I have a V10/Torqshift with the factory tow package. The van has about 130,000 miles on her. We use it to tow Big Duck - a 28' houseboat. Big Duck and trailer weighed 12,000lbs on the truck scale...about 1,200 lbs of that is tongue weight. We brought the boat back to SC from Las Vegas (2100 miles) with no load equalizers or sway bars. She towed just fine although we never tried going over 55mph. We have since rigged the equalizers and sway bar and found it's worth the trouble as she is a little more stable. Last year we towed the boat to Lake Powell and back without any van problems (2,000+ each way) - but we were only able to make some of the I70 Colorado passes at 15mph - which really wasn't a problem. I have a Scan Gauge to keep an eye on trans temp which followed coolant temps but about 10° hotter. The Scan Gauge put our towing MPG at a little over 8, we often see 17 empty (but always @ 55mph or less). So we love the van.

We have done regular maintenance including new plugs at 110,000. She hasn't been driven hard and has required no mechanical work - I still have the original brakes; she's on her 3rd set of tires. Sooo what kind of work should I anticipate in the future besides eventually brakes?
Master cylinder?
Transmission?
Serpentine belt?
Alternator?
Water pump?
Starter?
Injectors?
Exhaust system?
Ball joints?
U joints?
Air conditioner? (it sucked since new in traffic or at idle in anything over 90° but we have a window unit in back and a generator on the back bumper for those occasions).
Wheel bearings?


Oh, I did have to have the ABS module rebuilt, but it came back with a lifetime warranty.
And I did bypass/short the Cruise Control master cylinder pressure cut off because it was randomly kicking off the cruise control.



So what do you think I'll need for the next 100,000 miles?

 

My V10 E350 is "new to me" and I'm wondering also if there is any pre-emptive work I should do to the spark plugs or exhaust studs.

I also have the cruise control problem and my serp belt squeaks when cold.

And regarding transmission fluid: I once had a transmission rebuild shop owner tell me to NOT change the fluid on high mileage trannys. But I want to anyway lol.

 

That's because he wants to rebuild the trans, not prevent it from dying.

Change the fluid. It will make your trans last longer, as long as you use the right type of fluid.

 

To paraphrase the Jerry Maguire movie: "you had me at 'Former Ford Automatic Transmission Engineer'"

exactly what does that mean? you helped design them or something? Where did you work? How long? How long ago?

 

Slightly off topic but plugs in the V8 and V10 modular motors will NOT last 100K miles---best to change them at 50K. The reasons for this include they simply don't maintain their performance over that interval. They're also more prone to seizing in the heads making removal a chore, sometimes damaging the head if great care isn't taken during the removal and installation process.

Its not the easiest thing you'll do maintenance wise if you're a DIY but its simply a good practice at 50K miles. An added benefit is the defacto boot inspection---those too have been known to be problematic when left alone too long.

 

I was at Ford in Automatic Transmission Engineering from 1988-2007. I was a calibration engineer and later supervisor. I didn't design things there, I developed the calibrations, or in forum talk, the tunes that run the transmission. The last three years at Ford I was a transmission cooling engineer.

My first assignment at Ford was the AXODE (later called AX4S) transmission. It was in the Taurus, Windstar, Continental, and the SHO Taurus. Then I moved to the Transmission OBDII group and implemented OBDII on all Ford transmissions. Then I spent several years developing calibrations on the Lincoln LS. Next was several years working on the five speed TorqShift trans. Then three years of transmission cooling, and then out. One little bit of immortality from there is one US patent on a small bit of software. US Patent 5,415,606

Before that I developed tunes and built concept cars at Roush Industries.

 

That's a great résumé ! I am impressed and envious.
Is the TorqShift the one in my van? When I run the VIN it shows 5-speed automatic. I positively enjoy running that van through the gears- all that torque and it shifts SO frequently- it's similar to a video game -"rrrrrrr-rrrrrr-rrrrrr-rrrrr," lift throttle 4seconds later at 50mph.

I love it!

 

The five speed TorqShift was in the vans starting in 2005.

 

Mark if its not too nosey what sort of work keeps you busy these days?

When you're not shepherding those of us Forumites through the mysteries of automatic tranmissions, setting us straight when needed that is?

 

Here's what I do now: Fast New Customers LLC

 

I didn't notice any problems even at 110,000 on the factory plugs. I'd heard horror stories about plug change complications and an estimate of $700 at the dealer made me hold off.

I put a $20 bill in an envelope with a note to the Ford mechanic, "Please take good care of my van." I taped the envelope to the motor under the dog house.

The bill came to $280 for a '100,000 mile tune' up and that included an oil change. The mechanic personally called me to say "Thanks".