i am considering buying a 01 f350 v10 4x4 crew cab long bed with 85k miles. i just love to say all that!!! i think i'll say it again, but a little different....i currently have a 08 f350 6.4 diesel 4x4 crew cab long bed that i am selling. thats another day for that story....

i am looking to buy a gas truck again since the price of diesel is ridiculous in los angels,ca. yes, diesel trucks get better mpg's but my 08 f350 sucks!! i know that the 7.3's and the 6.0's and the 6.7's all get better mpg's then mine. i can't afford the 6.7 and the 6.0's are bad and the 7.3's have too many miles and for the price of them out here,the 7.3 range from 18k to 23k. too rich for my blood for an old beast. anyway Im selling my 08 and taking the equity and paying cash for the 01 f350, about 12k,when all said and done.

i have read a lot of the posts and the 2 main points seem to be the manifold bolts are too small and they snap off and the plugs blow out, at least these things can happen. i think in 03 they added more threads to the plug hole and kept the same manifold bolts. in 05 they made them a 3v from a 2v. just looking for some input or advice about this yr truck. i deff find more 99's out there and i thought 01 was the better year of this design before the 03 changes and newer models. most have said with the number of miles most likely they didn't change the plugs. im saying this from other threads. if properly installed do the plugs still shoot out or is it from cross threading them? sorry if i am all over the place with this post. i have some many thoughts going through my head, i wish i could just pick someone's brain for a few hrs!! but i can't so i am looking for the next best thing, you guys.

long story short.....what do you guys think of the 01 f350 v10 4x4 crew cab long bed with 85k miles?? just hope the truck is still available tomorrow!!

thank you for taking the time to read this and your thoughts.

 

I think you about covered it as far as potential problems. The key word there is potential, because really, those problems don't affect every 2001 V10. I looked at an '01 V10 CC before I bought my '04 and the '01 had 151K miles on it and the guy said it had never even had a "Check Engine" light come on and he bought it new! I would have bought it, but someone came up with the money before I did. I still see the truck around from time to time. These things are thirsty compared to some diesels, but I've found the cheaper maintenance seems to even things out a bit. No big truck is gonna be cheap. I think you'll be happy with the V10 provided you fully understand the mileage beforehand.

 

Manifold studs will inevitably break, just poor design. Some guys have problems with plugs, others go without a single hitch. I'd say keep it in mind, but don't worry a whole lot. When done properly, and at regular intervals, I've heard very few blown plug stories. Mostly on trucks that get abused, or soon after an improper plug change.

 

thanks, i get the mpg's will be low. i had a chevy 1500 with a 6 inch lift on 35's and that thing was pretty thirsty, especially towing my trailer. i will say my diesel pretty much always got 10-11 mpg's city, highway and towing since in CA you drop to 55mph towing. i have a great shop out here that i trust and i will be bringing it to him to do the work if anything should happen. i was just reading a plug thread and manifold thread on the cost. ill let you know if i buy the truck what he charges should anything happen. i ride a motorcycle to work everyday so i don't plan on driving my truck too much. i think in the last 15 months i put 11k miles on the truck. i mostly use it for weekend fun with the family and towing my trailer. my dad had a mercury station wagon from the early 80's, he used to say it'll pass anything on the road except a gas station!! lol being that gas is almost 30 to 50 cents cheaper then diesel and less things to worry about with gas and not having a car payment, the 01 just fits my needs. besides, the replacement of a v10 vs 6.4 is half the price....i think even less, maybe? i pretty much made up my mind i'm buying the truck. just wanted some reassurance i'm doing the right thing not going back to the chevy motor.

 

I think that you'll be fine. I know that the manifold studs are a problem in the salt belt states, but you may be ok in CA. I had a 2002 F250 V10 with 3.73 gears, headers (because the studs snapped and I ditched the manifolds when I changed them) an ebay y-pipe and a 5 star tuner. Around town I could get 10-11 and highway was around 14. V10's don't get the best mpg, but what they do offer is lower maintenance costs and higher reliability than some of the newer diesels. Also, I never had a problem with the spark plugs. I changed them myself at 50k, torqued them to specs, and checked them a few times before I traded it in and they never loosened up or popped out. I'd say, go for it!

 

thank you for your input! i test drove it today and it shifted kinda hard after giving it a lot of gas and then letting off before it actually shifted. it hesitated with the rpm drop and then hard shifted. im sure someone is going to say thats what happens when you gas it and let off.... just seemed a little harder then usual. i've never driven one before and i read that the newer trans had better shifting. just wondering if thats the nature of the beast. usually when you gas it and let off before it shifts it still transfers but smoothly. this was like someone drop the gear on the shifter. i did like how the rpm's are low on the freeway. my first time test driving a v10, so i can't wait for the next one. the search goes on!!

 

I have a 2000 with 151k miles and still going strong (knock on wood). I replaced the plugs myself at about 120k with help from this site. The only other major items replaced are front brake pads, one coil and alternator. Still original clutch and rear brake pads. It is not my daily driver anymore, so I don't give it the proper TLC I should. Now this manifold bolt thing is new the me.

 

My truck has been great also no complaints, I put the banks headers on to get rid of the manifold bolt problem. The bolts corrode and break(Steel in Aluminium), out of 20 studs 10 broke when I removed them. Plug issue just make sure they are torqued right.

 

I have a 2001 with almost 115,000mi I average 13.8 mpg mixed driving. I replaced the manifold studs last year, paid a $480 at a muffler shop, and that included new bolts, machine shop resurfacing and gaskets (do a lot of my own maintenance, but in my opinion well worth $480 for aggravation factor once you subtract the cost of parts and the machining).

I did the same gas vs diesel evaluation when I was looking at trucks and I agree with you. I think for the additional cost of a diesel truck and the added cost of fuel, the v10 is a "value" in a SD trucks. Do it and don't look back! I LOVE my v10!

 

I think you will be happy with your choice. 12k seems like a good price, i have a 2000 with 62,000 miles and have had no problems. I am also thinking of getting a tuner from 5 star. I was also going to call him and see what exhaust he recomends for the V10 since there are so many to choose from. I imgine as many tunes as they have made they would have an exhaust they like

 

is your truck 2wd to get 13.8 mpgs?

 

I have a 2000 Excursion with a V10 4x4 lifted 4" on sitting on 315/75/16. Rolling down the highway at 65 here in Texas rolling plains I get about 13.3 MPG. In town is a different story all together but there is a lot of things that go into that idleing while waiting fo the kids to get out of school etc. However, I lost alot of fuel mileage due to the way the truck is setup with lift etc. Mechanicly I checked this weekend and there are no broken exhaust studs, I did do plugs and a few cops but replaced all boots and springs this past weekend to fix a missing issue. I got 222k miles and still running strong

 

Lash here and like some here I am a new owner of a 1999 F250 with 145,+++ miles on it. Like a gentlemen asked earlier about the transmission shifting kind of hard I was wondering the same. As I am getting up to speed and punch the gas a little, is it normal to feel a change in the transmission like a hesitation, and then a normal cruze mode. Everthing feels fine it is just getting up to a good cruzing speen you can feel the shifts.