Please guide me in the right directions as I am seriously looking into a 6.2 primarily for the e85 option. Gas price in Calif is brutal and will continue to rise where 87 oct is average $4.50 vs e85 at $2.99. Yes I know mpg will drop but the truck will be only used a few times a year when its winter I tow 10k lb toy hauler to the desert and summer 4k lb boat to the ocean. All in all probably 15 times total a year. The rest of the time truck will sit because of high gas price. My current truck is a 2002 F350 V10 XLT and 175k miles with 35's and empty highway I get roughly 250 miles to a full tank.
I'd like something newer in the mid to high teens models and my budget is $25K for a 4x4 CC. What I am seeing are trucks with miles from 130k to over 200k. Aside from making sure to get the 6R140 trans what should I be looking out for, best years if any and common issues. Or should I really just keep my V10.

 

The 6.2 is a fantastic platform but I would probably not run E85 simply based on the fact you wont be using it daily. Ethanol should not sit as it can cause issues in the fuel system. I've used it in mine and it got about 10mpg empty and although i never towed while running e85 it gets like 7 towing on regular gas so I can't imagine it on the corn juice. It also started like **** when it was cold and my oil always was thin and stunk of fuel. If you are simply looking at a newer truck because of fuel consumption then a 6.2 is definitely not the truck for you. The alumiduties seem to fare better in the mpg side but not by much. 11-16 is probably a better bet however as they seem to be the most reliable and you have to get a F350 17+ to get the 6R140.

-Dan F

 

I ran our 6.2 on E85 one time pulling out 16K trailer and it was a disaster, the motor ran fine but it was gutless and the milage was terrible but unloaded it ran great with just a little lower milage.
Denny

 

13+ got better brakes. The 6.2 pulls at higher rpms than your v10, so mileage probably won't be better by much, if any. It will pull better though. Definitely a reliable platform.

 

I wasn't saying the 6.2 was a bad platform it's just not very good when using E85. When comparing it to my V10s I've used because of the 6 speed it's better than the V10 when pulling a load with the milage about the same pulling or empty using E10.
Denny

 

I wouldn't put e85 in any vehicle. If you are using it for towing, just 15 times a year, spend the money on the real gas. The 6.2 likes real gas.
Economize somewhere else, but the truck needs real fuel, not mouse bait. Corn is meant to be eaten. I can't say what the previous owner put in my truck, but since it came from the Texas oil patch, and was a company truck servicing oil wells, I'll bet they put real gas in it, just like I do, now. Mileage is better with non-ethanol, compared to e85, especially. I don't care what Ford, and all the other companies say about that corn gas. I'm sure they got paid to put that green sticker on the tail gate. It is not good for anything. Else, all the lawnmowers would be running it. When the mower engine people said no, to the corn gas, why would anyone put that junk in a vehicle you spend upwards of $50-75K on, and rely on its daily use?

I'll probably be doing a bit of work on mine, but it won't be because of the fuel I put in it. Non-ethanol!

I'd also consider the cost of the fuel you put in that boat, to keep that motor in tip top shape. The same should apply to your truck. The 6.2 I have has been a wonderful truck. I only do light towing, like picking up housing materials and taking my mower to cut the church grass.
It doesn't burn oil, oil gets changed about 6-7k miles, about due for plugs. Water pump is the only engine part I have had to change, in 187000 miles.
Maybe I'm just lucky.

 

I'd run a tank through from time to time if my 6.2 were flex fuel capable... Ever seen an engine run on it? Clean as a whistle. I'd change the oil more often though. Lawnmowers,etc. are not flex fuel capable, so parts can't withstand the corrosive nature of ethanol.

 

My 18 F150 5.0 I had loved the corn juice. Only way it would run normal LMAO. 12:1 compression loves the 105+ octane of E85.

-Dan F

 

I thought all 6.2 engines were flex fuel capable. Which ones are not? If you recommend changing the oil more frequently, is that not a bad thing to have to do, because of using a different type of fuel? That seems to be something to add up in the column of cost per type of fuel. Just an observation.