V10 Longevity??

[TwinStick]

Originally Posted by carringb

My V10 has 270,000 miles on it, and runs great.

Only repairs have been the starter relay and both forward oxygen sensors (which I think were a casualty of silicone contamination since they went out at the same time shortly after the Banks PowerPack install.)

For the past few years, 90%+ of my miles have been towing. I tow up to 18,000 pounds with it, which is over the OEM GCWR but I have upped the power with the Banks PowerPack and Diablo Predator tuner, changed it to a dually, changed differential to 4.56 Dana 70 gears, and upgraded the brakes accordingly.


Part of my tuning has involved raising the shift points and electronic rev limiter. It will sing along at 5500 for 15-20 minutes at a time without complaint. This allows me to maintain 65 on any mountain Interstate pass with a 12,000+ pound load.

The only negative side effect of the Predator tuner has been shorter spark plug life. Double Platinum plugs only last about 70,000 miles before the electrode is worn away. I put in iridium plugs this last time so hopefully they will last longer.

Some Triton motors have gone 1 million+ miles without major repairs.
http://millionmilevan.com/

This story is one that makes me think "what the hell were they thinking", when someone said, "I know, lets take an engine that as had an absolutely excellent service life & just discontine it."

[carringb]

Originally Posted by TwinStick

This story is one that makes me think "what the hell were they thinking", when someone said, "I know, lets take an engine that as had an absolutely excellent service life & just discontine it."

Ford is not discontinuing the V10 in the vans (or the cab/chassis pickups).

[capnjim]

I've got a 5.4 triton in my unit. What do you think it would cost to put in a new V-10? Any problems with a conversion that you can think off? Should I get the dealer to do it? Maybe a rebuilt crate motor? My 5.4 runs great but I would love / need some more power for the big mountain passes.

Jim
2006 Quigley RV

[Ford_6L_E350]

It will cost more than you think.

Change wiring harnesses

Change the engine control computer, maybe others

Maybe change the transmission, at least rebuild it to make it stronger

Maybe change the radiator

Maybe change acc brackets

If you really want to do, get a wrecked V10 van of the same year and swap all the parts over.

Mike

[bluedog225]

Originally Posted by carringb

In 2000, Ford the threads in the cylinder heads from 4 to 8.

Do you have a cite or link for that? I did a lot of research on the Triton defect and wasn't able to pin down when/if they fixed the issue. I'd like to be able to identify engines with the problem fixed.

Thanks

Tom

[yvrr]

The "blown spark plug" issue affects 1999 through 2004 Ford 4.6, 5.4 & 6.8 liter engines. A quick read suggests a combination of aluminum heads with aluminum threads (rather than steel threads) and not enough threads. Google "Ford blown spark plug" for more information. ConsumerAffairs.com (not a governmental agency though) lists about 3000 complaints regarding this issue...

[carringb]

Originally Posted by bluedog225

Do you have a cite or link for that? I did a lot of research on the Triton defect and wasn't able to pin down when/if they fixed the issue. I'd like to be able to identify engines with the problem fixed.

Thanks

Tom

I don't remember where I read that. But I wanted to to make sure, so last time I did my plus (it's a 2000) I counted the number of full turns until seated, and sure enough, it was nearly 8.

[carringb]

Originally Posted by yvrr

The "blown spark plug" issue affects 1999 through 2004 Ford 4.6, 5.4 & 6.8 liter engines. A quick read suggests a combination of aluminum heads with aluminum threads (rather than steel threads) and not enough threads. Google "Ford blown spark plug" for more information. ConsumerAffairs.com (not a governmental agency though) lists about 3000 complaints regarding this issue...

Nearly all modern cars and trucks have aluminum heads, most do not use steel inserts. It affects the Triton motors starting in 1997. With the head upgrade in 2000, it became much less of a concern. But, plugs can be improperly tightened in any aluminum head, so no motor is immune. A big mistake is using anti-seize on plugs, and then still using the factory torque spec. Using anti-seize requires using 1/2 factory spec for torque. IMO, best not to even use the stuff on spark plug because of this. I've never had one that was hard to get out, even after 115,000 miles.