I have a chance to pick up a 2003 Ex BUT not a Diesel one, its a former DOD (dept of defense) Truck. I know I have heard many bad things said about the V10 but for the price Im looking at for it under 6K with 75,000 miles on it how bad can it be???

Im wondering what the mileage is on one. VS a 6.0L (as thats what I sold)
Repair wise how good or bad.
And what should I look for??

Thanks again guys!!

 

Killer price if the interior is good and it has been maintained. DOD usually does maintain.

Who the heck told you V-10's were bad in some way? sounds like PSD superiority complex to me. Too much of that going around.

The V10 ha its own merits. Just a different type of engine. No, they are not bad.

V10's in the Ex:

First off, the purchase price is cheaper.
Lighter engine and is easier on the springs and suspension up front.
Fuel is easier to obtain.
gets it's power in a different rpm range.
Does not have the torque of the Diesel at the same gearing
Can be geared to nearly the same output of a diesel due to the higher RPM's
Is not nearly as economical as a diesel. Diesel fuel has a higher btu than gasoline. Also, higher pressures at ignitiion always result in better efficiency
Diesels have a higher maintenance cost that offsets some of the fuel savings. real world MPG I have seen with the V-10:

3.73 gears: 9-10 mpg around town, 11-12 highway, 8 MPG towing 7000 Travel trailer
4.30 gears: 10 to 11 around town, 10 to 11 highway, 9 MPG towing 7000 travel trailer

The V-10 had it's problems with the early ones spitting spark plugs from the heads. That was rectified early on. No other major problems with the engine. 2003 was after the fix and not affected.

The 6.0 has had it's share of problems. Quite a few. Most were rectified through recalls or during production.

The v-10 engine is a fine, quiet engine that will do anything that you ask it to do. It is not the gasoline or diesel engine that limits the Excursions capabilities, it is the Excursion design itself. You can expect 300 thousand miles and more if maintained. the body will be the part that requires more maintenance in the long run with either engine.


For us, the wife decided for us based that she did not like the noise level, the smell of the diesel fuel, or the diesel fumes.

Bion

BTW it is worth more that that on the used market right now.

 

Not usually.

The norm isn't to knock them, but to sing the PSD praises louder. At least for most of us who get into those "nudge-nudge, wink-wink" one-up-man-ship threads that crop up every-so-often.

Exactly what Bion said. The V10 is definitely a different beast when compared to the PSD, but they are still a great platform for the Excursion.

Who's been telling you bad things about the V10?

I'm trying to find a used E-350 12 passenger van with a V10 for my brother-in-law right now. 5.4's are plentiful, but I have him sold on the V10.

Stewart

 

the v10 from everything i've read in the later years..other then the manifold issue they all suffer from which is not a big deal IMO are rock solid.

i absolutly LOVE mine! plenty of power..ofcourse milage isnt great but what do you expect? around 9-11mpg city and 13-15mpg highway seem to be the normal.

 

Stewart-

You should tell that to the guys that rag on me at the fire station. THEY get nasty.

I wish it was a nudge wink.

But then again, maybe they rag on me so hard because they like me... naaah

 

i love my V10
but it comes down to want YOU REALLY WANT

good luck

 

Do you recall where you heard these things?

I think you've heard a lot of bad information.

And as far as prices go, I would pay extra for a low mileage V-10 over a low mileage 6.0L diesel. The worst OASIS report I have ever seen in my life was on a 6.0L diesel. And I firmly believe the dealer had it on eBay because it was a Lemon Law buyback. You never know what you're getting with a 6.0L diesel.

 

I'd go for that deal if it's in good shape..

 

If you don't care about MPG or if you don't tow heavy/ a lot then the V 10 is perfect.

 

I have alot of good things to say about owning a V10 ex. It is very solid. I have a friend who is a ford master mechanic. He's had every availible course offered since 1989 and he said the last time he had a v10 apart was in 1999 when he was schooled on them!!! Not too many engines that he hasn't seen or worked on but I think that is a good testament to it's longevity. The other day I was getting gas at the station and a guy pulled next to me in a v10 utility truck. He said the usual weight was around 18000 pounds and I asked him how he liked it. He replied by saying that he really did, and that he had almost 400,000 on it. He said that it did have two transmissions under it's belt, but no issues with the engine. That's my .02 as I am a believer in these things,

Matt

I too like the others would like to know what's so bad about the v10!!!

 

My V10 just rolled on the scale at the saw mill today at almost 26k lbs. That isn't heavy to you?

 

Stewart,

Here's some of the mis-information being spoken out there.

From an mpg standpoint...stock to stock...the V10 is not that much worse off than a 6.OH and almost equal to that of a 6.4L...the 7.3L's with their much lower power output really shine in the mpg arena...however a V10 can usually be had for about $6000 less upfront...that buys a LOT of fuel...and oh BTW...87 octane has been runing less than diesel for some time now.

While no Ex ever got a 6.4L...the mpg myth is one that diesel folks like young nickie like to use as a reason to justify their purchase.

From a towing standpoint for what an Excursion SHOULD BE towing (and I mean towing a travel trailer on the highway with family members inside the Ex...not like Scott that hauls mostly local and solo)...i.e. up to about 10,000#'s the V10 with 4.30 gearing does an excellent job in my experiences with 9000#'s all over the country...I've been thru the Rockies twice in 4 summers of towing too...An Excursion IMO should not be hauling much more than 10,000#'s...simply because you will easily exceed the trucks GVWR with loads that heavy and any family members inside the truck just compound that...depending on how I load...I can actually be over my GVWR by 100#'s with only 9000#'s and my two girls are each under 100#'s...my numbers are all scale verified too...scales don't hurt and are cheap insurance...too bad most never hit one...

Also the receiver on the Excursions are only rated at 1250#'s in WD mode...a 10,000# trailer 'should' present minimum 1000#'s or upwards of 1500#'s for a natural sway free towing experience...BUT the Ex's receiver is the limiting factor here...so you have to limit the tongue weight thru loading to 1250#'s...go to a heavier trailer with less percentage tongue weight and you risk instability...

From an mpg standpoint...I have a hand calculated towing average 8mpgs over 22,000 miles. Many 6.0H Ex owners experience about 10-11mpgs towing. 8/11 = ~33% better mpgs...however 87 octane costs ~15% less than diesel in my neck of the woods...I know that varies greatly regionally...so the 6.OH enjoys roughly an 18% advantage in my part of the country...and for that advantage they get to risk a coked up turbo stranding their family on the side of the road However, over towing 22,000 miles that 18% advantage really equates to a lot less than most diesel owners like young nickie people want to talk about.

So to the OP...the V10 is an excellent choice. Bion has laid out excellent rationale for you...I have owned my V10 Ex since October 2005 and she has never let me down in all the places I have asked her to haul my family during our family towing vacations...and that is all over the country...I couldn't be happier towing 9000#'s of travel trailer with my poor little 'ole V10 ...when I load up my precious cargo...I trust that I will not be stranded on the side of the road...and the V10 has an incredible reliability record...that doesn't mean that she won't break down someday...all it means is that the chances of a V10 breaking down are much less than that of a 6.OH is all...just search the reliability factors of a 6.OH versus the V10 and you will find your answer on that ...now an Ex with a 7.3L is a good choice...but the towing performance is about on par with a 4.30 geared V10...you will just enjoy much better unloaded MPG's with the 7.3L...so if that is important to you...look for a 2003 with the 7.3L but expect to pay much more than that $6K you are currently looking at and it will take a long time to make up that added purchase price...

I'd say go for the V10...that is a good price and has kept many of us more than happy for many miles on the road.

Good luck,
Joe.

 

I love my V10! Absolutely no problems, even through 5 harsh, Alaska winters. It also pulls my 10,000# travel trailer just fine all over Alaska.

Nobody really mentioned the exhaust manifold studs yet. You need to look closely at the exhaust manifold studs to make sure they aren't broken off. That has been an issue on the 5.4 and the 6.8.

If they are broken off, then it depends on how you look at it.

Glass half empty = you normally have to replace the manifolds for BIG $$$;

Glass half full = you have an excuse for putting on some headers.

If it's in good shape and meets your needs, I would jump on it...it's a good price. Then again, prices in the lower 48 always look good from up here.

 

I too love my V10!

I was looking for a vehicle to tow my 4K boat on weekends during the summer. I also considered the diesel, but my daily commute is so short that I felt a diesel wouldn't fit the requirements.

I also purchased my 2001 Ex in July 08 when fuel was over $4.00 and diesel was close to $5.00, so I got a screaming deal, 58K miles and $7900 as is. All it needed mechanically was exhaust studs, tires, two door lock actuators, and all the fluids changed.

I didn't buy it for the MPG's and was well prepared for that, it has been the family transport since it's arrival into our stable of vehicles.

I'm planning on keeping my obsession (wifes version) until they pry my cold dead fingers from the wheel.

 

Coming from a LEO background, I can say with 100% certainty that I too would be razzin' you for driving a V10!

But like all "locker room" BS that goes on in the firehouse and squad room, most is in good fun.

Joe, I know there's all kinds of misinformation out there. But that can be said of a lot of things.

I don't think the OP was confusing misinformation with "bad things" though. I think he truly got bad information that the V10 platform was unreliable or something.

Being an '03 should also mean that V10 has the updated heads with the 9+ thread spark plug holes.

If that thing is in any kind of good shape, it's an awesome buy......






























..........even though it is "just" a V10! nudge-nudge, wink-wink

Stewart