Swap My Ride for F350 V10

[Groo]

I absolutely love the factory brake controller on the 09 SRW I drive. The heaviest load has been a 14'x65' mobile home and a bed full of concrete blocks for it to sit on. It had no troubles going up a couple of significant hills. Another heavy tow was an overloaded trailer rated at 10k lbs + 1,000lbs in snowmobile, sheets of plywood, and a few other things in the bed on a 500 mile trip through MI. 5k+ lbs in the dump bed isn't a big deal either.
Honestly, the V10 was overkill. I probably should have stuck with the 5.4l, but it was a very cheap option and the truck doesn't get driven much, so the somewhat poor fuel efficiency isn't a big deal.

Ford is now sticking the V10 in class 7 trucks :thumbsup:

 

[timswi]

I'm taking my V10 motorhome on a 300 mile round trip this weekend and I'm sweating bullets about the plug blowout thing and the exhaust manifold rot off issue (which I have starting, 2 gone already)..If I make it up and back with no issues...I'll let you know.

FYI, my first Ford powered Ford.

 

[Haoleguy]

I believe the gas tank is 29 gallons on a short bed and 37 on the long bed.

I have a similar truck to what you are looking at. I only have 46k but they have been trouble free.

Getting the plugs changed is a great idea. I would also service the tranny, cooling system and axles and you would be good to go for many miles. Don't overlook the fuel filter either. They are cheap and really should be changed about every 10k.

I have manual hubs in mine with the floor shifter. Is yours the auto or manual hubs?

The 4.10's should be fine. I have 4.30's and it doesn't lack for pulling power. You can realistically expect around 12mpg empty and down to 8 with a good load.

One other thing....if you are into doing any mods I would highly suggest a tuner (I used Mike at 5-star tuning). There are some torque limiting strategies from the factory tuning and the drive by wire. There is a very noticeable improvement in driveability for around 400 bucks. I got the 87 octane tow/performance and 91 octane tow/performance tune and actually picked up a little mpg increase with either tune. I am using the 91 tune now because the mpg delta is more than the price delta for premium.

on edit...does it have the factory trailer brake controller? Hopefully it does, they are awesome.

Hi Sld - You're right about the tank size...29 gal seems a bit small. Hubs look like manual slot on axle but it is the dash dial in the cab. How does that work? Factory brake controller included.....Cheers, Gary

 

[Diamondpilot]

The factory hubs have a auto and manual mode for backup.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

By the way, I have been around dozens of V10 Fords since 1999. Only one spit two plugs and the fix was about $400. Half of that was new plugs, COP's, ect. Its usually not that big of a deal.

Chris

 

[Haoleguy]

Got an OASIS report which covered the 1st owner's year and ~12K miles. Looks like there was a voluntary notice to owners, not technically a recall, that owner 1 took in for correction. This was a code 05B27 which I take to be replacing reverse clutch to transfer case snap ring for the early 2005s. Within 2 months of that entry there is another entry that states customer notices whinning when cold and transmission slips when going around corner. Ford dealer determined that this was an electronic problem and reprogrammed PCM and topped off transmission fluid. Within 4 days of the last report entry the customer returned with a transmission fluid leak. Ford dealer wrote "Not working properly R & I automatic transmission gasket or oil pan, replace valve body and vent tube in top of case". The OASIS report essentially ends on that entry which is near the 12K mileage mark for which owner 1 exits and owner 2 begins with a 68K mile ownership with only 1 Ford service report logged(Carfax) during his/her period. Not sure how significant the events are from owner 1 with essentially 70K miles logged after their ownership. Owner 3 steps in at around 79K miles and keeps it for ~ 3K miles and less than a year. What do you guys think?

 

[Diamondpilot]

Would not worry me a bit. Like you said that was 7 years ago and 60,000 miles later its been fine.

Chris

 

[Dmace]

What do you guys think?

I'm not a fan of any vehicle that's had tranny work before 100k miles no matter what manufacturer.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I'm not a fan of any vehicle that's had tranny work before 100k miles no matter what manufacturer.

I agree, been there done that as you know. But it looks like it has had the issue finally fixed after a couple of failed attempts. In all honesty the Torque Shift Ford Tranny that the 05 and later gas Superdutys got has been a good piece fleet wide. I know lots of guys with Diesels running 500 HP and 850 FT TQ or more with no mods to the trannys and they are holding up just fine pulling big loads all the time.

Chris

 

[Dmace]

I know lots of guys with Diesels running 500 HP and 850 FT TQ or more with no mods to the trannys and they are holding up just fine pulling big loads all the time.

Here we go...
I'm not impressed, diesel trucks are coming STOCK with 800lb.ft.

I still feel ANY truck with a tranny recall and replacement valve body in short time is a ticking time bomb. Caveat Emptor...