1998 E-SuperDuty V-10 UHAUL MRU - Engine longevity and fuel mileage?
thetandycollector
07-14-2014, 12:07 PM
Hey everyone
Traded my 90 E-350XL Pickup this morning for a 1998 Ford E-SuperDuty UHAUL MRU. This truck was owned by a disabled gentleman in the middle of nowhere near Springfield, MO, for almost two years, and in that time period it had driven 46.9 miles. Odometer showed 449,738 miles, and U-Haul confirmed that the engine and transmission had been replaced with new-old-stock units at 449, 691, and that this gentleman had bought it off the lot for well over what I have in it. When I picked it up he said it had been bought originally for a move to Florida, but family stuff happened and plans changed. U-Haul couldn't find any history records for engine/trans replacement or rebuild prior to those.
Truck seems to drive incredibly well and seems impeccably maintained. When I purchased it, the guy told me it was a "big block," and not really having done any research I presumed it was a 460 engine, as I work on a lot of older Fords. At a friend's house later that night, I ran the vin# to find out it was a V-10... what a shock! I put $30 of 91 octane fuel in it to counter the 2-yr old varnished Casey's 87 ethanol, and it seems to get relatively good fuel mileage, all things considered. I wasn't exactly hot rodding it.
So, my question herein is: How reliable is the 6.8 Modular V-10? What kind of fuel mileage would one expect to get out of this kind of vehicle equipped with this engine? And, what is the approximate cost to replace one of these engines if it's needed? I already know the engine itself is quite the pricy rig. Are there any tips or tricks to maintaining this engine, or anything in specific that's a problem area or should be watched for... all seems great for now!
Any replies are appreciated,
Bill S, Eagle Auto.
*note* I'm sure this sounds like a dumb post, because I'm a mechanic with my own shop and all, but I just really don't have the time to sit down and quote myself an engine build, or research this vehicle as heavily as I normally would when I buy one.... things have been swamped and I can't allow myself to be sidetracked by my side projects :)
Traded my 90 E-350XL Pickup this morning for a 1998 Ford E-SuperDuty UHAUL MRU. This truck was owned by a disabled gentleman in the middle of nowhere near Springfield, MO, for almost two years, and in that time period it had driven 46.9 miles. Odometer showed 449,738 miles, and U-Haul confirmed that the engine and transmission had been replaced with new-old-stock units at 449, 691, and that this gentleman had bought it off the lot for well over what I have in it. When I picked it up he said it had been bought originally for a move to Florida, but family stuff happened and plans changed. U-Haul couldn't find any history records for engine/trans replacement or rebuild prior to those.
Truck seems to drive incredibly well and seems impeccably maintained. When I purchased it, the guy told me it was a "big block," and not really having done any research I presumed it was a 460 engine, as I work on a lot of older Fords. At a friend's house later that night, I ran the vin# to find out it was a V-10... what a shock! I put $30 of 91 octane fuel in it to counter the 2-yr old varnished Casey's 87 ethanol, and it seems to get relatively good fuel mileage, all things considered. I wasn't exactly hot rodding it.
So, my question herein is: How reliable is the 6.8 Modular V-10? What kind of fuel mileage would one expect to get out of this kind of vehicle equipped with this engine? And, what is the approximate cost to replace one of these engines if it's needed? I already know the engine itself is quite the pricy rig. Are there any tips or tricks to maintaining this engine, or anything in specific that's a problem area or should be watched for... all seems great for now!
Any replies are appreciated,
Bill S, Eagle Auto.
*note* I'm sure this sounds like a dumb post, because I'm a mechanic with my own shop and all, but I just really don't have the time to sit down and quote myself an engine build, or research this vehicle as heavily as I normally would when I buy one.... things have been swamped and I can't allow myself to be sidetracked by my side projects :)
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