First, a big HOWDY to Kent (aka Mr. Truck)! You helped me buy my 2000 Ford 250 a few years ago and I have really enjoyed this truck. I really enjoyed to buying process, too, thanks to you.

Okay, here's my situation. I've got 57,000+ miles on this truck. I drive about 7,000 miles a year. It's (obviously) my weekender, my horse hauler. Recently, I have talked to two other Ford V-10 owners that cautioned me that Ford knows there is an issue with this engine, that there will be some expensive issues occuring at or around 100,000 miles. Does anyone have an insight into this caution? Fact or fiction?

Howdy back at you. The Triton V-10 came out in 97 in vans and is the #1 sell gas engine in Class A and C RV's. So there are a bunch of them out there. I've heard of some head gasket replacements and with an aluminum head, you need the engine cooled off before changing spark plugs. That's what I've heard the most of, is stripped spark plug threads in the head. Tritons were the first full size truck engines with overhead cams. Cars have had them for decades. The timing chain is steel not a belt. I haven't seen a difference in engine life or maintenance comparing the 6.8L Ford to the 8.1L GM gas engine. Bring that truck over and I'll help you get some miles on it.

I can tell you that that is fiction. I have not seen one with a cracked block yet but I have seen several that have spit out spark plugs which is a costly repair because the head has to be replaced. To prevent this, have the spark plugs replaced with genuine Motorcraft plugs at or around 60000 miles and make sure they stay tight. Overall, the V-10 has been a great engine with very few concerns.

How is that V-10 pulling a load? Does it compare to the Powerstrokes?

It's hard to compare a gas engine even a large one to a diesel. Geared down to 4.30, the V-10 does tow the weight of a diesel, but a diesel has more torque right off at idle, where a gas engine has to be near red line for torque and horsepower curves are closer. So it boils down to how you use your truck, how often do you tow, do your tow at maximum trailer capacity, how many miles per year, etc. It takes close to 100K for a new truck to pay for the extra cost of the diesel in fuel savings. I hope NoBite can tell us his experience with his V-10.

Regarding my experience pulling with the V-10. I pull a 3-horse Exiss horse trailer. It is the size of a 4-horse as it has a mid-tack. Usually, I am pulling 2 horses and lots of gear. This truck gets the job done fine. We've pulled through the Ozark Mountains, but not through the "real" mountains out West! I've never owned a diesel, so it's hard to compare. But, the other day I did get a chance to pull a little bumper-pull 2-horse trailer with a friend's new Cummins diesel. WOW! That was my first experience behind the wheel of a diesel. Lots more low-end torque. I mean, it was really noticeable! Hmmm. Some day...