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Old 04-29-2019, 04:09 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by mikracer View Post
Some say the 5.4 may be underpowered with a fully built, 4x4 van but I don't have any experience with that.
Considering that back in the day... "new".. they were pushing ~230 HP and 23 years later I'm sure quite a few of the ponies have escaped the stable, it probably only pushes maybe 200-210. Having a V10 with (give or take) equal fuel economy but having an extra 100 horsepower under the skinny pedal, seems to be a no-brainer. They are, however, harder to find, and usually carry a small price premium, not as much as a 7.3.

I've found that with 3.73's it likes ~55-65 (where it will sit comfortably in 3rd/4th depending on terrain) or 85+ (Where it seems to hit the powerband in 4th.).

A few notes I'd put on this- 70-75 mph driving is doable, for sure, but depending on how severe the wind is, the transmission will "wander" between screaming in 3rd gear and OD. Driving down through the north of Nevada, there were a few two lane roads that the speed limit was 65-70 on, and simply put, the 5.4L V8 just doesn't have the guts for effortless passing. I was probably loaded to the neighborhood of 8,000 lbs, and ended up getting stuck behind Mr. I-needa-teach-everyone-behind-me-a-lesson, who was doing 45-50 in a 65... We came across many of these drivers, and (unfortunately) had to sit behind a lot of them because they refused to pull over for a half-mile-long queue of traffic behind them and the van didn't have the power to make use of the gaps of oncoming traffic.

FTR: I've had 18 wheelers here in Montana follow me into the oncoming lane of traffic while I was overtaking someone... Up hill, blowing smoke, chewing on my bumper, and with likely 80,000 lbs of cargo.

I agree with the general consensus on this forum that I think Scotty or BroncoHauler brought up... "The 5.4L gets the job done... The 6.8L gets the job done better... The 6.0L gets the job done, until it doesn't". (And, the 7.3 being somewhere-equivalent to the V10, mostly coming down to preference. At the end of the day, the 7.3 is smellier, noisier, and probably still costs more to upkeep than the V10)

On the high end, I've seen 13 mpg with a blend of 40-60 mph driving (primarily through Yellowstone). at 70-75 it will get ~12, at 85 it will get about 10.5.




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Personally, I would buy the V-10. Cheaper to maintain, same power, 12mpg. The only benefit to the 7.3 is at altitude where it would lose less power than a v-10.
Something that I haven't seen others mention yet about the V10... In 2005, they changed transmissions, so instead of the 4R100, you got the 5R110.

If you're looking for a V10 van, all else being equal, 2005+ would be preferable. Haven't heard any major gripes about either transmission, but, you get the extra gear.

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Old 04-29-2019, 07:32 PM   #22
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Thoughts on this? High miles for a V-10? Priced high for a V-10 with that many miles??

https://sportsmobile.com/preowned-sp...bile-west-inc/
This link took me to all of the SMB listings but I'm thinking you and Gramps are referring to KTMrider's rig? If so, it's pretty amazing, totally loaded and very clean. There is no way I would go for a 7.3l over a rig like this.

If you want a diesel the 7.3l is the way to go. If you want quiet durability and reliability even more than the 7.3l, go for the V10. If you want more proof, talk to CarringB who is probably the most knowledgable guy around here on these and beats on his 3-400k V10 constantly, pulling heavy and running the snot out of it.

Keep this in mind, I'm no expert on diesels but a 7.3l in a van is a bit different than in a truck. It's wedged in there pretty tight and there are some changes others can elaborate on more (some are intercooled, some aren't, etc.)

Fuel economy is a wash IMO considering the higher maintenance cost of diesels, and fully loaded out 4x4 SMB diesels don't get pickup truck mileage. I think most owners here get less than 15, some much less.
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Old 04-29-2019, 07:34 PM   #23
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He has it for sale on expeditionportal too. I think its super nice, very well equipped and in great condition. I also think he is pretty high on the price. The only ones I have seen sell above $60k have all been low mileage 7.3s or much newer than 2006. That said, you could make him a serious offer and see what he says. In order to get onto the SMB website to list, you agree to take advice from SMB about pricing. So he has likely taken that pricing advice. I think most of their rigs are overpriced, but they do tend to sell, so what do I know?

I agree. It's probably a $50k rig in most people's eyes. It is nice that it's a 2006 so it comes with the 5 speed/beefier trans.

I bought my 2005 V10 with 106k miles on it 5 years ago. It now has almost 160k miles and the only "major" replacement has been the ABS module. Just change the fluids and couple other maintenance items (filters, battery, etc.) and it's been smooth sailing.
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Old 04-29-2019, 11:38 PM   #24
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I saw this clean 6.0 diesel with 40k miles,not the 7.3 but looks like it would do the job! Good luck
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/...876226567.html
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Old 04-29-2019, 11:50 PM   #25
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While an interesting find, the OP did say he was only considering 4x4's. While there is the possibility I missed something, the lack of manual hubs and any measurable amount of lift would seem to suggest that van is RWD.

If the van 6.0's are anything like the truck 6.0's, I distinctly remember hearing that between 2003 and ~2005, they made something like 500 upgrades/changes to the motor.
Being a 2004, that van would also come with the 4R100 transmission as opposed to the 5R110.
Then there's the whole jar of worms debate about "To 6.0, or not to 6.0?".

But you do remind me that now I have seen several of these listed in the "RV" section, and very often, I only bother consulting the "Cars & Trucks" section.
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Old 04-30-2019, 09:21 AM   #26
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Agreed but sometimes I’ve had better luck buying something in the middle of what I actually wanted which afforded me the patience to find what I really wanted without compromises like color/condition/distance to purchase etc
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Old 04-30-2019, 09:23 AM   #27
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As long as the bill of sale only reads $75.00 there’s not to much stress
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Old 04-30-2019, 10:15 AM   #28
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thoughts on this rust?
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Old 04-30-2019, 10:24 AM   #29
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Nothing in that pic concerns me re rust. What does the rest of the undercarriage look like?

What does present an issue for me are the radius arms. This is a Quigley? Upper is round and lower is channel. What year van?
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Old 04-30-2019, 10:53 AM   #30
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Nothing in that pic concerns me re rust. What does the rest of the undercarriage look like?

What does present an issue for me are the radius arms. This is a Quigley? Upper is round and lower is channel. What year van?
It's a 2001.
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