Ford F-53 Motorhome Chassis (2017 year). Manual — part 26

VEHICLE STORAGE

If you plan on storing your vehicle for 30
days or more, read the following
maintenance recommendations to make
sure your vehicle stays in good operating
condition.

We engineer and test all motor vehicles
and their components for reliable, regular
driving. Under various conditions,
long-term storage may lead to degraded
engine performance or failure unless you
use specific precautions to preserve engine
components.

General

•

Store all vehicles in a dry, ventilated
place.

•

Protect from sunlight, if possible.

•

If vehicles are stored outside, they
require regular maintenance to protect
against rust and damage.

Body

•

Wash your vehicle thoroughly to
remove dirt, grease, oil, tar or mud from
exterior surfaces, rear-wheel housing
and the underside of front fenders.

•

Periodically wash your vehicle if it is
stored in exposed locations.

•

Touch-up exposed or primed metal to
prevent rust.

•

Cover chrome and stainless steel parts
with a thick coat of auto wax to prevent
discoloration. Re-wax as necessary
when you wash your vehicle.

•

Lubricate all hood, door and luggage
compartment hinges and latches with
a light grade oil.

•

Cover interior trim to prevent fading.

•

Keep all rubber parts free from oil and
solvents.

Engine

•

Change the engine oil and filter prior to
storage because used engine oil
contains contaminates which may
cause engine damage.

•

Start the engine every 15 days for a
minimum of 15 minutes. Run at fast idle
with the climate controls set to defrost
until the engine reaches normal
operating temperature.

•

With your foot on the brake, shift
through all the gears while the engine
is running.

•

We recommend that you change the
engine oil before you use your vehicle
again.

Fuel system

•

Fill the fuel tank with high-quality fuel
until the first automatic shutoff of the
fuel pump nozzle.

Cooling system

•

Protect against freezing temperatures.

•

When removing your vehicle from
storage, check coolant fluid level.
Confirm that there are no cooling
system leaks and that fluid is at the
recommended level.

Battery

•

Check and recharge as necessary. Keep
connections clean.

•

If storing your vehicle for more than 30
days without recharging the battery,
we recommend that you disconnect
the battery cables to maintain battery
charge for quick starting.

Note: It is necessary to reset memory
features if battery cables are disconnected.

Brakes

•

Make sure the brakes and parking brake
release fully.

Tires

•

Maintain recommended air pressure.

Miscellaneous

•

Make sure all linkages, cables, levers
and pins under your vehicle are covered
with grease to prevent rust.

•

Move vehicles at least 25 ft (7.5 m)
every 15 days to lubricate working parts
and prevent corrosion.

Removing Vehicle From Storage

When your vehicle is ready to come out of
storage, do the following:
•

Wash your vehicle to remove any dirt
or grease film build-up on window
surfaces.

•

Check windshield wipers for any
deterioration.

•

Check under the hood for any foreign
material that may have collected
during storage such as mice or squirrel
nests.

•

Check the exhaust for any foreign
material that may have collected
during storage.

•

Check tire pressures and set tire
inflation per the Tire Label.

•

Check brake pedal operation. Drive
your vehicle 15 ft (4.5 m) back and
forth to remove rust build-up.

•

Check fluid levels (including coolant,
oil and gas) to make sure there are no
leaks, and fluids are at recommended
levels.

•

If you remove the battery, clean the
battery cable ends and check for
damage.

Contact an authorized dealer if you have
any concerns or issues.

TIRE CARE

Information About Uniform
Tire Quality Grading

E142542

Tire Quality Grades apply to new
pneumatic passenger car tires.
The Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width. For
example: Treadwear 200
Traction AA Temperature A.

These Tire Quality Grades are
determined by standards that the
United States Department of
Transportation has set.

Tire Quality Grades apply to new
pneumatic passenger car tires.
They do not apply to deep tread,
winter-type snow tires,
space-saver or temporary use
spare tires, light truck or LT type
tires, tires with nominal rim
diameters of 10 to 12 inches or
limited production tires as defined
in Title 49 Code of Federal
Regulations Part 575.104 (c)(2).

U.S. Department of
Transportation Tire quality
grades: The U.S. Department of
Transportation requires Ford
Motor Company to give you the
following information about tire
grades exactly as the government
has written it.

Treadwear

The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on the
wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a
specified government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150
would wear 1 ½ times as well on
the government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their
use, however, and may depart
significantly from the norm due to
variations in driving habits, service
practices, and differences in road
characteristics and climate.

Traction AA A B C

WARNING

The traction grade assigned
to this tire is based on

straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include
acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning or peak traction
characteristics.

The traction grades, from highest
to lowest are AA, A, B, and C. The
grades represent the tire’s ability
to stop on wet pavement as
measured under controlled
conditions on specified
government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
performance.

Temperature A B C

WARNING

The temperature grade for
this tire is established for a

tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat
buildup and possible tire failure.

The temperature grades are A
(the highest), B and C,
representing the tire’s resistance
to the generation of heat and its
ability to dissipate heat when
tested under controlled conditions
on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and excessive
temperature can lead to sudden
tire failure. The grade C
corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger
car tires must meet under the

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard No. 139. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory
test wheel than the minimum
required by law.

Glossary of Tire Terminology

*Tire label: A label showing the
original equipment tire sizes,
recommended inflation pressure
and the maximum weight the
vehicle can carry.

*Tire Identification Number: A
number on the sidewall of each
tire providing information about
the tire brand and manufacturing
plant, tire size and date of
manufacture. Also referred to as
DOT code.

*Inflation pressure: A measure

of the amount of air in a tire.

*Standard load: A class of
P-metric or Metric tires designed
to carry a maximum load at set
pressure. For example: For
P-metric tires 35 psi (2.4 bar) and
for Metric tires 36 psi (2.5 bar).
Increasing the inflation pressure
beyond this pressure will not
increase the tire’s load carrying
capability.

*Extra load: A class of P-metric
or Metric tires designed to carry a
heavier maximum load at 42 psi
(2.9 bar). Increasing the inflation
pressure beyond this pressure will
not increase the tire’s load
carrying capability.