First off, props to this site, tons of info on here! I purchased a white 2005 excursion eddie bauer 4x4 with 148k yesterday, everything on it was in superior shape visually. I did notice on my test drive that there is a little play in the steering wheel, about 1-2" either way before you feel it turning...i am thinking maybe an alignment and they should be able to take out the lash in the gear box...is that right? After i drove it appx 40 miles....i stopped to fill it up, drove about 10 miles the the check engine light comes on. I read the code today and TADA PO401 faulty egr valve. So my question is, do i just delete it and save headaches or replace the valve? Valve is 204 at autozone and i have no clue what the price of a delete kit is and if i do delete it will i be able to go thru emissions in az? I will post pics as soon as i am able to. thanks for your help. i paid 15k for the vehicle CASH! autocheck score was an 87 btw.

Kyle

 

I'd say the EGR valve is the least of your worries. Get an Oasis report and a ScangageII to see what your EX really needs. Check out some of my posts in other threads on here to see what I'm talking about.

 

Depends on how harsh they are on emissions. It's illegal either way regardless if you have emission testing or not, but it would just depend on if they do visual and if they know what to look for and how you do the delete.

However, do a sneaky type of delete can also bring issues as well doing weld work in those areas.


As far as the Oasis report, good to have, but it will only show what work has been done under warranty and that's if the previous owner took it to the dealership for their work.

 

To the original poster:

Welcome to FTE - it is "THE" best place to be with an Ex and/or the 6.0.
We are twins - except I am 2wd.

The EGR Valve is on TOP of the engine, may just need to be cleaned,
or you can buy a new one on-line from tousley Ford, they are
a supporter of this web site and I think it only cost $140 last month
when I bought my new one.
Call them, tell them you are from FTE and they'll give you the member
deal on whatever you buy - I try to buy what I can from them.

It's also pretty easy to replace, but are usually "stuck"
with carbon build-up. I bought the double-set of these and the
SMALL bars are perfect for "helping" the EGR valve out!
You slip the pry end under the tab where the bolt was and pry
the dang thing off the engine (I would just buy a new one and replace it!)

Utility Bars: Utility Pry Bar Set, Prybars, Pinch & Prybars, Nailpullers

The EGR COOLER is what folks "delete" and it's much more work
and not necessarily related to your current code. But, you need
the SG2 - since you'll need to monitor your coolant and oil temp to
see *IF* your oil cooler is working properly - ie: cooling the oil.
Lots of other info on why this is so important, just keep reading.

Without knowing the maintenance history, you are sort of at
the point where you might - for piece of mind - just replace
things like this assuming they are original, or at least been on
a very long time.

The SG2 is another must have with the 6.0, autozone.com for $140
I would also encourage the blend mount to install it above the rear-view
mirror.

Call your alignment shop first - not all shops have the "big" rack
required to fit the Excursion and/or Crew cab Pickups. It'll save
you a trip to ask first.

They will also - hopefully - check your front end and might find
ball joints and/or tie-rod ends in need of replacement.

Enjoy the Ex and just plug away at things. I've had mine now almost
two years and I almost finished with the "to-do" list and can start on the
"want-to" list.

 

well, i took it to a trusted shop i use to look at the front end and the driver side upper and lower ball joints were bad....i have seen worse but bad nonetheless. the electronic fan clutch was also toast, and the egr valve as well...i am having them do both sides of ball joints instead of the driver side...i expected i would have to fork out some extra cash for repairs so i was prepared. otherwise all the fluids are recent, hoses are new....oil sample from the front diff looked as if it came from a new bottle....whoever owned this before me took good care of it. i felt bad for the guy doing the ball joints, his air hammer/sledge hammer took about 2 1/2 hrs to get one side off. i also am having the coolant changed as it looks kinda grubby.

 

ok..... check the tech folder on here.
there are some things you'll need to look at, and you need
to know what to look for..... it's important.

and as has been mentioned, you need gauges. scanguageII is the
favorite here. more bang for the buck than most anything.

there is also autoengenuity with extended ford, that allows you to
do some pretty good testing with a laptop.

there is also the dashdaq, but it's a bit pricy.... but the monitoring
is exceptional, with datalogging capability.

most of the problems with the 6.0 start with coolant, battery voltage,
oil and fuel filtering. things that on any other engine wouldn't be that big
a deal, on this engine can lead to a top end rebuild, and pails of money
being poured liberally.

letting the cooling system get cloggy can take out the oil cooler first,
the egr cooler right after it, and the head gaskets......

letting the battery voltage get sucky (alternators in the 6.0 are marginal)
can kill the ficm, and that can damage injectors.

extended oil change intervals can lead to oil breakdown, stiction, and
injector failure.

filters, fluids, voltages. that is 95% of what will cause engine failure.

 

This. Ten Char

 

the shop i use has a ford master tech there....he did do a system diagnostics and the only thing that came up was the egr. i do plan on getting the scanguage 2, just havent had the time to find it. as for the coolant, i made the call before they brought it up. i am going to ask and see if he can print out all the info