F 250 V10 question

BFFhiredman · #1 04/27/11, 06:21 PM

Greetings from soggy NE Indiana

I'm in the market for a newer 3/4 ton pickup. 2000-2004 vintage. Doing my searches, I keep seeing some V10 gas engines in some of the Ford 250's. Can anyone tell me anything about these engines. I would use the truck for some hauling with an 18' trailer. (10K gvw) A large V8 would probably do the job but I am wondering if there are any particular problems with the V10's. Any comments would be appreciated.

BFFhiredman

FL.Boy · #2 04/27/11, 07:24 PM

They love gas, Thats about all i know family has told me about 8 mpg

Ray · #3 04/27/11, 09:14 PM

I thought I read where you could switch from 10 cyl. to 8 cy;. or 6 cyl. depending on how much power you needed?? or was that the new 12cyl. GM?? ray

travis91 · #4 04/28/11, 08:44 PM

thats not fords V10 we have on in a excursion. we get about 18 on the highway but ive heard they are lighter than the trucks i dont really know. Have the spark plugs changed or find out the last time they have been changed before you buy one.

Bandit · #5 04/28/11, 09:05 PM

I suggest that You do a little Googling as the earlier V 10's are known for blowing out spark plugs

InvalidID · #6 04/28/11, 09:20 PM

A friend of mine has an 03 with the Triton V10. It's a work horse I'll say that for it, 4x4, auto, will pull a small house down the road. Not very far though, it gets about 9-11 MPG.
His blew a head gasket around 90k, but he says he was really beating on it at the time.

Ray · #7 04/29/11, 09:56 AM

I know everyone has their preferences but I would suggest a diesel fir pulling, they have the torque and long life that a working toeing vehicle needs, thats why the big rigs are diesel. They are just great for most applications. Usually get better mileage under working conditions and the power you need when you need it. If you haven't ever tried one rent one on a short trip just to see what you think, I bet thats what you buy if you try them. In my opinion they can't be beat, I even have one for a family car. Fill it up once a month maybe. If you ever need to pass someone you got the stuff, best wishes, ray

mightybooboo · #8 04/29/11, 03:53 PM

Couldnt agree more Ray,excellent advice on renting one.Once you go diesel I doubt many want a gasser,as long as it isnt one of the well known diesel problem motors.For sure you do your homework in that regard before you buy one.

BFFhiredman · #9 04/29/11, 10:16 PM

Thanks for all the comments folks. I'd love to have a diesel but they are sure hard to come by. Either 3-5 years old and $20k or more or 10+ years old and 250K miles or more. I'll be patient and keep looking. I'm not really in a big hurry.

BFFhiredman

travis91 · #10 04/29/11, 11:49 PM

Why are you so scared of something with over 250,000 miles. thats just getting broke in.

fordy · #11 04/30/11, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BFFhiredman

Greetings from soggy NE Indiana

I'm in the market for a newer 3/4 ton pickup. 2000-2004 vintage. Doing my searches, I keep seeing some V10 gas engines in some of the Ford 250's. Can anyone tell me anything about these engines. I would use the truck for some hauling with an 18' trailer. (10K gvw) A large V8 would probably do the job but I am wondering if there are any particular problems with the V10's. Any comments would be appreciated.

BFFhiredman

..................The V10 ford is probably one of the best gas engines Ford has produced ! Quiet , powerful and very reliable , I'd want too find a low milage 2005 or so because Ford came out with the "3 valve" version V10 and improved the Hp , torque and operating efficiency significantly ! They ceased offering the V10 in f250\350 pickups as of the end of 2010 , I believe . It is still available in the cab\chassis f350\450\550 models ! , fordy

Curtis B · #12 05/02/11, 10:45 AM

I don't know what year it is, but DW's parents have one and I have used it alot. The V10 pulls great loaded or unloaded, one of the best gas pulling trucks I have driven. But like said the mileage is hard to stomach, I allways got 8mpg no matter what I pulled, and it topped at 10mpg unloaded.

mightybooboo · #13 05/02/11, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travis91

Why are you so scared of something with over 250,000 miles. thats just getting broke in.

VERY true.

Ray · #14 05/02/11, 05:18 PM

seen a 94 f350 diesel with 288,000 for sale yesterday gooseneck hitch, for $2900. I don't know if its worth it or not. It sounds like it might oughta be, but without close inspection and all??? Stuff is so expensive now. on craigs list

travis91 · #15 05/05/11, 11:38 AM

go look at it check for blow by and test the coolant for SCAs and you should be good to go

**clovis** · #16 05/05/11, 01:04 PM

My friend has an F250 just south of Indy for sale...it is a VERY nice truck with the V-10, well maintained...very reasonably priced.

fordy · #17 05/05/11, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray

seen a 94 f350 diesel with 288,000 for sale yesterday gooseneck hitch, for $2900. I don't know if its worth it or not. It sounds like it might oughta be, but without close inspection and all??? Stuff is so expensive now. on craigs list

...............Be aware that during the 1994 year model there were (3) different 7.3 engines available , (1) the standard NON turbo model , (2) A pre factory , Pre IDI model that had an aftermarket turbo add on but the engine still had the OLD Injector pump , then , (3)and finally , the real IDI , factory turbo model that completely eliminated the INjector pump and the external individual metal fuel lines . The fuel pathways were cast into the heads . The real factory IDI engines didn't appear until the end of the model year during 1994 . , fordy

Ray · #18 05/05/11, 05:09 PM

yea, I was just showing there are some diesels out there not too high, but like you guys say you gotta be wary, have a good diesel mechanic check out anything you are thinking of purchasing beforehand and ask around for known issues with the make and model you are considering purchasing. In order to help bypass as many problems as you can.

If I were to buy a work truck I would try to stick with the known great diesel engines of different brands, and avoid any new engines produced by automakers themselves to save money, instead of getting a diesel engine maker to supply their engines.

I've worked as a mechanic for years yet I would not be the only one to go over a vehicle I was going to buy. I'd have another mechanic that is intimate with the product I was considering, because they usually know the common failures related to each model, and weak areas to look in that particular vehicle that are known to be subject to failure in that specific vehicle. ray

smithtree · #19 05/06/11, 06:04 PM

I was working for the highway dept. over the winter and they had a brand new 550 with a v10. according to the fuel sensor thing in the dash it got 4.6 mpg

Parttimefarmer · #20 05/25/11, 01:25 PM

I know I am late but you may still be looking so...

I have the '03 V-10 and I love it! 99k miles now, NO engine issues. Can tow like crazy. I almost never go over 2krpm, it's got a lot of torque. City I get 10.7, towing a 9,500lb trailer I get 7-8 mostly highway. 40 gallon gas tank is there for a reason. I can load it and tow the trailer up, down and over anything, even with air on.

Check the diesel towing compared to the V-10, and remember Ford had a bad powerstroke diesel (6.0) motor in 03-04-05 ish on the HD trucks.

Andrea