Which engine do you have in your Ford van?

[hitek79]

Just trying to get an idea of who has what? I'm going round and round and round trying to figure out what I want, and what fits my needs. If you don't mind telling me what engine you have, and where you take your van, I'd love to hear everyone's opinion.

For me personally, I live in the Colorado high country. Long grades suck driving up in a gasser, but am I asking for trouble camping in the cold with a diesel as far as starting goes? Anyway, let's see whatcha got...

 

[Bikersmurf]

7.3, 8500 lb Ambo, goes up tall hills effortlessly. Decent fuel economy for an 8500 lb cube.

 

[Jsweezy]

I am pleasantly suprised with the v10. I feel like it's a good middle between the 5.4 and the 6.0.

 

[taylor3633]

I am thrilled with my V10. Average 13mpg no matter what I'm doing and smoooooth and quiet! Huge upgrade from my former 7.3 imo...

 

[Stitebunny]

97 v10. Enough power for anything I need in Wa, Or, Id, Bc. No towing experience.
10mpg off-road/forest road. 11 city. 13 at best hwy doing 75-80.
4x4, penthouse top. 7500-8000 lbs.

Seems pretty quiet for what it is. No extra sound insulation around dog house. It's In the plans though just to see if it helps.

How cold does it get where you are?
Battery and block heaters are easy to install if you want diesel.

 

[hitek79]

-18 was the coldest it got last winter. I doubt I would be camping when it's that cold, but probably down to 0, I'd say.

 

[Mountainhound]

As long as glow plugs and batteries are good I wouldn't give the diesel a second thought.

 

[ujoint]

I've had them all, currently have a 7.3 & a V10. What to get depends your use. I love my V10, just put gas in it and go. Quiet, plenty of power, 05/up has the great 5R110 transmission.

Also love my 7.3 but when loaded and pulling grades I'm always watching the temps and trying not to roll coal, gets kind of old. The 5.4 is good for a light rig that doesn't see towing, 6.0 needs several thousand $ in mods to ensure reliability.

Biggest complaint you hear on the V10 is the fuel mileage. But, if you compare it to a diesel its always cheaper in the long run. Lower entry price, fuel cost, oil changes, fuel filters, etc. And..... the 5.4 and V10 are more reliable.

 

[Mickey Bitsko]

I also live in Colo. Though I don't have a van, but a gasser none the less, regearing did it for me, from 3:73 to 4:56, huge difference in torque.

 

[tgreening]

I've had them all as well, from the idi all the way to the 6.7 though a couple in that range never showed up in the van, and I'd pretty much echo Chris's remarks with a couple exceptions.

Fuel cost is hard to nail down. The diesel in general gets better mileage than the V10, it's only real comparable, and in my area gas costs about .35-.40/gallon more. At the moment. Diesel prices around here are also much more stable without the almost daily swings of gas, which can be pretty wild when going up, yet not so much when coming down.

I would never ever consider any of the V10s I've owned as quiet except when cruising or under a light load. Put a load on and hit the hills and them suckers like to sing, which in a platform that makes its peak power in the 4000+ rpm range shouldn't be a surprise.

If I were searching again I probably wouldn't pass up either if the van itself was what I wanted, unless I intended to roll heavy and do it a lot. If that were the case I'd opt for the 7.3. Quieter (IMO) and better fuel economy, especially under load.

I'd avoid the 6.0 like the plague because bullet proofed or not, if you own it long enough something will go wrong and when it does that whole 6.x series is criminally expensive to repair.

 

[dcguillory]

7.3 410k miles and loved it the whole time. Trying not to roll coal on up hill tows does get rather old. Especially at high altitude. I had a V10 and loved that too. The broken engine bolts was my biggest complaint. The feeling of the roll on power of a, DP tuner chipped, 7.3 just cant be beat. My van is 8,800lb loaded. Add my 6000 pound trailer then pass slow pokes on my country highways and life is good.

 

[SHAFT]

6 liter heater in a retro-fitted 350 cargo van. Just turned 160k and recently put a "mild" 60 hp daily drive tune in her from DP. I cannot believe how this thing pulls above about 2800 rpm. Get a 6.0, fix it so you know what makes it tick and drive it.

 

[Petrolburner]

I have the 5.4 V8 with 3.55 gears in an extended body, 24" high top with WeldTec 4" lift. Unloaded it's fine power wise. Loaded with 1700 pounds of gear, two people and full fuel she's a little underpowered or undergeared. I've been debating on changing gears and tire size or just changing the ring and pinion to 3.73. I haven't decided yet. I think it will be just fine once I gear it appropriately. 70 mph in second gear is just silly for this big of a rig.

I'm interested in building a 14 foot Uhaul with the cab over style box with a V10. The noise and hassle of a diesel aren't worth it for me unless I had a heavy trailer to tow.

 

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

2003 7.3, I've owned quite a few of the 99-03 7.3 trucks and an Excursion and that engine was really the only option for me. I will admit that at times I was getting discouraged finding the right 7.3 Power Stroke and I did consider a newer V-10. I live just below 5000' elevation and the van will be used hard from Alaska to Baja.

 

[Arctic Travelller]

2001 E250 5.4 32in tires, 410 gears, as much as 8900lbs fully loaded, and perhaps 12 to 13mpg freeway . The 5.4 pulls ok but more power is always nice. Still, it works just fine, but so do all the other engines. If your towing and don't want to pull low gear on big hills, anything but the 5.4 would be better, but the 5.4 will get you there for sure. If I found a van I liked with the features I wanted, I wouldn't worry too much about what engine it had (unless it was a 6.0) Personally, my first choice would be the V10. As Chris said, any gas engine will be less expensive to upgrade or maintain.