Wow this website has a lot of sub forums. I originally posted in another page and was directed here.

I recently traded for a 2006 Ford E350 cutaway shuttle bus van with the V10. It has 2 spun rod bearings. According to the previous owner, it was run low on oil. The van only has 115K miles on it and is in good condition so it is worth salvaging.

I am trying to figure out what I want to do. Since I basically have $250 in tow invested in the van, my budget to fix it up is healthy.

As I search for replacements, there seems to be many options. 2V heads, pi heads, and 3V heads. Are all the short blocks created equal? My understanding is that the 3V heads were never in the cutaway vans. I think from inspection of the valve cover, I confirmed that mine is a 2V. As far as pi heads vs non pi heads? How do I identify the difference?

From what I have gathered, there is a difference between the van engines and truck engines. What are the differences?

I assume there are differences in performance and may result in computer issues if I don't get the correct replacement (pi vs non pi and F series vs E series).

I found a 98 V10 on craigslist that I am going to pick up tomorrow. Advertised with blown head gasket and only 25K miles from a RV. I am hoping that the short block is interchangeable? Im getting it for $200 because the guy wants the space in his garage. If it is interchangeable, then this short block would likely cost much less than full rebuild on one with spun rods.

 

I believe the PI head change was somewhere about '99 to '01.
Nonetheless you definitely have the PI heads. If you looks at the side of the heads you'll see the letters PI cast on them.

I believe the reason all vans got the 2 valve heads is because the 3valve heads are too wide to fit in the van engine compartment. If you attempt a swap you'd be the first one mentioning it out of all the thousands of die hard, Ford truck gear heads on this forum.

Youre going to have to remove the front grille assembly and then remove the engine and replace it or repair it. Another guy on the Econoline forum just did this recently on a vehicle just like yours. It's doable if you have tools, skill, and a LOT of determination.

i believe the short block is the same for trucks/vans all the way back to when the v10 was introduced, but please check with other guys here.

I think your thread having "e350" in it may be scaring away some attention. Most Ford v10's are installed in Hillbilly Cadillacs (pickup trucks), and the drivers of those seem to be a bit uncomfortable with talking about vans. I know this because I have a v10 E350 and I've been here for years.

 

Read up and plan on fixing exhaust manifold studs during your project.

And spark plugs.

Read up- you'll see.

And also read up about oil loss on the v10 so you don't spin another bearing. A quart per 1,000 miles is "normal" and quite commonly reported on this forum.
It's easy to drive 4-5,000 miles without pulling the dipstick and then have your wife or kid call you and ask why the oil light is on and what the engine noise is.

 

Your best bet it to get a 2000+ 2-valve V10 - or better yet, a 2003+ (longer threads in the heads for spark plugs)

The 98 will be an old non-PI head, which SUCKS for performance.

A 2003+ v10 should be a "drop-in" from an E-series if you swap over the intake manifold and all other wiring. From an F-series, you'll need to change the oil pan, and I believe, the oil filter adapter/cooler.

 

off-topic, but:

Say WHAT? My v10 never uses oil. Period. The dealer might say a quart in 1000 miles is "normal" - but it ain't. And I've abused this thing and it never used any.

It's got more to do with the volatility of the oil itself - synthetics are known to evaporate off some of the solvents they add to modify the viscosity.

 

Hey Krewat certainly you've seen the v10 oil consumption discussions on here...

nonetheless ive concluded that mine uses more oil when I run 5w20, compared to 5w30 or 10w30 or sae30. I ended up preferring the consumption route because I'm ALWAYS overdue for maintenance, so when it drinks a quart every week it keeps the oil cleaner. It's like a partial oil change every 1,000miles.

 

I have seen them. I stand by my statement that one quart in 1000 miles is not normal. Back to the thread at hand...

 

My understanding is that the non-PI had different pistons so if you use your PI heads you'll have a small bump in compression. One of the more knowledgeable guys talked about it in one of my threads here, I believe the title was something about stock programming if you wanna check it out.

Among the other parts replacement suggestions given I'd say to put in a new knock sensor, it's a pain to replace once everything's assembled.

If the motor you're getting is from a class A they supposedly have more power, but I don't know if that's something different with the engine, exhaust, intake, or tuning. If he has the computer get it just in case it's better than what you have.

 

Well the planned donar engine turned out to be no go. The seller moved it out of his garage earlier in the week and then we got 6" of rain. No intake manifold and missing plugs = engine full of water. I was surprised that it was not seized up yet. I already have a junk motor so no need to pay for a second one.


I have found 2 others for reasonable amounts but unknown condition. Guess I will wait until I get my engine out before I go looking for replacements.