Well looks like you've made a good decision without my bragging....but I have a 99 (built in 1998) and have been very pleased. I have an F350 DRW and work it hard, but don't abuse it. With about 150K it doesn't have one bit of oil residue on the engine. Durn near a miracle...

 

Bragging about the success of this engine will only tie me to ford v10's! It will be getting some use alright! My father has a huge job coming up and the chevy, on it's last leg, won't be able to meet the challenge.(surprised?)

 

I know this Thread is old but I have a 2003 F250 V10 AND LOVE IT!! I haul horses and everything else with it. No problems besides the Pumps trying to make you homeless

 

I should have updated this. I went with the 2000 7.3. 295k so far and runs like new.

 

I am a 7.3 fan as well, but in 2010, was persuaded to buy an '03 f-350 with a zf-6. in 2011 I was in a wreck that totaled the truck...128,500 miles. I figured the engine was fine so I hunted (and hunted and hunted some more) for a truck with a blown v-10...knowing that I needed an '02 or '03 for compatibility. I found an '02 A/T f-250 for a recip. I swapped the engines, but definitely got exposed to some interesting things. I am curious to see how everything ends up.

So I pulled the blown engine first. They splattered it. Minimum of 3 pistons completely splattered. they munched the block. the oil pan was completely full of pieces. The truck came from Nebraska and I think they were just a little stuck in some gumbo when they gave it the 'coup de grace.'

THEN, I extracted the 'good engine'.... Well, in the wreck, I was hit on the right side in front of the steer tire. The A/C pump broke a piece out of the block half the size of a banana. The battery smashed into the valve cover, knocking some links off the timing chain and trashing the valve cover.

While out...I noticed a curiosity that someone may be able to help me with. The tag on one engine was 907 the other was 908. I installed a new timing set, put the good valve covers onto the good engine and replaced all the gaskets except the head gaskets. Put in new plugs while the engine was out, assisted assembly with right stuff and tranny assembly goo.

the recip truck had 201K. we now have about 500 miles post transplant on it with about 300 of those miles pulling. so far so good, just miss the mpg we got with the zf-6. we might change the tranny filter and oil soon, but wanted to see if the tranny was ok before going any further. all in all, it was a pretty cut and dry 'plug and play.'

 

For all the folks defending Ford and saying the reputation of the modular V10 is being sullied by Chevy and Dodge folks; I say quit being fanboys and admit there are issues with the 6.8. I have a 2000 Excursion (127k) that I've only owned since September of '13, but according to records has had meticulous maintenance and I had it completely baselined at my local Ford dealership. Yesterday it decided to spit a plug out of the #9 cylinder and I'm out at minimum $750 just for a kit to repair the problem.
I'm at a loss as to why anyone thinks this is the bees knees when it comes to engines. After ten minutes googling 6.8 V10 problems its hard to find anything particularly good about the V10.
To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. I've owned multiple mustangs in the past with never an issue (all modular engines), first Ford truck and it bites one.

 

Check Timesert spark plug repair kit @ amazon.com (FORD TRITON SPARK PLUGS M14x1.25- KIT P/N 5553 ) , you can find pricing around $389.00 . Read the proper repair procedure @ timesert.com website . This problem appears on model 1999-2001 mostly .

Also make a search and find the thread "How many miles on your V10" . You will see quite a few owners clocked 300K + miles .
Good luck,

 

Wow...sorry for the engine issue! That is a total bummer, but when you look over those maintenance records...should look at who, when, how, them 10 spark plugs were changed. Should have been done around the 100k mark. That is who you should be upset with...IMHO.

Also...not all V10 6.8L modular engines were created equal. That is to say...you having the '00 year...have the heads that were identified with only 4 or 5 threads in the spark plug holes. In the V10 community...a known concern. In late 2003 model year...that was modified by FORD. Of course...in the 2005+ years...they took it even further from spitting spark plugs to stuck broken cannot remove spark plugs. Special tool needed to remove.

Hope you can get your V10 back in order. While on the spark plugs...make sure to go over the other 9 with a torque wrench. Proper torque is critical to keeping them from spitting!!

Good luck...


biz