I'm considering a PSD van but want to hear from other owners about power, economy, etc.

I understand that the PSD in the vans are seriously detuned to only 235Hp and 440 ft lb of torque?? Why is that?

Is the V10 gas engine a better option given the detuned PSD?

 

The diesel engine is so much wider than it's gas counterparts that they had to redesign the exhaust manifolds to fit the body, and I've heard that they removed the intercooler due to space constraints as well..

 

I asked about this before and was told the exact same thing.

 

I asked about this before and was told the exact same thing.

 

Seems like a lame reason since they use the van front ends on class C motorhomes where the full version of the 6.0 PSD would shine! Ford needs to redesign their vans. Unfortunately US auto makers just dont do anything until they are forced to by competition.... GM doesn't even have the duramax in their vans and I hear theirs will be detuned when it comes out in 2005 due to tranny limitations (4L80E)

Where are the Japanese automakers when you need them (to kick ford and GM in the rear to force innovation??)

 

Dieselfan, they've discussed this over at the dieselstop. According to the experts over there, you can boost the diesel to full HP by replacing the exhaust with 4" pipes and changing the chip.

However, without the intercooler, you run the risk of raising the egt too high, so you have to put in an egt gauge. There is a gentleman who is currently trying to work up an intercooler mod.


However, I haven't worried about the reduced horsepower since I saw a post from a gentlman who tows a 10,000 lb trailer. He stated that with the 4.10 axel he can tow in OD and it only shifts down on steep hills. Sounds good enough to me.

 

Scientia,

I figured you can increase the HP and torque with a chip (I have a Egde attitude chip on my Duramax Diesel), but as you say without the intercooler, you're asking for trouble.

The other question is whether or not the tranny can handle the additional torque. Do you know if the vans have a different tranny from the f350's and 250's

 

The gentleman who upped his horsepower said he had blown out Dana rearends twice; apparently the transmission is okay.

 

However, I should mention that his diesel engine is up to 400 HP.

But, for the 250, I didn't think the diesel was offered on the 250 chassis.

 

Or save the $5 grand and buy the V-10, with the 4.10 gears (no 4.30's in the vans) your tow rating is right around 10K. I pull a big travel trailer, in OD, up and down the mountainous state of Washington all the time. Use the extra cash for LCD TV's (I have three), stereos, upgrades, etc, etc. No knock on diesels either, I've owned every Ford diesel except the baby stroke, but I'm tellin ya. I am really, really happy with the V-10. It pulls like a *****, gets decent mileage and so far, with only 100K on the odometer the only thing I've done is replace an alternator. Remember, diesel ENGINES may last 300K, but ALL the other parts have the normal life expectancy, ie; alternators, shocks, waterpumps, ball joints, etc, etc, etc. What good is an well running engine in a 400K mile piece of worn out junk ? Good luck with your decision, Ken

 

Probably by the time the diesel pays for itself the rest of the motorhome would be shot with the way most are built. I'm told the main reason for the lack of diesels in Class C's is that most buyers are all about getting out cheap and diesel engines cost a bundle up front. Too bad.

 

Maybe you can answer a question, Ken. Is the doghouse (engine cover) larger with the V10 than with the V8? I've been wondering if the V10 intrudes further into the interior.

Well, my only problem with getting the V10 is that Ford only offers it with a 4 speed OD auto and I wasn't thrilled with the 4 speed OD auto on my Dodge van.

Basically, a 4.10 axel won't let the V10 rev high enough to develop its normal power. One of the things that I have thought about is the possibility of getting the V10 and having an underdrive unit installed.

However, I am a bit concerned about miles. I was putting 20,000 miles a year on my Dodge van. Any idea how long the V10 should last?

 

I don't think cost is the main reason for the lack of diesels on Class C motorhomes.

The Ford class C motorhome is built on a 350 or 450 van chassis.

The Ford class A motorhome is built on a 550 truck chassis. Ford only offers the class A motorhome chassis with 6.8L V10, 5.38 axel, and 4 speed auto.

Surely cost wouldn't be a factor on a Class A motorhome that sells for a minimum of $65,000. Even the larger Class C's will go this high.

I'm guessing that two other factors are to blame. First, van sales in general are very low volume; motorhome chassis sales are even smaller. There is probably little incentive for Ford to work at changing the design. Secondly, a lot of buyers objected to the noisier diesels up front (I guess they don't matter so much in back). Quieter diesels are fairly recent.

 

Could always wait until Ford releases the new E-series platform, whenever that will be? Maybe they will engineer it for all engine without constraints?
As for the dog house size for a V8 vs a V10, they are the same size, I have had both.

 

No, the doghouse is the same, the hood is slightly different somehow though, when I bot my bug deflctor the V-10 hood I heard was different.

I have been pretty happy so far with the four speed E-auto, a chip would make it MUCH better (besides, this IS a Ford, not a DC)

I have the 3.73 and wish I had the 4.10, but truthfully, I tow my fairly large trailer and all the accompanying paraphenalia around with ease. I tow in OD on the freeway and shift out only when going through fairly hilly terrain. It hasn't been a problem yet. I will add a tranny cooler this spring, before towing season, just for safety.
The torque peak is fairly low on the V-10 and even though it revs to 5250, to me the motor starts running out of wind around 4500. That might be due to the restrictive air intake, but I think it's actually the heads not flowing so well at that high an rpm. The newer models had better airflow through a new manifold and head design. The 3 valve V-10 should be a rev monster, but I'm happy with the torque curve as it is, it works well for me.

I bought my 98 V-10 with 40K on the clock, it has almost 95K now, in 2 years, so I get around in it. I'm expecting 200K on this van, just like the last van. I use Mobil 1 10W-30 and change it every 5K religiously. It also quiets the piston slap it's had since I bought it.