I am finally driving a proper truck! I drove a Vue for 4 years and I got tired of being stuck in the snow and found an 01 and fell in love with it!

I do have some play in the steering, and I am taking it in this Friday to have it checked out. But I am happy with my decision. I can get the entire family in it and there is still room for all the stuff we have to take. And now I can get a trailer and take my horses out to the state parks to trail ride.

Any advice for a new owner?

 

Welcome to FTE.

Tell us your trucks pedigree. 4x4 I assume? Diesel or gasser? Limited, XLT?

You might wanna adjust your steering box to eliminate some of the slop.

First, locate the allen bolt and locknut on top of the steering box. The steering box is close to the radiator. The locknut should be a 5/8".

Mark the allen bolt so you’re oriented and know where the starting point is, then loosen the locknut. Turn the allen bolt clockwise a quarter turn to tighten the gear mesh. Tighten the locknut and road test your vehicle.

Be careful not to over-tighten the allen bolt. If you do, the steering may become too tight and get extremely stiff during a tight turn, possibly causing you to drive off the roadway.

Keep repeating the sequence, turning the allen bolt a ¼ turn at a time, followed by a test drive, until you're satisfied with the performance. If you over-tighten the allen bolt, turn the allen bolt back a quarter turn, counter-clockwise.

There is a risk of over tightening the box and causing it to wear out prematurely, so I suggest you tighten it to the point where the slop is gone, and no further.

Most people will turn the allen bolt three-quarters of a rotation to one-and-one-half rotations before they’re happy with the results.

Some have replaced the steering box (when it became necessary) with a Red Head steering box. They are the best of the best.

If you have a 4x4, you might have some steering wander that is an inherent problem with these rigs. Most of us eliminate that problem by replacing the POS OEM Excursion springs with a set of Ford springs that came on the 4x4 F250, replacing the shocks, and adding a Helwig rear sway bar.

Stewart

 

Congrats on the purchase! That is exciting! I have had my 2001 for over 5 years now, and love it. It's a very capable vehicle. I run mine on trails regularly in northern ca, including runs in the snow.

I would advise that you make sure your 4wd works before you need it. A common problem is the front hubs do not engage due to vacuum leaks or needing maintenance. Usually simple to fix.

This forum is a great resource and the people are very friendly and knowledgeable. You will be glad you joined!

 

Congrats on the Excursion! Im sure you will love it. I change vehicles every couple years and the Excursion stays. I have a 2000 LTD V-10. Big powerfull and can pull anything. The greatest SUV ever.

 

I bought a 2001 XLT 4x4 with the V10 gas engine. I will try taking a look at the adjustment to the steering.

I drive highway mostly for work and I drove it yesterday for work and it is so nice! But being out on the toll road and having that play is a bit scary only because I tend to overcorrect. My Vue had very tight steering and this is just different.

I am going to go and get a tune up, its used and I dont know what they did to it before I bought it.

I am missing the user manual for it, so I am going to search for one of those, but does anyone know how many gallons the tank is?

 

Congrats on your purchase!
44 gallons or 7 more minutes to fill then your Vue!

 

44 gallons. That is a big ol tank!!! No wonder I could finish a game of tetris on my phone while waiting for the tank to fill. LOL

Is there an online version of the owners manual anywhere? I am going to try and find one on ebay. I also need some little parts for the interior and I need to replace a cracked rear light cover and one of the reflectors came off the front.

And you guys are awesome. I am so glad I found this page! Maybe some day I will be able to answer questions too! I will be posting photos of me and my new truck soon! I am just trying to find some shoes to match the beautiful paint color. Hey I am a girl, any excuse to get new shoes. Oh I will need a new hand bag too!! LMAO

 

Welcome to FTE and congratulations on the new vehicle. I have the 2000 model of yours.

The first lesson that you'll learn is that no matter your credit card limit, "once is not enough". Insert card into pump, run pump to automatic shutoff ($125 here), reinsert card, top off tank.

But they are wonderful vehicles. It seats 8 comfortably, or if my wife is packing for a trip, it becomes the world's largest 2-seater on 4 wheels.

 

Ah your wife is a women after my own heart! You never know what could happen when you are traveling! You may get invited to a state diner or a walk on the red carpet. Or invited to scuba dive. So you gotta take all your stuff! This is why I dont fly. LMAO.

 

Follow this link for a FREE on-line owners manual...you can download it to your computer in PDF format...

https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenan...ls/default.asp


Congrats and welcome to the King of SUV family!!!

 

Now that's funny!

 

my experience with the ford psd trucks steering box is that by the time there is enuff play in the gear to need adjusting the bushings in the box are already wasted and while adjusting the gears backlash like you correctly out lined will help , more times then not by the time most people get around to adjusting the gears backlash the rest of the bushing in the box are wasted and typically just need a whole new box.

I was planning on installing a remaned box from the ford dealer tomorrow.

Do you have any info or a link to a website with info on the " red head" box you mentioned ?

Camo

 

I agree with Camo. I have been adjusting the box for years...and it only lasts a couple of months. I just put in a redhead steering box and it is wonderful. Way better than the reman ford unit I put in!

 

Lot of testimonials on the web raving about the Red Head steering box and the customer service from the company.

Steering Gears | Steering Gearbox | Rack and Pinion | Red-Head Steering Gears, Inc.

Stewart

 

Welcome Princess.

A few more helpful hints for your V10.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...-used-v10.html

Thx to Monster-4