I'm going to add my questions here as I look at Excursions and learn more about them. One good thing about being in Houston, TX is that diesel Super Duty's are very popular and there are plenty to choose from. I am primarily interested in a 2003 stock 4x4 7.3L 3.73 with the captain seats in the middle and less than 100k miles. It'll take some looking but I am patient!

Looked at an 04 6.0L 4x4 w/ 85000 at lunch today. It was an auction vehicle, original dealer was in Utah. I'm not experienced with what an undercarriage coating looks like that dealers try to sell folks, but this one looked like the wheel wells, springs, shocks, driveshaft, and rear differential had bed liner sprayed on. I shoulda taken a picture but I wasn't serious about the truck anyway...still, does that sound like a true dealer undercoating or does it sound like someone was trying to hide rust? The exhaust, muffler, and brackets were all mildly rusted but not bad.

Second, it had been started and was warm when I got there. When I cranked it over it started easily, but there was a brief 1-2 second period where the RPM's were very low then came up to proper idle. Is that a sign of anything specific or is that common? Exhaust had no smoke.

Third, A/C never got cold on the test drive and first press of the gas pedal didn't immediately rev the engine. It didn't repeat the problem, but what would hesitation imply? Injector issues?

I really only went to look at this truck to make sure the Excursion isn't too big for what we want. This truck had enough red flags that I wouldn't buy it, but it was a good introductory lesson.

I watched the powerstrokehelp guy on YouTube and am more comfortable about what to look for when I go look at others. Thanks

 

Greetings from a fellow Houstonian, although I'm substantially cooler since I have an Excursion already

2003 with a 7.3 is going to be a rare gem, keep an eye on those VIN numbers when searching online before travelling and wasting your time. Honestly, under 100k miles around these parts just isn't going to happen on a 11-14 year old truck, especially a diesel. If you do somehow manage to find one, it's going to be a damn fortune. I have 230k on mine, bought it with 183k and haven't had anything unexpected other than what you would expect maintenance- and parts-wise for the mileage. Still runs like a top with no issues. I should slap you for the 'too big' comment, you're in Texas... geez. Lol. That and it's essentially a crewcab shortbox with a permanent shell on the back.

My rig has the same undercoating on it, granted it's a bit worse for wear since it's 12 years old and I play offroad occasionally.

Sounds like a good choice passing on that 6.0. Don't let the 6.0 spook you, if the maintenance was done on it and it wasn't beat on or neglected you should be able to get one in confidence, just expect to do a few deletes or upgrades and you'll be fine. Razzi (Toreador_Diesel on here) should be able to give you quite a few pointers since he has both a 7.3 and a 6.0, and he's also in the area.

 

You aren't looking for a unicorn exactly but you are wanting a horse with a single horn attached somewhere to the top of it's head... Be prepared to either pay out the butt, travel, have it shipped, or settle for something else because a 50k EX 4X4, 7.3, with 3.73 gears, rear captains chairs, blessed by Ghandi, and driven by Henry Ford himself isn't going to pop up 2 blocks from your house for $3000. However if it does I'm moving back to Texas!!! No more Dallas though, H-town or Austin this time

 

Thanks y'all! So the undercoating I observed is probably legit?

One other question on the 4WD...is it shift on the fly into 4H like on the F150, or is it like my old Bronco (RIP...sniffle sniffle) where I had to go into neutral then shift into and out of 4WD?

 

Assuming all the vacuum lines are in good order and the hubs have been maintained, yes on the fly. ESOF hubs with a manual fail safe.

 

Shift on the fly

 

I'm a little confused on the 6.0. Everything I've read consistently says that these are to be avoided unless you also spend another 5-6k on "bullet proofing". Ford got sued over the engine, but there are a bunch of them out there with 200k. Did/Do these engines tend to fail period, or only when run hard, or???

We do not have the budget to sink another 6k into the truck after purchase. This truck will be used to haul people and material to our soon to be purchased land up near Crockett. I was avoiding the 6.0 just to eliminate the problem altogether, but if they are capable of being reliable I would sure appreciate any info on what I'd need to do as far as monthly checkups or maintenance to prevent a failure and to avoid the cost of bulletproofing.

One last thing (always more questions), are these trucks so heavy that the 4WD is really more to keep you from getting stuck in wet grass or is it pretty effective at getting the truck through some slop? I've sunk my F150 past the axles just trying to turn around in a tight spot on my uncle's place and 4L hasn't failed me yet. I plan to leave the suspension and tire size stock, so any experience on the weight of the truck impacting the 4x4 effectiveness on an Excursion?

Thanks again!

 

Sometimes you have to go into Neutral to shift "out" of 4LO but going "in" to 4LO or 4HI is "shift on fly" if all vacuum lines and hubs are operable.

 

For the. 6.0 questions I'm going to pass, I don't really know a hell of a lot about them and don't want to mislead you. I'll see if Razzi can get in here and help you out a bit. I do know that a coolant swap and filter kit is essential, but after that it's a wash. What I've heard a lot of is if you leave it completely stock tune it should get you by no issues, but again - I'm not for sure.

Plan now to revamp the suspension. A lot of us here consider it to be crap and way to soft and rollie pollie. The lack of a rear swaybar doesn't help matters either. Luckily, you can fix it fairly cheap if you spend a bit of time searching for the components so don't let it spook you.

The 4wd works well if everything is in working order, just like any vehicle. I've had mine over the step boards (4" and 35's) in mud and water, but thicker clay stuff gums it up quick.
This is the only time I've had it stuck to date, it was nasty **** lol.


Also, I shot you a PM

 

Thanks again Matt. We're up by 290/Beltway but used to live in Friendswood. Don't know what's worse, 290 or 45 down by 2351. Houston traffic....

About what should I budget for if we want to beef up the suspension?

 

Might want to grab some coffee, this will be a good read.

The 6.0 is an amazing piece of technology that people are generally afraid of becuase of it's history. The people who bad mouth the 6.0 fall into a few categories:

-They've owned a 6.0 new and had bad luck with it.

-They bought a 6.0 used and ended up buying someone else's problem

-They've never owned or had any experience with the 6.0, but love talking trash. (Most common category)

When I bought my 2005 Excursion, I bought prepared to sink some money into it if I had to. Come to find out, mine had a clogged oil cooler and leaking EGR cooler which meant some work needed to be done. The sales folks were shocked and appalled when they saw me hooking up the AE. They had no clue what it was, but were even more shocked when they found out how much I knew about the engine and they didn't. The look on their face was priceless..... I drove it home to Houston 700 miles from Amarillo and promptly dropped it off at Powerstroke Enginuities to have them bulletproof the engine. $3500 later (other shops quoted me WAY more, $5-$6K range), I essentially had a brand new engine as they resealed everything, replaced the headgaskets (didn't really need to, but had the money), installed ARP studs, installed an EGR delete and new Oil cooler, and a few "while the engine is out" things so I didn't have to think or worry about anything. Which to this day I don't, I just turn the key and drive everywhere with this grin on my face ->

The long and short of it: Did I really have to go that far to make my 6.0 reliable? No I didn't. I could've simply had PSE replace the oil cooler and EGR cooler and kept driving the truck. Even then, had the truck been perfectly healthy, I would not have had the engine work done and just driven the truck stock. At most, I would've flushed fluids, changed filters, and called it a day.

The 6.0 is nothing to be afraid of. It will run circles around a stock 7.3 any day. (This is coming from a 7.3 owner since new 401K on it now) Between the air management system, the VGT turbo, 4 valves per cylinder (vs 2 on a 7.3), the bulletproof transmission (from the factory btw), and the towing technology Ford put into the 6.0, it's an amazing piece of techology that out performs it's predecessor.

Problems arose in the early days becuase of the fuel available at the time. (Low Sulfur Diesel vs Ultra Low Sulfur diesel available today) LSD was potent stuff that gave great fuel economy and power to any diesel that ran it, 6.0 folks in the early days were averaging high teens and into the 20s without a chip or programmer. The problem with the 6.0, however, was the EGR. The fuel was considered "dirty" lead to carbon build up in the EGR system and plugged critical sensors like the EBPS and MAP. (both are required for the engine to run properly) With the advent of ULSD, this is considered to be a cleaner fuel, however, it has less power and offers less fuel economy. So the EGR and sensors plugging with carbon, isn't as prevalent as it used to be.

The other part was due to lack of maintenance, not following the maintenance schedule, and people not using Motorcraft filters when maintenance is performed. In the early days, filters were expensive and as a result, people went to knock off brands as they were cheaper. After finding quite a few warranty claims due to using non-motorcraft filters (mainly failing injectors and sometimes catastrophic engine failure with the wrong oil filter), Ford reduced the pricing of filters and also found that the warranty claims related to not using the correct filters dropped.

Flashes were developed to address some of the other issues, but the aforementioned is what gave the 6.0 the bad rap it has/had. Since then, these concerns have long been address and solutions to the 6.0 issues have been found and improved.

On to the 7.3: It's a tried and true workhorse that needs almost nothing but maintenance.

Though it's a tried and true workhorse, the 7.3 does have some room for improvements over engineering flaws and things Ford should've done with it, but didn't. Most of the solutions to these flaws come from a Crafty individual named Clay, owner of Riffraff Diesel.

-The stock fuel system is a dead head style that leads to fuel starvation on the #8 cylinder. Ford and International had a work around for this by installing a long lead injector that essentially takes two sips of fuel before it fires. (the rest only take 1) Even with this work around, #8 sometimes still starves for fuel and makes that apparent by cackling and knocking. The solution to this problem, Riffraff Diesel's Frx or Fuel Crossover: Fuel Rail Crossover? (FRx) - Riffraff Diesel Performance The benefit is four fold: it solves the deadhead issue, creates a regulated return, AND maintains better fuel pressure for better injector life and performance. It also doesn't allow air to reach the injectors after a fuel filter change or during normal operation. It's a very cost effective solution to fix something that should have been addressed.

-Riffraff Diesel also sells a High Pressure Crossover rail that balances the high pressure oil between the head: Stainless Steel HPX 99-03 - Riffraff Diesel Performance This allows for better, smoother starts and throttle response. It also allows the ICP to be more consistent as it's seeing a more balanced pressure and the pressure in both heads and not just one.

Since you're after reliability the above mods are what I'd suggest if you decide to go though with buying a 7.3.

As I've mentioned before, the 6.0 stock will run circles around a stock 7.3. This can be addressed with a chip, however and again, since you're after reliability you may not need to do all this as your truck may average great fuel economy in it's stock form. My Advice should you go the 7.3 route: drive it through 2-3 tanks, see how it does, then go from there.

Absolute Bottom line: Drive both and see how you feel about them. You can find a good 6.0 that will give many years and miles of trouble free service. The same applies to a 7.3, which brings me to my next point: if you need me to look at a vehicle (6.0 or 7.3) in the surrounding Houston area, I'll be more than happy to. I have an AE and a gauge to tell me if the EGR cooler or headgaskets are blown, so you're covered on both fronts. I'm well versed on both engines as I've done my fair of work and reading on them. The 7.3 will require less inspection, but it's always good to run the AE on it to see what underlying issues may be present. Either way, you can't go wrong, it's just a matter of making sure what you're buying is in good shape and/or knowing what needs attention.

 

There's two routes you can go with that....

There's the V/B code swap, which just involves replacing the springs and shocks with springs from a Super Duty.

Then there's the CT Performance way to doing the V/B code swap, but they take it to another level to where you get more out of it.

The first option will give you more stock characteristics with a firmer more controlled ride. The second will give you a noticable amount of lift that will allow for 35 inch tires like what Matt is running.

I'm not sure how much Cary's setup runs, but I know that if you buy brand new springs from the dealer, get new shocks, and a steering stabilizer you're looking at around $1300-1500 for parts. It's very doable in your driveway with some jacks and jack stands and generally takes a day to do.

 

As Razzi beat me to the it but is unsure on pricing:

I spent a hair over $2000 shipped for a full setup from CT Performance. These springs are F'ing HEAVY, so I consider it a good deal since I bought it when I was still active duty up in Washington state. It included all four brand new springs, instructions on the B-mod for the rear springs, all new u-bolts front and rear, new drop hangar kit for the front (to level with new rear springs which provide more overall lift), ICON adjustable chromoly panhard bar (it's freaking beast, massive !), and four custom valved Bilstein 5100 shocks. I decided to run single shocks up front based on where I was when I built the rig. Now that I'm back in Houston, I'm saving for twins - especially since Cary custom valves them so they don't ride like a typical dual-shock front setup.

Only other thing I want to do is add RAS and a rear swaybar and I'm done with it. Maybe some airbags when I tow heavy but that's very rare. Overall, the truck is much more composed and stable than it was stock, and right now I'm about 7" over a stock Excursion in height. Says something for how crappy the stock setup is when a lifted rig handles and rides BETTER.

It took my friend and I an entire Saturday to do it in my driveway with hand tools. Power tools would've been nice, as would a torch for the stubborn hardware but PB Blaster goes a long way.

 

Another option is ATS Springs also a sponsor here on FTE.

 

First off, many MANY thanks to you all for the help and patience and EFFORT in answering my questions. Education on the fly is invaluable to me.

Drove two more today. A really used but cheap 02 4WD 7.3 and a pretty used 04 2WD 6.0. As for finding the specific year, drivetrain, engine in immaculate condition I think I'm beginning to see a nub poke out of the horse's forehead. Anyway, I definitely see what you said about the 6.0 doing donuts around the 7.3. The 7.3 is more of a "I'll get there when I get there and ya can't stop me" where the 6.0 is more "I'll get there right effing now if I want to". Way more git up n go, and quieter. My wife will most likely go straight for the 6.0 just on that.

And of course, here are the questions....

1. Since I may have to just take the best truck I can find and mod it back to stock, is the cost to "unlift" a truck with 3 front shock absorbers per side crazy expensive? Basically have to take the custom cheap off, but all new stock suspension then offset the cost selling the used lifted suspension (and wheels/tires)? There's a white one on cargurus.com that has a 6" lift and some whoopdeedoo suspension. Just curious if it is cost prohibitive for bringing it back down out of the clouds.

2. The 04 2WD 6.0 I drove today DEFINITELY had some kind of issue. It had a continuous sound between a whir and the very beginnings of a light screech. Wasn't the belt. I tried to capture it with my phone but I don't know it it came through well enough to hear it:

http://s120.photobucket.com/user/txpitdog/media/4273CB72-685D-4BE8-B6E0-519AC2AC736C_zpst2o0t5tw.mp4.html

Any idea what that is?

I want to drive another 7.3. I'm definitely more comfortable with the 6.0 than I was thanks to Torreador_diesel, but I still have some more unnecessarily paranoid type questions before I'll buy one. I do like that I could get a newer vehicle with the 6.0, so we'll see.

Thank you! Again!