Some interesting discussions in the archive. I could not find
anything on V10 intake mods, though. I am looking for something
similar to the ram air pictured in the Banks system pictured with the v10 on page 210 of the Camping World Master catalog.

Gotta say I love the engine. Only have 3100 miles and one trip on
it, but even loaded down with 14k pounds, it pulls like a train
thanks to that 4.6x gearing. In Oklahoma where the speed limit is
75, I had to lift because I was going 80 and the truck tires were
not balanced/round enough to handle it. But the engine had more
to give.

Also, changed the oil with the Ford 5w20 semi synthetic and filter.
Now how to I get a dealer to stamp my warranty book? It is a PITA
that there are so few Ford heavy truck dealers. Any other things I
need to keep up with or watch? I noticed the owner's manual said to switch to synthetic gear lube if I tow.

-Jim
2001 E-450 chassis with 2002 Motorhome on it
(previous '89, '96 and '98 SHOs)

 

Hey Jim, just had to say hi...

2000 E-450 V10 chassis with 2001 motorhome on it
and have a '93 SHO is 62K miles

 

Hey there! Any mods on your E-450? Only thing I have
done so far to the truck portion is valve extenders to
the inner dualies. Lots of little tweaks to the motorhome
part.

Do you think the K&N filter alone makes any real hp in
the e-450 setup? I bet the'd get a laugh at me running
1/4 miles in it comparing filters at the track to see.
Really interested in ram-air if I can set it up.

-Jim

 

I'm having the same problem. I have an E-350 15 passenger van, and I'd like to find an air intake system that will give back the 10 horsepower that is lost versus the pick-ups intake. I wrote to Banks and asked them if they had anything, but didn't get a response. If you find something I would appreciate a heads-up. I'm also considering the Banks header, even though the price seems extremely high. I've talked to a few other header manufacturers but none of them have decided to produce a product yet for us V-10 van/van conversion/class C people. I have also seen superchargers for the V-10, but only in the pick-up. Looking under my hood I sure don't see where there'd be room for that in there. The V-10 seems to be really popular with the RV, class C motorhome crowd. Why aren't there more engine mods made for us ? Write if you find anything, and I'll do the same, Ken 1998 Ford V-10 E-350 15 passenger XLT Club Wagon. I LOVE it !!

 

I'll be sure to post if I find something. When the v-10 went from 275 hp to 310 I wonder if some of the gains were intake mods. If yes you might be able to use some 2001/2002 intake bits. But I want MORE - don't need the intake to be silent at WOT.

-Jim

 

There were mods made to the heads and to the intake manifold from what I understand to get 310 HP, so us early V-10 owners are out of luck unless we want to spend mega $$$ on those upgrades. And even then I don't know that the new heads/manifold will fit on earlier V-10's. Worse yet, the E series actually had 10 LESS HP (265) than the pick-up had. Due to the super restrictive air cleaner. I am going to try and adapt something to fit from K&N. They do not make a "Filtercharger" for the E series. The best a guy can do is put in a K&N filter, but that does not address the air filter housing, which is what really needs to be fixed to give us back our 10 HP.

 

A junkyard hood and a scoop could help out with the crowding
underthere and give some cool air.

I hear there is a TSB on out on wet filters on the E-450s
and hard starting. The shield they add seems like it would make
air flow worse. I am going to check on mine and if there is
one, remove it since I have not heard of any hydrolock problems
blowing up engines, only hard starting.

If you copy me and do the same, Murphy's law says your engine will
suck 5 gallons of water and blow up, so do at your own risk.

-Jim
2001 E-450 V-10

 

Ok looked at the stock intake. Sad sad sad thing.

Huge filter - very nice. Intake does 2 180's and scrunches down to a thin rechangle and plugs into a shroud over the radiator (HOT!!). Inside the shroud is a little plastic cover over the top of a small AC or trans cooler in front of the radiator with a little lit to direct some minor quantity of fresh air in at what is hopefully a positive air pressure (minor ram air).

The deflector plate WAS NOT ATTACHED PROPERLY making the opening about 1/2 the size it should have been. Also no apparent water deflection except maybe the two sharp curves, but they are almost horizontal. I snapped it in place. These van chassis intakes on the v-10 look like they could really benefit from a little air in.

Looks like they had to make some big compromized to fit the intake in there with this long engine. A ram-air hood with 1 custon 3" or 4" tube to connect it up would be just the ticket.

-Jim

 

Sounds ugly under the hood. Have you had a chance to see if fixing the plate changed performance?

 

Yea it's quite a journey the air takes to get to the engine. I've seen some of the pics the guys with their F-series have done but I am convinced that a fresh air charge is a MUST. I am in contact with MacPerformance, Banks and Holley for a system. I will forward which one I go with and let you know how it works, Ken.

 

I have not driven it since I made the discovery of the poorly assembled air flow diverter. It's parked at a local campground for the holiday weekend and a week after for inaugural party activities on the new camping season.

With the poor intake, I beat an early 90s escort with bad merging habits. It was kind of Darwinian of him to ignore a 14,000 lb vehicle with the right of way using a 2500 lb vehicle. I squeezed over into a lane of faster moving traffic to let him in. He took my acceleration as a challenge (if he had accelerated more earlier, he could have easily gotten in ahead of me). So I kept it at WOT until 80 and walked away from him. Can you imagine being outrun by 31' of motorhome on the highway - a vehicle that has the aerodynamics and weight of a single-wide mobile home?

Ya know, I used to race camaros, mustangs, at least Maximas and GTPs. Now I'm running against Escorts....

I did not do any g-tec readings but I can do some before and after by putting back the intake to it's badly-assembled condition.

I'm asking for the Helms manual for Father's day. What an exciting life I lead.

-Jim
2001 E-450 Cutaway Chassis

 

Does anyone know if the Banks headers will even fit on a E350? The frame is narrower than the F350. Just doesn't look like much room for bigger headers in there. I've looked at the air intake before. Makes me feel sorry for that V10. Hardly any air to breath with. Benjamin

 

Yes, Banks has a huge market selling to motorhome owners, including E-350 and E-450 owners. As to ease of installation, that could be a different story!

-Jim

 

Yes they do, contact Tony Woods @Banks. He's a great guy and has been VERY helpful in answering a zillion questions from me. here is his e-mail address; TWood@Bankspower.com Tell him Ken sent you.