6.0 in an Excursion
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Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Kent WA
6.0 in an Excursion
I've been shopping for an Excursion and am curious about how the 6.0L in the 2004 and newer models stacks up against the 7.3L in the earlier ones.
How do the two compare for power? Fuel economy? Reliability? Alternative fuels (specifically home-brewed biodiesel)?
Common sense tells me to expect the power to be a little better for the 7.3L and the fuel economy to be a little better for the 6.0L - but that isn't necessarily a safe assumption.
I'm looking at this mainly as a people mover - not a major towing rig. About the only towing I would expect to do with it is pulling a 2000 pound boat.
Given all that, I'm looking for recommendations. Is the newer 6.0L a more economical motor, that is powerful enough, and will handle home made bio?
How do the two compare for power? Fuel economy? Reliability? Alternative fuels (specifically home-brewed biodiesel)?
Common sense tells me to expect the power to be a little better for the 7.3L and the fuel economy to be a little better for the 6.0L - but that isn't necessarily a safe assumption.
I'm looking at this mainly as a people mover - not a major towing rig. About the only towing I would expect to do with it is pulling a 2000 pound boat.
Given all that, I'm looking for recommendations. Is the newer 6.0L a more economical motor, that is powerful enough, and will handle home made bio?
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 919
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From: Smiths Grove, KY
Many of your questions are topics that have been fiercely debated on FTE particularly in the Super Duty forum. Since I have no experience with the 7.3L I will simply provide some stock performance numbers for comparison (numbers may vary somewhat depending on the model year of each engine):
7.3L
Peak Hp: 275 @ 2800 RPM
Peak Torque: 525 ft-lbs @ 1600 RPM
6.0L
Peak Hp: 325 @ 3300 RPM
Peak Torque: 570 ft-lbs @ 2000 RPM
7.3L
Peak Hp: 275 @ 2800 RPM
Peak Torque: 525 ft-lbs @ 1600 RPM
6.0L
Peak Hp: 325 @ 3300 RPM
Peak Torque: 570 ft-lbs @ 2000 RPM
Thread Starter
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Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,175
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From: Kent WA
Many of your questions are topics that have been fiercely debated on FTE particularly in the Super Duty forum. Since I have no experience with the 7.3L I will simply provide some stock performance numbers for comparison (numbers may vary somewhat depending on the model year of each engine):
7.3L
Peak Hp: 275 @ 2800 RPM
Peak Torque: 525 ft-lbs @ 1600 RPM
6.0L
Peak Hp: 325 @ 3300 RPM
Peak Torque: 570 ft-lbs @ 2000 RPM
7.3L
Peak Hp: 275 @ 2800 RPM
Peak Torque: 525 ft-lbs @ 1600 RPM
6.0L
Peak Hp: 325 @ 3300 RPM
Peak Torque: 570 ft-lbs @ 2000 RPM
What kind of fuel economy do they generally get?
Any particular weaknesses or problem areas?
Senior User
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 403
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From: MI
I have a 2004 Excursion with the 6.0 and me and my whole family love it. It fits everyone comfortably and rides nice.
I've been averaging 15-16 city and about 17.5 highway. Been hand calculating every tank for about a year and a half.
Weaknesses or problems area that come to my mind immediately.
1. Maintenace is key with the 6.0 and you have to change the oil and fuel filters at the recommended intervals and use OEM, intertnational, or Racor filters.
2. EGR valves and coolers fail rather frequently. It's almost as though it should be a maintenance item. There are alternatives to replacing with OEM to reduce or elimate the issues but they cost money.
3. There seems to be a fair amount of FICM issues as well. This seems to be closely tied to battery voltage and overall health of the charging system.
I'm sure you'll get plenty of other good feedback from this site. I've learned a lot from lurking around this forum.
Good luck with your purchase!
Hotshot
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 17,398
Likes: 317
From: Whittier, CA
Are you aware that there is a forum dedicated to the Excursion? If you haven't already, you might want to repeat this question over there.
My random thoughts are:
6.0 = has more power, pulls harder. Can be reliable, but maintenance is critical and you may still have some issues.
7.3 = No EGR, which is a problem area on the 6.0
6.0 = Not as forgiving with Bio-D. The 7.3 seems to burn about anything.
6.0 = Torqshift transmission. A major advantage over the 4R100 behind the 7.3.
7.3 with low miles will be harder to find, and expensive, all else being equal.
Fuel mileage always goes to the 7.3. Between 2-4 MPG better than the 6.0.
If you aren't going to tow heavy, and you can find a low miles Exc, the 7.3 would be hard to beat. IF you can find one.
If they had upgraded the Exc like they did the SD, with larger brakes, coil springs, updated interior, then my opinion would be different.
My random thoughts are:
6.0 = has more power, pulls harder. Can be reliable, but maintenance is critical and you may still have some issues.
7.3 = No EGR, which is a problem area on the 6.0
6.0 = Not as forgiving with Bio-D. The 7.3 seems to burn about anything.
6.0 = Torqshift transmission. A major advantage over the 4R100 behind the 7.3.
7.3 with low miles will be harder to find, and expensive, all else being equal.
Fuel mileage always goes to the 7.3. Between 2-4 MPG better than the 6.0.
If you aren't going to tow heavy, and you can find a low miles Exc, the 7.3 would be hard to beat. IF you can find one.
If they had upgraded the Exc like they did the SD, with larger brakes, coil springs, updated interior, then my opinion would be different.
Junior User
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 67
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I had a 7.3 and 6.0 excursion, and I would reccomend the 6.0, as long as you do the maintence. the 6.0 has more power. The 6.0 gets better fuel mileage than the 7.3. My 7.3 never got above 15 mpg on the hwy, and the 6.0 gets on the avg of 17.5. The 7.3 was in the excursion from 2000-2002 and the 6.0 was 2003-2005. My excursion is a 2005. I have heard some people say stay away from the 03's period, unless they have had the transmission rebuilt, and motor upgrades. I know lots of people with the 6.0's in there trucks and they love them.
Elder User
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 980
Likes: 1
From: Stuart, FL
I have an 05 with the 6.0. I only have about 37k on mine. Most is just around town driving. Very seldom on the highway. I have take about 4 long trips and have averaged about 20 MPG on the highway. IMO because I pumped up the tires to 75 psi. Keep them at 60 and get a smoother ride but at the expense of MPG. Its up you you.
As for maint. I change the oil once a year with Rotella synthetic. I went with the synthetic because I only do it once a year and don't really put a lot of miles on it. I have all the original filters except the oil filter. I haven't changed any fluids but the oil. Still have the original tires with lots of tread left. I did have the turbo replace at 15k under warranty. This was really my fault since I never really put any miles on it and at the time we still had the dirty diesel. The new cleaner diesel fuel has really did away with most of the earlier issues the 6.0 had.
Did I say that I LOVE IT? Lots of power. Remember, every other SUV wants to grow up and be a diesel excursion. :-)
As for maint. I change the oil once a year with Rotella synthetic. I went with the synthetic because I only do it once a year and don't really put a lot of miles on it. I have all the original filters except the oil filter. I haven't changed any fluids but the oil. Still have the original tires with lots of tread left. I did have the turbo replace at 15k under warranty. This was really my fault since I never really put any miles on it and at the time we still had the dirty diesel. The new cleaner diesel fuel has really did away with most of the earlier issues the 6.0 had.
Did I say that I LOVE IT? Lots of power. Remember, every other SUV wants to grow up and be a diesel excursion. :-)
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Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,139
Likes: 209
6.0 wins for power and economy.
I've never seen a 6.0 that runs on home brew that didn't have injector problems. I only know a handful of guys that run it though. That's a specific question you should post to get replies from those with experience. 6.0 injectors aren't cheap, and the average guy can't rebuild them at home.
I've never seen a 6.0 that runs on home brew that didn't have injector problems. I only know a handful of guys that run it though. That's a specific question you should post to get replies from those with experience. 6.0 injectors aren't cheap, and the average guy can't rebuild them at home.
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