When to change hoses and serpentine belt on 2005

rharrison · 01-20-2019, 05:36 PM

Hello, still newbey here, we purchased a 2005 Ford Winnebago 29r this year from a dealer. It has 16k miles so my question - should I change hoses and belts before we head out this summer for 2 months?
Thanks for any advice.

John Locke · 01-20-2019, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rharrison

Hello, still newbey here, we purchased a 2005 Ford Winnebago 29r this year from a dealer. It has 16k miles so my question - should I change hoses and belts before we head out this summer for 2 months?
Thanks for any advice.

I suggest you have a good mechanic go over the whole drive train and do a complete service on all areas, such as greasing the zerks, checking the trans fluid, check all hoses and belts, air filter, tire age (printed on the tires) to make sure they aren't over 8yrs old. With only 16K miles I'm guessing they are the original tires, needing replaced since they would be over 8yrs old. It would also be a good idea to have the front alignment checked. Mine was way out and it was brand new. Most assume Winnebago aligns them, but I don't think that happens. These are all good baseline things to have done with a newly acquired used RV to insure the integrity of the RV is good for a long trip.

rharrison · 01-20-2019, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Locke

I suggest you have a good mechanic go over the whole drive train and do a complete service on all areas, such as greasing the zerks, checking the trans fluid, check all hoses and belts, air filter, tire age (printed on the tires) to make sure they aren't over 8yrs old. With only 16K miles I'm guessing they are the original tires, needing replaced if they are over 8yrs old. It would also be a good idea to have the front alignment checked. Mine was way out and it was brand new. Most assume Winnebago aligns them, but I don't think that happens. These are all good baseline things to have done to insure the integrity of the RV is good for a long trip.

Yes, we have changed tires and alignment,oil changed oil in motor and generator. Checked fluid in transmission. Serpentine belt and hose look great but even with low mileage they are 15 years old, do the age out? Need to grease. Thanks

John Locke · 01-20-2019, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rharrison

Yes, we have changed tires and alignment,oil changed oil in motor and generator. Checked fluid in transmission. Serpentine belt and hose look great but even with low mileage they are 15 years old, do the age out? Need to grease. Thanks

If you know the belt is original, yes, I would replace it. Hoses can be inspected at their connections to determine their integrity, but if they are easy to access and change, I'd change them sometime soon.

One thing to check is the radiator fluid reservoir. Those plastic reserviors will crack with age. I just replaced mine (EBAY) in my '99 Pace Arrow (Ford V10) because it was cracking. It's easy to see the cracks, usually toward the bottom of the reservoir. To test, just push in on the plastic where the fluid is. Do this carefully in case it's brittle. If it's pliable and it doesn't crack, you're good.

Teamfoxy · 01-22-2019, 05:37 AM

Only 16K miles means the coach probably sat unused a lot. There may be many small issus that show up, but probably none that you can't deal with yourself if you are handy. YouTube has videos on fixing anything and service manuals for everything are on the web. You can buy anything you need on Amazon and have it within a couple of days wherever you are.
We bought our 2005 about a year ago with 48k miles on it. I replaced all the hoses plus the serpentine belt. Found that the tensioner pulley was shot and replace it as well. I had the transmission flushed and new fluid added. Flushed the cooling system and the brake lines. The front calipers were seized so replaced both the calipers and rotors. Put new Bilsein shocks on as well. The tires were original and I replaced all 6 plus the spare.
The generator carburetor was not operating right, so I did the SeaFoam treatment on it. Also wound up replacing the fuel pump and filter since it would run about 45 minutes and quit. (The rubber parts inside seize up when they get hot and pump operates again when it cools.) We put another 130 hours on it since and it runs like a top.
Good luck with your new Coach!

rharrison · 01-22-2019, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teamfoxy

Only 16K miles means the coach probably sat unused a lot. There may be many small issus that show up, but probably none that you can't deal with yourself if you are handy. YouTube has videos on fixing anything and service manuals for everything are on the web. You can buy anything you need on Amazon and have it within a couple of days wherever you are.
We bought our 2005 about a year ago with 48k miles on it. I replaced all the hoses plus the serpentine belt. Found that the tensioner pulley was shot and replace it as well. I had the transmission flushed and new fluid added. Flushed the cooling system and the brake lines. The front calipers were seized so replaced both the calipers and rotors. Put new Bilsein shocks on as well. The tires were original and I replaced all 6 plus the spare.
The generator carburetor was not operating right, so I did the SeaFoam treatment on it. Also wound up replacing the fuel pump and filter since it would run about 45 minutes and quit. (The rubber parts inside seize up when they get hot and pump operates again when it cools.) We put another 130 hours on it since and it runs like a top.
Good luck with your new Coach!

Thanks for info,was serviced by dealer when we purchased her,but sure thing that looked good were ok’ed. We have driven it about 400 milyand all did great. One of my concerns was the Ford V10 due to spark plugs but had a a V8 with over 130k with no issues. Again thanks for all info and will check it out. Thanks

Teamfoxy · 01-22-2019, 01:25 PM

I thought about the spark plugs, but they are good to 100k miles and 2005 is well past the time when they were having issues with them. The only engine issue I had was the electronic throttle control, but that is a one hour part swap out and we were good to go.
Everything was working when we picked up the coach and we did several 3 day trips to FL state parks last winter to try to sort out the bugs. Of course everything was fine on those outings. Systems problems didn't show up until the summer when we hit mid to upper 90's for the temperature and we were out in the boonies.
But everything got sorted out in a week or so and the rest of the trip was great.
Nothing in the Coach is that complicated to fix.

Ray,IN · 01-27-2019, 08:50 PM

I would hope your MH will be OK without changing the serpentine belt and coolant hoses. Mine has original and they passed inspection from my HDT service shop. I do carry a spare serpentine belt and a roll of rescue tape to temporarily repair a leaking coolant hose.
Stop in any NAPA store and pickup a free serpentine belt gauge, it shows when the belt ribs are worn-out.

NeilV · 01-27-2019, 10:23 PM

Rule of thumb for belts, tires and hoses is 5 to 6 years as anything past that is a roll of the dice. Too many wait until its too late and they fail which will usually be at the worst time possible plus with some form of collateral damage.

Coolant and brake fluid is supposed to be flushed every 2 years regardless of usage so every third flush is when you change the belts and hoses. On a motor home you go with the severe service schedule.

YooperVer · 01-28-2019, 09:55 AM

The people making, selling and installing belts and hoses love to provide very conservative replacement intervals. The replacement schedule seems based on older rubber technology, where the newer stuff is much more durable and long lasting. Replacing all hoses, belts and tires at 5 or 6 years regardless of visible condition is an example and is very conservative and unneeded in my opinion.

I would say that if belts and hoses are 5 years old or older they should be inspected every year and replaced if needed (cracks, soft, expanded, ever overheated etc). Otherwise replacement at 10 years or 120,000 miles maximum required no mater how good they look. 8 years or 100,000 miles if playing it safe. In case of OP the age limit would apply and they should be replaced.

Recommend that you replace with good quality name brand hoses and belts. Hoses should be made with bends to exactly fit your engine. Cheap universal fit hoses may well fail sooner than if you just left the old hoses on! Also, do not over-tighten the hose clamps which can weaken the hoses at the connections.

In response to all the "better safe than sorry" replies bound to come: Do what makes you fell good and I will do what I feel is reasonable.

Ret.LEO · 01-28-2019, 04:18 PM

Let a trusted qualified mechanic check it over and lead you in the right direction.

htbotdvr · 01-29-2019, 08:47 AM

I will tell you one thing -- I have a2006 33v Itasca workhorse and last summer I changed both radiator hose's and serp belt and saved them in my bin just in case also changed thermostat and ne w antifreeze fluid. now almost worry free, do what ever you feel you should as if you break you are alone.

rvbud · 01-29-2019, 11:03 AM

I purchased a 2008 in 2015 with 18K. 2006 and newer are the '3rd' generation of 6.8L V-10 and have 3 valves per cylinder. Easiest way to note the 3 valve is the plastic intake plenum. 2005 and older are 2 valve per cylinder; bottom end virtually identical from what I've learned; only the heads of the 3 versions differ. All were stock with the 2-piece spark plugs, which are known to fail on removal without taking some precautions. I don't believe the original plug installs used anti-sieze on the threads and that contributes to the problems on removal; the other being that carbon can build up between the the pieces resulting in increased resistance when removed. At 25K miles, after learning the horrors of many about plug removal, I decided to remove mine. I used Kroil to soak the plugs before attempting removal, letting it sit overnight. All 10 came out like butter. I replaced with Autolite SP546; packaging recommended 23-27 ft. lbs. torque using anti-seize on the threads. Now, 25K miles later, engines runs great (also with 5-Star tune and full Banks).

Here's more info on the engine variants: https://lasmotorhomes.com/case-studi...-per-cylinder/

In addition to the other comments above, I always carry a spare fuel filter and change it yearly regardless of mileage. I also have installed a NAPA canister coolant system filter: Coolant Filter Retrofit. Easy install. Use only 4070 filter; change yearly. Filters any debris that can wear on the water pump. Watch the pH of your coolant; it can add years to your system.

Lots of little things can add years of trouble-free miles. Though our serpentine belt and hoses look near-new after 50K, they will get changed. Like someone else mentioned, carrying an extra belt doesn't consume much storage and can prevent lots of frustration.

NeilV · 01-31-2019, 07:33 AM

I see many folks who believe that new materials are better however the situation is less virgin materials available so they are having to use second best choices too many time plus there can be a drop in quality in even name brand products as many will be subcontracting various Chinese factories to do the actual belt and hose manufacturing.

Its a false economy to wait until there are visible signs of decay as between the moment the decay becomes visible and the time it fails may be well before you next open the hood to check them. Have a long serpentine belt wrap around the crank and slash a radiator open or rip some of your hoses one time and you will not wait until the cracks start showing and your a hairs breath away from being too late.

I had a "qualified" mechanic make the judgement call once and went with him instead of my own experience and 2 weeks later one of those tires which looked good and although properly inflated blew out. I should have listened to my old schooled father a tire and rubber engineer with almost 50 years experience and just replaced them.

A tread separation does so much damage many times you will not be able to drive your rig even if you do not roll it so its not worth pushing tires either. Read how a 10 year tires pro-rated warranty works and you may determine its not really worth paying a certified tech to dismount all your tires from the rims at the ends of years 5 through 9, inspect them inside along with outside, remount, balance and then install them to qualify for a pro-rated replacement if it fails in the year following the inspection.

ftodaro · 02-06-2019, 04:45 PM

In my case I bought a DP with no understanding of its past history. I went about an orderly process of replacing most all the belts hoses fluids tires and things that wear or age out. Even when they may have passed inspection, I just wanted to establish a base line. If you don't have the ability to to that all at once things like belts are cheap enough that you can carry them with you till you can replace. I just wanted to make sure that i did what i could to avoid that road side break down.

Don't be intimidated about working on your rig, many of the things you can do yourself and there is video on You Tube for most of the DIY projects. Or you can come on here and get some help.