After the unfortunate post of the fellows chevy 1 ton problems. The 300-6 Ford my buddy loves them, I never had much luck with them. How did they hold up for you all? I look at it to that in the 60-70's they might have been good but so was the flathead v8 in the 1930's. By the way I sure have changed a lot of them!!! lets keep it clean and cival!!!
- Thread starter JOCCO
- Start date
Had to change a lot of what - Ford 300 sixes? If that's the case, I'm wondering what you did to them?
I'm not a big Ford fan, but that being said, the 240 and 300 sixes were very durable engines - right to the end of production. 240 was the smaller version but still had the gear drive cam. My 1965 Ford F100 had over 300,000 miles on it when I got rid of it with the 240 six. I've had several 300s that did just as well. My wife's dad has a 1995 F150 4WD. He does all his snow plowing with it. As I recall, it was the last year that Ford used the 300 six. He's got 130K on it presently, and never had any problems other then the oil pan had to be replaced once. Seems those pans tend to rust easy.
I'm not a big Ford fan, but that being said, the 240 and 300 sixes were very durable engines - right to the end of production. 240 was the smaller version but still had the gear drive cam. My 1965 Ford F100 had over 300,000 miles on it when I got rid of it with the 240 six. I've had several 300s that did just as well. My wife's dad has a 1995 F150 4WD. He does all his snow plowing with it. As I recall, it was the last year that Ford used the 300 six. He's got 130K on it presently, and never had any problems other then the oil pan had to be replaced once. Seems those pans tend to rust easy.
teddy52food
Well-known Member
I rebuilt a few of them. All were high milage company trucks driven hard by hired help. They have 7 main bearings. As good of an engine as any of them.
old
Well-known Member
- Location
- Camdenton Missouri
One of the best ford engines ever built. I have one in a 1965 1 ton and it starts most of the time with little work even after sitting for a year. Back before my dad blew the rear end in that truck it got 18MPG which is very good for a 1 ton. The first rear end was something like 5.53 gears and the one in it now are 4.11s so it is not sort of a wimp
Hobby farm
Hobby farm
Ford 240 and 300 6s were designed for long commercial use instead of light car and some commercial use like earlier engines with the 4 bearing crankshafts. Ford had a "light" 6 family about the same time- the 144,170,200 and last 250 inchers. These kept the 4 bearing crank design and would fit into smaller bodied cars. The 170 inch low compression was used in the first mid 60"s Econolines (midship engine)as a space saving measure- but that was not at the time thought to be "heavy" commercial service. The 240 was the cab and commercial van (E-100) engine. 7 main bearing crank, gear drive cam, larger oil pump, extra iron in block and heads for strength compared to "thin wall casting" block, short chain drive cam, 4 bearing crankshaft of light 6. Crank and rod bearing sets available in service bearing +2-5 thousands wear for extending life of lower end without maching crank journals. RN
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
'96 was the last year for those, I have a '96 150 xlt fwd and 5 speed, and 300-Six / 4.9, it's a decent combination, same mileage, we had a '66 f-100 service truck way back when, pretty good performer, same as most others I've seen, later ones are easy enough to work on, the though the later ones electronic-computer-sensors (whatever those late models have) can be tough to root out, had one light on for awhile until I got the dealers best truck mechanic to do some work on it, good for light towing, that motor holds it's own for a 1/2 ton. Ok on fuel mileage, 5 speed manual is preferable, though it's a light duty Mazda M5 R1 trans.
bradley martin
Well-known Member
Almost indestructible...basic maintenance and they will run forever. Not the best on mileage, but an extremely durable, trouble-free engine IMHO. I have had 4 of them in 1/2 ton - 1 tons over the years.
James White
Member
I had a 77 Ford F150 with the 300 in it. When I sold it ,it had 650,000 on it. The only thing I had ever done inside was to put in a high volume oil pump. That was about the 200,000 mile mark. Ive got a 90 F150 with a 5.8 351 and it automatically turns in at the gas station!
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Ive got a 96 F150 with the same engine, 4wd and got 19.3 mpg on a 100 mile test.Auto overdrive and the tach says 1500 rpm at 50 mph.
I would agree with railhead. The Ford 300-6 in the commercial (farm equip) was probably one of the best. But that Chrysler slant six would run a close second. Another one was the little Chev,4 cyl, even for a smaller engine they served their purpose well I think. Anything you buy now has to have a foreign 3 cyl. diesel or the companies don't want them.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
I had an 86 F 150 4x4 automatic with the 300. I was dissapointed with power and mileage but had no trouble with it. A couple of years newer would have meant fuel injection and just may have pleased me more.
My family's business had a 1964 Econoline Van with the 300 six in it that we bought used in the late sixties. It had been used (more like used up) by an electrician and when we got it it was knocking louder than any engine I ever heard. You could turn the steering wheel almost a complete turn before the front wheels would move. We figured we would drive it until it blew up and get it rebuilt. Us delivery guys(I was 16) were not very kind to it as it was expected to blow any minute anyway so we really dogged it. Well, every time we left we thought we would be walking back but that van never failed to come back under it's own power for the 10 years we drove it and we never went into the engine. We sold it to a friend of the family (with full disclosure). He rebuilt the front end and he drove it for several years until he passed away. His widow then sold it and it was still knocking just like the first day we got it. But I was always impressed with that engine, it was one tough old bird. My grandfather always had a 300 six in his Ford cattle truck and I understand why.
Stockdale Dave
Member
Had a 90 F150 with the 300 6 cylinder. I knew why the truck had two gas tanks...to make it between gas stations. Never got better than 13 MPG with a 5 speed stick.
Had a 95 F150 work truck. My guys ran it out of oil twice and it still ran like a new one. Had 290K on it and gave it to a friend who got laid off. He still has it. What a truck. Indestructable.
Had a 95 F150 work truck. My guys ran it out of oil twice and it still ran like a new one. Had 290K on it and gave it to a friend who got laid off. He still has it. What a truck. Indestructable.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
I've got 95 ford flareside with a 300engine 5speed trans. You won't beat anybody in the 1/4 mile, but that is not a big deal to me. It has 171,000 miles and still driven daily. I have done nothing to it but proper routine maitenance...so in my book you can't beat it!
Reaver
Reaver
I'm wondering how some guys figure them milage was so bad???
I've got an 88 2wd F150 w/ a 5 speed mazda behind it, and it gets a steady 15 MPG with some city some hwy miles. If it's pure highway miles, it'll do 18+, at 70-75 MPH. Still the poriginal clutch, and it's pulled many hundreds of tons of hay, straw, fertilizer, and any other job a farm truck would have.
Worst I ever got for milage was maybe 12, but it was all either hauling in 3rd gear or city driving.
Great engine, great transmission, rusted out body. Almost 200k on it, although about 3 years worth of driving ain't on the clock...
Donovan from Wisconsin
I've got an 88 2wd F150 w/ a 5 speed mazda behind it, and it gets a steady 15 MPG with some city some hwy miles. If it's pure highway miles, it'll do 18+, at 70-75 MPH. Still the poriginal clutch, and it's pulled many hundreds of tons of hay, straw, fertilizer, and any other job a farm truck would have.
Worst I ever got for milage was maybe 12, but it was all either hauling in 3rd gear or city driving.
Great engine, great transmission, rusted out body. Almost 200k on it, although about 3 years worth of driving ain't on the clock...
Donovan from Wisconsin
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
LOL, The reason for that is the slant six didn't make enough power to tear itself up. But both engines, slant six and 300 Ford are extremely durable.
ive had several of those in everything from a f600 to a pickup, they were the best most reliable engine ford ever built the 289's were good but they wouldnt lug and make power the 300 will, the worst thing ford ever did was quite building that engine, they had all the bugs out of it after having it around for 20 or more years
cornfarmer
Member
The Ford 300-6 is one of the best engines ever built as far as being bullet-proof. I wish Ford still made them. I still have an '89 with only about 80,000 on it. Sold my '95 F150 4wd 6cyl with 240,000 miles to a friend a year ago and still going strong. A few years ago sold another friend an E150 Ford van with the 300-6 and manual transmission-had around 200,000 miles on it and he put over 100,000 more on it before the body rusted so bad you couldn't put anything in back because it would fall out-but the engine still ran fine.
Tough as nails, lots of torque. I have a big chipper with one in it. It's never been cared for when I got it, oil was like tar and the airfilter was rotted in half. Hour meter showed +5000. Serviced it an probably have put another 2000 on it. Still cranks right away and will eat any tree you can gt the rollers to bite on.
RandyB(MI)
Well-known Member
What they all said. Dad had a '65 full size Ford when I got my liscense , that had the 240/300 series engine with a three on the tree. I beat the living $ell out of that car , drag racing it every Fri. nite with the buddies , run it into the ditch trying to kiss & drive with girl friend and various other near misses with disaster and that thing never told on me. Got 21 mpg highway. Only problem ever had was the famous "automatic choke" that finally got converted to manual. Bullet proof engines.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
I've had several of the 300's and I loved them all,my dad bought a 95 1 ton with the 300 in it and it is an great truck. He swears the truck is mine when he retires it but until then I've looked everywhere for a F-350 of that year range with the 300 in it but I've had no luck. I knew six cylinder 1 tons were fairly common up until the 70's, but until I saw that truck I had no idea that they were still availible up to 1996.
Jim H SW-PA
Member
In that ara they made two slant sixes a 225, and a 225 charger seemed like the charger had a little more stuff. good engine.
The 300 six was a very reliable engine the last one I had was in an 86 ½ ton with a 4 speed 3000 rpm was 62 mph.
Traded that one for a 89 with a 302 thinking it had more power because of the V8 and all it did was use more gas, and didn't have the pulling/lugging power of the 300.
The 300 six was a very reliable engine the last one I had was in an 86 ½ ton with a 4 speed 3000 rpm was 62 mph.
Traded that one for a 89 with a 302 thinking it had more power because of the V8 and all it did was use more gas, and didn't have the pulling/lugging power of the 300.
Nebraska Cowman
Well-known Member
The 300 6 was good. I like the 5.4 Tritan equaly. Lots of low end torque
I really liked them. Over the years only had trouble out of one, it was in a 1985. Of course, I had lots of trouble out of early 80s Fords with that distributor mounted ignition module. The one 1985 I had, bought it new my senior year of high school and used it hard all through college. I ended up tearing it down in 1990, 80,000 miles and had broken rings on 4, 5, and 6.
Bill Shafer
Member
Onan used them for years as generator engines. Best thing Onan ever used. I had one at a store that ran for 35 days without stopping. Only stopped when it ran out of oil and the system shut it down.
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