I have narrowed my next vehicle purchase to a used Excursion. I have driven a couple to date. I am starting this thread to chronicole my search and keep notes. Feel free to add advice or comments if you feel so desired.

Both engines (6.8L V10) sounded good an tight, felt strong doing test drive...one had 169k the other has 131k
both trucks are 2002
The lockout hubs on both would not move...one was locked to free wheel (131K) and the other was lock in (169K).
Both interiors were in good shape. (leather)
The Gear shift lever for the transmission was really hard to move (131K)
One had a loud exhaust...salesman says muffler has hole (131K)

I have seen a 2000 listed on craigslist with the 5.4L and I am curious know how the little Triton compares to the V10.

What information do you all have about the hubs being stuck? Is this an easy repair, common issue, or not?

5.4 vs 6.8? (I want gas...diesel is too expensive.) I have read about the spark plug issue (5.4), manifold studs working loose (6.8). Do you have anything to add?

I am reading as many post as possible to gain as much knowlegde as I can before a purchase.

I am trying not to spend more than 8-9K, but 6-7K is more my budget. I know I will be dealing with some issues but it still needs to be a good truck.

I would really like to add the 5 spoke 20" F-250 wheels to the Ex too and it looks like I need a 2" wheel spacer that is hubcentric. What is the tallest and widest tire that will fit without a lift?

 

I found this site VERY helpful when I was looking for our Ex: FordEtis home page

Knowing what options the truck had when it left the factory can be a deal breaker...

 

Most say it is underpowered. Depends on how you use it.

Common. They just need lubed (how-to is on FTE somewhere).

Plugs may or may not blow, but they can be fixed pretty easily now days. Exhaust manifold studs really seem to be worse in areas where corrosion is prevalent.

I wish I could convince my wife to sell the mini-van and get an X.

 

I want to drive a 5.4 one day and compare it to my v10. I curious. Lol

 

Welcome! Consider this your 'online support' for your soon-to-be Excursion. . You are absolutely on the right track by joining this forum and reading up/doing your homework. We will help you save money and be a smarter shopper!!

As for the 5.4L Triton: I find this to be a slightly underpowered engine in my wife's Expedition. I cannot imagine it in a four-ton Excursion. It can't be that effective an engine in that application.

If anyone out in the forum HAS a 5.4L in their Ex and is happy with it, I will totally defer to you. Not trying to bad-mouth, just sayin' this is my experience with a much lighter vehicle...

Good luck and happy hunting!!
Karl

 

Thanks for posting and the wishes of luck. I am leaving the Jeep world to enter the Excursion world, and there was a ton of good Jeep forums out there on the web. It looks like FTE will be a good place to find good information for the Excursion. U know most of the web is misinformation and having a place to find some good info is great to me.

I thought I might have hit the jake-pot yesterday. However, I called and found out somebody hit the jake-pot before me. It was a 2002 XLT with 76K on the V10 and room for nine for just $10K.
Must keep hunting...

 

I see you are in Ohio. Have you considered buying an X from out west or down south where the roads aren't salted? Another FTE'er did that recently after having another member inspect the vehicle prior to purchase.

 

For me, I wouldn't bother with the 5.4 as I've found it to be underpowered unless you regear the truck. Other than that, it's not worth it if you plan on actually using the truck.

The V10 will have some serious cojones and has been called "The Poor Man's Diesel". It can pull anything you want and more than get out of it's own way. I've driven 5.4 V8 Super Duty's loaded and unloaded and they have nothing on the V10.

The issues you mentioned are VERY fixable, but I'd be concerned with the one with the loud exhaust. That may very well could be an exhaust stud or two loose that need to be replaced. If the price is right on that truck, I'd make them replace all the exhaust studs and then buy the truck.

 

Hi, I just purchased a 2000 excursion two days ago. It's a 4x4 V10. I picked the V10 due to the extreme cold where we live during winter and we already have 3 diesels in the family so i figured a gasser would be good to have.

The locking hubs on mine are also very very stiff. I'll be looking into learning about this hub system and fixing them. I got mine with 166K miles for $4600 including a decent front bumper and full set of husky mats.

My truck also has a few issues and was a salvage title due to an old hit on the rear driver's door and axle. That was well over 20K miles ago and the truck tracks straight and runs strong. Around here for gas Xs the prices range from 5K up to 15K depending on dealer or private, miles and condition of interior. This one had everything we wanted and at that price we had to at least make the 4hr trip to go see it.

I was very surprised with the MPG reading we got on the way home with the gasser. 15-16mpg was the average and that's with slightly oversized tires so actually it's more like 15.5-16.5. Don't know how accurate that factory system is but anywhere above 13mpg and i'm happy.

Take your time, find the right one and remember unlike most SUVs out there these days, these aren't disposable rigs. I'm looking forward to keeping this truck for many years and if engine finally fails then it'll be getting a cummins transfusion in the next 10 years

 

How well do these bodies handle flex?
I am asking because the one I looked at yesterday that had a bad rust spot the length of the roof seem down the drivers side. It started next to the luggage rack roof front mount and ran to the rear.
Off-road flexing is a consern on vehicles with stiff suspensions and long, stiff bodies. Weld seems start seperating and doors dont line up any more. This has been Jeepers concerns with Jeeps converted to pick-ups without a cab - bed seperation.

Buying southern vehicles would be ideal, however, I can't justify the time. I hate SALT!

 

I had an Expedition with the Triton 5.4. It was okay for that vehicle, but I would never get an Ex with a 5.4. I think it's under powered. If you are just driving in town, not towing you might be okay, but I personally wouldn't do it. I would suggest a V10 if you are going for the gasser. My buddy has over 240K (mostly highway) on his V10 although it's getting tired and it's life is limited. He now owns a 2011 F250. I do believe he had an issue with the manifold studs. The hubs are very common and most replace with manual Warn hubs, an easy fix.

One thing to consider, if you plan on putting a lot of miles on the Ex, a diesel will far outlive a gasser. The obvious problem will be cost. The diesels are going at a premium price, ridiculous in some cases. The gassers can be found at a very good price as you know. The 5.4 will be cheaper, not as desirable to most for good reason. If you are planning on bigger wheels, I would go V10 for sure. If you get one at a dealer, try to get some kind of warranty and/or try to negotiate they fix any issues. If buying privately, take it to a shop and have it inspected.

I know the diesel is out of your budget but I will give my opinion for anyone else that may read this. I owned a 7.3 diesel previously and liked it a lot. I did have to do a bunch of mods and chip it to get the power I wanted. I drove my friends V10 for awhile. Power is good but I remember a time when we towed together, the V10 would not hold in overdrive, my 7.3 did. I recently bought a 2005 6.0 with 159K and I really like it. It has had the ARP studs done as well as the bulletproof oil cool, EGR etc. I paid $14,500 for it, bought from a person in TX. I've ordered a bigger alternator and a bulletproof FICM. The 6.0 has a bad reputation for having big expensive problems. If a few things are taken care of, the engine should be pretty sound if properly taken care of. I also like the Torqshift trans better than the 4R100 on my 7.3. All that said, I would't go back to a gasser, just my preference. I've been very pleased with the diesel but it does add $5K plus to the price and higher maintenance costs. I plan on keeping this vehicle for a long time so another reason for a diesel. Once you have an Ex, you'll be hooked. They have their quirks but they are a beast. Too bad they quit making them! You can be sure FTE is the place to be. Everyone has been great. If a fellow member is close to you, he/she will come and help with issues. I have been given phone numbers by members on several occasions. It saved my butt one time when I was changing an injector and had a problem. I gave him a call and problem solve in a few minute. I can't say enough about the kind folks on this board! Be warned, you will get addicted to modifying and learning about your EX!

Good luck in your search! I just went through the same thing and had to do it in a hurry. Thanks to help from everyone on FTE and especially Toreador_Diesel (thanks again!), I was able to get a good sound Ex at a good price.

Steve

 

If I weren't in rep jail, I'd rep you....

Well said Steve!

 

TD-- I repped him for you.

Nice post, Steve. So glad that all worked out for you. Perhaps you could share the thread with your experience in getting your Ex with this new member? That would be helpful I am sure. ...just a thought.

Take care,
Karl

 

I drive an 04 Super Duty with the 5.4 (2 valve) in a hi-rail equipped railroad truck. It probably weighs in around 10k pounds. I also have a 2000 Excursion with the V10.

Now I know it's not really fair to compare the two but they are night and day different. The F-350 is a COMPLETE slug. It requires full throttle acceleration from EVERY start just to keep up with traffic. It downshifts if I even THINK about accelerating at highway speeds. I have recorded MPG of 7.8 over the course of the last 11,000 miles.

Now, in this truck's defense. It has 232k HARD miles with MANY MANY hours of idle time. (No hour meter on this one but similar truck have ~10,000 hours at this age.) And it's over laden with hi-rail gear and tons of tools. It probably also has the 3.73:1 gears.

On the other side of the coin is the Excursion. It pulls hard off the line and doesn't require near as many downshifts to motivate it down the road. I also have averaged 11.1 mpg over the last 25,000 miles. I've pulled some serious trailer loads with the heaviest load tipping the scale at 32,640 lbs GCVW.




On a side note, I recently rented a U-Haul to move the rest of my stuff from Jackson MS to New Orleans area. It was a 2010 E-450 with the 3 valve V10. It had a 20' box on the back and I also had a 6'x12' U-Haul trailer behind it. Both van and trailer were completely loaded. During the 200 mile trip, it NEVER downshifted on the interstate and I was able to hold right at 70 mph on all but the biggest hills. Even then, I only dropped down to 62-63. Best I can figure (since I didn't fill up twice) it got just under 8 mpg. I was pleasantly surprised.

 

Boy, I hope you never have to get out of the way of a train with the 5.4! I don't believe they should be able to call a Ford a Super Duty with a 5.4. I agree the 5.4 is a pretty durable engine, at least in my experience. I thought it was a bit under powered for my Expedition, at least for towing. I did manage to tow a 31' TT through the mountains but it worked it hard.