Wasn't boring. I appreciate the long-ish term review. Its 2023 and I'm driving 7 hrs round trip to purchase a '03 F250 Lariat 4x4 V10 Manual with 136k for $6k and it has a little passenger side damage (hit by a quad).
Great engines. They are a bit thirsty but its hard to beat with the cost of diesel these days and all the maintenance expense. I have an F450 CC 2x4 with a service bed and 6K lb crane. It pulls a 14k lb trailer and with it weighing 13000 empty it does a good job. Not a lot of highway use but a good bit in town. Just picked up a F350 CC 4x4 SRW with the v10 also and wow night and day difference. Will be nice towing without the extra weight of the service bed and crane. And with the price of these engines you can put in a fresh reman for the price of injectors on a diesel. Almost a no brainer unless you are a heavy hauler/hot shot guy that tows every single day all day.
Mine hits 250k by the end of this month, never had any major issues except the broken exhaust manifold bolts lol. Never been cracked open. I think after the current contract I'm on I'm gonna have it completely gone through and refreshed maybe some aftermarket stuff in it and a tune.
Not boring at all mate, any and all content on a subject you're researching or interested in is useful information. i am just about to pick up an F350 with this motor in it and am grateful people post this stuff and happy to hear you're getting 11/12 mpg towing......thats US gallons so convert that to UK gallons and it becomes a little more like 13/14 mpg, that'll do for me ...thanks for the info bud :¬)
Good video. We have 2 v10's and love them. The ford regularly tows 14,000 bumper hitch and the ram v10 pulls 25k on a gooseneck regularly. In 4 yrs owning each has been maintenance with royal purple fluids and almost no repairs.
Mine is a late 2000 F-250 4 WD, 180000 miles still running great. However not worked hard, pull a 4 horse trailer, but not often. Luv the truck, easy maintenance. It will not pull with the power stroke, but their are tradeoffs….Thanks for your vid.
I have an 01 250 with the V10. The truck had about 110.000 when I got it, and about 150,000 now. I towed a 32 foot camper for quite a few miles with it. I fool with a few old tractors and now it pulls an equipment trailer around. It is 4x4 Lariat and I still love the truck. Other than routine maintenance, the truck has been carefree. A little thirsty, So I bought an 05 xl with the v6 to do my running in. The joke was on me because the V6 only gets a mile or two better than the V10. I love it!
Folks, I know that this video is 5 years old now but for anyone that is considering getting the Ford V10 in a pickup, chassis cab, RV, bus or otherwise, you should NOT hesitate at all and you will likely be happy with your decision. Whether it be the first generation (2 valve version) from 1999 to 2004 or the 2nd generation (3 valve version) from 2005 to 2010 (in pickups) and up to 2019 in the F-450, 550, 650, 750, and chassis cab models as well as RVs or motorhomes and buses up to 2021, these engines are MORE THAN WORTH THE INVESTMENT. I'll explain why if you care to read a long comment. I went to school for automotive technology and worked at a couple Ford dealerships back in about 95 when the 7.3 liter powerstroke came out and I had never even worked on or driven a pickup with the V10 until I ended up buying a 2002 F-250 extended cab long bed 4x4 (auto) 3.73 gears with around 275,000 miles about 6 years ago and it has probably been the best vehicle I have purchased in terms of reliability and just overall usage since that time. I know that there are a lot of different videos out there with people complaining about the fuel mileage but I will be honest and straightforward and explain that I actually monitor my fuel usage very closely and get very "decent" fuel mileage and I think the reason "most" people don't get better fuel mileage is because they want to haul butt everywhere they go and don't want to drive without cruise control engaged when towing (you can get better fuel economy by not using cruise while towing). I have a bluetooth adapter that plugs into the OBD II diagnostic port and have the Torque Pro app download on my tablet and phone and monitor all kinds of different sensors and fuel mileage and everything while I'm driving. I know that if I am being "decent" to the truck and not trying to mash the throttle everywhere I go or up hills, if I'm going 65 miles per hour, I can easily get 14 to 15 miles per gallon on fairly flat terrain and sometimes even 16 mpg if the wind is not blowing at me. I can get about 12 to 13 going 75 mph. Pulling a load of about 10k to 13k with trailer and cargo (total of 13k) or a heavy camper (between 11k and 13k), I can get about 7.5 to 8.5 mpg going about 65 to 70 mph. I can get 8 to 9 (and sometimes into the double digits) mpg doing 60 mph with a fairly heavy load (for the 2002 model F-250). I recently drove about 770 miles from the middle of South Dakota to just North of Chicago hauling an 18 foot by 7 1/2 foot wide enclosed trailer with a medium amount of household items in it and the trailer and cargo probably weighed about 4000 to 4500 pounds total (it wasn't a real heafy load). I got about 9 to 9.5 mpg doing 60 to 65 mph there (loaded) and 11.5 to 12 mpg on the way back (unloaded) doing 65 mph and occasionally hitting 70 mph here and there. I stopped at a place that had a weigh station on the way back and my total setup with truck, trailer, me, tools and everything in the back of my truck weighed 11,300 with the trailer unloaded. What people don't realize about these engines is that they do not have the variable cam phasers like in the Ford 5.4 liter 3-valve engines that were extremely problematic. These 6.8 V-10 engines have stationary camshaft sprockets and as result, there are no moving parts with the camshaft sprocket and it makes the valve train extremely reliable (at least in comparison to the 5.4 liter 3 valves with the cam phasers). People keep thinking that they are the same engine but they are not. These V-10 engines are extremely reliable and you will see people that have anywhere from 250,000 miles to 300,000 miles and sometimes 400,000 miles on their odometer without any issues. I currently have 341,000 miles on the odometer with mine and I don't believe it has ever been taken apart to my knowledge. I do believe that I am finally going to need to change head gaskets though as I have gotten the engine extremely hot many times during a few trips down to Texas and back as well as other trips where I got the engine temps up to about 260 degrees and a few times up to 270 degrees due to a radiator leak that got worse and worse due to my own abuse or negligence (not using enough coolant mixture to the point of causing cooling issues and then causing the rwdiator to get too hot and expanding the plastic top portion of the radiator and not correcting it to the point of letting rust get the better of the cooling system).
Unfortunately, although I try to be decent to the truck when I drive it as far as not constantly mashing my foot on the throttle, I will admit that I don't maintain the truck as far as doing oil changes as much as I should have. And some cases, I will go 10,000 miles or 12,000 miles between oil changes and the last one that I did I actually used some used oil from a client that I did an oil change for in their newer Chevy pickup just because I'm such a cheap butt. (I don't work at a dealership and haven't for quite a few years now) Over the years, I have done oil changes like I should (sort of) but I've always extended the interval frequency and in many cases I've let my oil level get down to 3 quarts and maybe sometimes even a little bit lower. For reference, these engines take 7 quarts of oil so I will oftentimes run it with about half the oil level in it that it should have. I do have some oil leaks around the oil cooler/heater filter housing gasket that mates to the engine as well as a few other small areas here and there. As far as things that need to be worried about with these engines, if you do the research, you will find that there aren't too many things that you have to be concerned with with the exception of the spark plugs having issues with the earlier models (2-valve versions mainly). So, if you do decide to get one, you're going to want to make sure that you have the spark plugs torqued down a little bit more than the manufacturer's recommended specifications because the torque specs for the earlier models were not that much (I think only about 18 lb. Ft.) and as a result, the spark plugs will come loose and ruin the threads in the head or they would just blow the spark plugs out entirely. That is obviously not a good thing but there are fixes for it so it's not the end of the world. The other thing that is more annoying than anything is that the exhaust manifold studs happen to break easily or rust so, you will get some exhaust noises which is obviously annoying. This is extremely common and problematic with these engines and there's not really much you can do about it and it is a pain in the ass to fix unless you have the engine out because trying to drill out the broken off studs with the engine still in the vehicle is difficult due to the small areas and the fact that a drill can typically not get in the areas properly to correctly drill out the studs without damaging the heads further so you have to be very careful. Other than these two main things, there really aren't any issues to worry about when it comes to the V10 whether it's the two valve or the three valve version. Again, they both have camshaft sprockets so you do not have to worry about the cam phasers going out which makes their reliability very high. And "if" you were considering getting the newer 7.3 gas engine, honestly, I wouldn't even consider getting the newer 7.3 liter (gas) engine as they are having some issues with some of them and quite honestly, the difference in power and the 7.3 L gas engine compared to the three valve version of the V10 is not really that much more to warrant or justify upgrading. As a reference, I ended up driving two different U-Hauls to move some people and the first U-Haul I drove was the largest 26 ft version with the V10 in it and the 6-speed transmission. I was hauling their Auto Transport Trailer with my 2002 Chevy Trailblazer on it to drive back and it was loaded pretty full so it was pretty heavy. That engine had plenty of power and got through all the hills and mountains that I needed to on about a thousand mile trip from the middle of South Dakota all the way over to baltimore. I was actually hauling butt a lot faster than I should have been and doing anywhere from 75 mph to 80 mph at times even though I know that was faster than I should have gone. I got 7 mpg but I know if I was doing 65 to 70 mph, it was getting at least 8 or 8.5 mpg which is pretty damn good considering the overall size of the U-Haul and the amount of cargo that it had in it as well as pulling the auto transport with my Trailblazer on it. In comparison, a few months later I ended up moving someone about the same distance and had the newer 22 ft box cargo U-Haul with the 7.3 L gas engine with 6 speed auto transmission and I was also hauling their Auto Transport with a small SUV on it. I will be honest and say that it had plenty of power but quite frankly, I don't think that it had any more power than the other U-Haul that I drove that was bigger and had the V10 in it. The 7.3 L U Haul that I drove didn't get any better fuel mileage. It might have had a little bit more power but you have to consider that I had the smaller version of the cargo truck and the SUV on the trailer was a little bit smaller so the overall weight of the entire setup was a little bit less so that's probably what made up the difference in my opinion. If I had my choice, I would not even consider wasting my time or money on getting the new 7.3 L and I would just look for a nice used three valve version of the V10 from at least 2005 and on and be happy. I would recommend getting a tuner from SCT or some other reputable company and putting a tune on it to help with the shifting points but also increase the power a little bit and you would have one heck of a pretty reliable pickup. If you need Bluetooth in the radio, then just buy a cheap Bluetooth radio and install it. You can find pickups with heated seats and all the other stuff you need so no need to spend an extra $50,000 or $70,000 on a newer truck when you could probably find a good used one for around $15,000 or less if you're a smart and savvy buyer.
It's not boring if you own a V10. There's not a whole lot of videos with people talking about them. I have a 2003 F250 CC 4x4 V10 3.73 gears, and my MPG on the HWY empty @ 75 is somewhere between 14 to 15 mpg. In town... forget about it! Its like 10 to 12 mpg. As with the oil consumption. I think they all suffer from that. A good friend of mine had a 2000 F350 dually with the V10 and didn't check the oil like he should. And trashed the motor! My truck uses about the same amount as yours, and it has 217,000 miles on it. It's just the nature of the beast on those engines. And yeah.... I hate the exhaust system! I'm have the same issue with mine and it drives me friggin nuts!! Damn good trucks though. Enjoyed your video towing up the mountain pass. Gave me confidence that when I do buy an RV, It shouldn't have any problems with towing it.
I miss my old Excursion to this day. I sold it a couple years ago. It had the same V10 issues as all of them. Blew a plug. Heat shields rattled at 2800 RPM or so. It was a great vehicle though and towed with the best of them.
Did you get an RV yet? Wondering what your experiences are. I just bought an 04 f250 2x4 V10 3:73 gears. I'm towing a 6500 dry weight Keystone Cougar fifth wheel. I noticed going over 3000 ft foothills I really have to step on it and it's revving to 4000rpm before shifting (overdrive OFF) and sounds painful to me. But then, this is my first time with a big truck and I'm not familiar with how these trucks are supposed to sound. I always just drove SUVs around and never towed anything over 2000# before. Other than the sound (kinda scary) and gear shifting, so far, so good, no sway.
V10s use less oil when they’re getting worked hard for some reason, at least the older ones . Mine only used 1/2 qt on a 750 mile trip thru Nebraska and Wyoming. Wy speeds 80-85 mph.
Awesome video. I picked up a v10 excursion to tow my 7300 # camper it’s on 35’s I’m a little worried but after watching your videos I’m thinking it will do ok, unless I get into the ozark s in Missouri with very steep long hills.
If anyone finds this video and has the same inspection plate rattle - just throw a piece of that rubber tape (its like 1/4 inch thick rubber with a sticky side) on the inspection plate and it eliminates the rattle noise.
I love my 2002 f250 v-10. It’s got damn near 300k. I also have the exhaust little rattle. But other than that and a couple alternators later we’re good.
My 03 with 170,000 miles burns about the same amount of oil; however, I’ve noticed it varies depending on the brand, which I attribute to heat evaporation. So far, Castrol has been the best and Valvoline has been the worst. I’m trying Pennzoil now after watching Project Farm’s test. I always run 5w20 full synthetic, per the owner’s manual.
Try Amsoil. I have had good luck with it. You can buy it directly from their website. You can set up an account to get a better price. They ship fast too. Just my 2 cents.
The V10's were great engines, especially the new generation. I have a 2009 and get about 9-12 mpg. I got the 5Star tuner and it makes all the difference in the world. The tuner changes your shift points and stops the downshifts on every little hill while towing. It now pulls like my 7.3L did...
That's good to know. I just got a 10 f-250 v-10. So far I've heard good things about 5 star tunes for them. Where did you purchase yours? Did it help fuel economy any?
If I set the econo tune it does get better mileage, but it takes away a LOT of hp. You can't tow an RV in that mode. I bought my tuner direct from 5 Star with 3 tunes loaded on it. I get around 9mpg in an F350 with 13,000lbs of RV behind it.
Thanks. I'll look into it. I get 10-11mpg empty. So any gain would be good. I plan to put a welder and tools in bed. So it will have roughly 1,500-1,800lbs in the bed all the time.
I've got a 2001 excursion V10 with 238000 on it. I can tell you this difference between the excursion and the F trucks, the excursion has much lower gears. My rpm is about 2000 at 55mph, closer to 2600 at 70mph. But it will pull a house off its foundation too. Mine has 4:33 differentials.
Damn that's low!! Are you sure whoever owned it previously, if someone did, they did gear modifications? At 70 mph they all sit right below 2,000 RPM. Around 1,950 I'm pretty sure going 70 mph in overdrive.
You recommend the V10 as a replacement for a 6.4 towing a 14k dump trailer(4600 empty) to get a more economic replace, I found a 01 F-350 srw with 200k miles for only 3k clean title runs good and all just wanna make sure I’m getting enough bang for the buck
Any updates? Looking to buy one to pull my Airstream only couple times a year so have a hard time justifying a $54k rig. These run about $5-$8k. That's something o can get behind.
Thanks for the videos boss. I've got an '04 F350 4x srw with the v10/4r100 (216k). Definitely a learning curve coming from diesels! I got my 1st oil analysis back from Blackwater and will be sending a second @2k as there was a high metal content. But the truck only cost $4k so..... My question though, did you get a tuner yet (5 Star) and did you change mufflers? I have the Y pipe fix, just haven't put it in yet. And yea, like you I was tired of diesels.
Sorry for the late response. I bought an 03 4x4 with the v10 and I did do the 5 star tune and Doug Thorley long tube headers. Imo it's not worth the money.
Your oil issue is an evaporation problem. I have a 2000 f250 V-10 that I run 10W-30 in. I’ve also had a 2012 F-550 V-10 that I started with 5W-20, then to 10W30, then fino 15W-50. It stopped evaporating oil at the 15W-50. Mileage was crap, but it was a 550 with a utility bed and a 30ft crane. A mobile 1 engineer lead me to this conclusion because I had 3 F-550’s that all did the same thing from the day they were new
I have an 04 f350 v10. It tows slightly better than my 07 Expedition EL with a 5.4 Not much better though. 250k miles. I think they’re a bit underpowered. I had a 6.0 f350 and the turbo diesel I’d trust to tow almost double what the v10 can pull. Could just be that one particular truck is not working the way it should or something. Smooth and quiet though. Occasionally I run marvel mystery oil in oil and gas too. Oil usually close to oil change time. In gas it runs smoother at idle.
Do you still run this truck today? What are your thoughts 5 years on since making this video? I'm in the process of working on trying to buy an f350 dually with the 6.8L V10
U right I have 3 v 10 triton there all 2 v people say bad things about it I don't care like u say is cheaper than diesel do what I wanna do to it get coffee in the morning and piss people off I love it
Any longstanding issues from running it 2000 miles with a missing plug? I'm always worried about my 01 spitting a plug, moreso the fact that I'll be on the side of the road waiting for a tow. But if I can just unplug the injector and run it ...
Jonathan Powers 2wd, 3:73 rear and I pull a car hauler-style bumper pull with no wind resistance @ 70 mph max. Those numbers were dead solid over the 40k miles I pulled with this truck over the road. Lifts, big tires and big gears will destroy mpgs on these.
Thunder Mountain Buildings I can see how those differences can make a difference. I'm a 3v, 4wd, 4.30 rear, towing a high profile trailer cruising at 60, I'm seeing 7-8 mpg. But, I'm not complaining. It tows effortlessly, reliable, and no diesel problems.
My personal experience with my 2000 v10 f250 4wd is best of 14.8mpg straight highway @72-75mph....around town @9-10mpg....hauling 7-8,000lbs of hay 65-70mph @9mpg....hauling @20-24,000lbs of hay at 60-70mph drops to 6.5-7.5mpg. If i hook up to something, OD gets turned off, so all of my mpg readings are with OD turned off. Its been a great truck so far. Its a dedicated tow rig when i need it along with being a backup if my daily goes to the shop.....which has only happened once. Anyone looking for cheap horsepower....might want to check out a ford V10.
In reality, the 7.3 gets way better fuel mileage than the v10 (not even considering towing). 15 or 16 average here vs probably 9 to 11 with the V10. You probably get almost the same mileage with the 7.3 towing that weight compared to a v10 unloaded. Absolute pigs- it's insane that they even sale heavy duties with gas engines.ya, ya more expensive maintenance blahblahblah, oil, blahblahblah. If you got the overhead, a diesel is a must (deleted, of course).
I have 3 diesel trucks and my Ford V10. With fuel prices at the current rate, a 10mpg gas motor costs the same per mile to operate as a 15mpg diesel. $2.70 gal diesel/15mpg = $.18 cents per mile to drive. $1.80gal gas/10mpg = $.18 cents per mile to drive.
Those Ford V-10's are hard to break, they're real work horses
Wasn't boring. I appreciate the long-ish term review. Its 2023 and I'm driving 7 hrs round trip to purchase a '03 F250 Lariat 4x4 V10 Manual with 136k for $6k and it has a little passenger side damage (hit by a quad).
Looking seriously at getting an 02 with the v10. 6 speed with 87k miles. Thanks for the video it was informative
Great engines. They are a bit thirsty but its hard to beat with the cost of diesel these days and all the maintenance expense. I have an F450 CC 2x4 with a service bed and 6K lb crane. It pulls a 14k lb trailer and with it weighing 13000 empty it does a good job. Not a lot of highway use but a good bit in town. Just picked up a F350 CC 4x4 SRW with the v10 also and wow night and day difference. Will be nice towing without the extra weight of the service bed and crane. And with the price of these engines you can put in a fresh reman for the price of injectors on a diesel. Almost a no brainer unless you are a heavy hauler/hot shot guy that tows every single day all day.
My '04 v10 has 523000 miles on it!
How long have you owned it.? I'm from Canada I just bought an 03 f350 v10 with 303kms. Any help or advice . Thanx
wow- great to hear! My 2002 Chinook Baja 4x4 has 86,000 now. I love this rig.
Holy crap my 2001 v10 has 195k miles and runs amazing I have high hopes for it
Mine hits 250k by the end of this month, never had any major issues except the broken exhaust manifold bolts lol. Never been cracked open. I think after the current contract I'm on I'm gonna have it completely gone through and refreshed maybe some aftermarket stuff in it and a tune.
I bought a 1999 with 73000 orginal miles
Thanks for the great review of this motor... very helpful!
Very good, Thank you.Grandpa might help me get one of these chunky things for hauling rocks.I appreciate your input and opinion.
Bought a 2000 V10 excursion with 100k miles for 6500$ put a other 50k on it. Stone reliable the entire time. Best vehicle I ever owned.
Nice video,short and informative, to the point,good general info.
Not boring at all mate, any and all content on a subject you're researching or interested in is useful information. i am just about to pick up an F350 with this motor in it and am grateful people post this stuff and happy to hear you're getting 11/12 mpg towing......thats US gallons so convert that to UK gallons and it becomes a little more like 13/14 mpg, that'll do for me ...thanks for the info bud :¬)
Glad it was useful to you. Good info on v10s is hard to find.
Thanks for the video. I just bought an 08 f250 with a v10. Got a great deal on it. Well taken care of. Can’t wait to tow with it.
Only 133k miles on it.
Good video. We have 2 v10's and love them. The ford regularly tows 14,000 bumper hitch and the ram v10 pulls 25k on a gooseneck regularly. In 4 yrs owning each has been maintenance with royal purple fluids and almost no repairs.
Mine is a late 2000 F-250 4 WD, 180000 miles still running great. However not worked hard, pull a 4 horse trailer, but not often. Luv the truck, easy maintenance. It will not pull with the power stroke, but their are tradeoffs….Thanks for your vid.
I have an 01 250 with the V10. The truck had about 110.000 when I got it, and about 150,000 now. I towed a 32 foot camper for quite a few miles with it. I fool with a few old tractors and now it pulls an equipment trailer around. It is 4x4 Lariat and I still love the truck. Other than routine maintenance, the truck has been carefree. A little thirsty, So I bought an 05 xl with the v6 to do my running in. The joke was on me because the V6 only gets a mile or two better than the V10. I love it!
Great video, I own a 2000 V10 excursion with 200,000 miles and runs like a top, can't say the same for my 2009 6.4 F350.:(
Have a triton v8 myself. Never heard anyone say anything bad about these motors. Super reliable just maintaine.
I have a 2004 f350 with a v10 at 435k and it runs amazing
Folks, I know that this video is 5 years old now but for anyone that is considering getting the Ford V10 in a pickup, chassis cab, RV, bus or otherwise, you should NOT hesitate at all and you will likely be happy with your decision.
Whether it be the first generation (2 valve version) from 1999 to 2004 or the 2nd generation (3 valve version) from 2005 to 2010 (in pickups) and up to 2019 in the F-450, 550, 650, 750, and chassis cab models as well as RVs or motorhomes and buses up to 2021, these engines are MORE THAN WORTH THE INVESTMENT.
I'll explain why if you care to read a long comment.
I went to school for automotive technology and worked at a couple Ford dealerships back in about 95 when the 7.3 liter powerstroke came out and I had never even worked on or driven a pickup with the V10 until I ended up buying a 2002 F-250 extended cab long bed 4x4 (auto) 3.73 gears with around 275,000 miles about 6 years ago and it has probably been the best vehicle I have purchased in terms of reliability and just overall usage since that time.
I know that there are a lot of different videos out there with people complaining about the fuel mileage but I will be honest and straightforward and explain that I actually monitor my fuel usage very closely and get very "decent" fuel mileage and I think the reason "most" people don't get better fuel mileage is because they want to haul butt everywhere they go and don't want to drive without cruise control engaged when towing (you can get better fuel economy by not using cruise while towing).
I have a bluetooth adapter that plugs into the OBD II diagnostic port and have the Torque Pro app download on my tablet and phone and monitor all kinds of different sensors and fuel mileage and everything while I'm driving. I know that if I am being "decent" to the truck and not trying to mash the throttle everywhere I go or up hills, if I'm going 65 miles per hour, I can easily get 14 to 15 miles per gallon on fairly flat terrain and sometimes even 16 mpg if the wind is not blowing at me. I can get about 12 to 13 going 75 mph. Pulling a load of about 10k to 13k with trailer and cargo (total of 13k) or a heavy camper (between 11k and 13k), I can get about 7.5 to 8.5 mpg going about 65 to 70 mph. I can get 8 to 9 (and sometimes into the double digits) mpg doing 60 mph with a fairly heavy load (for the 2002 model F-250).
I recently drove about 770 miles from the middle of South Dakota to just North of Chicago hauling an 18 foot by 7 1/2 foot wide enclosed trailer with a medium amount of household items in it and the trailer and cargo probably weighed about 4000 to 4500 pounds total (it wasn't a real heafy load). I got about 9 to 9.5 mpg doing 60 to 65 mph there (loaded) and 11.5 to 12 mpg on the way back (unloaded) doing 65 mph and occasionally hitting 70 mph here and there. I stopped at a place that had a weigh station on the way back and my total setup with truck, trailer, me, tools and everything in the back of my truck weighed 11,300 with the trailer unloaded.
What people don't realize about these engines is that they do not have the variable cam phasers like in the Ford 5.4 liter 3-valve engines that were extremely problematic. These 6.8 V-10 engines have stationary camshaft sprockets and as result, there are no moving parts with the camshaft sprocket and it makes the valve train extremely reliable (at least in comparison to the 5.4 liter 3 valves with the cam phasers).
People keep thinking that they are the same engine but they are not. These V-10 engines are extremely reliable and you will see people that have anywhere from 250,000 miles to 300,000 miles and sometimes 400,000 miles on their odometer without any issues. I currently have 341,000 miles on the odometer with mine and I don't believe it has ever been taken apart to my knowledge. I do believe that I am finally going to need to change head gaskets though as I have gotten the engine extremely hot many times during a few trips down to Texas and back as well as other trips where I got the engine temps up to about 260 degrees and a few times up to 270 degrees due to a radiator leak that got worse and worse due to my own abuse or negligence (not using enough coolant mixture to the point of causing cooling issues and then causing the rwdiator to get too hot and expanding the plastic top portion of the radiator and not correcting it to the point of letting rust get the better of the cooling system).
Unfortunately, although I try to be decent to the truck when I drive it as far as not constantly mashing my foot on the throttle, I will admit that I don't maintain the truck as far as doing oil changes as much as I should have. And some cases, I will go 10,000 miles or 12,000 miles between oil changes and the last one that I did I actually used some used oil from a client that I did an oil change for in their newer Chevy pickup just because I'm such a cheap butt. (I don't work at a dealership and haven't for quite a few years now)
Over the years, I have done oil changes like I should (sort of) but I've always extended the interval frequency and in many cases I've let my oil level get down to 3 quarts and maybe sometimes even a little bit lower. For reference, these engines take 7 quarts of oil so I will oftentimes run it with about half the oil level in it that it should have. I do have some oil leaks around the oil cooler/heater filter housing gasket that mates to the engine as well as a few other small areas here and there.
As far as things that need to be worried about with these engines, if you do the research, you will find that there aren't too many things that you have to be concerned with with the exception of the spark plugs having issues with the earlier models (2-valve versions mainly). So, if you do decide to get one, you're going to want to make sure that you have the spark plugs torqued down a little bit more than the manufacturer's recommended specifications because the torque specs for the earlier models were not that much (I think only about 18 lb. Ft.) and as a result, the spark plugs will come loose and ruin the threads in the head or they would just blow the spark plugs out entirely.
That is obviously not a good thing but there are fixes for it so it's not the end of the world.
The other thing that is more annoying than anything is that the exhaust manifold studs happen to break easily or rust so, you will get some exhaust noises which is obviously annoying. This is extremely common and problematic with these engines and there's not really much you can do about it and it is a pain in the ass to fix unless you have the engine out because trying to drill out the broken off studs with the engine still in the vehicle is difficult due to the small areas and the fact that a drill can typically not get in the areas properly to correctly drill out the studs without damaging the heads further so you have to be very careful.
Other than these two main things, there really aren't any issues to worry about when it comes to the V10 whether it's the two valve or the three valve version. Again, they both have camshaft sprockets so you do not have to worry about the cam phasers going out which makes their reliability very high.
And "if" you were considering getting the newer 7.3 gas engine, honestly, I wouldn't even consider getting the newer 7.3 liter (gas) engine as they are having some issues with some of them and quite honestly, the difference in power and the 7.3 L gas engine compared to the three valve version of the V10 is not really that much more to warrant or justify upgrading.
As a reference, I ended up driving two different U-Hauls to move some people and the first U-Haul I drove was the largest 26 ft version with the V10 in it and the 6-speed transmission. I was hauling their Auto Transport Trailer with my 2002 Chevy Trailblazer on it to drive back and it was loaded pretty full so it was pretty heavy. That engine had plenty of power and got through all the hills and mountains that I needed to on about a thousand mile trip from the middle of South Dakota all the way over to baltimore. I was actually hauling butt a lot faster than I should have been and doing anywhere from 75 mph to 80 mph at times even though I know that was faster than I should have gone.
I got 7 mpg but I know if I was doing 65 to 70 mph, it was getting at least 8 or 8.5 mpg which is pretty damn good considering the overall size of the U-Haul and the amount of cargo that it had in it as well as pulling the auto transport with my Trailblazer on it.
In comparison, a few months later I ended up moving someone about the same distance and had the newer 22 ft box cargo U-Haul with the 7.3 L gas engine with 6 speed auto transmission and I was also hauling their Auto Transport with a small SUV on it. I will be honest and say that it had plenty of power but quite frankly, I don't think that it had any more power than the other U-Haul that I drove that was bigger and had the V10 in it. The 7.3 L U Haul that I drove didn't get any better fuel mileage. It might have had a little bit more power but you have to consider that I had the smaller version of the cargo truck and the SUV on the trailer was a little bit smaller so the overall weight of the entire setup was a little bit less so that's probably what made up the difference in my opinion.
If I had my choice, I would not even consider wasting my time or money on getting the new 7.3 L and I would just look for a nice used three valve version of the V10 from at least 2005 and on and be happy. I would recommend getting a tuner from SCT or some other reputable company and putting a tune on it to help with the shifting points but also increase the power a little bit and you would have one heck of a pretty reliable pickup. If you need Bluetooth in the radio, then just buy a cheap Bluetooth radio and install it. You can find pickups with heated seats and all the other stuff you need so no need to spend an extra $50,000 or $70,000 on a newer truck when you could probably find a good used one for around $15,000 or less if you're a smart and savvy buyer.
It's not boring if you own a V10. There's not a whole lot of videos with people talking about them. I have a 2003 F250 CC 4x4 V10 3.73 gears, and my MPG on the HWY empty @ 75 is somewhere between 14 to 15 mpg. In town... forget about it! Its like 10 to 12 mpg. As with the oil consumption. I think they all suffer from that. A good friend of mine had a 2000 F350 dually with the V10 and didn't check the oil like he should. And trashed the motor! My truck uses about the same amount as yours, and it has 217,000 miles on it. It's just the nature of the beast on those engines. And yeah.... I hate the exhaust system! I'm have the same issue with mine and it drives me friggin nuts!! Damn good trucks though. Enjoyed your video towing up the mountain pass. Gave me confidence that when I do buy an RV, It shouldn't have any problems with towing it.
I miss my old Excursion to this day. I sold it a couple years ago. It had the same V10 issues as all of them. Blew a plug. Heat shields rattled at 2800 RPM or so. It was a great vehicle though and towed with the best of them.
Did you get an RV yet? Wondering what your experiences are. I just bought an 04 f250 2x4 V10 3:73 gears. I'm towing a 6500 dry weight Keystone Cougar fifth wheel. I noticed going over 3000 ft foothills I really have to step on it and it's revving to 4000rpm before shifting (overdrive OFF) and sounds painful to me. But then, this is my first time with a big truck and I'm not familiar with how these trucks are supposed to sound. I always just drove SUVs around and never towed anything over 2000# before. Other than the sound (kinda scary) and gear shifting, so far, so good, no sway.
V10s use less oil when they’re getting worked hard for some reason, at least the older ones . Mine only used 1/2 qt on a 750 mile trip thru Nebraska and Wyoming. Wy speeds 80-85 mph.
Awesome video. I picked up a v10 excursion to tow my 7300 # camper it’s on 35’s I’m a little worried but after watching your videos I’m thinking it will do ok, unless I get into the ozark s in Missouri with very steep long hills.
If anyone finds this video and has the same inspection plate rattle - just throw a piece of that rubber tape (its like 1/4 inch thick rubber with a sticky side) on the inspection plate and it eliminates the rattle noise.
Really useful video 👍🏼
I love my 2002 f250 v-10. It’s got damn near 300k. I also have the exhaust little rattle. But other than that and a couple alternators later we’re good.
My 03 with 170,000 miles burns about the same amount of oil; however, I’ve noticed it varies depending on the brand, which I attribute to heat evaporation. So far, Castrol has been the best and Valvoline has been the worst. I’m trying Pennzoil now after watching Project Farm’s test. I always run 5w20 full synthetic, per the owner’s manual.
Try Amsoil. I have had good luck with it. You can buy it directly from their website. You can set up an account to get a better price. They ship fast too. Just my 2 cents.
Replace your pcv valve
The V10's were great engines, especially the new generation. I have a 2009 and get about 9-12 mpg. I got the 5Star tuner and it makes all the difference in the world. The tuner changes your shift points and stops the downshifts on every little hill while towing. It now pulls like my 7.3L did...
That's good to know. I just got a 10 f-250 v-10. So far I've heard good things about 5 star tunes for them. Where did you purchase yours? Did it help fuel economy any?
If I set the econo tune it does get better mileage, but it takes away a LOT of hp. You can't tow an RV in that mode. I bought my tuner direct from 5 Star with 3 tunes loaded on it. I get around 9mpg in an F350 with 13,000lbs of RV behind it.
Thanks. I'll look into it. I get 10-11mpg empty. So any gain would be good. I plan to put a welder and tools in bed. So it will have roughly 1,500-1,800lbs in the bed all the time.
THANKS MAN
I've got a 2001 excursion V10 with 238000 on it. I can tell you this difference between the excursion and the F trucks, the excursion has much lower gears. My rpm is about 2000 at 55mph, closer to 2600 at 70mph. But it will pull a house off its foundation too. Mine has 4:33 differentials.
Damn that's low!! Are you sure whoever owned it previously, if someone did, they did gear modifications? At 70 mph they all sit right below 2,000 RPM. Around 1,950 I'm pretty sure going 70 mph in overdrive.
You recommend the V10 as a replacement for a 6.4 towing a 14k dump trailer(4600 empty) to get a more economic replace, I found a 01 F-350 srw with 200k miles for only 3k clean title runs good and all just wanna make sure I’m getting enough bang for the buck
Any updates? Looking to buy one to pull my Airstream only couple times a year so have a hard time justifying a $54k rig.
These run about $5-$8k. That's something o can get behind.
It's good that you admit your shortcomings.
Thanks for the videos boss. I've got an '04 F350 4x srw with the v10/4r100 (216k). Definitely a learning curve coming from diesels! I got my 1st oil analysis back from Blackwater and will be sending a second @2k as there was a high metal content. But the truck only cost $4k so..... My question though, did you get a tuner yet (5 Star) and did you change mufflers? I have the Y pipe fix, just haven't put it in yet. And yea, like you I was tired of diesels.
Sorry for the late response.
I bought an 03 4x4 with the v10 and I did do the 5 star tune and Doug Thorley long tube headers. Imo it's not worth the money.
Your oil issue is an evaporation problem. I have a 2000 f250 V-10 that I run 10W-30 in. I’ve also had a 2012 F-550 V-10 that I started with 5W-20, then to 10W30, then fino 15W-50. It stopped evaporating oil at the 15W-50. Mileage was crap, but it was a 550 with a utility bed and a 30ft crane. A mobile 1 engineer lead me to this conclusion because I had 3 F-550’s that all did the same thing from the day they were new
Of the 7.3 Duramax and this one what do like better
Give me some advice or at least an educated opinion I’m about to purchase a 2004V 10 excursion what are your thoughts
I have an 04 f350 v10.
It tows slightly better than my 07 Expedition EL with a 5.4
Not much better though.
250k miles.
I think they’re a bit underpowered.
I had a 6.0 f350 and the turbo diesel I’d trust to tow almost double what the v10 can pull.
Could just be that one particular truck is not working the way it should or something.
Smooth and quiet though.
Occasionally I run marvel mystery oil in oil and gas too. Oil usually close to oil change time.
In gas it runs smoother at idle.
Do you still run this truck today? What are your thoughts 5 years on since making this video? I'm in the process of working on trying to buy an f350 dually with the 6.8L V10
please do more videos on the truck
Three 6.4 owners disliked this video.
U dont use the tow/haul button?
U right I have 3 v 10 triton there all 2 v people say bad things about it I don't care like u say is cheaper than diesel do what I wanna do to it get coffee in the morning and piss people off I love it
Oil catch can?
Any longstanding issues from running it 2000 miles with a missing plug? I'm always worried about my 01 spitting a plug, moreso the fact that I'll be on the side of the road waiting for a tow. But if I can just unplug the injector and run it ...
Explanation and solution: th-cam.com/video/j0Zb4vhyr5k/w-d-xo.html
Do you still have this truck?
my 99 v10 uses 5w20
11-12 mpg towing? Wow. I can't even get that without a load.
Jonathan Powers
2wd, 3:73 rear and I pull a car hauler-style bumper pull with no wind resistance @ 70 mph max. Those numbers were dead solid over the 40k miles I pulled with this truck over the road. Lifts, big tires and big gears will destroy mpgs on these.
Thunder Mountain Buildings I can see how those differences can make a difference. I'm a 3v, 4wd, 4.30 rear, towing a high profile trailer cruising at 60, I'm seeing 7-8 mpg. But, I'm not complaining. It tows effortlessly, reliable, and no diesel problems.
My personal experience with my 2000 v10 f250 4wd is best of 14.8mpg straight highway @72-75mph....around town @9-10mpg....hauling 7-8,000lbs of hay 65-70mph @9mpg....hauling @20-24,000lbs of hay at 60-70mph drops to 6.5-7.5mpg. If i hook up to something, OD gets turned off, so all of my mpg readings are with OD turned off. Its been a great truck so far. Its a dedicated tow rig when i need it along with being a backup if my daily goes to the shop.....which has only happened once. Anyone looking for cheap horsepower....might want to check out a ford V10.
My 411 gears get about 9.5, with 523000 miles on it
@@randybrandes8885thats awesome. Hows it doing now?
This video is a little lengthy but has some good info: th-cam.com/video/UTMtKv_k5uk/w-d-xo.html
In reality, the 7.3 gets way better fuel mileage than the v10 (not even considering towing). 15 or 16 average here vs probably 9 to 11 with the V10. You probably get almost the same mileage with the 7.3 towing that weight compared to a v10 unloaded. Absolute pigs- it's insane that they even sale heavy duties with gas engines.ya, ya more expensive maintenance blahblahblah, oil, blahblahblah. If you got the overhead, a diesel is a must (deleted, of course).
I have 3 diesel trucks and my Ford V10. With fuel prices at the current rate, a 10mpg gas motor costs the same per mile to operate as a 15mpg diesel. $2.70 gal diesel/15mpg = $.18 cents per mile to drive. $1.80gal gas/10mpg = $.18 cents per mile to drive.
Cost of ownership includes more than just gas.
@@idonoevil like 3 grand for the injectors, 800$ for the hpop and another 1500 for the turbo. thats just the big ones.