i can get a killer deal on a leftover 1 ton van with 4-10's and 6 liter diesel-it only has 235hp and 440 ftlbs tq as it's non intercooled-it stickered for 36 k ,i can get for 22k otd-other than fuel being more-as far as operating expenses-whats all entailked-currently my 04 5.4 weighs in ~8500 lbs-,it moves ok with my mods- thinkin that diesel -even though non intercooled will have more grunt-thinkin -gauges, xcal 2 tuner by troyer and drop-in filter- any input or advice will greatly be appreciated-phil

 

Buy the diesel if you need it. If you're just gonna be driving back and forth to work and tooling around town, stick with what you got. The 6.0 liter needs to be worked hard for best results, and with the diesel comes a new premium with fuel and maintenance.

 

Is the maintenance major or minor? How does it compare to the gas engines? Diesel fuel is 60 cents more a gallon than regular and I don't know if I wanna pay that price. Is the 5.4 too small for the 250?

 

Diesel prices have come WAAY down over here. Id assume they will do the same in your neck of the woods too. Right now it is right on par with regular unleaded.

I dont do much towing my Powerstroke, but I wouldnt trade the performance, the fuel economy, and the long engine life for anything. Ive had so many gassers.... and just got fed up with the low torque, lousy fuel economy, and short engine lifes.

Diesels are more costly to maintain. But not that much more.

One example is a simple oil/filter change. Roughly $45 for my 7.3, doing it myself. Thats 14qts of Rotella, and a motorcraft filter.

But considering 5-8k between oil changes is acceptable, and the amount of driving I actually do, thats only 1-2 oil changes a year

Repairs are what will get ya. Spendy parts.

 

Fuel costs more; you're using 15 quarts of oil for an oil change as opposed to 7; fuel filters are about $60 from the dealer; if you buy a 6.0 liter with an automatic transmission, the Torqshift takes Mercon SP fluid - this trans holds about 15-16 quarts, IIRC, and it's about $4-5/quart. Should this thing go out of warranty while you're still owning it, and you run into any major problems, then it gets really expensive.

Buy a diesel if you need it, just remember, you gotta pay to play.

 

I don't need the power of the diesel at the current time. But I'm afraid by what I hear is the the 5.4 isn't enough engine for the 250. The V10 I haven't been able to locate even in searches to the Philly area. The $5300 diesel engine price doesn't bother me if the price of fuel comes down. My plan is to have a new truck by the end of the week but that may slip. The 250s are pretty much selling for $1500 below the factory invoice which is actually the $1500 rebate which ended today. But I'm sure Ford will honor it or some other incentive will come out.

I currently have a 4.6 in my 97 F150 which is an extended cab 4x4 and I hate the lack of power that it has. I don't wanna make that mistake in a new 250. I've had to suffer for 10 years now with an under powered truck. But if the diesel mpg is much better than the 2 gas engines I would prefer to go with that.

Are the oil changes in the diesels the same intervals as the gas? I assume you can't fire up the diesel and take off either especially in the winter. Can you get a remote starter for a diesel since it has glo-plugs?

 

Econolines with 6.0L diesels ARE intercooled.

 

I used to change at 3,500 miles, and recently was laughed off the block, so I went to 5,000 miles - but I'm all highway ant about 700 to 1,000 miles per week. Gassers should be morefrequently. If I recall, some doiesel guys go 7,000, but that's taboo to me.

In the winter, let a diesel warm up some before taking off. That should be the same way with a gasser in my book. Do you wan't to get outta bed on a 10 degree morning and go running fresh off the mattress?

Remote starts are not uncommon with smokers. They just take an additional module to preheat (glowplugs). Look on line. They are available as kits just like for gassers.

Good luck.

Smoke