I'm looking for a new truck. I am looking at f-250's with a diesel and v-10.
Is there any big problems with the v-10? How long should one last? How is the mpg? I will tow a small camper under 5000lbs and a full size Bronco any problems in this area? I will only tow maybe once a month.
Thanks for any help.

 

I know you'll have no problem with the V10, especially the new one. I've pulled my parents 9K worth of boat and trailer without a problem, and that is with the 2V V10. I normally pull around 5K worth of boat or 4 wheelers and you don't even notice it back there, unless you're braking downhill.

As far as gas mileage, I get about 11 day-to-day and 13 - 14 highway. Bother are empty mileage.

I've had no problems with it at all. Can't speak for the diesel, as I don't own one. But for daily driving, cost of maintenance, cost to purchase, and cost of fuel, I'll take the V10

 

Chris_ce

Welcome to the forum.

With over 1000 posts you are a "seasoned" FTE member and probably have seen many of the PSD vs, V10 wars.

WrenchTraveler, Captchas, Fredvon4, and about a dozen others have been posting here and up in the SuperDuty Heavy duty forum for about a year now on the capabilities and limitations of the 2005/2006 3 valve V10 with 362HP 455ftlbs torque.

Most of us believe this is currently the best of both worlds heavy hauler truck. Almost all the power of a PSD with none of the down sides. Cheaper buy in ($510 vs. $3800) cheaper scheduled maintenance (oil, filters, tires, upkeep), Defiantly quieter, same near perfect trans and rear gear combos, lower over all monthly payments, and insurance (typically insurance costs also relate to total cost of a vehicle).

There are several times we strongly recommend the PSD. Usually to someone that has long range and very heavy hauling/towing needs. But most of the time we say the new 3v V10 is up to any task you can throw at it. The reliability is above average, the power is all there, and mpgs are acceptable, and the Trucks are just plain beautiful. Having a very cool Triton V10 badge is just icing on the cake!

Good luck in your research!

 

By new truck I mean new to me. I'm looking between 1999 and 2002. I think they are the 2 valve engines.

 

shoot for 01's and up. they worked a few bugs out of them and upped the HP and TQ in 00'. You still can't go wrong with the V10 in those years either. great reliable engine that produce suffiecent power. what else is there to say. I would recomend that you make sure it has 4.10s or the 4.30 gears as the 3.73s will do the job but don't do justice for an engine that likes to rev. I have 3.73s and larger tires and it still pulls like a freight train but I always think about what could have been if I had the 4.30s. I can burn the tires for a few yards with the 3.73s, I can't imagine having 4.30's. and as other have said the 05's & 06's are animals. I've been seriously looking in to upgrading but have decided to wait till next year when warrenty runs out on my current truck and the 07's are out. Good luck, you cann't go wrong. If you buy a V10 you'll be an automatic member of the BSEG club.

 

Chris_ce

Any of the 99-04 V10 powered trucks will handle the loads you describe. The 01 -04 will do it a little better.

Lots of good deals out there right now as relatively new 03/04 SuperDuty V10 are not selling well due to the ultra low buy in prices of all the new trucks and rebates.

A clean under 90K V10 should be easy to find in the under $20K range.

The V10 motor is showing an easy 200K before rebuild is required. I know plenty of them above 250,000 miles and still going strong. Properly maintained they are very reliable. Biggest issues in the 01-04 years are electronic widgets crapping out like the coils in the COP design. There are 10 coils one for each plug and sooner or later one or two will fail. Never all ten at once.

If you luck out and find a good low mileage V10 do not run away from the 3.73:1 rear gear. My 2001 Platinum Crew Cab 4x4 short bed towed 8-10,000 lbs just fine. Yes on steeper mountain pases I was making the motor scream at 4800 rpm but the overhead cam motor builds plenty of power over a very broad range and the only real down side of the taller gears was there was no way I could go up in tire diameter and still tow very heavy.

 

Chris, First of all, everthing Fredvon states in the above posts I agree with 100% and it was Fred that influenced me to try a V10. I have thanked him so many times for this and I thank him again. I too had the diesel mindset that this V10 would drink gas like my 88 460 gasser did and what a treat to hotrod a 7700 pound vehicle and get an honest 10 MPG in mixed town and highway driving. My 04 6.0 only did 12 in this same type of driving so how people keep claiming the diesel is 50% better on fuel than a V10 is a mystery to me. The V10 is just more fun to drive. My 04 was the identicle truck as my 05 but it was a short box. Driving that thing around town with its turbo lag and noise, it felt like I was handling a heavy tank. Now my new V10 is a long box and actually weighs 200 pounds more than the 04 Diesel because of the changes Ford had to make to raise the SRW GVW from 9900 to 11200 pounds. This truck is so quiet and
peppy, and I guess the quicker steering helps too, but this truck does not feel big and heavy to me. It feels light and quick and when I park next to a full size Chev pickup, I can't believe the size of my truck. It looks huge. Last but not least , I had no idea the extra 400 pounds of a diesel motor up front could have such a negative impact on the handling characteristics of a pickup. I have driven the same curvy backroad for 35 years and this big CC will go around those curves so much better than my last 3 diesel pickups, it is incredible. Fredvon and Captchas will tell you, these things can do the turns at good speeds. Anyway, I get passionate about this truck because I like it so much. All of us V10 guys have a hard time to believe how many people will not even consider this outstanding 415 cubic inch motor. Only motor home people seem to know about the Ford V10 as that is where most of them go. Many times I tell people I have a V10 in my pickup and you get this raised eye brow look and they will say, when did they start putting V10s in pickups. duh.......... almost 8 years ago. The diesel has completely taken over the pickup market to the point that many people don't trust a gas motor to do the job. This is a choice that is going to bite many diesel buyers in the *** if they keep those trucks past warranty and they have to replace a turbo or some other mega buck part out of their own wallet. Watch your last 10 year fuel savings disapear in a puff of smoke. Take care Wrench.

 

Welcome to the V10 forum!

I've owned a '00, an '01 and an '02- of those three, I like the '02. The small refinements made over the production years really made for a nice truck. Plus they have all the "little things" that Ford has since decided to leave off for cost-cutting purposes.

As for engine selection, I'll just say that my RV is 8' wide, 12' tall and weighs around 10,000 lbs. All the trucks have had a V10 and all have pulled the trailer well.

 

chris
the gang has spoken and i can't add any thing other then try for a 02 with the all for the better refinements engine wise..at my marina the owner has a 02 and just out right loves it. slide in camper and tows his 25 foot boat behind. from ny state to fl every spring and fall. he's up at 125k now no motor problems but did have his tranie rebuilt to play safe. the guy who plows our roads here has a fleet of 8 02 v10's and swears by them. states he has never had one let him down.
good luck your looking at a good combo