Hey Folks...

Hopefully someone here can answer my questions since I can't get clarification from the Ford dealer it's at. I found a 2000 Excursion with low miles with the V10 engine. 1st, the dealership is insisting it is a 4 speed transmission with OD, however I'm fairly certain it is a 3 speed transmission with OD. Can someone confirm this?

2nd, the main purpose for me purchasing this, is to tow a travel trailer that weights 6800 lbs empty, will probably be around 8K lbs when loaded give or take. This particular X doesn't have the HD tow package, so a few questions around that. I found that even without the HD tow package, it is still rated for 9700 lbs, however I could only find that at one source, a 2001 trailer life towing guide. I know the Expeditions for it to have the HD tow package on it, they received a larger radiator, oil and tranny coolers as well as the 7 pin wiring harness. For the 2000 Excursion, what made up the HD towing package?

3rd, any idea what rear axle ratio this would have. I assume 3:73's, but not certain...

Thanks for any help you can provide...

LJ

 

2000 is the first year offered and I have only owned 2003 and 2005 Excursions. I think that all Excursions for 2000 are rated for 10,000 lb towing (maybe 9,700 lb, I don't know). There was, to my knowledge, no "HD Tow package". The only thing added in 2003 for "Tow package" was the big tow mirrors. All Excursions should have the 7 pin round connector as well as the flat 4.

The 4R100 is a 3 speed with OD as you state. The 5R110 is the TorqShift 5 speed used with 6.0L diesels only (on Excursions).

Basically, this 2000 Ex will tow your Travel trailer. There are a number of things you will want to do to upgrade the reliability and stability of this Ex for towing. A partial list will include:

1) Improved tranny cooling. Most on here advise using external cooler from 6.0L diesel. Easy upgrade, so I'm told.
2) Hellwig stabilizer bar on rear axle.
3) Trailer towing mirrors.
4) Suspension upgrades to improve straight-line stability. Too much here to discuss in short order.
5) Hitch can be strengthened to 12,000 lb rating by adding bigger bolts from 2002 and later years. Tough to do but relatively cheap improvement.

Last bit of advice is to look at the tires. They should be "E" load rated, not "D". You will need this when hitch weight is added.

Forgot to add axle information. You most likely have 3.73, but 4.10 and 4.30 were offered for V10. I have heard V10 owners extoll the 4.30 as the 'sweet' setup for towing. They say you will get better MPG with 4.30 when under load than with 3.73 or 4.10. Only way to know for sure which axle is to drive it. If you see 2000 RPM in top gear at around 69 mph with stock size (32" diameter) tires, you are driving a 3.73.

Welcome to the forum!

 

Forest really summed things up pretty well, reps sent!

Every Excursion ever made has the towing package, so you're not missing anything there unless you have the small paddle mirrors. The tow mirrors were available on all model years though, and mine has them as well as 4.30 gears. I used mine to tow over 15,000 lb across the country in November and was very pleased with how it did.

If you post the VIN I can look it up to see the rear gear ratio, but the V10 was available with either 3.73 or 4.30 gears. 4.10s were only offered with 5.4L V8-powered Excursions if memory serves me right.

Upgraded transmission cooling is recommended if you're going to be towing up grades in hot weather, and many of us have upgraded to the much larger cooler from a 6.0L Powerstroke truck. It's a bolt-on installation that only requires some reducing fittings, hose clamps, and 1/2" transmission line. If you go this route I would highly recommend a transmission fluid thermostat to prevent overcooling of your transmission. At a minimum I would recommend getting something like a ScanGauge to monitor your transmission fluid temperatures and ensure that you not exceed 230° for more than a half hour and never exceed 250°.

I upgraded my front springs and installed airbags in the back to improve load carrying ability and to eliminate bottoming out my front end, as the stock springs are designed for a lower ride height and softer handling.

 

It depends on how you count the speeds.

Here are the ratios:
1st: 2.71:1
2nd 1.54:1
3rd 1:1
4th 0.71:1

I count four ratios, and one of them is an overdrive ratio. So is that a four speed or a three speed? Why would it be a three speed with overdrive? Why is overdrive special? I think it is a one speed direct drive (1:1 ratio) transmission with two underdrive (2.71:1 and 1.54:1 ratios) and one overdrive (0.71:1 ratio.)

 

GREAT!!! Thanks for all the information so far... Yeah, it does have the smaller mirrors, but I seen I can upgrade those pretty inexpensively...

From what I gather, this is pretty accurate:

Trailer Towing Guides | Trailer Life Magazine

This has all years back to 1999... So with that, (looking at 4X4) it looks like 2000 and 2001 the V10 towing capacity was 9700 lbs, however if you look at 2002, there are 2 limits for the V10, 9600 lbs & 11,000 lbs, so any idea of the difference? Also with that, for 2005 it looks like there isn't 2 different ratings, just 11,000.

Would I be better off holding out for a later model year? I don't think much changed with them while they were in production except grills and headlights right?

Did the later models have a different transmission, perhaps 5 gears whether you count the OD or not?

Thanks again...

LJ

 

The higher towing limit is with 4.30:1 axle ratio.

In 2005 the Excursion with the 6.0L diesel had the TorqShift five speed transmission. All other Excursions had the four speed 4R100 transmission.

 

Thanks...

Oh, BTW - the VIN is: 1FMNU43SXYED00203

Thanks again...

 

That's quite a find, it has 4.30s!

Source: FordEtis home page

Primary Features
Build Date: 13.03.2000
Vehicle Line: EXCURSION
Body Style: 4 Door Wagon
Series: 460 + M Series
Engine: 6.8L SOHC EFI NA V10 Gas
Transmission: E4OD(4R100)
Drive: LHD 4WD (PTD)
Axle Ratio: 4.30
Emission: With 49 State Emission Requirements
Air Conditioning: HD Manual Air Conditioning
Paint: Oxford White

Minor Features
Medium Parchment
137"/3480MM Wheelbase
Limited
Kentucky Truck Plant Build
With Convenience Group
With Electric Rear Quarter Window
With Lighted Running Boards
With Driver Electric/Heated Mirror
With Pass Convex Elec/Heated Mirror
With Drivers Heated Seat
With Heated Passenger Seat
With Driver 6 Way Pwr.Seat Adjuster
With Front Licence Plate Bracket
7.0 X 16" 6 Window Aluminium Wheel
4.30
Rear Axle Limited Slip Differential
With Skid Plates
With Tripminder Assy
With Reverse Proximity Sensor
Elect Prem Stro/Cass/Disc/Clock
With CD Player Autochanger
With Rear Seat Radio Controls
Oxford White

 

Man!!! Thanks... Only been asking the Ford Dealer for this info for about a week!!!

So, what does the 4.30's get me? Better mpg while towing? What about empty? This will be better for towing correct? Sorry for the silly questions, I know enough to be dangerous...

Any reason why I shouldn't pursue this 2000 and look for a later model? This only has 55K miles on it, looks nice in the pictures, could use a detail, but has a small ding in the passenger rear...

 

55k?! buy it! now!

yes the 4:30s will be better for towing. actually better all around.

 

These questions aren't silly at all. 4.30 rear gears mean that the driveshaft will spin 4.3 times for every time the rear wheels spin once, which means that there is more of a gear reduction than the 3.73 gears have. So your engine will be turning higher RPMs in each gear for a given speed, but in return your torque is multiplied by a higher number in each gear. Which means that you will be able to put more power to the ground in each gear, which makes this Excursion excel at towing.

The downside is that your engine will be spinning slightly faster and therefore consume more fuel. My Excursion doesn't do much more than 13.5-14.0 MPGs on the highway at 65-70 MPH, and I think some of this is due to my 4.30s. But the upside is that I was able to hold overdrive for 95% of the time during my trip out east, so I got better fuel economy towing than if I were in 3rd gear turning 2,600 RPMs with 3.73s. So I'd say that you have an advantage towing with a slight detriment of lower fuel economy while unloaded.


Not that I can think of, as unless you are willing to find a 6.0L diesel truck the transmission is the same across all model years. I don't regret my 2000 Excursion at all, and if I had to do it again I wouldn't necessarily look for one of the later model years because there weren't many improvements made IMHO.

 

As long as price is decent it sounds like a GREAT deal!

There are not enough differences between the 00 and the 05 V10 Excursions, and with only 55k, you will be hard pressed to find one with fewer miles.

I am selling my 2005 diesel Ex and replacing it with the 2000 V10. The diesel has only 36K miles and the V10 has 71K. My V10 also has the 4.30 gears, and you will LOVE them! It gets 11-13mpg empty or full. My other 00 V10 Limited Ex has 115K and 3.73 gears. It pulls my 30ft TT that weighs 6800 lbs dry, but it is a little doggy, compared to the 00 XLT with the 4.30's.

To be fair though, my XLT has the addition of a supercharger with the 4.30 gears, but the off the line pull even with no boost, is very noticeable.

Just for reference, I bought my 2000 limited with 110k miles in 2010 for $10k in WA state.
I bought my 2000 Ex XLT with 71k miles (and supercharged) for $8500 here in Alaska.

Hope this helps you make a deal!

Garry in kodiak, AK

 

All the above info is good stuff.

I have a 2000 EX that had 3.73 and I switched to 4.30's. Vast towing improvement. I won't say it gets better mileage even towing, but it makes a big difference in drive ability. My TT in the sig weighs about 7 K loaded and we took it all over Wyoming to Yellowstone last summer and had no issues with the mountain towing. I'm sure it would have done it with the 3.73's, but it would have had to work a lot harder doing it.

I lost no more than 1 MPG in my typical local non-towing driving, but it is primarily a tow vehicle. (even sleeps all winter in the garage)

Mine is a 2WD, so I never had any of the wandering issues that are somewhat common with the 4WD trucks. (search "wandering" in this forum and you'll have a big reading assignment.) I added a sway bar and RAS to mine and it's a rock solid towing platform for what I am towing.

Only 55K sounds nice. Those trucks are harder and harder to find. I don't think the year makes much difference in tow capability aside from the hitch bolts.

Do you have a link to the particular truck? Lot's of sharp eyed people will gladly throw in their 2 cents.

 

HAHAHAHA!!! I can't now, it's 11:48 p.m. here on the east coast!!!

Hopefully going to go check it out tomorrow now that I think I have all the information I need...

 

Here's a link to the X:

2000 Philadelphia Ford Excursion Philadelphia PA Philadelphia PA Ford Excursion Limited 2000 For Sale in Philadelphia, PA

Don't anyone go and buy it out from under me!!!

In the begining of December I came very close to buying an 04 6.0L diesel, almost the same truck as I posted above, but an Eddie Bauer, had 72K on it and had captains chairs in the 2nd row which was a major hang up for me. Part of the reason for this vehicle is I have 3 young kids and would rather have them in 2nd row for the most part and not have to shuffle someone in the back constantly. Also need more room for vacations and not having the 3rd row up 100% of the time will be huge... I had a FreeStar with the captains in the 2nd row and it was a pain, at least for us, but the dealer decided to send that truck to auction instead of dealing with me. I don't think he wanted to deal anyway, more or less hold it hostage...

Anyway, the diesel intriges me greatly, I loved the power it had for a HUGE truck. I took it for the day and had a good buddy of mine look over it and on the way back on the highway, the computer was telling me it was getting 18 MPG. We have an 05 Explorer we bought new 8 years ago, it has 77K on it, keeping it, but the X will more or less replace this. The wife is a stay at home Mom so this will be used to get groceries and for family trips, some of them towing a camper, so although gas mileage is a concern, as it needs to be these days, it's not a HUGE concern. For me, the extra $10K out of the box for the diesel that has the potential to have issues, on top of paying $.60 more a gallon and the higher maintenance cost, doesn't make sense to go down that road at this point, especially when I'm hearing really good things about the V10 motor, and really will maybe tow the camper 6 times a year at the most and many of those trips won't be far from home...

Plan is for me to drive the Explorer for a year or 2 and then get a more eco friendly car to go to the office and such.

Anyway... Again, thanks for all the replies and help!!! Depending if they want to hold this Excursion hostage I may drive home with it tomorrow or pick it up this week. I'm trading a 2011 Taurus for it...

LJ