Fleetwood Storm from some inlaws who want
to unload it,65,000mi., average to a bit
under maintance record, what is the engine
expectency? have heard 65,000 to 150,000,
said they would sell it for what they owe
on it after 9 yrs. of payments, what would be
a bottomline wholesale price I could offer?
am aware of the NADA books and others,
thanks for your time
Monaco Dynasty Diamond IV 43'
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Visited ALL 50 states in the U.S.of A.
George
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Quote:
The answer depends on who you talk to. Many of the folks on this forum seem to think that 65,000 is high mileage for a gas truck engine. But if you talk to people in the commercial truck repair business, a well maintained 454 can be expected to last 250,000 miles or more.
The answer depends on who you talk to. Many of the folks on this forum seem to think that 65,000 is high mileage for a gas truck engine. But if you talk to people in the commercial truck repair business, a well maintained 454 can be expected to last 250,000 miles or more.
In the right enviroment...MAYBE yes!....but from the avg RV owner...NO WAY IN HADES!
John
..."expect it to last somewhere between 40,000 and 200,000 miles depending on how it's driven..."
I guess that means that I'll live somewhere between 72 and 97 years then...lol Talk about a WIDE margin!!!
Mac USAF retired
2001 Seaview 32 ft model 8311
Ford f53
2007 HHR
Brake buddy
Falcon2 Towbar
Quote:
Hi EKS, I traded my 89 Itasca Chev 454w 3 sp trans. and had 135+ miles on it. No major repairs or brake downs in 7 years. Had good maintaince and running well when I sold it. The fellow who bought it is still driving it 3 years later.
Hi EKS, I traded my 89 Itasca Chev 454w 3 sp trans. and had 135+ miles on it. No major repairs or brake downs in 7 years. Had good maintaince and running well when I sold it. The fellow who bought it is still driving it 3 years later.
My engine/transmission is essentially the same as the one mentioned by Novi (although his may have been carbureted vs TBI). I now have about 44,000 miles on the engine, it uses very little oil (synthetic) and passes the CA smog test with improved results every 2 years (she gets better as she gets older. Go figure!). I feel very comfortable taking her on long trips and she's never let me down (only recent replacements were the fan clutch and alternator). This engine, along with the older 3-speed tranny is a pretty good combination. At least it has been for me.
Mr. Ed (fulltiming since 1987)
Life is fragile. Handle with prayer.
2007 Hitchhiker II LS Model 29.5 LKTG (sold)
2007 Dodge Ram 3500/6.7 CTD/QC/4X4/SB/SRW/6-speed man/Big Horn edition (sold)
Anyone here who is saying that the life expectancy of a Chevy 454 is less than 100K just doesn't have enough experience with this and other modern big block engines.
The 200K quoted by others is on the other end of the spectrum. If you are familiar with the statistical term "natural distribution" you will understand this statement. The likely mileage of a well cared for 454 is between 100K and 140K miles. Those that fail at 40K and at 200K are unusual.
I personally have an '88 Bounder with the 454. I have had it 7 years. It had 63K when I acquired it and now has 97K. I change oil at 3K miles and use synthetic (don't really think it matters if you change oil often). I drive it VERY hard. As an example, this last weekend I traveled west out of Denver on I70. I ran full throttle at ~4000 RPM most of the way to the top of Vail pass. The engine as been used this way for a long time. It used 1 qt. oil every 1500 miles when I acquired it and it uses 1 qt oil every 1500 miles now.
I have a friend with an '89 HR with the same motor. His is 120K and climbing as we speak.
If the engine is well cared for, it is not worn out. Breakage failure can occur in any engine including new ones. Breakage failure is not the common failure mode of worn out engines. They die a slow death of losing power, using oil, smoking and being hard to start. If it doesn't smoke and has good power it probably has another 60K miles in it.
I have personal experience with other truck big blocks that tell the same story.
If the price is right, buy it and enjoy.
Larry
'88 Bounder on a P30, Gear Vendors, Thorley and other goodies.
Jim & Sherri
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See ya out there!!
Hooliville member #128
Gary & Lynne.
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The medium duty truck engines are generally 366 CID or 427 CID. Most GM big blocks of that era are essentially the same.
Watch out for manifold gaskets, and the mentioned timing chain and gears. Maybe even check engine compression as well.
However, keep in mind I am the guy with a 6.5 L diesel in a commercial vehicle with over 90,000 miles, and still going strong.
2003 GMC Yukon XL 2500 8.1L 4.10 Axle - 2002 Sprinter Quad Bunkhouse
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Mike
Magic_Puzzle
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Jenn-
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Bottom line on all these responses, is that nobody on this forum can tell you how long that engine will last. It all depends on how it has been treated. I can tell you the engine in our 91 Pace lasted 112,000 miles before we sold it, and the engine was in excellent shape. It still got about 3,000 miles to a quart of oil, and compression was just marginally less than when new. The mechanic where we bought that motorhome also told us about a customer who had "burned up" three engines in two new motorhomes. It is all in how you drive it. That being said, if the engine checks out in oil use and has good compression, chances are it will last as long as you will have the motorhome. If I were you, I would worry more about the transmission than the engine. The 4L80E is the weak link in that powertrain--we had to replace two in the Pace. Neither one showed any sign such as burned oil, and with auxiliary cooler and gage on the transmission, there was no overheating.
Also consider this: If any of the house systems fail, they can quickly add up to more expense than a transmission or engine rebuild! Check all systems carefully!
As far as cost goes, the worth is only what the owner and you can agree on. Low book is a good guide, the owner should not expect to get more.
Peralko
USAF Retired
2000 Prevost Marathon H3-45
2006 Nissan Maxima
Here is my 2-cents worth.
I have a '94 Flair 28 with a 454. It had 49,000 mikes on it when I bought it five years ago. It has 68,000 miles on it now. It does not burn a single drop of oil.
The previous owner keep good records and took good care of it. I have continued the same.
A major difference between MH's and trucks is that MH's tend to sit for several months each year. To overcome that, I take mine out for a drive at least once a month. I run up and down the highway for 20 miles or so just to keep the seals from drying out and make sure everything works.
I also change the transmission fluid often. The owner's manual doesn't call for it, but I figure that a few dollars spent on regular maintainence every couple of years is better than several thousand dollars worth of repairs.
There are no guarantees, but I hope to keep mine running for a long time. (Knock on wood.)
tucsonmc
99 Pace Arrow 36B
Family & Friends + Travels
As for the light truck vs, medium truck engine in a MH.....When I went to replace my Ford MH engine, a few months ago. (failed due to a total lack of maintenance by the previous owner...No maintenance!...and I truely mean NO MAINTENENCE) I was told that all MH's use medium truck engines, and that there was enough of a difference between them, that a light truck engine could be guarenteed to fail, prematurely, if installed in a MH.
The 460 I had installed in my MH was built to medium truck specs, with forged pistons, rods, and crank, a special cam, lifters, valves and springs, double row all steel timing gears and roller chain, special medium truck cylinder heads, along with many other differences....I would have to say that one would not find an engine, built to thoose specs. in a Ford pickup truck.....Pat
Patrick and Christine
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Quote:
The 460 I had installed in my MH was built to medium truck specs, with forged pistons, rods, and crank, a special cam, lifters, valves and springs, double row all steel timing gears and roller chain, special medium truck cylinder heads, along with many other differences....I would have to say that one would not find an engine, built to thoose specs. in a Ford pickup truck.....Pat
The 460 I had installed in my MH was built to medium truck specs, with forged pistons, rods, and crank, a special cam, lifters, valves and springs, double row all steel timing gears and roller chain, special medium truck cylinder heads, along with many other differences....I would have to say that one would not find an engine, built to thoose specs. in a Ford pickup truck.....Pat
The engine in my MH was replaced by the dealer before I bought it (probably why it was traded... engine problem). It was a factory rebuilt from a Chevy dealer... there is a metal tag on the block with a part number, date & other info. Is there anywhere I can look up the part number to see what specifications it was built to? (IE - if this engine is intended for use in a MH or other severe application).
Also, since it was rebuilt, it has only 2760 miles on it, about half of which I put on. Regarding the comment 'depends on how it was broken in' - is there anything special I should be doing, other than regular maintenance & routine oil changes?
Tks,
Kevin
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Kevin & Darla
+ 4 kids (3 at home)
1990 Fleetwood Flair 29E/454 & TH400
2000 Mazda Protege
2002 Ford Explorer
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