First let me say great site, page after page!

I have been looking at the Excursions for a month or two and wanted to get a diesel. I found a 2004 Limited 6.0 with 80,000 for $21500. After setting up an appointment to see it I did another search and came across a 2005 Limited with a V10 with only 27,000 miles on it for $18500.

I went and looked at the 2005 V10 today and decided to buy it instead of the diesel. My thoughts were the V10 had 50,000 less mile and $3000 cheaper.
I hope I made a good choice although I really wanted to get a diesel.

Questions:
Should I run Synthetic Oil?
Should I use Higher Octane fuel? or is reg gas ok
How many miles (with proper maintenance) can I expect out of the V10?

I purchased it for my wife but when she gets tired of it and wants another car/truck....IT WILL BE MINE!!!! then let the modding begin.

 

First let me say welcome to the Ex club, and I think you made the right choice but I'm a V10er as far as your questions: I run Mobil 1 full synthetic and I think it's better but more costly, 87 Octane (regular) fuel is just fine, and the V10 should run 200K to 300K with proper maintenance and Synthetic will help, some have had problems with the transmission after 150K but that all depends what you do with it (tow or not ) and how it's maintained.

 

Congrats on the v-10, ull love it!

1. I run royal purple syn 5w20 and i love the syn in this motor.
2. 87 is perfectly fine for this truck. Id feel bad for ur fuel bill if u added 93 oct to a 44 gal tank haha lol
3. Ive seen 2 F350 v-10's on ebay with 400k+ with orig motor. The main thing u have to worry about is the trans. But if u change the trans fluid every 25k or so, the 4R100 will last u a good amount of miles.

 

Welcome!

I too think you will love your X!

•I run mobil1 and its been great. I've run 5w30, 5w20, and 0w30 (attempt to increase mileage - didn't really help) and all have been just fine. Now I run 5w20

•do not run premium gas. Its a waste of money, and your owners manual (p. 243) says specifically not to: "“Premium” unleaded gasoline is not recommended".

•As far as miles go, the motor will not be the first thing to go. The interior will likely wear out long before the engine will. I have 125K on mine and still going strong.

Congrats again, and enjoy

 

Congrats on the new ride,

I just got mine over the weekend and have had many of the same questions. What a great place to get them answered.

Mitch

 

The v10 is a fine choice... esp if you wanted a new model as the 7.3 was only available through 2003.5 with the 05 you get the updated front end too... You need to get an inch pounds torque wrench for doing spark plugs ( see the special tools thread). Blowing plugs out ouf the engine is common due to over torquing the spark plugs as they are only held by a few threads... if you don't do the work yourself. I would recommend only having dealer or a shop well versed in the V10 change the plugs...
also check your gear ratio. the 3.73 will net you the best MPG but the 4.30 owns the heavy towing arena for the gassers.
here are the codes. just find the axle code on the white driver door tag
31 — 3.73 non-limited slip, F-250/Excursion
C1 — 3.73 limited slip, F-250/Excursion
32 — 4.10 non-limited slip, F-250
C2 — 4.10 limited slip, F-250/Excursion
33 — 4.30 non-limited slip, F-250
C3 — 4.30 limited slip, F-250/Excursion
Don't expect to get MPG's of the 3.73 crowd if you are running a 4.30's
Also you have the 2valve v10 and 4 speed tranny as my understanding is the 05 3valve and 5speed auto were only in the trucks... (someone will verify or correct me if I am wrong)
Consider a transmission shift kit or valve body. If you plan to use it hard, also do a better torque converter. it will extend the life of the transmission which has been the weak point of these engines.
Full synthetics are the best investment you can make in your vehicle.. consider changing out the differentials and transmission/ transfer case fluids out to full synthetic too...

 

Thanks for all the information.

 

I agree with you on the valve body. The valve body will make the 4R100 last longer. Although it will make ur trans shift alot more rougher, it is actually increasing the amount of fluid that goes through ur trans (hence the rough shift). Increasing the fluid will allow the trans to run cooler and make it last longer. You are also right about the 3v v-10 and 5.4 mated with the 5R110 in the SD's. To bad the Ex's didnt get the 5R110's

 

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your purchase! I too run Mobile 1 synthetic and recommend it. +1 to everything else the guys have told you.