I know that 7.3L did not come from Ford with 600K mile coolant, so that would need to be changed. At the same time,one could do the same with a V10 and use this product:
PEAK Global LifeTime
Or any coolant that meets Cat's EC-1 standards for 600K mile service intervals.
JL

 

Kind of ironic a V10 owner would say mods for a diesel are ridiculously expensiveYou do remember the V10 came with the 4R100 too right? I have driven quite a few of these and they were painfully slow towing the hills around here. Make sure you stop at the top of every hill to helicoil your plugs back in.



Didn't you hear? The brakes on the diesels are smaller and the turbos will implode if you drive your truck up hills without stopping at the top. I guess he she go to the trucking forums and spread the word that everyone must stop at the top of a hill and let the turbo cool.

That statement wins for "Most Ignorant" statement of the year on this board so far.

 

The reason I am asking is because I spend a lot of time in the 5.4 forums and there is page after page of 5.4 owners talking about how they are changing their plugs every 40k miles as a preventative measure. The majority of them are taking them to the dealer to get the plugs changed and getting charged ~$650 because they are afraid of breaking them.

Those same guys bash the diesel like there is no tomorrow for the extra maintenance involved and how hard they are to work on.

I compared my 7.3 to their 5.4 (it would apply to the 6.8 too if it is the same plugs). Over 160k miles I figured we would change the oil every 5k miles, fuel filter 60k miles, their coolant at 150k miles, my coolant additive every 15k miles and their plugs/cop every 40k miles. Using the prices from Advance (Wal Mart for oil for both), my oil is $2 per quart, filter $9, fuel filter $25 and it uses $4 worth of coolant additive every 15k miles. Their oil is $2.70 per quart, filter $5, coolant $10 per gallon(Prestone extended life), fuel filter $10, COP $50, plugs $10.

That would be 32 oil changes each. Mine would be $1152 and theirs would be $768. Their coolant would be 4 gallons, or $40. My additive would be $40. My fuel filter would be $50 and theirs $20. Right now we are at $1242 for me and they are at $828.

If they had their plugs changed at the dealer for $650 each time, 4 plug changes would be $2600. I am still at $1248 and done nothing but oil changes and opening my radiator cap. They are at $3428 and had to change their coolant and do 4 plug changes. Even if they only changed their plugs every 80k miles and didn't take it to the shop, it would still be $960 for plugs and a total of $1788. That is over $500 more than my 7.3 and a lot more work. Not sure how they figure that is cheaper or easier

 

Josh, COP's only need to be changed if they fail. I've changed one on all of the vehicles I drive in approx 500K miles. My F150 work truck has the originals on it with 230K miles. Plugs have been changed on that truck 3 times now-once at 70K miles,again at 150K miles,and recently at 220K miles.
JL

 

Thanks for the info. I am all for finding stuff that will last longer in my gassers. I haven't seen that anywhere when I have bought my coolant.

So take my calculations I just did and subtract $40 from the gassers total. By my calculations a 5.4 (or 6.8, but a little higher due to two extra plugs/COP's) that is maintained by the book (80k plug changes and not their 40k interval) should cost $1748 over 160k miles and my 7.3 should cost $1242.

I get paid by the mile when I drive for work, so I am willing to listen to any "side" or tips when it comes to cost per mile to operate a truck. I am not anti v10 or anti gasser by any means. I just haven't been able to find any way that they are cheaper or easier to maintain than my 7.3. And that isn't even factoring in the fuel savings either.

 

So these guys are paying $650 for someone to do nothing but change 8 spark plugs? That is $80 for plugs and $570 for labor!

 

70K miles is a good number for the plugs-it the best balance of life of the plug electrodes and efficiency for the engine. In my experience,on the 3V's prior to '08-the OE plugs MUST be changed around 50k the first time to ensure that the ground shield does not get stuck in the head. Ford changed the plug design for the '08 model year,and there are no more problems-70K should be fine for those. COP's are not a maintenance change item like plugs and belts-there's not a specified lifespan on them. Changing them every plug change would be like telling you that you needed to change the coil on the older pushrod engines every time you changed the plugs.
Your guess is as good as mine, but I've heard of $1200 labor quotes from crooked dealerships to change 5.4L 3V plugs. Ridiculous and a ripoff,but the ignorant public allows this stuff to happen. You have to remember,dealers use MSRP on plug prices when they do the work. Last time I checked,.MSRP on the OEM Motorcraft 3V plugs was almost $20/each. $10/each is the average fair price.
Another thing to think about...these are the same dealers that rave about how easy it is to pull the cab to work on the 6.0L and 6.4L. Just wait until the poor souls that will need service done on their 6.0L's and 6.4L's out of warranty actually have to pay for the work. I assure you that the dealers are not going to be as fair with them as they are to Ford. We're all going to see an abrupt about-face with the guys that are on here raving about how great their 6.0L's and 6.4L's are when they actually have to foot the bill for repairs. The most vocal supporters will become the most vocal complainers.
JL

 

Oh, puh-lease...

 

One guy in the 6.4 forum had his cab lifted a while back to change a turbo o-ring (20 cent part) and the price on his bill was over $1,200. It was under warranty, but like you said, once that warranty runs out there are going to be some unhappy people out there. That is why there will never be a 6.4 in my garage.

My wife is pushing me to get a crew cab because our Bronco isn't the easiest thing to travel in and I have been trying to decide between a 6.0 and a 6.8. The 8 mpg and shooting plug stories about the v10 and frequent wrecker trip stories of the 6.0 have kind of pushed me away from both. Good 7.3's are getting hard to find and I already have one, so I would like to try something different.

 

Tongue and cheek.

Just as ridiculous as pap's turbo comment. I thought you would get it but I guess not.

 

And it's a good thing you won't!

By $4k you really mean $7,835. They got expensive in the past few years!

If I had to do it again I'd save the $8K...

 

Just a quick statement: I've only had my truck about 6 months but can't count the amount of guys I see who ask how I like the V10. I always reply that while I love it, it's not for everyone. By and large, they all have the same response and say they need a larger truck, but would never own a diesel again. Now I'm fairly certain that there are a whole bunch of guys who say the exact same thing about gassers when talking to a diesel owner, but it just goes to illustrate that not everyone is as much in love with diesels (or gassers) as some of the people on this forum would like to believe. Buy whatcha like and you'll always be happy.

 

well said Sand Man. i have to admit, im one of those guys who would never buy a gasser again. to each his own.

BTW, like your quote. makes all the since in the world.

 

But if you do get a new truck with the diesel, you won't be paying a mere $4000 anymore, sir.

 

$650 to change plugs at the dealer? And people are stupid enough to go for it? This just reinforces the hate I have for dealers.