F 450 Super Duty gasser

[Wolfy]

2000 or 2001 models with a V-10 had a 6 gear manual transmission.

 

[Soundguy]

The 94 7.3 NA is a totally different engine than the 95 7.3 PSD. The 94.5 7.3 sported an ATS turbo and was different than the 7.3 PSD.


I like the fact they are 15qts oil.. that goes a long way to prolonging engine life.. same with that 2l oil filter!

the oil pan issues.. that's 100% user maintenance issue. If you live in a salt area and paint comes off and you don't rectify it.. don't whine when metal rusts.

Both my 7.3's have good pans, good paint, and no rust.

Soundguy

We had 3# 7.3Ls in the family business. (94 no turbo, 02, 99). All 3 trucks pulled a 10,000 trailer fairly often and plowed for the state. They were good engines, I still am fond of them. However, starters, alternators, turbos, oil pans, oil coolers, injection pumps, we had to replace them more than once. Not to mention oil changes cost a lot more with a bigger filter and twice the oil. Along with cold issues. We shut the doors, but my dad kept the 99. It runs great right now, except it needs a turbo up pipe. My mechanic says the whole cab has to come off to change it. I got a qoute from a dealer to change it and it was scary. Most reliable truck we had was a 2000 F250 with the 5.4L we bought new.

 

[Cpjlube]

You don't have to pull the cab. On the diesels it makes life easier and shortens some jobs but the gassers don't require it. Chris

I agree. Years ago I was not as well educated on this issue. Was out of town and blew the back plug. Called the nearest dealer. They told me they would probably pull the cab to fix it. I was not happy. Got a plug to hold long enough to get home.

 

[MikePA]

The quoted article does not mention the v-10 6.8l engines. I smell some anti ford bias here. In fact I can't find a single instance of a "blown plug" in the 6.8l V-10 engine on the whole internet.

It's not 'crap' and it's not 'anti ford bias'.

The OP asked what problems he might run into, not problems he would run into.

I Googled 'ford 6.8 blowing spark plugs';

Instance 1 - Click Here
Instance 2 - Click Here

 

[Diamondpilot]

Let's face it, it happens on Triton engines. But that is its only real weak spot. Some climates get rotten exhaust studs also. 99% of all times a plug is blown it's because someone over tightened the plug. They only require 7ft lbs which is what most men can do with a screw driver, so it's not much and easy to over tighten. At the end of the day it's a $150 to $200 fix at a decent shop.


Chris

 

[ENC]

I am driving my 3rd v10 now at 180k sold the others when they got to 300k. Never have had a major mechanical issue. I count myself lucky but even if my current on blew up I wouldn't hesitate on another one.
I really like the earlier models with the leaf spring front end. Mine is a 2001 they just seem to hold up really well and the weight up front seems to help control heavy trailers. I don't have any reason for this but it is something I have noticed.

 

[JJZ 109]

I am driving my 3rd v10 now at 180k sold the others when they got to 300k. Never have had a major mechanical issue. I count myself lucky but even if my current on blew up I wouldn't hesitate on another one.
I really like the earlier models with the leaf spring front end. Mine is a 2001 they just seem to hold up really well and the weight up front seems to help control heavy trailers. I don't have any reason for this but it is something I have noticed.

The F450 that I'm in the middle of buying is a 2001. As Chris notes in the post before, the spark plug issue happens but isn't the end of the world. As MikePA noted just before that, I was just looking for a heads up on what I might have to look out for in the future. Not a guarantee of what will happen.
ENC and others have stated that many, many miles can be had from these motors without a major league issue. Good enough for me. A) I'm a Ford guy. B) As previously stated I don't drive it a million miles a year. 3 to 4,000 miles per season for my business.
I can sleep pretty good tonight with my decision to buy this truck. But I also live in the real world. If there are big problems in the future I'll post about them. But I won't hold it against anyone who gave advice about this truck & engine combo no matter what the future holds. I'm over 50. I've made good decisions and poor ones in life, just like everyone else. I can live with my call to buy this truck that I believe is suited to my use. But I do appreciate any and all feedback I receive here on TBN.
Here's the dealer's listing for the truck if anyone is interested in more details:
Refurbished 01 Ford F450 Bucket/Splicing Box Truck Inspected - Inventory | Racey Auto Sales | Auto dealership in New Oxford, Pennsylvania
I will say that I bought my current bucket truck from an outfit called Bucket Trucks USA, a short distance from where this truck is. Day and night experience. Racey has it all over them and I can see why the other outfit is now no longer in the bucket truck business.

 

[terryknight]

Just want to correct a few things.

QUOTE=Wolfy;3917887]We had 3# 7.3Ls in the family business. (94 no turbo, 02, 99). All 3 trucks pulled a 10,000 trailer fairly often and plowed for the state. They were good engines, I still am fond of them. However, starters, alternators, turbos, oil pans, oil coolers, injection pumps, we had to replace them more than once. Not to mention oil changes cost a lot more with a bigger filter and twice the oil. Along with cold issues. We shut the doors, but my dad kept the 99. It runs great right now, except it needs a turbo up pipe. My mechanic says the whole cab has to come off to change it. I got a qoute from a dealer to change it and it was scary. Most reliable truck we had was a 2000 F250 with the 5.4L we bought new.[/QUOTE]

of that list only the 94 had an "injection pump"

to replace an up pipe with another up pipe does not require cab or trans removal, but it is much easier without the trans.

The 94 7.3 NA is a totally different engine than the 95 7.3 PSD. The 94.5 7.3 sported an ATS turbo and was different than the 7.3 PSD.

I like the fact they are 15qts oil.. that goes a long way to prolonging engine life.. same with that 2l oil filter!

There were three 7.3 engines. all were available in 94. they was the NA 7.3 IDI, the turbo 7.3 IDI (only year this motor was available, and it was derated because of the Powerstroke coming out), and in 94.5 (I believe they started in 3/94) the 7.3 PSD (in 94 you could only get the PSD with a manual trans)

also they hold 16 qts of oil, but they hold one quart in the HPO reservoir and one quart in the HPO rails/HPOP. you can change the HPO reservoir fairly easily, but to drain the rails it a PITA and then they need to be reprimed. it also doesn't matter since all the oil get circulated.

 

[Wolfy]

Terry, I may have some technically terms off, but whatever the cause, the 7.3s have seen mechanic bays far more often than my 5.8 and 5.4 ever did. Also, it could be my mechanic feels the cab is easier to remove than the trany. I do not tell him how to wrench and he does not tell me how to build.

 

[terryknight]

Terry, I may have some technically terms off, but whatever the cause, the 7.3s have seen mechanic bays far more often than my 5.8 and 5.4 ever did. Also, it could be my mechanic feels the cab is easier to remove than the trany. I do not tell him how to wrench and he does not tell me how to build.

no worries, i just wanted to correct any misinformation.