Greetings. I just created this account and posted an introduction. I generally try to avoid starting new threads on forums if my question/issue has been answered or resolved elsewhere, but I haven't seen anything explicitly addressing this matter, so here goes.

I am considering purchasing a 2006 F-250 with the V10. It is a crew cab Lariat with 4WD and a short bed. The truck has 190k miles. It was used for commuting and some limited "work" by the owner (and later a foreman) for a landscaping company. The vehicle appears to have been well maintained by the fleet mechanics and my scanner has not turned up any trouble codes. The asking price is $9900, which seems like a pretty good deal.

Unfortunately, there are two mechanical issues related to the engine which I have identified. One of them is a clicking that seems to be related to the valve train in some way (lifters or timing chain perhaps?). The other is what appears to be an oil pan leak. There is oil all along the driver side edge of the oil pan, and from looking at the top of the motor, it does not appear to be a top side oil leak dripping down and thus resulting in the appearance of a pan leak.

My questions are as follows:

1) What is the (general) procedure for reinstalling the oil pan, and what is the associated cost? I believe that Ford calls for the engine to be completely removed in order to be turned upside down on a stand so that the new sealant can cure properly, and this sounds like at least a $1500 job to me, if not more.

2) Are there any characteristic problems with this particular engine that manifest themselves in the form of (to the untrained ear) valve train related clicking? If so, please give me an idea of the associated repair costs (and whether or not the process of reinstalling the oil pan coincides with the process of the valve related repair, thus combining labor costs).

3) Other than what I've mentioned, are there any areas of particular trouble with these vehicles I should focus on when I see the truck again?

My plan is to get an estimate for the repairs and negotiate the selling price accordingly. I do not have access to a shop or special tools, and therefore am not in a position to undertake any repairs myself which can't be easily completed "over the fender" with a basic set of tools in an afternoon.

Thanks again for providing this resource, and I apologize in advance if I've posted this in the wrong forum or against protocol.

 

i have had two V10's and my friend and his some each have one too, so thats 4 i am personally familiar with.

i had the infamous "piston slap" noise (light taping sound on start up, goes away as motor heats up) was told by dealer not a problem. friends had chain noise (at 275K), louder sound more in front of motor, should be fixed but friend now has 325K and still runs fine with out fixing.
loose plug can cause some noise also
also that motor can be sensitive to oil filter, need to have check valve

sure if you take to dealer they will come up with expensive list of what needs done to help you negotiate
then you might start researching here to see if there are more efficient work arounds to save money.

also check further down the forum list for the V 10 section, may have more specific info there

 

Thanks for the reply. I've heard about the chain noise, but I also heard about a similar noise that was caused by a problem with a camshaft that lead ultimately to the cylinder head needing to be rebuilt. Not exactly an optimal situation.

 

I don't know if this could be what the the lifter noise could be at that mileage but my 06 v10 was clattering quite a bit at 80k warm or cold and found that 15 of the exhaust manifold bolts were loose, snugged them back up and was quiet again. I've had luck with very carefully tightening the oil pan bolts to eliminate leaks on older trucks but you have to be very careful not to over tighten and crack the old gasket.

 

Yup. Many times a tiny exhaust leak will manifest itself as a ticking sound. These motors are known for exhaust studs/bolts breaking over time. I bought a 2001 F450 bucket truck this past August and that was one of the things that the dealer did to recondition the truck. Removed the manifolds and replaced all the studs and put new gaskets on. This was at 153k miles.

 

Thanks guys. Based on the threads at

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...e-flatbed.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...e-clatter.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...e-failure.html

I've determined that with the unidentified clicking noise, the truck is worth no more than the "rough trade in" value on nadaguides (around $12k) minus the full cost of putting a rebuilt long block into the thing. Thoughts on this? Can anyone recommend a good company for remanufactured 3V V10s?

 

When I purchased my 08 with 24k/mi the dealer had to replace a broken exhaust manifold. It made all sorts of weird clicking sounds. When repaired, quiet as can be. Unlikely your issue but if it can happen at 24k/mi could always check.

With that mileage make sure you check all the wearables besides the motor.

-Pads/Rotors
-U-Joints (driveshaft and axle)
-Ball Joints (look for funny tire wear)
-Steering Linkage
-Check the frame. (Landscapers like to overload things from time to time, I know)
-Shocks
-If 4x4 check hubs and make sure it all engages
-Rust issues?
-anything else.

I know you're concerned with the motor, and rightly so, but these other things can add up to $$$ and time. Even more $$$ if you need to have it done.

Good luck!

 

Really? Why not like look for a better running truck?

Guys have spent upwards of $10,000 to put a reman 3V motor. There are many more trucks out there....

 

Well, I figured that if I can get them to drop the price in order to account for the cost of putting in a new engine, essentially I'd be getting a truck at a reasonable price with zero engine miles. I drove the vehicle and inspected all the points you mentioned and it appears to be in good shape other than the engine, which is why I'm still interested. But I will definitely continue looking and I'm by no means committed to this truck. Thanks for your reply.

 

I hear ya. Reman motor with a warranty. But aren't those only around 3yr 36k/mi?

For ME, a chassis with 190,000 miles that was used by a landscaper has zero appeal to dropping in a new motor. It's still a 190k/mi pickup truck chassis used by a contractor. Could be flawless, could've been overloaded constantly.

Good luck with your search. I'm just giving my opinion.

 

The key word in your title is "possible" engine issues. Anything is a "possible" issue on a truck with 190k miles. The average lifespan of that transmission is 150-200k miles, so you need to see if they can drop $2,500 or more off for that replacement too. By the time you factor in all the possibles, they will be paying you to take the truck. The clicking could be something major or it could be nothing and you get another 200k miles out of it. These are pretty stout engines and you are going to have a hard time convincing them to drop that much off the price based on a hypothetical engine failure.

Depending on the speed of the leak, the oil pan issue could be nothing too. If it is leaking a quart or so per oil change then I would just run it like it is and not worry about it. If you are adding a quart every couple of hundred miles then the cost of oil is going to be more than just fixing the leak.

 

Sounds like good advice. There's a similar truck with only 80k miles which I'm going to take a look at on Monday. The asking price is obviously higher but hopefully the payoff is increased longevity.

 

Check out THIS THREAD. There's a good chance this can be fixed without replacing the whole engine. Johnny Langton was one of the most knowledgable guys I've ever talked with about the modular engines; he caught his before

I wouldn't agree with that Josh. The 5R110 seems to last a LONG time as long as it's maintained.

 

I was thinking about the 4r100 when I was typing that. . 200k is still getting up there in miles for an automatic though.

 

Thank you for that link. I know 190k is a lot of miles, but based on the condition the truck (other than the stated problems) is in, it still seems like a reasonable deal -- especially considering the fact that it's going to be limited to towing duty, and won't be used as a daily driver.