I've gleamed a lot of useful information on this form, but this is my first time to post. I own a 2003 Excursion Limited V10 with 162k miles. I've always had any little sound or problem fixed immediately so it's overall in excellent condition. We have family of 7 people and pull an Airstream across the country at times, so you can't beat the Excursion for our family.

So, about a few months ago I noticed that when I started it on a 60-70 degree day that there was some clear-ish smoke coming out of the exhaust (about 6-8" and then disappeared). It would only happen when the engine had been cold, so really the first start of the day. It hasn't used any coolant and not enough oil to at first tell for certain, but the dipstick in these is horrible. I took it to my mechanic and he said he though it was valve seals. He said it would cost $1600 and would probably be better to spend that money towards a new engine. He also had some concerns that if the valve seals were replaced that there were other parts that could go out soon afterwards. Almost made it sound like the new valves would make the "weaker/older" parts potentially go out sooner.

During that time I actually finished up replacing the valve cover gaskets on another vehicle I have, and saw a YouTube video of how to replace valve seals. Looks like it would be a very inexpensive job that I'm sure I can do.

Now my questions: Is there any concern to what the mechanic said about other "weak" parts, or should I just replace the valve seals and move on. I'm not sure I really want to rebuild the engine, but would love to just replace the seals and get another 40k our of the vehicle with minor repairs.

Are there any other parts that I should replace while I am at it (cover gaskets, etc)?

I appreciate any advise that you might have!

Thank you!

Todd

 

I just did a set of seals on one of my vehicles..... replacing the valve seals will not cause any other part to go bad..... $1600 is a bit pricey too..... since you said when you start the vehicle it smokes a little and goes away shows the seals are leaking some oil. You have to check and see how much oil you are using on a weekly or monthly basis. Seals are cheap but the labor involved is most of the work. It's up to you if you want to pay that much or shop around. Replacing the engine would be good if you plan on keeping the X for a long time. I would do the seals if it was me. Good luck.

 

Gonna move this one over to the V10 forum where the guys who are the experts can get you dialed in.

Stewart

 

I plan on doing this job this fall when it cools down. If your valve cover gaskets aren't leaking then reuse them. Just wipe everything clean and you should be fine. Let us know how it goes.

Todd