2000 E450 Motorhome Spark Plug R&R
#1
06-22-2018, 10:41 PM
2000 E450 Motorhome Spark Plug R&R
We went out on our first camping trip of the year a couple weeks ago and my RV ran like crap. No power whatsoever and shook real bad. Up even the slightest incline, it would not hold 45-50 mph, which is unlike this rig. It's big, heavy and slow, bit always seemed to have enough power for what I needed.
After a little research...Well, about 10 days ago I had the distinct pleasure of changing out the spark plugs on my E450 chassis motorhome with the V10 in it.
Probably a bit more fun of a job than I really wanted... I assume it would not be too bad of a job in a truck chassis, but it SUCKED in the van chassis. I checked every boot and coil spring thing, they all looked real good. The boots were all pliable, with no cracking and there was no corrosion on the springs. The plugs on the other hand were toast. I replaced them all and put dielectric grease on all the connections, reassemble everything and it runs much better. It still has a little hesitation when accelerating and under a lost, but tons better than it was.
All the plugs came out with no issues and I coated the new ones with a little anti-sieze as well.
Thanks to this site for giving my the courage to attempt this on my own, it saved me a bunch of cash.
The exhaust still has a fairly "rich" smell to it. Is there a possibility that all the miss firing from bad plugs could have damage the O2 Sensor?
After a little research...Well, about 10 days ago I had the distinct pleasure of changing out the spark plugs on my E450 chassis motorhome with the V10 in it.
Probably a bit more fun of a job than I really wanted... I assume it would not be too bad of a job in a truck chassis, but it SUCKED in the van chassis. I checked every boot and coil spring thing, they all looked real good. The boots were all pliable, with no cracking and there was no corrosion on the springs. The plugs on the other hand were toast. I replaced them all and put dielectric grease on all the connections, reassemble everything and it runs much better. It still has a little hesitation when accelerating and under a lost, but tons better than it was.
All the plugs came out with no issues and I coated the new ones with a little anti-sieze as well.
Thanks to this site for giving my the courage to attempt this on my own, it saved me a bunch of cash.
The exhaust still has a fairly "rich" smell to it. Is there a possibility that all the miss firing from bad plugs could have damage the O2 Sensor?
#3
06-23-2018, 02:18 PM
For me dielectric grease is only put on the boot to seal with the ceramic part of plug.
I do not put it on metal parts of plug or coil. I have had some issues in the past putting this grease on the electrode portion.
I would also be checkin for exhaust manifold leaks causing O2 sensorS to be getting bad data.
since it really hard I would have also swapped out the coils with new Denso cops. Cost about $250 for all 10.
I do not put it on metal parts of plug or coil. I have had some issues in the past putting this grease on the electrode portion.
I would also be checkin for exhaust manifold leaks causing O2 sensorS to be getting bad data.
since it really hard I would have also swapped out the coils with new Denso cops. Cost about $250 for all 10.
#4
06-23-2018, 04:45 PM
All good points. Cash is tight with 5 vehicles to maintain...
I did ohm all the coils while I had them out and they all ohm'ed the same, I cannot remember what that reading was though.
Hoping to make it through this season with it the way it is and possibly do a little more work next year. I tend to slowly buy parts over the winter, setting up my spring maintenance.
We'll see if running it some more cleans up anything with the cats or O2 sensor(s). I only took it a short way down the road for the test drive and I am sure things did not get fully up to operating temps.
Regarding the exhaust manifold leaks, I did check the system for any carbon buildup and did not see any at first glance. Once I get back in a few weeks, I will check all the connections again.
Once I get it out on the open road, I will report back on how it performed.
Thanks again for all the input guys.
I did ohm all the coils while I had them out and they all ohm'ed the same, I cannot remember what that reading was though.
Hoping to make it through this season with it the way it is and possibly do a little more work next year. I tend to slowly buy parts over the winter, setting up my spring maintenance.
We'll see if running it some more cleans up anything with the cats or O2 sensor(s). I only took it a short way down the road for the test drive and I am sure things did not get fully up to operating temps.
Regarding the exhaust manifold leaks, I did check the system for any carbon buildup and did not see any at first glance. Once I get back in a few weeks, I will check all the connections again.
Once I get it out on the open road, I will report back on how it performed.
Thanks again for all the input guys.
#5
06-27-2018, 01:14 AM
Fleet Mechanic
You can get a set of 10 DENSO 671-0001 boots/coils on ebay or Rock Auto for about $30.
OP - how many miles are on your boots?
Even though the boots were pliable and not cracked it only takes a tiny weak spot for a misfire.
Misfires when accelerating or load could easily be a boot.
Yes, you can ruin a cat with prolonged misfires and no codes being set.
I carry spare COPs and an OxGord code reader (Amazon - $15), especially for long trips.
#6
06-27-2018, 10:55 AM
The coils will usually far outlast the boots/springs.
You can get a set of 10 DENSO 671-0001 boots/coils on ebay or Rock Auto for about $30.
OP - how many miles are on your boots?
Even though the boots were pliable and not cracked it only takes a tiny weak spot for a misfire.
Misfires when accelerating or load could easily be a boot.
Yes, you can ruin a cat with prolonged misfires and no codes being set.
I carry spare COPs and an OxGord code reader (Amazon - $15), especially for long trips.
You can get a set of 10 DENSO 671-0001 boots/coils on ebay or Rock Auto for about $30.
OP - how many miles are on your boots?
Even though the boots were pliable and not cracked it only takes a tiny weak spot for a misfire.
Misfires when accelerating or load could easily be a boot.
Yes, you can ruin a cat with prolonged misfires and no codes being set.
I carry spare COPs and an OxGord code reader (Amazon - $15), especially for long trips.
We bought the unit used a few years ago. Currently it has around 85,000 mikes on it, but not sure what maintenance was done prior to us getting it.
Once I get it out on the road and heated up, I'll report back how it runs.
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