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Be Thankful Your Ford V10 Is The 2-Valve Version

ron_dittmer
Explorer II
Explorer II
If you own a Ford E350 or E450 with the Triton V10 or the smaller Triton V8 engine, you have the 2-valve version that offers less horse power than the 3-valve version. You have 2-valves because the 3-valve version is too large to physically fit in the van's engine compartment.

I was thinking of buying a used Ford F150 4x4 pick-up truck, a 2006 with 105,000 miles which had the 3-valve 5.4L-V8 Triton engine. I got on an F150 forum and asked a general question on what to inspect for, and I got a boat load of information, specifically concerning the engine. I also have a long time friend who has worked for decades as a tech for an area Ford dealership. His advise was plain and simple. Do NOT buy a Ford pickup truck with a 3-valve Triton engine.

If you are tech-savy and enjoy a "good watch" on engine stuff, the two videos in reply #7 in my posting question HERE are fascinating. The videos point out clear evidence that the engine heads get damaged over the miles due to oil starvation that first shows up on the right head. The problem is accelerated when people don't change the oil frequently enough to prevent engine sludge formation.

What I took from this is a warning to us here is to change your oil every 5000 miles. Don't go longer.

Better to be safe than sorry. Going longer will build up engine sludge. Some of the oil passages on the 3-valve engine (and maybe also on our 2-valve versions) are smaller than usual and they clog very easy. So changing your oil at 5000 mile intervals will prevent sludge build-up and keep those tiny oil passages clear of obstruction.
20 REPLIES 20

pnichols
Explorer II
Explorer II
pianotuna wrote:
Phil,

Are you using a dc to DC charger to get those rates?


Don,

No ... The stock OEM (Motorcraft?) 130 amp alternator puts out these levels into my 230 AH AGM coach battery bank - starting out - whenever the 2 paralled 12 vot Group 31 batteries get discharged down to around a terminal reading of ~12.1 volts.

I believe it is a Motorcraft 3G 130 amp alternator on our 2005 E450 and that the 3G alternator design was noted for it's low RPM output. The pulleys overdrive it relative to engine RPM - if I remember correctly about at a 1.72:1 ratio on the E450 V10.

I used to have the performance curves for this alternator, but can't seem to locate a link to them anymore. When the alternator is cold, it's output voltage into the coach battery bank is around 14.2-14.4 volts. As the batteries charge and the alternator warms up, the voltage drops down into the 13.7-13-9 volt range. When traveling in very high ambient air temperature conditions and with the coach battery bank fully charged, I've seen the alternator's output voltage read only 12.9 volts - which is about right for my fully charged AGM batteries when on "float" in high ambient temperatures. It's as if the alternator somehow treats the AGM batteries perfectly.
2005 E450 Itasca 24V Class C

pianotuna
Nomad II
Nomad II
Phil,

Are you using a dc to DC charger to get those rates?
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.

pnichols
Explorer II
Explorer II
FWIW, the V10 in our motorhome idles very, very quietly ... quieter than our built-in Onan generator or portable Honda generator.

I've lately started merely idling the V10 in our Class C to bulk-charge the coach batteries when drycamped on RV trips. It's alternator dumps up to 70+ amps into the 50% discharged coach batteries and tapers down from there throughout the idle-charging period.

I actually learned of the above charging approach from my father-in-law around 45 years ago when he did it with his GMC V8 powered motorhome, but have only been doing it recently when I realized how quiet the V10 idles.
2005 E450 Itasca 24V Class C

brwesi
Explorer
Explorer
I have 4 of the V10 engines and had 1 of the 5.4. 2 are in F250 super duty regular cab, 4 x 4 trucks with manual transmissions. 1 has 308,000 miles and is a daily driver. The 2nd is my personal truck, 200,000 miles. My wife drives a 30' class C and pulls a 2 horse trailer all over Texas. Her V10 has 130,000 miles. The other is an F350 dually, flatbed I bought with 132,000 miles on it.The 5.4 had 153,000 miles since new when I sold it to my son. We lost 1 spark plug in the 308,000 mile truck. Everything else has been routine maintenance. We do all our own service work, all Motorcraft filters and fluids. Semi synthetic oil every 7500 miles. I love the V10, they will pull anything you want to latch onto and I find them very reliable.

DRTDEVL
Explorer
Explorer
Late to the party, but I beg to differ on the 5k oil changes on the 2v 5.4. I say it depends more upon the engine hours and usage.

I used to expedite freight in a 1997 E150 high top with the 5.4 2V engine. I changed the oil filter every 5k miles and the oil every 20k miles. I only used 5w30 synthetic.

I retired that van when the rear axle housing got bent by hitting a monster pothole in the rain when towing a loaded trailer. It had 304,000 miles on it, the engine fired up perfectly every time, had even compression numbers across the cylinders, and there was no smoke to be found. I changed the transmission fluid and filter every 50k with Amsoil, and the rear end at the same intervals.

This placed my engine oil change interval at around 300 hours. Remember how I said it depended upon your usage? 300 hours in a normally used vehicle is only about 9,500 miles. The easiest miles on an engine are highway miles, and that van pretty much lived on US90 between El Paso and Del Rio, Laredo, and the RGV, just meandering along 2-lane highways at 65-70 mph with minimal traffic. The 5k oil filter changes exchanged nearly a quart of oil for fresh synthetic, and ensured the media was always in good shape to keep the oil clean. Back then I could pick the filters up at Walmart for about $4.50 each.


So yeah, take the numbers and other people's processes with a grain of salt. They may not be right for your application.
Resurrecting an inherited 1980 Minnie Winnie 20RG from the dead after sitting since 1998..

Jarlaxle
Explorer II
Explorer II
theoldwizard1 wrote:
First, I don't know if Ford ever made a 3V V10, but it never went into an exercise chassis.


They did...it went into everything EXCEPT vans-the F-53 DID use it.
John and Elizabeth (Liz), with Briza the size XL tabby
St. Bernard Marm, cats Vierna and Maya...RIP. ๐Ÿ˜ž
Current rig:
1992 International Genesis school bus conversion

Jarlaxle
Explorer II
Explorer II
Chum lee wrote:
Yes, in spite of the "knowledge" you glean from the internet, the engineers at Ford actually do an exhaustive amount of engine research. Even so, they still make mistakes, . . . . just like everyone else. (What a surprise!) When they tell you to change the oil at 5000 miles, they don't just pull that info from their hind quarters. IMO, THEY MEAN IT!

My 1999 F53 V10 is a 2 valve SOHC 275 Hp engine. At a later date (I'm not sure the exact year, you can look it up) it was upped to the 3 valve (315 Hp) and later to the 365 Hp engine. IMO, a phenomenal achievement for a truck engine without changing the displacement.

As someone who worked in a Ford parts department, I can tell you that if you go to the Ford factory parts website, you can look up the part number for the oil pump on the V10, 2 valve vs. the 3 valve. If it's the same, the pump is the same. If it's different, the pumps are different in some way. (maybe oil pressure, maybe flow, I don't know) You can look at the Ford Factory Service Manuals for that. They (Ford) may also use a different oil pressure relief valve, which you can also look up. Not that hard.

Chum lee


310hp was the 2-valve. 362hp was the 3-valve.
John and Elizabeth (Liz), with Briza the size XL tabby
St. Bernard Marm, cats Vierna and Maya...RIP. ๐Ÿ˜ž
Current rig:
1992 International Genesis school bus conversion

WinMinnie02
Explorer
Explorer
Thank you for the information. I perform oil changes every 3000 miles or every 2 years on all my vehicles. Not too much $ for peace of mind. I do it myself still running strong all these years. Ford E450 V10 is very strong engine and it has treated us nicely.

Geeze
Explorer
Explorer
time2roll wrote:
The early 2V seemed to have a period where they were blowing out spark plugs. Not exactly immune to troubles.
Book may call for 5k oil changes but I am doing fine with 10k changes. Based on miles only and now with less use could be a few years between changes. Not an issue IMO.
I would assume all these motors have the exact same oil pump. Oil pumped volume is not an issue.


The 5.4 also had an issue with sludge build up in a oil passage running from the block to the right head. When it plugs you lose oiling of the valves on that bank. From what I've read they recommend frequent oil changes to prevent this from happening.

carringb
Explorer
Explorer
Run synthetic and you avoid oil sludge issues. The timing chain tensioners in the 2-valve Tritons need good oil too! Or as mentioned, change it regularly. I don't have time for that though. 12k oil changes with full synthetic serve me well. I don't do much in-town driving however.
2000 Ford E450 V10 VAN! 450,000+ miles
2014 ORV really big trailer
2015 Ford Focus ST

klutchdust
Explorer II
Explorer II
time2roll wrote:
The early 2V seemed to have a period where they were blowing out spark plugs. Not exactly immune to troubles.
Book may call for 5k oil changes but I am doing fine with 10k changes. Based on miles only and now with less use could be a few years between changes. Not an issue IMO.
I would assume all these motors have the exact same oil pump. Oil pumped volume is not an issue.


I had my oil sent to a lab when my Duramax had 30K miles on it. After 15 years it has 95K. They analyzed it and recommended oil change every 6500 miles based on my engine up to that point.

An oil analysis eliminates any guessing and for 30 bucks it's valuable information. As I have repeated many times, regular maintenance using quality products is the best extended

warranty you can buy.

crawford
Explorer
Explorer
I have had both and never had a problem with either. My 3 valve per cylinder now has 76,000 miles on it changed oil and greased front end. add track bar and new sway bay bushings font and rear since 2006. They only warning we go was spark plugs blew out of the 2 valve per cylinder that never happen to me. This new one has a problem with plugs also ford plugs have a metal cover around the end of plug. some times it will brake off in side I removed all 10 replaced all will solid plugs by champion solved that problem.
Change from a c class to a A class Georgetown 07 triple slide

time2roll
Nomad
Nomad
The early 2V seemed to have a period where they were blowing out spark plugs. Not exactly immune to troubles.
Book may call for 5k oil changes but I am doing fine with 10k changes. Based on miles only and now with less use could be a few years between changes. Not an issue IMO.
I would assume all these motors have the exact same oil pump. Oil pumped volume is not an issue.

Geeze
Explorer
Explorer
The 5.4 also had the spark plug seizing in the head problem. I don't think I would attempt a spark plug change in any aluminum head unless the engine wasn't running right. Changing the oil in a truck engine every 3,000 miles is a good idea. I change the oil in my Class C V-10 every 2500 miles which is once a year to and from my winter destination. I use a Motorcraft filter and Mobil 1 oil.