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Comments
I'm also planning on adding a smallish (6psi) supercharger in 12-18 months for a bit more of a boost.
I've got 1000+ miles on my 250 SD PSD and I'm getting 18 mpg, trip computer and old fashion way. I live at 7500 feet in Monument CO and the mileage is a combo city/highway, (more highway). I tickled pink with the truck so far.
What is the general consensus on the correct oil weight for the 7.3L?
Mroffshore
Prior to me calling the plant, if you should hear of any facts to support a cooperative warranty effort between Banks and Ford...let us know!! Thanks. JB
Reg. standard Power mirrors---99"
Power TT mirrors....105"
Had previously ordered TT because of pulling a 5th wheel(8' wide). However, a could barely get my truck into our standard garage--so when we reorder in the spring, I'll be going with the standard power mirrors(unless Ford perfects a retracable system for the TT mirrors) Jb
I will be pulling a 13,500 GVWR 5th with vacations being in Michigan lower and UP area with future trips to south or west USA.
I have started looking at some of the threads posted and am getting a little concerned about the diesel. There has been some complaints about cavititation, leaks in castings (if one-in-the same, please educate me .. thanks) and am considering opting for the V-10.
Not familiar with V-10 or Diesels, so any and all help would be appreciated.
Thanks
I've had my F350 V10 Auto 4x4 SRW 3.73ls for a month and have put over 4,000 miles on it. This weekend I towed our boat for the first time. The boat and trailer weigh approx. 5,500 lbs. I towed the boat over 300 miles and am dissappointed with the performance of the truck for several reasons.
1. I could not run the truck in overdrive as the transmission was constantly downshifting on even the slightest grades. I live in Florida so the grades are often hard to perceive, but the truck still downshifted. This was very annoying.
2. The truck did not feel to have much of a power "reserve" when towing the boat. I tried to tow at a speed that kept the engine around 2,500 to 2,800 rpm which is the area of peak torque. I would describe the power as "adequate".
3. The highway ride was very "bouncy". Even the slight road imperfections caused this. Possibly the 350 rear suspension with minimal payload? I thought the tongue weight may help the ride quality, but it was actually much worse than unloaded/non-towing.
I drove from Tampa to Ft. Myers and back and thought this should be an "easy" trip for the truck. I planned on running in overdrive with plenty of reserve power and having to look in the rear view mirror to make sure the boat was still there. Unfortunately, this was not the case. I'm sure the 3.73 rear end plays a part, but towing a boat at only 55% of the vehicle's rated capacity I'm quite dissappointed with the performance. If someone is buying a SD for towing and trying to decide between the V10 and the PSD, you may want to try a "test tow" if that's at all possible. Also, I would have selected the 4.30 rear end if I had the choice. My fuel economy so far is as follows:
Highway 14.2 to 14.6 mpg
City 9.8 to 10 mpg
Highway towing 7.2 to 7.5 mpg
When shopping, don't be misled to think that the V10 has gobs of power just because it has 10 cylinders. I'm sure the 4.30 rear axle improves the situation, but with the 3.73 I'm not impressed. From everything I've read, the PSD is THE engine to buy for work truck or serious use applications.
The '99 PSD is very quiet when compared to either of my '86 or '92. There is an annoying turbo waste gate hiss at very low throttle positions.
singer4,
The 3.73 rearend is intended for economy. For towing I would suggest adding an under drive to your transmission. The advantage is that when you're running about empty your get good mileage and performance. When you're towing the under drive the ratio is correct. Although I don't understand your objection to towing and not using the over drive.
Rich
Remember also that these trucks are <I>heavy. The '99s are much more solid than the earlier models, and you pay for that with the additional weight. I also stepped up from a 2WD SRW to a 4WD DRW (both CC) and you can really feel the difference.
I will be adding the Banks PowerPack system in a couple of months (its just exhaust and headers, not a turbo system, for the gas engine). They really do perform as advertised. From there, I may add an aftermarket supercharger (6psi) in a couple of years if the performance is low.
If I didn't want a diesel, then I would get the V10 with the 4.30 rear end. The slight highway fuel economy disadvantage would be more than made up in my opinion by superior "working power" made available by the 4.30 gears. I would not be surprised if a 4.30 V10 does get better fuel economy when towing than a 3.73 V10. In regards to OD as compared to 3rd gear towing... I have read that the transmission runs cooler in OD as compared to 3rd gear due to a lockup vs. slippage situation. I haven't researched it any further than that, but did expect it to maintain speed over the essentially flat Florida roads in OD. *** Before switching an order to 4.30 gears, I would ask around and make sure that the 4.30 doesn't shift out of OD when towing on slight inclines because that may put you in a more unfavorable position due to the 3rd gear drive ratio in the 4.30 vs. the 3.73. It get's kind of confusing doesn't it? :-)
Good luck!
If I read jingo's post correctly, it wasn't a matter of the V-10 not being able to pull 5,500 pounds. He was disappointed that the tranny downshifted to 3rd frequently when towing. That is almost certainly the axle ratios.
The V-10 is more than adequate for towing. It's got more hp and torque than the 460 it replaces and the 460 has been a towing workhorse for years. At the same time, it's not a diesel. I look forward to hearing some towing experiences from someone with the V-10 4.30.
Mileage.
Towing 7.5-8 mpg.
Highway 14.5-15.5 mpg.
City 12-13 mpg.
We Always switch off the OD when towing heavy loads. It doesnt "hunt" in and out of 3 & 4 th. South Florida is our domain.
I got into the electrial system of the E40D a few years back and base the above statement on our experience with the Ford systems Manual we purchased, it was one of the best written manual for automotive I've yet to come across for clarity, excellent layout and Basic theroy.
It is available via the back of the Owners manual...We also used the Tachometer to double check ourselve concerning the free wheeling unit.
Thank you, I presume your addressing the superduty transmission, which I "am not" aquinted
with yet. I based my statements on the E40D (Electronic 4 Speed Overdrive) which does have four gears/planetary setup and the switch does hold it in third gear with lockup but disables the free wheeling clutch. Also if you let off the gas pedal momentarly and step down on it the transmission will step out of lockup and go into
torque convertor mode and as the load eases off will go back into lockup. Durning hauls up mountains up north sometimes all I had to do was do the lift up/step down to go into full torque convertor mode to pull the grade without the tranny downshifting. Again this was done with a E4OD. In the electrial system manual it list the
lockup clutch as a "Torque Convertor Clutch (TCC),
I put a switch between the purple/pink wire and mounted the switch on the dash. I did this because the transmission shifted too blunt. By turning off the TCC the tranny shifted Soooo Smooth. As the years and the clutch plates worn in
the switch was not needed as the quality of shifting improved greatly.
I have a F250 CC V10 on order since 8-29 and am looking forward to browsing through the new manuals.
Thanks for your post, as well as others in following post for the good exchange of info & suggestions.
I have not had the opportunity to test drive a F-250 or F-350 SD V-10, but have driven a friends Dodge V-10 dually.
Have been waffling on this Ford V-10 & Diesel subject for a while. I am still interested in hearing from F-250 SD Power Stroke users.
Thanks
There is definitely a difference between this truck and my 92 F-250HD 4x4. The new truck is a smooth ride on the interstate. However, I can definitely notice the stiffer suspension on the rougher roads. You get more bounce when you hit the concrete highways that have the seams every 50 feet or so.
The lower 4.30 is also a big difference from my 3.55. It's most noticeable in stop and go traffic. It almost feels like a diesel. There is no doubt you are in a truck. The 4.30 has plenty of punch. I was doing 75 up a decent incline yesterday and gunned it. I was over 85 in a flash. With the 4.30, I can't see where you would have any problem maintaining 70+ in OD on your average incline with a 5,000-6,000 boat in tow.
If most of your driving is empty, the F-250 with the 3.73 is your best bet, especially if you are making the jump into a big truck for the first time. There won't be any doubt that you are in a truck if you get the F-350 with the 4.30. Toss in the duallys, and this is one big rig. This truck was by far the only choice for me because of the size of the truck camper I'm getting. For me, this truck was worth the wait. So far, it's everything I anticipated. I'm having a great time adjusting up from my previous truck.
Gotta run. Time to take a drive.....
Congrats, Brutus - hothing like a black dually to turn heads, eh? My Ram still does it after almost 40K on the odo.
PS- is the V-10 everything its cracked up to be?
Cheers,
Ryan
I've got the '99 PSD in an F-250 SC, Auto & 4x2.
I'm biased towards diesels and this is my third from Ford in F-250s. Total miles about quarter million.
This is my first turbo. The accelleration (Empty) is about like my neighbors Surburban and substantially better than my '92 7.3L Non turbo.
The torque of this motor is fantastic! I've put the cruise on and climbed the hills of the California desert at 80 MPH w/o shifting out of OD.
Mileage is mid 15 in LA stop and stop traffic, 15 in pure city traffic and high 17 on the open road at 80-85 MPH.
This is the easiest vehicle to drive. The torque helps keeping a constant speed. There's no right foot hunting for the right speed.
I've flat towed other vehicles with the '86 6.9L and did not loose much speed going over substantial grades. It was about a 4 MPH loss when towing an E-150 that was camper-ized. The '92 pulls even better. I haven't used the '99 for towing yet. My son pulled a U-Haul to help a friend move and said that he couldn't tell the trailer was back there except for longer stopping distances.
The biggest complaint is diesel fuel. It foams and makes it more difficult to fill the tank completely.
The '99 is computer controlled and doesn't smoke nor smell like either the '86 or '92. All three trucks have had 3.73 ratio rear ends.
Rich
I am considering getting a SuperDuty 250 with the 7.3 diesel. My main reason is that I own a boat that weighs in at about 3000 pounds including trailer. The '93 Explorer with 4.0L V6 is only adequate to pull the boat. I typically keep vehicles till they fall over so that is another reason I am considering the diesel. Do you think that it would be worth spending the extra $5,000 on the diesel over the 5.4L V-8? The other question is do you have trouble pulling these monsters into your garage?
Thanks,
Ron Leighton
HTH,
Ryan
Ditto what Airwolf said on the V-10 over the V-8. Early reports are that the V-8 mpg isn't much better than the V-10, if at all. You certainly don't need the diesel to tow your boat, so the decision to get the diesel would be one of preference.
If you're concerned about the size of the Superduty, you might check out a F-250LD. That would be more than adequate for towing your boat. You shouldn't have any problems putting it in a garage. The V-10 isn't an option on the light duty, but you'll get better mpg with the 5.4L in the F-250LD because it is lighter than the Superduty. I haven't seen the mpg comparisons between the 4.6L and 5.4L.
My recommendation is to test drive a Superduty and a light duty and then crunch some numbers and figure out which one works better for you.
Simply read through this group and the '1999 Super Duty Delivery Issues' group. You'll find the answers to (probably) all your questions, and those to questions you hadn't thought to ask. Just click on 'see all responses' in each group. If you have any other questions, just ask away!
I wish you the best with your new Big Rigg!!
Mroffshore
The V10 runs on regular unleaded not premium. I'm paying less than $1.00 per gallon for gas too.
We felt like we got a fair deal - we paid $300 over invoice. Kinda weird - we didn't sign a thing and they didn't ask us to leave a down payment. All in all a pretty stress free experience considering we'd been to 9 dealerships before we found this one. The nice thing is we get to keep our money in our own county.
This is our first new truck in 8 years of marriage and the GM poster boy's first Ford!
Looking forward to your responses.
I have ordered my truck..It is a F250 Superduty, diesel, Crewcab,auto trans,3:73 rears, single axle, 4-wheel drive, long bed, Larait package, trailer towing and camper special packages,cab running lights, class IV trailer hitch, Premium Aluminum wheels, all season tires, Stero with single CD player. Are the wheels I order the ones you spoke of? I opted for all the options that I could since this is to be my retirement truck. I suggested leaving off the 4-wheel drive, but the wife would not hear of it. She wants the truck as bad as I do. I hope this this truck is like yours and we will be as happy as you.I don't know yet if we will get a fifth wheel trailer or a slide in camper. Maybe someone out there has experience with the slide in campers and can give me therir suggestion. Maybe I am doing this wrong, but I though I would buy the truck I wanted first and then get a trailer to fit the truck. In reading some of the posting, it seems that some are having trouble with the height of the truck in regards to the height of the trailer. I hope I can remendythis with the tralier manufactuer or something. I am please that someone already has one and is please with it. My only problem is the delivery which the dealer said could be as lon as late Feb. or March.
Thanks for you response
Thanks for info, I'm nearly ready to place an order for F250 SD 7.3 w/3.73 Crewcab 4x4, just have to figure which dealer I want to place the order with.
Have shopped around and have found anywhere from 4wks to 30wks ordering period (so much for any late fall touring, in new truck).
Clper
I have the exact same truck you ordered. I can't understand why your truck will not be in sooner. Maybe they have a lower allocation then other dealers or Ford is still that backed up.
I stongly feel Ford engineering should have provided as standard or optional equipment, side mirror defrosters and rear window defrost. I see passenger cars well under $20,000 with these types of options. If you do not garage it or if you do , you need this feature. I did not see it as an option and just can't figure out why this premium vehicle does not have it! Maybe some one else can shed some light on this. The heavy dew is already on the windows and the frost is right around the corner.
Buy the truck and you will easily find a camper/trailer to fit the truck! Best of luck to you!
Jingo,
I'm not an expert on fossil fuels but I have a back ground in science. Obviously any unleaded fuel will work but I feel the key hear is preformance. I certainly would not use cheap gas in a V-10 and I do not feel you will get the same umfff from reg. fuel and the same milage as one would get from a premiun grade of fuel.
Also I live in NJ the most taxed state in the Union. Gas is a little cheaper then I thought, $1.20 for premium. Thats what I used and would continue to use if I had a v-10. Thats why I was looking at the 7.3L as a saving in the long run or atleast help pay for the option of having it. Our fuel here will usually be higher then other states because of the excessive highway and environmental taxes. Maybe professor Rich Flynn could shed some light on this fuel discussion?
Peace, Mroffshore
Generally speaking, you should run the lowest octane possible without adverse side effects (ie: pinging). This is easier on your pocketbook, and better for the engine. I may step up a bit later (I'm planning on installing a small (6psi) supercharger once the mounting brackets are available for the V10) but only after trying the lower octane and experiencing detonation problems. Who knows -- it may be just fine.
92 octane only gives more power in older, carbuerated engines, that need the slower burn, and anti-ping. today's fuel injection takes care of AF ratios timing advance and everything else.