Finally picked up a new towing rig. 2002 PSD "X". Needed something to move my wife and I, 3 kids (maybe more later), 2 dogs, and all the stuff that comes along with that crew.

It only has 100k km (60k miles), vinyl floor, and cloth seats... perfect.

 

I can't how this truck handles.. It is just like all of the forums say. The suspension is too soft, front end bottoms out all the time, it wanders like crazy on the highway, and rolls over in curves.

First thing to conquer is the suspension
new springs (v/b codes - already in hand, got them from a local spring shop and had the b codes re-arched for an extra 2")
new shocks (got some Rancho RS9000)
new sway bar bushings in the front (on order - will be here tomorrow)
new rear hellwig sway bar for the rear (on order - will be here next week)

After that, it has several other issues
1 - oil leak on the top of the engine, runs down the pass. side onto the manifold so I often have a burning oil smell.... This is currently be diagnosed by Ford
2 - open door light stays on all the time
3 - interior light don't work
4 - rear door/hatch locks don't work

 

Congratulations! New springs and shocks will make a huge difference.

I'd like to see some pics of the vinyl floors. I keep thinking that I'd like that and figure I probably oughta try to order it if its still available. Anybody have part #'s?

 

Check the tires too...make sure they are E rated tires as some folks have found D rated tires on their Ex's when they bought them...that will make a big difference too.

Ford initially equipped Ex's with D rated tires but I believe they had a recall and upgraded them all to E's.

Good luck and keep us posted on how things go...the things you mentioned are things that will make a big difference...but also make sure you have someone check out the ball joints too...you are in the neighborhood where those are known to go...especially on the heavier PSD engined Ex's.

joe.

 

I looked at one with the vinyl floor and thought that would be good to have with kids... Good luck with your upgrades.

 

Thanks! The ball joints were actually done before I bought it. Front axle seemed good except for the sway bar bushings.

 

For those interested in the rare, vinyl floor, here are some pics. This is the best feature of this Ex.

 

omfg fml i wish mine had the vinyl floor you have noooo idea what 4 year old hot chocolate smells like even after its shampooed out

 

Congrats on the new truck. I'd definitely like the rear section in vinyl, wonder if that's a separate part#?

 

Complete set $275 shipped - 'includes passenger and cargo area'. I ordered some samples to make sure what color I want!
Ford Excursion Molded Replacement Vinyl - Complete Set

I'll clean the carpet and put it in storage...

 

Thanks Jason, I sent them an email asking if they would sell just the cargo section.

 

I appreciate the reps Mike, although it was just a couple minutes of 'work' using the almighty power of the gooogle.

I WILL be ordering the complete set, unless the samples are just really bad. Look for me to post a write-up when I completely tear the inside of my X apart to install it!

Its actually cheaper than 'all weather floor mats' and eliminates the issues from funky stuff getting into the carpet. These only do so much and do not address the issues from past sins... Protection Package Details

 

So I'm ready to start doing the suspension. I have all of the parts except the hellwig rear sway bar. Front/rear springs, front/rear shocks, and u-bolts are all in hand.

Before I start, I thought I'd take all of the measurements.

Front ground to top of fender well = 38 1/4"
Rear ground to top of fender well = 39 3/8"
Ground to front valence = 13 7/8"
Ground to bottom of trailer chain loops = 15 1/4"
Front bump stop clearance = about an inch
Squat with my offroad rig and trailer attached = 2 11/16"

I'll start unbolting stuff tomorrow (unless Ford can take the truck back in again, cause they didn't freakin' fix the oil leak like they thought they did!!)

 

So the other day I took off the bush guard on the front of the truck. The thing was silly and kinda vibrated a little. The funny thing was that it uses the 4 front mounting bolts for the bumper and I didn't realize that I had to put them back in to hold the bumper on. Good thing the other 2 bolts were still in!!

Anyway, started my suspension today. I know that many guys have posted stuff like this before but I like to keep a record of it too. So here goes. Step by step.

1 - Remove the bumper. This includes several steps
a - Take out the 4 bolts on the front. 2 on each side, on the outside of the tow hooks (these were already out on mine)


b - remove the support bracket bolts (1 on each side of the truck, inside the front fender well, near the front)


c - the block heater cord has to be released from the bumper. Mine was taped to clips on the bumper in 2 spots
d - detach the rubber flashing that connects to the bottom of the bumper. If you look in the bottom opening of the bumper, you can see the three connectors that need to be pried apart

 

So here is the bumper off