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wolfpack219

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Posts posted by wolfpack219

  1.  

    How well have your current units been holding up? The RWD Hemi Chargers have been unreliable with my Department (Indiana State Police). So now they decided to spend more money and have switched to AWD Chargers. :doh: Cant wait to see the maintenance nightmare these will be! I have not heard many complaints about them from the guys because they love how fast they are. We started the switch in 2011 and still have about 1/3 fleet with CVPI, including me. :victory: They started using Tahoes for Commercial Vehicle Troops, but quit buying them due to cost. Several of them are still in CVPIs with pretty high mileage due to not having a vehicle that can haul portable scales. Last I heard, they looked at PIU but decided to get 4WD trucks, most likely Rams. :doh:

    The most regular fixed items in the first years units was some PTU failures but I don't see that anymore. Now there seems to be some cheap sensors that cause check engine lights to come on but doesn't cuase issues with the way it runs. I have not seen any major or catastrophic failures from our units. I have 100k on my 13 AWD 3.7L. I totaled a 14 model stopping a wrong way driver a couple years ago, it had 26k with no issues. They seem to hold up very well compared to our PD's dodges..... They have since switched to the utilities also.

    • Like 1
  2. I have been driving PIU vehicles now with my Sheriff's Office for several years now. What seems strange to me is it's not all the vehicles. My department has at least a couple hundred of these vehicles driving around and I have heard of one PIU being turned in for the exhaust fumes in the cab. Whatever is causing it is not consistent, and is either occuring as a manufacturer defect or being created with wear. I personally have not had this issue and my units idle forever, probably more then drive time due to checkpoints and other patrol activity.

  3. I think you have that backwards--the engine volume is in the F150, and that's what'll underwrite their use in the cars. Looking at the numbers, Ford sold nearly as many EB27 F150s as they sold Fusions or Explorers.

    I guess I just didn't say that correctly. What I meant was if they can keep a solid demand for that many motors throughout an entire product line (most notably the f150), then it's financially feasible. You wouldn't want 5.0 only being in a Mustang or a 2.7 only being in a low volume fusion.

    • Like 1
  4. A V6, two EBs, a V8, and a diesel. The last time they offered that many options, it must've been the '70s, when the 335-family V8s were still in production. For most of the '80s and '90s, the choice was four mills--300 I6, 302 V8, 351W V8, or 460 V8.

    As long as they are putting those motors in other ford vehicles, the production works and giving the option to apply it to the truck is feasible.

  5. I'm pretty sure my Department gets Ford PIU's for between 29-32k. 25 units at that price is 800k vs about 925k for Tahoe's. Also what needs to be taken into consideration is that our fleet mechanics have all been trained on fords and have all the Ford Equipment/computers. It was going to cost additional $ to switch everything over to Dodge or GM and the light package for Tahoe's is more expensive. Overall it's just more cost effective to go with the ford for several reasons in addition to how good of a patrol vehicle it really is. I certainly enjoy mine. Also crashed one stopping a wrong way driver and came away unscathed, so very happy with it.

    • Like 4
  6. We have outfitted a majority of 300+ department with them. Mine doesn't have as many miles as I had a 6 month hiatus after an ankle injury. 31k on mine but others in my unit have 60k+ with no issues. Some of our first issued ones are closing in on 100k and other than some minor leaks in seals I haven't heard of anything catastrophic happening on its own. We have had several crashed units however and they are safe vehicles.

    • Like 1
  7. Treadhead:

    I have been a Sherrifs Deputy for 6 years now. I started in the famous Crown Vic, been in pursuits, crashes, and rough rides in that thing. Just pure reliable those cars were. I couldn't tell you how many times I took it in the shop to find out parts were broken or bent and still drove hard and smooth.

     

    I have been driving a Ford Explorer Utility now since 2013. It's hands down a better patrol vehicle and you heard the praise I just gave the CV. More room, better seats, faster, handles better, more capable, and just as reliable. More aggressive looking also as we drive black and whites with push bumpers. I don't know what else to say about it but if you have specific questions let me know and I'll try to answer them. By the way we drive the 3.7L V6 AWD model.

    • Like 1
  8. I'd say it's a fair comparison. I think Ford went less aggressive on the track set up and tried to stay more neutral on both set ups. I gotta be honest here though, I don't want my car to handle like a race car. Personally I like many others want a nice ride that I can step into it some when driving if I please. I want that exhaust growl and amenities in my interior. My mustang would never see the track, and if I was going to be at the track REGULARLY then I would not be buying a daily driver but a 350 or 350R. Those cars are race cars. I was just chatting with an older gentleman yesterday as I parked next to his 2015 GT at the store. He said he drove both the Chevy and Ford and as a high paying customer, he said point blank that the mustang had better fit and finish, style, and he couldn't even drive it hard enough to tell the difference in performance between the two. I'd say that's probably a majority of the customer base. And for the other guys, again Gt500, 350, 350R are available to blow the doors off the Chevy line up.

  9. So after hours upon hours of research it's come to my attention that there is a solution to failing PTU units. The more expensive way appears to be a flush and change of oil between 20-30k miles, lesser end if hard usage occurs. It appears that the oil breaks down under immense heat and also can wear the seals due to heat once the oil is turned to paste. Now the dealership will change it for you, but it will be on your dime (around 110.00). Other solutions from Ford mechanics has been to add their own drain plug to the unit. It it important to not over fill the unit however as it will overflow and leak from the exhaust tube and could leak onto the exhaust causing bad odors. Just thought I would put this here to let Ford owners know you can extend the life of the PTU but it will require more maintenance than suggested in the user manual. Also the over seas explorer is said to have the drain plug installed from the factory and is recommended regular changes with off road use.

     

    Has anybody been doing this already?

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