Engine RPMs and oil change intervals the e450 engine

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KandT

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In the Pennsylvania mountains I have to rev the engine to 4400 rpm's just to keep her going - not the speed limit mind you maybe 15 mph or more under the speed limit.  Is this engine designed to regularly do these revolutions?  Anybody been doing that for years?  And I get that it is the journey and to relax but if I go any slower the turtles are going to be laughing at me.  I usually do about 5 under the speed limit on the flats so it's not like I am trying to race this thing.  Oh and we have a toad attached.

Secondly, I put mobile 1 synthetic.  I am guessing I should change every 4000 miles considering the work these engines do.  My F150 driven mostly empty spent most of her life under 2000 rpm's and I changed every 5000 miles.
 
That Ford V-10 is, indeed, designed to run at high RPM levels for quite a while, and that's also where its highest horsepower is found. In the Bounder I used to have I did exactly that with no problems. Oh, it's annoying and uncomfortable for us humans, but the engine is in no distress.

Oil change intervals I did per the manual.
 
Thanks Larry.  And yes I cringe and feel sick but good to hear you had no problems with it!

I tried to take it easier on it at first but man would I have to crawl up those mountains at 3000 RPM's!
 
I climb mountains in PA. I climb the steeper ones at 57 mph at 3200 rpm.  In 10 years my v10 RV has never seen 4000 rpm.  The torque peak is at 3200 rpm.  I see this question come up from time to time and wonder why 4000 to 5000 rpm is needed to get your RV over a hill.
 
...and wonder why 4000 to 5000 rpm is needed to get your RV over a hill.
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Depends on the hill. A 6% grade at 7500 plus feet for a 4 or five mile stretch is a lot different from doing a (perhaps) shallower gradient near sea level for half a mile or less. When you've finally downshifted to 3rd gear (or even second) you can't go very fast even at 4500 RPM, and need that to keep going -- you certainly can't get 57 mph at 3200 (or even at 4500) RPM. The engine at those altitudes only has 75%, or so, of the power it has at sea level. And perhaps your coach is lighter than mine.

Note that it's doable for the first quarter or half mile, but the speed just keeps dropping and dropping and dropping...

That being said, even in PA, there are some long stretches where you still have to wind up in third at high RPM -- a lot depends on weight and wind.
 
Highest point in PA is 3200 feet and  all roads are lower. So you won't have trouble with loss of power. Your pretty close. At 7500 feet you are close to only 70% of sea level power. If your in PA and on a steady climb from 800' to 2000 feet I don't see how you would go slower and slower unless your incline changes. Are you having engine trouble?  Too answer the second part of your question I change my oil once a year at about 4000 miles.  If it goes much more than that I would change it sooner
 
I am guessing I should change every 4000 miles considering the work these engines do.  My F150 driven mostly empty spent most of her life under 2000 rpm's and I changed every 5000 miles.
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Follow the Ford owner manual recommendations, even if its 7k miles. With a modern engine plus a good quality oil like the Mobil 1, you need not worry.
 
johnandcarol said:
I climb mountains in PA. I climb the steeper ones at 57 mph at 3200 rpm.  In 10 years my v10 RV has never seen 4000 rpm.  The torque peak is at 3200 rpm.  I see this question come up from time to time and wonder why 4000 to 5000 rpm is needed to get your RV over a hill.
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4,000 and higher RPM is needed because that's where the HORSEPOWER is. It is horsepower that gets you up a grade at speed, not torque. The V10 HP peak is up around 4,000 rpm somewhere, so unless you spin it that fast, you are not getting all the HP the engine is capable of.

I know it's noisy, but they will run all day at 4,000 RPM with no problems.
 
Thanks all - I just have to get used to a big motor spinning fast.  Decided to change the oil every 3k since it never really gets a break.  Don't know if I could stretch that out with the Mobile 1 I use but it really doesn't cost that much to change for a DIYer.
 
KandT said:
Thanks all - I just have to get used to a big motor spinning fast.  Decided to change the oil every 3k since it never really gets a break.  Don't know if I could stretch that out with the Mobile 1 I use but it really doesn't cost that much to change for a DIYer.
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Here you go brother,everything you need to make an educated decision, read the link below,look closely at the pics and the psi the oil broke down at and the damage that was done. Its really a no brainer once you have conclusive physical evidence of scientifically tested oil film strength, as it should be tested, under a load. Mobil 1 the most hyped synthetic and the biggest ripoff        ( pressure resistance--film broke down at 1540 psi) garbage,,as you will soon see. I build race engines and Royal Purple is the best stuff on the planet for gasoline engines. There is no stronger oil film in the industry and if i had a huge gas engine in my rig it would be running RP and oil would never be a worry. Once you see what Mobil 1 film strength breaks down (psi) at and how other oils tested on a Timken bearing machine you'll have the proof you need. The film strength of the oil is the MOST IMPORTANT characteristic of oil. Found it ,,, increase the pictures so you can get a good look at what happens when your oil film ( the fine oil film layer between metal on metal) breaks down. I run RP in everything i own. Royal Purple is some phenomenal oil,almost 135,000 psi and when it did break down it did not gouge, it actually micro polished the metal ,,, un-fricking believable,,, look closely at the gouges and at what psi it broke down on all the oils tested ! This is the oil film you want in between your crank bearings as you chug up mountains. RP, if you really want to protect your engines!  I hope this helps with your decision,, it did with mine,, but i was already using RP for years before i found this test.    http://www.animegame.com/cars/Oil%20Tests.pdf.
 
A Traveler said:
4,000 and higher RPM is needed because that's where the HORSEPOWER is. It is horsepower that gets you up a grade at speed, not torque. The V10 HP peak is up around 4,000 rpm somewhere, so unless you spin it that fast, you are not getting all the HP the engine is capable of.

I know it's noisy, but they will run all day at 4,000 RPM with no problems.
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Torque gets you up hills,,, not horsepower,,, thats why DP's at low RPM's and their 800 ft lbs of torque pull you up a mountain while the gas rigs struggle to keep their speed constant,,, no torque !!!!!. 
 
German Shepherd said:
Torque gets you up hills,,, not horsepower,,, thats why DP's at low RPM's and their 800 ft lbs of torque pull you up a mountain while the gas rigs struggle to keep their speed constant,,, no torque !!!!!.
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No, I'm sorry, but you are not correct.

HORSEPOWER is the rate at which a given amount of work gets done. Torque is only one part of the power equation. HORSEPOWER is calculated by multiplying the TORQUE times the RPM and dividing that number by 5252.

DPs make their maximum HORSEPOWER at a low RPM. Because the RPM is lower, the torque must be higher to develop the rated HP at the low RPM.

Gas engines develop their maximum HORSEPOWER at a higher RPM than a diesel. Therefore, because they are turning faster, the TORQUE side of the equation is lower.

800 lb/ft of torque at 2,000 RPM = 305 HP.
400 lb/ft of torque at 4,000 RPM = 305 HP.

A 300 HP diesel in a 25,000 pound coach will go up a hill just as fast as a gas powered coach that weighs 25,000 pounds and has a 300 HP gas engine. The difference is that the diesel will develop its 300 HP at 2,000 RPM but you'll have to turn that gas engine at 4,000 RPM to get the same HP.

Yes, the diesel has more torque than the gas engine, but all the torque in the world is useless if the shaft isn't turning. Torque without RPM is nothing...zero HP.
 
German Shepherd said:
Here you go brother,everything you need to make an educated decision, read the link below,look closely at the pics and the psi the oil broke down at and the damage that was done. Its really a no brainer once you have conclusive physical evidence of scientifically tested oil film strength, as it should be tested, under a load. Mobil 1 the most hyped synthetic and the biggest ripoff        ( pressure resistance--film broke down at 1540 psi) garbage,,as you will soon see. I build race engines and Royal Purple is the best stuff on the planet for gasoline engines. There is no stronger oil film in the industry and if i had a huge gas engine in my rig it would be running RP and oil would never be a worry. Once you see what Mobil 1 film strength breaks down (psi) at and how other oils tested on a Timken bearing machine you'll have the proof you need. The film strength of the oil is the MOST IMPORTANT characteristic of oil. Found it ,,, increase the pictures so you can get a good look at what happens when your oil film ( the fine oil film layer between metal on metal) breaks down. I run RP in everything i own. Royal Purple is some phenomenal oil,almost 135,000 psi and when it did break down it did not gouge, it actually micro polished the metal ,,, un-fricking believable,,, look closely at the gouges and at what psi it broke down on all the oils tested ! This is the oil film you want in between your crank bearings as you chug up mountains. RP, if you really want to protect your engines!  I hope this helps with your decision,, it did with mine,, but i was already using RP for years before i found this test.    http://www.animegame.com/cars/Oil%20Tests.pdf.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information.  I still have to admit though I have never heard anyone say their engine failed because they ran Mobile 1 full synthetic.  In fact, I think if you change your oil with anything that meets the manufacturers recommendations, I highly doubt any problems.  The problems come when people think oil is something the factory puts in so they are all good??!
 
And I looked at different test's from different companies. Some independent testing. And saw different results from each one.?
I sure dont know why the oil test's show different results? But Amsoil and Royal Purple were at the top of a couple and on 2 or 3 other test's they were mid-pack ?  Mobil 1 wasnt near the top on any one of them.. 
  But I have used Mobil 1 for many years in all my  vehicles and on my wifes old wagon, had over 350,000 miles on it..?
Im not pushing any oil, as I think most all of them are good..  I have used other brands of Synthetics with good results.. 
Nowdays, I just watch to see what is on sale and get 4-5 gal's of what is on special.

Bob
 
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