As my 04 is in the garage until I can do work on the top end, I needed something to drive. I was looking at a nice ram 1500 as I wanted a pickup but a 4 door f250 was just to pricy. He fell through and htis morning I looked and found an 01 excursion limited with a v10 with 130k for $3500. I didn't have high hopes, being it was in east philadelphia, in some unplesant neighborhoods, but it was inspected until May.

Drove the wife's car there, it had dealer plates on it when I pulled up, a dolley on the back with a car on it. Turns out htey were using it to pick up cars from auction but it was to big. Agreed on $2000 considering it was in ok shape but had some leaks and odds and ends it needed, such as both mirrors being banged up from being in the city. I talked him into letting me borrow his dolly to take the wife's car home too. Towed her nissan sentra home on the dolly without issue about 30 miles. Returned the dolley and now I'm home.

The one thing that really bothers me is hte shifter. It's hard to move from park to drive and back. Once there the transmission shifts flawlessly, it's just moving it back and forth. I'm thinking the cable, but I'm not sure.

It has a power steering leak as well, and what looks like a leak between the transmission and transfer case. The front of the rear diff is also moist, but not wet, with crud built up. The transmission is low, but the filler hose is lose as well, like it's not bolted on. I made sure it had fluid and decided to deal with it once home.

Love to hear any suggestions on getting these issues resolved.

And of course, pictures.

 

Congrats!

 

$2000 for it? Nice job!

 

you stole that ..... did you give them a reach around whilst you ****ed them ....wow.. great deal ..

 

You'll find threads here about the gear shifter. 2 Torx screws under the steering column could fix that.

 

running driving not beat all to hell limited V10 4x4 for $2k?


holy crap! amazing buy!

 

Thanks, that's what I'm starting to find. Searching "hard to shift" always brings back transmission issues while driving.

The body does have a few dings, and the interior leather is worn, but not completely destroyed. I have quite a few fixes but at least I am not driving that damned gocart everywhere I go. First thing I did when I got the truck was go fill up for $130. It was a refreshing feeling compared to the piddly $30 in the bmw!

 

$2K ?????
Man, you STOLE the thing !! :-)
Congrats. Sounds like it could be worth a lot more once all the issues are resolved.

 

Congrats! I hope to fall into a deal like that some day

 

Ok after playing with it all day I've found out a few things.

Valve tap when it's cold. Once it's warm it goes away. Hopefully an oil/filter change with the right fluids will help that.

Transmission is very hard to shift from the column. I unhooked the cable from the transmission and was able to shift from P to 1 without resistance. That tells me that it's the transmission. I'm going to drop the pan and do a complete flush/filter next weekend and see if that doesn't help.

There's some strange aftermarket stereo and security system going on. The doors don't lock and unlock with the buttons inside or out, but you can hear the mechanism locking and unlocking. It does lock/unlock with the key in the door. I don't go anywhere that requires me to lock my doors anyway, though.

With the 2 person seat in the back out and in bad shape, I'm going to get rubber diamond plating and staple it to some wood and put it down in the back. Only kids sit in the back anyway, and the rubber will keep it clean and protect from winter boots.

And of course, the pictures after a full day of cleaning.

 

Valve tapping could be either piston slap or more likely exhaust manifold leak. Common problem with these V10s with the studs breaking. Check torque on the spark plugs too.

Door locks are the weak door lock actuators. Easy fix. You can get new ones from Autozone.

 

The dealer put in all new spark plugs and coil packs. I think there is a leak somewhere under neath but I'm not sure. I have to crawl under with a smoker and see what I can find with that. I didn't know an exhaust manifold leak could cause a valve tap sound.

 

Not sure what it sounds like, but sometimes when cold, it's a ticking sound and goes away when it warms up. The metal expands and closes it.

 

Gotcha.

Anyone know a good source for trans filter/gasket/oring? I can go to the dealer, but if there's a place to save a few bucks and still get an OEM, I'm all for it.

 

Wife showed me this when I came in.