I just bought a pristine 2000 Excursion (Powerstroke)

[Mark 42]

I just bought a pristine 2000 Excursion with a 7.3L Powerstroke. I'll have to sell my old Centurion (after I clean it up a bit). I have a question... the Excursion seems to have a hesitation coming off idle, and seems like (for a turbo diesel) it should have more power... what should I look at, and what can I do (if there are no problems) to get more power w/o sacrificing too much fuel economy?

[dsquared]

Congrats on your purchase, but you left out all the pertinent info: What trim level, how many miles, any mods, etc.....

You should be looking on the 99-03 7.3 forum. A LOT of info and good folks there.

If it is stock, get a 4" turbo-back exhaust and improved air filter system. The 6637 mod seems to work real well; if mine didn't already have the CAI, I'd do it!!

Prep for the chip!!! Besides intake and exhaust, get gauges (pyrometer, boost, and trans temp). Then when you are all ready, talk to Jody @ DP-Tuner. Better power, better mileage. What more could you want!?

[Stewart_H]

Post above mine hits a homerun.

Get an exhaust and intake to help it breath better. Gauges to monitor the crucial systems for whenever you put the DP-Tuner chip in it, and yeah, most important of all, the DP-Tuner chip by Jody Tipton. It's the best mod you can do for your rig to unleash the power left on the table by Ford, AND improve fuel mileage at the same time.

For the intake, I opted for the AFE Stage 2 PG 7 filter instead of the 6637.

Stewart

[Mark 42]

I'm pretty sure it is completely stock.

HERE is a screen capture of the classified ad.
(the ad pictures have a pinkish tint to them, the seats
are actually gray leather and in great shape)

I've been so busy lately I almost didn't even go look at it, but it was
exactly what we wanted (interior & exterior colors and engine) at what
looked like a good price, so I quit sharpening my chainsaws and went
to look at it (I also hate shopping for cars, new or used).

I finished up the chainsaws later, and have been so busy with that
sort of tasks that I haven't had time to really dig into the Excursion yet!

First thing to do is swap out the tires from my other truck...

And take some pictures for y'all to see!

[Mark 42]

Here are a couple of the images from the ad.
I tried to get as much of the pink tint out of the pictures as possible.



Actually, solid white would really be my preferred exterior color (w/o the
gray kick panel color).

And, of course, I would like heavy duty bumpers, a winch, nerf bars...
all in black rather than chrome.

And a massive roof rack (basket type)... and...

[BobBarry]

The stock tuning gives a very soft throttle tip-in; the DP-Tuner changes that completely, making it very responsive with that change alone.

[Wilson & Co]

nice truck...now vegistroke it!!!

[Mark 42]

We were watching some show on Speed or Discovery, and they said
they were going to do a segment on Veggie-Diesel, but it turned out
that they were talking about a future show.

My wife was actually interested, for the first time.
Part of the appeal was that the vegetable oil went in a seperate
tank so you could still buy and use conventional diesel (when
the truck is cold, and when vegetable oil is not available)

I have a newphew who was selling kits to convert to vegetable
oil use. He moved to Humboldt, CA and found that all of the
used vegetable oil in the area was spoken for - it seems the oil
companies are buying it. Probably to stockpile for future sale
of biodiesel.

[JumpinJoe]

Hey Mark 42 - I was a diesel virgin until I got a nice 00 7.3 Excursion from Gibson Truck World in FL. Flew in from NH, the dealer picked me up, and I drove it back in a day & 1/2. Like yours, all stock and pristene. I've only done 3 things to it so far. And by far, the Cortex Superchip was my best upgrade! Take her off the stock settings, and that hesitation disappears. Put it on max performance and the tires squeal with ease. I wimp out and keep it on perf-tow so I can tow my utility trailer without reprogramming. About $500 and 15 minutes and your problem is fixed.

[Stewart_H]

Originally Posted by JumpinJoe

Hey Mark 42 - I was a diesel virgin until I got a nice 00 7.3 Excursion from Gibson Truck World in FL. Flew in from NH, the dealer picked me up, and I drove it back in a day & 1/2. Like yours, all stock and pristene. I've only done 3 things to it so far. And by far, the Cortex Superchip was my best upgrade! Take her off the stock settings, and that hesitation disappears. Put it on max performance and the tires squeal with ease. I wimp out and keep it on perf-tow so I can tow my utility trailer without reprogramming. About $500 and 15 minutes and your problem is fixed.

Spend less than $500 dollars at DP-Tuner and get the F5 chip with 4 different custom tunes (I have 40 tow, 80 tow, 80 econo, and 120 race) and you'll have a much better product for your 7.3 providing you with unsurpassed performance for aggressive performance driving as well as towing performance.

Plus, you'll have the unmatched customer service from Jody (the master guru tuner for the 7.3's) and his wife Diane whenever you need assistance or questions answered.

They should use MC Hammer's song, "U Can't Touch This" as the theme song for their F5 (and soon to be released F6) chip.

Stewart

[Mark 42]

Thanks guys.

Not only has my wife become somewhat interested in the Veggie idea
(because with the system mentioned above, there is a seperate tank
for the veggie oil, and you can use it as a normal diesel when you
don't have time to acquire, filter and prepare the veggie oil), but...

She is very interested in adding performance mods (I had sent her
the URL of this message thread so she could read it). Especially when
she read that it could improve fuel economy.

But, we will need to find out how it would affect our used car / extended
warranty.

We are getting used to the truck gradually. It's not our first diesel...
10 years ago we had a 6.2L Suburban. We loved it, but it broke the
crank right when we were moving from Alabama to Seattle, so I had
to sell it for whatever I could get for it and move on.

We bought a Centurion with a 7.5L (460) gasoline engine. If what the
salesman told us about the Excursion's mileage is true, we will be getting
three times more miles per gallon (18 MPG instead of 6 MPG).
The best our Suburban got was (if I remember right) about 14 or 15, and
usually about 12 MPG.

I did notice one disappointing thing though - no roof marker lights

That'd explain why it just doesn't look like a "real truck" to me.

On the plus side - the local dealer read the alarm access code for us
for free. It was a good move on his part... we will be having a lot of
the maintenance done instead of doing it myself while the warranty
is in effect, and now we know where to take it if we decide to use
a Ford dealership.

I know I could do the work myself and not void the warranty, but
it's a good excuse to have someone else do it - I have planty of
work on other vehicles and on lawn & garden equipment!

I'll keep y'all updated when we start doing mods to it.
Maybe we'll even wait for the F6 chip you mentioned
(okay, what I really mean is that the F6 will probably
be available by the time we start doing anything).

Today I was gonna get the trailer lights outlet working for
a trip next weekend, but it's raining so I'll put it off until
tomorrow in hopes that I won't have to roll around in a puddle.
I hate Seattle's weather.

[Stewart_H]

Mark, a little off topic, but I'm wondering why your posts appear in column form instead of going across the page like all the rest?

Things that make you go "hmmmmmm"

I wonder...you're not hitting the "enter" key perchance, whenever you reach the "end" of the box, are you? If ya are, ya don't need to. Just keep typing and the text will automatically wrap down to the next line. The only time you need to hit the enter key is whenever you're starting a new paragraph.

Stewart

[Mark 42]

Originally Posted by Stewart_H

I'm wondering why your posts appear in column form instead of going across the page like all the rest?
Things that make you go "hmmmmmm"
I wonder...you're not hitting the "enter" key perchance, whenever
you reach the "end" of the box, are you? If ya are, ya don't need to.

I like the narrower columns...
Also, on some forums I use, if I don't do it that way the
messages can be difficult to read, or don't print out well.

It's just
my preference.

I like the
more narrow
columns

I find it
more
pleasing to
the eye
and also
easier to
read
and print
when I want
the whole
sentence
on the page
and not
have the
last few
characters
missing
from my
printout
is all.

[willeo6709]

my basically stock 2002 ex with the 7.3 and 3.73's gets about 17 average, but the high tank was 19.5 mpg, hand calculated. You'll love the ex if you liked the suburban.

[Mark 42]

Other than the Excursion bing a little too plush for me, I like it a lot.

I wish that I could just buy an ordinary metal key and get it
cut at a locksmith and be done. I don't like bulky keys in my
pocket.

I also wish I could install an aftermarket remote starter.
It's one of the "plush" options I do thing worthwhile.
When it's 16° F outside, it's nice to get the heater
started before going outside (also nice to have the
window defroster working sooner).
And when it's 95° F outside, turning on the A/C from
1500' away means I can do it as the bus pulls up to
the park & ride so that a few minutes of initial run time
have been elapsed and the A/C will be at max effect
when I get to the truck.

I also prefer sporty seats to plush seats - I hate the
"Captain's chairs" in our Centurion. I don't want the
same thing when I'm driving as when I have my feet up
and I'm watching TV in my living room.

It also could look more like a truck - less plastic / two-tone
exterior trim, roof lights, etc.

I suppose maybe a lower trim level would have been good for me,
but they aren't as common (I think "Limitted" is most common), and
there are features I do like which my wife would definitely miss!