2010 V-10 with ticking vs smooth 2011 6.2
 

2010 V-10 XLT F-250 with 150k and it has a ticking sound at cold start up. It goes away after a minute or 2. It sounds like it’s coming from the passenger side of the block. I didn’t see any black soot along the exhaust manifold when I looked. The dealership that’s selling the truck is supposed to be diagnosing it today, but like all dealerships, I don’t trust them. What are my likely culprits?

Also, I found a 2011 6.2 with 36k miles and 450 idle hrs for 8k more. Truck sounds and looks like it’s brand new, but it’s an XL with no power or cruise but in way better shape. Only issue we had with it was the hubs were never moved to free so they were stuck. Needed a wrench to turn them to free. It also has an electronic rear locker and the other one doesn’t. Our plan is to load our Four Wheel Camper into it and start driving to Argentina then back come October. 8k goes a long way on that trip. Which rig which you rather have and trust?

The ticking sound is more than likely the exhaust manifold. It’s extremely common due to an exhaust stud (or two, or three or more) breaking. When my stud broke there was no other evidence except for the tick (which disappeared after 20 seconds).

I am curious if the dealer will actually perform the fix. Is the truck being sold as-is?

— Dave

We came to an agreement on price only if the ticking sound is fixed.

150K miles vs 36K? The choice is obvious to me. The rear diff locker could come in handy........

8k fixes a lot, especially south of the border when one no longer is earning income. 36k doesn’t mean it won’t have issues at some point as well.

I wouldn’t even consider a F250 for a slide in camper, go with the F350. You have more capacity with the F350.
That ticking noise is the exhaust manifold stud that’s broken. Both engines are very reliable, my favorite being the V10. Having 150k on it wouldn’t worry me one bit as far as engine goes, just need to make sure the rest of the truck is up to off roading in South America.

I'm voting for the 6.2.... the v10 is a good motor, but has quirks. The 6.2 is awesome, and you also get the 6 speed. A rear locker is very handy, too.

When I tore my v10 engine down with 230k miles it still had factory hone marks on every cylinder! They were perfect. My heads had the notorious issue with the spark plug blow out and I decided while I was in it to do the bottom end as well... Looking back, I seriously should have just swapped the heads and been done. I bet it would have gone another 200k miles easy.

I have blown 2 spark plugs out of my v-10 motor home so far. I have repaired each one with time sert inserts. First one I did by myself because I made it home. Second one was done by ford dealer in Lebanon Tennessee.
I have 90k on the engine, and I am going to replace the remaking plugs, and COP ( coils ) since I carry the time sert kit with me, I will also do an insert on each cylinder to finally get rid of the problem. Getting rid of those 4 thread spark plug holes too expensive to do these one at a time at a ford dealer as they blow out.
any advice from the forum on this for access on this project ?

I personally wouldn't have a problem with either as both are very, very reliable trucks.

That said....if I had to choose before an epic road trip, I would probably favor the 6.2/6R140 engine/transmission combo with less miles. Seems like I started seeing some small things fail on my 2001 between 150,000 and 190,000 that weren't an issue before...i.e. the alternator went, I had a wheel hub go, I developed a pin hole leak in the plastic radiator overflow tank, I just replaced a leaking exhaust manifold, I had to replace the thermostat that stuck open, and I blew one spark plug. Nothing big, nothing that really left me stranded except the spark plug, and you can do a lot with little repairs with $8000 if you need to.