Hello all! I'm brand new to the group! I owned a 2005 Excursion 4X4 Eddie Bauer 6.0L up until September 2010. We had the dredded EGR valve problem twice in 24 hours and lost faith in that particular truck. I'm a stay-at-home mom and was nervous driving a truck around knowing what I've heard about the EGR valve problems. Anyway, we traded it in on a 2011 Chevy Suburban and we are now looking to replace the Excursion. The Suburban isn't cutting it. Of course, I don't have to tell anyone in this group that there really is no comparison between the 2 vehicles.

I need some guidance as far as places to look for 2002-2003 7.3L 4X4 Excursions. I've exhausted ebay, craigslist, autotrader and cars.com. I know that it's most likely going to be a waiting game, but I just wanted to know if anyone else knew of another site.

I know that I'm looking for a needle in a haystack and that most of y'all would ****** up my future truck in a heartbeat...just thought I'd get some help! I've been reading the posts in this group for the past hour and I'm really missing being an Excursion owner.

Thanks for the help!!!

~Ashley~

 

try craigslistcrawler.com or claz.org. these both are ways of searching all of craigslist instead of town by town. the claz you can adjust mileage from your location. there are tons of them but you may have to drive a ways

 

You've named the best places to search and like you said you just have to wait.

I don't remember if mine was posted on craigslist or ebay or whatever but it was at a dealership.

You may want to pick up and check out the auto-trader magazine and the like. They normally can be had at the local gas station.

 

Thanks for the info! I figured I was looking in all the right places. I'll pickup an autotrader magazine and see if there's anything there. I've found a few around my area, but they aren't exactly what I'm looking for. Maybe at some point I'll have to stop being so picky. Honestly, I think I'd travel to Alaska if I had to! Driving that Excursion was like heaven for me. Part of me wishes that we would have never sold my '05, but we heard such horror stories about that EGR valve. I wish I would have known about this forum beforehand. Sounds like there is a way to fix that problem forever! Oh well...day late and a dollar short!

 

Good luck in your search! Sad when a brand new GM can't compete with an older design like the Ex. Really shows how good these trucks are and how well they are made! I found mine after several months of looking. In addition to the above sites, try:

SearchTempest - The EASY way to search Craigslist - it's similar to the crawler mentioned above but gives a few more options.
New Cars, Used Cars - Find Cars at AutoTrader.com

Every once in a while Carmax has some listed - they have 2 right now but no 7.3's. The only nice thing there is the ability to find them nationwide and have them brought to your closest center.

 

I searched High and low for mine for almost 7 months. I eventually found a 7.3 that someone had not snatched up yet. I had to evaluate the truck through pictures and then drive 8 hours one way to get it. It ended up being a good deal and a clean 03 7.3L Eddie Bauer. It was worth the wait and searching consistenly day in and day out!! Also, where are you located?? I am sure we could keep an eye out for ya and let you know if any pop up!

 

I am just west of Houston. We just decided to go back to the Excursion this week, so I'm not too far into my search. That suburban just can't hold a candle to my Excursion. I bought a 3/4 ton with the big engine hoping that maybe it would feel a little like the Excursion. Yea, big mistake. The engine is very touchy. When I tap the gas, my 4 year old complains that his neck goes back too fast. We won't even talk about the gas mileage. My 6.0L got better gas mileage than this Suburban. It's quiet and super nice inside, but it's not nearly as big. I grew up driving Chevys, but once I drove my '05 Excursion, I was sold. Everytime I see an Excursion driving, it really makes me miss mine even more.

Can anyone explain to me what the deal is with that EGR valve in the 6.0L? When ours went out, we heard story after story about neighbors/friends that had gone through the same thing. We thought it was just a one time fix, and then it went out on the way home from the repair shop. It was tough to figure out what to do and sadly, we sold it. I wonder if someone on here owns it now. Anyway, there are A LOT of 6.0L for sale and I could be extremely happy with one of those, but I'm very hesitant b/c of that EGR valve. I keep reading about the EGR valve delete, but the local Ford dealer told me that it wouldn't pass the inspection if we bypass the EGR valve. Of course, bypassing the valve might not be the same thing as the valve delete. Also, is Ford aware that this is a problem with the 6.0L? Wouldn't this be a reason for a recall? Or am I just a woman who doesn't know a lot about engines?

I have really learned quite a bit already by joining this site and I'm super excited to think that in the future I'll be an Excursion owner once again!

Thanks for any help you guys can give me! All hail the Excursion owners!!!!

 

I find it odd that you had 2 EGR valve go bad on you within a 24 hr period. Did the shop replace it? Maybe they just cleaned it and charged you for a new one?

 

We took it to a local Ford dealer. The EGR went out while we were driving our dog to the vet. We had to leave the truck there overnight and have it towed in the morning. I couldn't even start it. So, when they put the first EGR valve in, I told my husband to drive it home. My husband got onto the highway and about 2 miles away from the dealership, the white smoke started and he lost his acceleration. So, we took it right back. This time, they replaced it for free. The first time, we paid a little over $800 for the replacement of the valve and something with the head gasket. Does that sound about right for a replacement EGR valve? I guess we have no way of knowing what they did. We've used this dealership for the last 3 Ford's we've owned. We've even used the same service advisor that we've used. I guess it doesn't really matter now since the truck isn't mine anymore.

 

I searched hi and low for a 6.0L. I wanted the 5 speed tranny and the power and mileage of the 6.0. There are ways to bypass/delete the egr valves and cooler. To my understanding TX doesn't have emissions testing on Diesel yet (we live in DFW). I would search and read on the 6.0L forum on this site. A lot of useful info on there. That is what I am doing since we got our X in Nov '10. When I was searching for ours, every X I found seemed to be in the Houston area, but again I wanted an 05, we settled for an 04 that was local to us.
Good luck in your search!

 

If you have a contact at a dealer you might want to have them help. I found my Ex by contacting a dealer I have known for years, he looked, bargained and retrieved the Ex I wanted. Oh, and he flew my son and I to Charlotte in his private plane to meet the owner and look over and test drive the truck.

 

Here's the coolest Craigslist utility I've used. Search by state and multiple subjects too. Choose 50 limit at the bottom for the best results.

States

I searched daily for 5 months then finally found mine. Hang in there.

 

Claz no longer crawls craigslist. You can use google with the advance search criteria to search the ENTIRE craigslist site.

If you're looking, here is a car that I may be looking at as well, but since Im not sure about getting it, I think I'll pass it along to anyone else who may be interested.

Cheers

Lucas

http://www.prestigeofmartinez.<wbr>com/inventory/2005_Ford_<wbr>Excursion/5006

Im such a newbie to the Ford Diesel crowd, but it I'd be able to help out and do an in person inspection if you need the help!

 

If you would be interested a clean 2000 LTD 7.3 4x4 solid white 203,000 miles . Have owned for nine years, well loved and serviced. My four kids are grown and gone. PM me.

 

I lucked out and found mine right here on FTE! I'd love to have that 5R110 but gotta have a 7.3. Good luck in your search. Poke around Colorado's Craigslist ads - there are lot's of 6.0s out here it seems.

2003 Ford Excursion Limited - Brown

2005 Ford Excursion. LOT CLEARANCE! LOWERED PRICES ON GREAT CARS

2005 Ford Excursion 4x4 Eddie Bauer DIESEL

All are 6.0s. Good luck.