Ok Guys,
my old faithful 1995 E-350 5.8 is done, runs great, body is gone, Old Bertha2 is retired she owes me nothing been a great vehicle

I am looking for a NEWER van, E-250, E-350 I like Heavy, and need a reliable vehicle. I do service work on emergency equipment. As well as property maintenance.

How are the 5.4's holding up?, I am pretty good, mechanically, and have worked on a few, but the horror stories of bad timing components, failures at 150,000 miles, plugs blowing out, or being stuck. I am a fanatic for maintenance, and can handle anything but the last thing I want to do is spend 6-8K and have to drop an engine in one.

Looking for feedback, ideally I am trying to find a non abused fleet vehicle, yes I know hard to do, and 05 or newer. Even would consider a 6.0 dsl if things were right.

Looking for opinions

 

Like most of us looking for new-to-us you're kinda all over the place in what you want---not necessarily a bad thing!

Horror stories, especially those we'd find on any site dedicated to fixing issues might scare you off---after all "everyone" is experiencing to it must be epidemic right? Wrong!

Fact is the 5.4 V8's and 6.8 V10's have proven to be among the best for durability, reliability and longevity. I'm running two E250's; a 2000 with 273K miles and the daily driver work van with 182K miles, both 5.4 gasoline. The '00 was purchased with 200K miles and a salvage title, the '03 from a trucking company. Both are still running very well, not a single issue beyond typical maintenance stuff.

Spitting plugs and worn timing chain guides is an issue naturally but those issues are far, far from being common issues with either motor. Keep in mind on a forum like this what seem to be all too frequent problems are posted and replied to mostly by a small portion of any one vehicle's entire production run. That is to say not everyone who owns the same type vehicle has or is experiencing the same issues.

Anything in the '03 or earlier year would be a good bet since they're the least complex as far as timing components etc. Mileage and the general overall condition can be somewhat good indicators of the importance regular maintenance was to the previous owner.

Since you're already mechanically adept take a code scanner along on a pre-purchase inspection and see if it shows anything existing or pending. If you're advanced enough to interpret live data collect and review that post-test drive. That alone would be incredibly informative.

I haunt eBay because what I want or will accept seems to be rarely available locally, within less than 100 miles it seems. That's not an issue since a new-to-me truck isn't something I buy yearly---taking time to find the right one is more important than any distance traveled.

If you buy an E350 they're said to be tough on OEM ball joints so keep that in mind. I've changed them on both vans along with most of the steering components too---part of normal upkeep. Good quality replacement parts seem to be the better solution though---as it is usually.

For more specific info about which motor you're thinking about use the FTE forum for it---we have them for the 4.6/5.4 V8 and the 6.8 V10 too---VERY useful I'd add.

Ask away----we're here to help!

 

JWA gave very good info, as always.

My 07 E350 with V10 has factory tow package (factory hitch, wiring, exterior plug, dual batteries) and power everything (locks, mirrors, windows, remote key fob). I highly recommend a van like mine. I bet JWA can give you fuel economy info if you're interested in comparing 5.4V8 versus 6.8V10.

How much time will you spend on highways? And at what speeds? (My 800mile/week is about 60-70% highway, but usually I do 65 in the right lane). I get 12-13mpg all week long, carrying about 1,000lbs in the van.

If speeds at/above 60mph will be rare, I'd recommend a V10 E350 with low gears.

I've had my V10 for about 7 months and truly I am a bit scared of blown spark plugs, timing-chain-whatever-you-mentioned... But so far so good. I have had a couple exhaust manifold studs pop off though. But hey, it has 18 more holding it

This van is straight up PLEASURABLE to drive: throttle-wise. It absolutely eats up traffic when needed. Cruise control on hills is a non-issue. And running it WOT through the closely spaced 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gears is reminiscent of a video game- tachometer sweeping unusually fast, engine growling loudly less than an arms length away, pulling G forces into the seat... (Ok, video games don't have G forces... But this van does).

I previously owned a 03 E250 with V6. I would recommend this engine only if you plan to stay in town and idle a lot. Also it was barely able to pull a 4500# trailer. The best fuel economy I got with that van was high15's... Usually it was 14's.

I literally thank God for my van. Speaking of which: off to church now! Let us know what you think.

 

You flatter me sir---thanks. There's a lot of great info here, most of what I share is from this site in fact. For example your own sharing based on real-world usage is just as valuable as any other bit of advice offered here.

I really can't offer much in comparing fuel mileage because that's just not an interest to me. My E250 is mostly for work so it gets what it gets and that's just the way it is--it's a work tool that wasn't bought because it would be economical to operate.

I will say the daily driver weight carrying a typical load is 7,800#. Running most times on the freeway rarely over 70 MPH with cruise control I'm probably averaging 13 MPG, even when I run the A/C. Plugs are changed at 50K, oil @ 3-4K also without fail, any other maintenance thing done ASAP to prevent any down time.

I'm on my third E250 with the 5.4 motor and the second one sits parked on the street for now. All were purchased after short test drives---that's the benefit of owning and frequently driving what I'm testing.

There may come a time in a few years when the current '03 will be replaced and it will be with one more E250, 5.4 or the V10---no questions asked other than "can you do any better on that price?"

 

I am new to the site but not new to Fords. I do remember when I moved up to a Triton or modular ford engine. I too was nervous. But at this point in my life I have had 4 trucks with 5.4, an E250 with the 5.4, a couple 4.6's and now an X with the 6.8. none of them newer than a 2001 and all but one with high miles. I have had to fix a couple of plug holes, replaced a few COPs and many broken manifold bolts. But I really love the engine group over all. The plug spitting has many tools out there for easy repair. The split plugs are a pain still to deal with, but again many tools to make it easier and Champion makes a one piece plug to fix the issue. COP's are easily gotten from any parts store and price isn't that bad. I have not replaced any manifold bolts as I didn't care. None of the vehicles I had did the timing stuff you speak of, so cannot comment on it.

My E250 weighed in at around 9000# with ladders and parts in it, and several times pulled a large scissor lift behind with no problems what so ever.

So, that is my 2 cents worth. good luck

 

I retired my '82 E-350 RV (Big Bertha indeed!) a year ago (460 V8) and went with a 2006 E-450 RV with the 6.0L diesel. When it's running right it is an amazing engine. Great torque and better mileage (10.0 vs the old 460's 6.5 mpg). But the 6.0L has some well documented issues, and mine has had some of them too. I probably should have gone with a gas V-10, but the rest of the RV was in such good shape I went for it. I'd recommend staying away from the diesel, sadly.

I'd get another Triton 5.4 in a heartbeat. My 2001 F-150 has run great for the last 12 years with only a spark plug change at 100,000 miles.

 

Sadly too many believe plugs in the modular motors are good for that 100K---fact is they're really, really not. Along with greatly reduced performance and excessive fuel usage replacing plugs at 100K can be significantly more difficult and potentially cause plug hole thread damage.

For as cheap as plugs are and the relative ease they can be changed there's no reason for them to go past 50K before being replacement.

 

Gonna have to disagree with you there JWA, if only judged on my limited knowledge base of 1 engine. The plugs I pulled at 100K were in great shape, and I did not experience any improvement in mileage or power after changing them.

 

Well .... I would get a 7.3 ......IDI if you want it to be simple.......Powerstroke if you like a challenge...2nd choice V10.. If you are a serious Gearhead like me....( You fix your own Chit ) then and ONLY then ...get a 6.0....the trans is awesome but the engine needs about 2 grand in parts ( EGR Delete , Coolant Filter , Upgraded FICM ) and if you don't drive it hard and frequently , the unison ring on the VV Turbo likes to RUST ( ad another 1500 for the Turbo) .... to make it as solid as My PSD....But then it is a BEAST........ You said you like power right ?

 

Spikedog there's more than enough room here for differing POV's about our beloved Modular or Triton V8's & V10's----I believe we learn from other's experiences. In fact this sort of give and take is one reason .

Perhaps I'll post a thread in the V8 & V10 forums asking for photos of plugs removed at 100K, see if we can have the electrode gaps measured too. Since many of us change them at 50K there should be lots of info and photos available even now.

For myself I've seen (and have stored somewhere) photos of the 100K plugs but the gaps not measured. I don't see how a plug that much consumed cannot affect performance or MPG's or put undue stress on the COP's. Perhaps the ECM adjusts enough of the plug firing parameters as part of its duty---if so then this partially explains why a greater effect isn't noticed as plugs approaching 100K miles don't exhibit loss of performance/MPG's.

At any rate most of us can agree the Modular Motors are pretty awesome and do their jobs as good as we could hope for!

 

That is what I went for. Very reliable. Parts are pretty cheap. With some work you can make good power.....modded 6.0 power, but as much as I will ever need. Issue is that they are getting harder and harder to find that aren't rust buckets.

 

Guys, here is the scoop you provided me with great information on the engine and flaws longevity etc! I am going to look at a 2006 E 250 tomorrow! 5.4 160k. Going to see what it looks like price is decent!

How are the semi floating rears holding up? I am used to full floaters and have seen some noise issues with semi floaters! Any insight?