I am planning to purchase a 2005 Eddie Bauer 4x4 Diesel, I am looking for pointers to look out for. This will be my first diesel so any and all information will be appreciated.

Thank you,
Jeff

 

Here are my tips...

Climb under the truck with a bright flashlight. Go back to front and look at everything. If there is a lot of dirt trapped in the small body areas then the truck has spent time off road or in a very dusty area. (Remember this for later)

As you get to the front look at the tranny, oil pan, transfer case and differentials for any moist spots/leaks... Or attempted fixes. Look to see if the starter is factory or newer.

Under the hood: open the air filter and see how dirty it is.

Pull the intake at the turbo and see if the turbo wheel looks good or is dusted (remember any dirt under the truck from earlier),
Pull the tranny fluid stick and check the color (bright pink, or looks like dirty oil)
Check and smell the motor oil, did the oil filter look new?

Verify all the electrics work, bring along a trailer light tester and something to test the 12v accessory ports, look for working windows and locks.

Pull a carfax report and see if any accidents are reported and if yes, check for any bad body work or where something was covered up. These are BIG trucks and usually get damaged by drivers who don't know how much room they need.

Finally look through all of the interior for damage or tell-tell signs of possible water damage.

Good luck

 

For the Diesel specific checks, you'll want a scangauge2 or one of the newer smartphones apps (dashboss, torque - along with the ODBII adaptor) so you can monitor the engine oil and coolant temps - and their difference.

Go on over to the 6L forum and read up on the 6L in the tech folder, a great right up of what to look for. YOu might pick an Excursion you do NOT want as your first run-through/practice trip since it'll take some time to learn what to look for..

Check the rear of the passenger side valve cover for the MY of the engine. The 2005 Excursions used up the 2004 6L engines, while the SD trucks got the 2005 6L engines. Sometime around May-June 2005, the Excursions started getting the 2005 MY 6L engines.

There are some good/bad advantages of both, you just want to know which you get.

Good luck!

 

I suggest subscribing to both Carfax and Autocheck - I've found either can be incomplete and/or conflicting, however between the two you can get a relatively true picture of the history of the truck. Avoid any truck which has had more then 2 owners or one that spent time on snowy roads.

 

Read this: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post12361139

Stewart

 

I looked for dash boss and torque for use with ,y iPad but wasn't able to find them in the App Store, would they be listed differently? I can order a scangauge2 if all else fails.

The post Stewart recommended later was a great piece of information, I saved the text of the checklist for later.

Thanks,
Jeff

 

Just get mike to look at it, fly him and let him go at it

 

I just spotted a one owner w/127k on Dallas CL in Fort Worth/. I don't know where you live, I can check it out if you're interested.

 

Yes, I saw that one, thanks for the heads up. I live in the DFW area but I am looking at a 2005 in the Houston area right now, we really don't want another white vehicle, we have a white car and white Suburban right now. I will be out of the area for the next three weeks so hopefully they will still have it when I'm ready to buy, and it will have to pass Mike's detailed inspection checklist he posted.

Thanks,
Jeff

 

ABSOLUTELY get a gauge of some sort to check the PID's. I read that many times over but neglected to take that advice. I purchased mine X in February and have spent the last few months and many dollars fixing problems I did not know were there. I highly recommend the Edge CTS.

 

Will the scangauge2 perform all these tests Key On Engine Off (KOEO) tests first. There are several, with the most important (IMHO) being the famous Injector Buzz test, Key On Engine Running (KOER) tests, with the most important being the Cylinder Contribution Test (CCT).

If not can someone please recommend a good one to get. I plan to purchase a scangauge2 anyway just to monitor all the important stuff not shown on the dash.

Thanks
Jeff