I own a 2003 E-350 super-duty van which I bought new and ordered with the V-10. I don't tow anything but still wanted the extra power to make the truck more fun to drive.Considering the engine is rated at 305 HP and 420lbs of torque I'm disappointed with the throttle response. I think the problem is with the transmission downshift points.I find I have to almost nail the pedal to the floor to get the transmission to downshift.This tends to make the vehicle feel sluggish at slower speeds when you need the extra power to get moving. I know they put this V-10 in large motorhomes with good results so maybe I'm just expecting too much. I don't beat the vehicle or expect it to be very fast as it weighs about 6500lbs with all my stuff in it.I've heard about the modules that you can plug into the diagnostic plug to reprogram factory settings which slightly raises horsepower and more importantly it changes shift pattern of transmission.They run around $300 so I don't know if thats a good idea especially since I presume it would lower gas milage which of course is already very poor.I do feel a slight vibration in the gas pedal at times so maybe I should have the dealer check out the truck as it's still under warranty. I guess a V-10 could actually not be running %100 and you might not notice it as much as with a V-8 due to it's extra HP.If anyone has any experience with those performance enhancers I would appreciate any feedback.

 

WELCOME to FTE!

Moved to V10 engine forum.

You'll find lots of good people here who will gladly tell you how to spend your money

 

You can try disconnecing the battery for 15 mins(leaving the dome light on to help drain memory power) to reset the ECM...This will de-program the ECM's "learned driving habits".. If the ECM has altered it's own factory setting, this will return you to the default settings..

I am a HUGE fan of Superchips products...They will give you the OPTION of modifying your shift points aswell as more HP!

 

I just joined today so try and excuse my mistake as I just started checking out all the different categories.

 

That's what us moderators are for!

Believe me, we still have to move threads or smack someone down even for people that have been here for years and have thousands of posts under their belts

You might have a slight misfire. Get the computer scanned, the dealer will (can) do the best job reading it, but a good mechanic with the right scanner can do it, probably cheaper.

 

'Course if you had that programmer yer itchin' for, you could scan it yourself.

 

I didn't think of the scanner as a diagnostic tool in addition to a way to reprogram the computer.So I guess if the vehicle had any faulty readings the superchip would tell you this prior to you changing any factory settings? The vehicle is under warranty so I guess I should have them do their own diagnostics before I drop $400 on a scanner.Maybe I'll get lucky and they'll find something wrong that would cause the truck to feel sluggish.It just's real hard to lay up a work vehicle even if it's only one day.

 

Just to finish up on the Supertuner decision for my truck.I went on Supertuner's website and upon entering my vehicle info I realised they don't list a part # for my 2003 E-350 V-10.They specifically stated that they don't have a scanner for vans and motorhomes that have the V-10.That makes that decision easier.While online I did stumble across a device that plugs into the transmission wiring harness and has 4 different shift settings.It's transmission specific and would work for any of the recent 4 speed OD transmissions.I'm curious about it because it was around $130 and my major complaint with my drivetrain is the soft shifts and the extreme throttle pressure it takes to downshift at low speeds.It seems you could disconnect it if you needed dealer service without any worry about warranty issues(I have EXT warranty).I'm going to continue looking into it and if anybody has any experience with this type of product I would appreciate any feedback.

 

You need to look at Superchips Custom Tuning or SCT Xcal-2 programmer. I know my SCT dealer/tuner has one for your vehicle...

I'm not sure of the policy here, but I could tell you where to get one.

 

Sponsors first, if they can't do it, feel free to post where

 

www.teamjdm.com

You will need the ECM code for the proper tune. They claim 2-3 MPG increase on their V10 tune.

SCT has their tunes that are available thru an SCT dealer, but JDM also sells his modified versions aswell...if he has had your type vehicle on his dyno..

I know he told me he had recently done a motorhome V10 and made major improvements!

 

Thanks for posting the link.The SCT Xcal-2 does sound like it would work on my E-350 V-10. The transmission tuner by Banks also sounds like a good product but it's around $260 so I guess a scanner that does both engine and tranny is a better value.