was my first problem and then the puddle of trans fluid under the coach.

 

As I said in the above post, once I got the correct trans fluid level all was good with the world.