Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

I am stuck at High Plains Raceway just East of Denver. The F550 Triumph PSD wont start. Not the batteries and per the Diesel Stop web site I am fairly sure the solonoid ha failed. I have called 6 Ford dealers and they either won't touch the Chassis Cabs or the PSD motors, or they cannot accommodate an RV in their shop. My Triumph is no higher than those mounted on the E series chassis so I wondered if there was anyone out there who could point me to someone who could handle the replacement. I have to get the rig back to Texas by Monday night or just leave it. I am baffled as to how these guys can sell trucks without catering for chassis cab adaptations.

Nor have I ever read on any web site that RV owners have been refused service. I guess Colorado is different .

I have a Chevy Kodiak chassis motorhome. Medium duty truck chassis repairs aren't typically handled by regular car dealerships.

Doing a Google search, I found these guys... they're a medium-duty Ford truck dealer. give them a call if you haven't already:

http://rushfordtruck.com

If they can't do it, try some other medium-duty truck repair places in the area.

Dont you hate it when forum members do not post the end of the story?

Having failed to get 5 Ford dealers to even attempt to fix my starter either because they have no diesel experience; or the rig was deemed to large for their premises (Triumph 27 footer); or because they were too busy to do any diagnosis: I found a 6th that agreed to attempt the replacement on Monday but I would have to arrange the tow. Working with Good Sam this was arranged at $700. Meantime being holed up at a motor racing track, I enlisted the skills of my race mechanics to see if there was something I missed. None of them had ever seen a Ford diesel before. Firstly they established you can start the motor by jumping the exciter wire to the power cable at the starter motor with the ignition on. So no tow necessary. But then they traced the wiring back to the unreachable fuse box on the d/s firewall. They established that there was a starter relay which looked identical to the tow battery charger relay and made a swap. It started normally and crisis was over.

So lesson learned, check all the functionals in a circuit before leaping to conclusions; and Ford truck support is an iffy business. My guess is they would have the same problems with the E series although the Triton is a better known quantity than the PSD.

Vlamgat wrote:Dont you hate it when forum members do not post the end of the story?

Having failed to get 5 Ford dealers to even attempt to fix my starter either because they have no diesel experience; or the rig was deemed to large for their premises (Triumph 27 footer); or because they were too busy to do any diagnosis: I found a 6th that agreed to attempt the replacement on Monday but I would have to arrange the tow. Working with Good Sam this was arranged at $700. Meantime being holed up at a motor racing track, I enlisted the skills of my race mechanics to see if there was something I missed. None of them had ever seen a Ford diesel before. Firstly they established you can start the motor by jumping the exciter wire to the power cable at the starter motor with the ignition on. So no tow necessary. But then they traced the wiring back to the unreachable fuse box on the d/s firewall. They established that there was a starter relay which looked identical to the tow battery charger relay and made a swap. It started normally and crisis was over.

So lesson learned, check all the functionals in a circuit before leaping to conclusions; and Ford truck support is an iffy business. My guess is they would have the same problems with the E series although the Triton is a better known quantity than the PSD.

Good for you! I'd wondered what the outcome is. Honestly, the E450 chassis can be handled by most dealerships as it falls in the "light-duty" pickup/van line. It's only when you get to the F550s and larger that it is an issue as they're considered medium-duty trucks, and light-duty dealerships don't have a clue about them.

In the future if you need service, always look for the medium duty truck dealer in the area, and they'll take care of your chassis.

Glad you made it out of this one unscathed!

Roger

The FOMOCO RV customer service folks have been extremely helpful in a couple of previous contacts. They will recommend dealers with both the capability AND good reputation for RV work.
Ralph

[quote="bigdipper"]The FOMOCO RV customer service folks have been extremely helpful in a couple of previous contacts. They will recommend dealers with both the capability AND good reputation for RV work.
Ralph[/quote]

Do they have a special RV department? I called the Customer Service number in my warranty manual and they could not have been more indifferent even though I have supposedly 50K free recovery service. The whole problem was the 15000 lb recovery that was beyond their comprehension. When I asked for mobile service they advised there was no such thing available in CO.

Vlamgat wrote:

bigdipper wrote:The FOMOCO RV customer service folks have been extremely helpful in a couple of previous contacts. They will recommend dealers with both the capability AND good reputation for RV work.
Ralph

Do they have a special RV department? I called the Customer Service number in my warranty manual and they could not have been more indifferent even though I have supposedly 50K free recovery service. The whole problem was the 15000 lb recovery that was beyond their comprehension. When I asked for
mobile service they advised there was no such thing available in CO.

If you cannot find RV cust service, just call the group in owners manual and ask for it. Unless something has changed in the last year or so, this is a very helpful group. Located in DFW area, I think. The number came with original material from Dodgen but RV is in storage at the moment with all manuals.
Good Luck,
Ralph

I found this on the web:

http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/gene ... atalog.pdf

The number they have in the brochure is 1-800-444-3311. The brochure was for RVs on 2013 Super Duty cutaway chassis, but I would guess it is still valid.

I just dialed that number and one of the options (press 2) was to reach the motorhome customer assistance center. Option 1 was for roadside assistance. So, I guess that is the number to call!

Many thanks, and your info may explain a lot: the numbers I have are 1-800-392-3673 and 1-800-565-3673 but I failed to listen long enough to make the correct selection.

Rush Motors in Denver has a couple of mechanics that work on the e-350s

Thanks - actually found shops that would do E AND F350s but no one wanted to touch a RV because they might have to put it up in the air and their staff are not allowed to work under vehicles that cannot be lifted into an ergonomically acceptable height. never mind its clearance is high enough to put a wheeler under the thing without lifting it. Turned out as a relay problem it did not need to be lifted.

Glad you got it fixed but you are not alone with the ford service issues. My old 24 Rear Bath on the E450 was too big or they don't work on motorhomes etc at all the dealers around me. I took it too a guy who has worked on my old jeep and he fixed it up. I chose a Dodge chassis for my new coach as my dodge dealer said they will work on it. Fords loss.

Our local Ford dealer also is in the RV business and they will happily tackle any motor home. Not so good news is that their ability both on chassis and RV is quite ordinary.
Ralph

Do note that I did not call the Ford F550 number in the owner's manual which had I done so I would have been steered right. The push back came from my internet search for dealers on New Ford trucks.