This is my report on my spring swap on a 2003 Ford Excursion Limited Diesel 6.0. I bought it 6 months ago with 102,000 miles. The tires are the Michelin 10 ply and were pretty new when I bought it. The owner had also put new factory dampers (they’re not “shocks” or “shock absorbers”, they dampen so they are called dampers) on the EX in the last year. Interesting side note, tire wear was decently normal even though the guy said he never took it in for an alignment. As soon as I got home I took it to the only alignment rack in town. Let’s keep this short and sweet since posts on this have been beaten to death. Most importantly, I lay out the facts as they are presented to me. I am not a salesman, so I don’t have anything to sell. Keep that in mind when you read some posts.

Problems:

1) The common theme of the EX seems to be road sway. This is where the ruts of the road slide the vehicle side to side. In oil country, these ruts are created by about a billion semi’s, so if your EX has this trait, its damn near deadly here as the effect is exaggerated. This is also an insane feeling for the edge of the road, where the pavement goes from your lane, down about a half inch to the shoulder. That little half inch change in pavement would make my butt pucker something severe.

2) The steering is extremely vague. Turn-in (this is when you turn the wheel from dead center) was very light and easy, too much so. It also meant that the wheel wouldn’t return to dead-center. Little 1/8 degree turns would result in the truck continuing on that path if you didn’t pull it back to center. Bigger turns would get the wheel back semi close to center, but never dead center. This was the most tiring aspect of the EX. Going down the highway you always had to “point” it down the road. You could never relax. Tracking straight was impossible. There was also a little slop at dead center. If I made little movements to the right and left I could feel the delay.

The alignment shop told me my ball joints were shot. I told them do the alignment anyway and I’ll replace the ball joints. I figured that was the answer. Nope. The ball joints may have been worn, but they were not toast. This replacement had NO EFFECT. After a little while longer I started getting more annoyed with the driving. This is when I started reading up on the issues. Many people talked about the steering gearbox. I thought it must be going out as I tightened that adjustment and within 1 road trip the truck was back to light steering (when you tighten the adjustment it makes the steering heavier, not in a bad way, just heavier). I took the EX back to the alignment shop and had them replace the steering gearbox and do another alignment. This had NO EFFECT. It’s worth noting at this point I told him to add some extra toe-in. Doesn’t matter, just noting it.
This is when I really started diving into the forums to understand the problem(s). Without a doubt, the two major experts are Stewart and Cary T. It would seem that my “Problem 1” was the result of weak suspension allowing the rear axle to sway, which means the road ruts would take me where they pleased. I talked with Cary T a few times, but I didn’t get the answers I wanted. Not knocking him, I just have a different style and I am a hard customer to please. My wife was already pissed I’d been dumping money into this thing after buying it, the last thing I wanted was to lift this sucker and **** her off more.

QUICK NOTE: My ride in the EX at this point was ok. It was actually more supple than I thought a truck would be, but I did notice that crossing big wallows in the road (they don’t have road gutters in the desert, so they use the roads to channel water, so picture crossing aquaducts at every intersection) would result in bottoming out (also note, this is not what I would call a “hard bottom”, it was just using the cushion of the bump stop). I had roughly 5/8”-3/4” of an inch clearance from the top of the spring pack to the bump stop when the EX was sitting level. The front springs also had some reverse arch sitting there, but I suspect this is intended by Ford (more on this later).

Here’s what I did:

1) Front springs – I bought new V-code springs from AutoNation Ford (formerly Tousley in MN.). By far their prices ($129/spring) were better than any dealer here ($300+/spring). I also bought 4 new U-bolts ($21/per), Excursion spec. The spring pack on the F250 and EX is the same in the front, so I suspect it really doesn’t matter which you use. For instruction on how to do the swap, follow this guy’s post: 2000 Ford Excursion V-Code Leaf Spring Installation pictures, videos, and sounds | SuperMotors.net. His stuff is spot on except for some bolt size differences. Also keep in mind I did this by myself without a single air/power tool. I DID EVERY BOLT AND NUT BY HAND, and I was hungover. The whole front end took me 8 work-hours to swap, including the dampers. Also note, this is why you buy a truck from a non-salt state. God Save Texas, as I didn’t have to use WD-40 once (I did, but didn’t have to).

2) Front Dampers – I had heard the Bilstein 5100 series provided a rough ride to some, and that was the last thing I wanted was a harsher ride without being able to adjust it (sometimes I do actually want a harder ride, but I want to choose). This is why I went with Rancho 9000’s ($85/per). Roughly the same price as the Bilsteins ($75/per), but they are adjustable to 9 settings. Yes this only controls the compression stroke, but it is only the compression stroke that controls hard or soft impacts. I had adjustable KYB’s on a Trans Am years ago and I liked being able to tune them.

3) Steering Damper – original one was leaking, so I got a Rancho 5000 ($50) to replace it. Only reason it was Rancho was because it was the same color as the ride dampers.

4) Rear springs – For this, there are many schools of thought. I went with used F250 B-code springs (I can’t guarantee they were B-codes because the junk yard pulled them). They claimed to have 82,000 miles (also can’t verify), and they did look in very good shape when they arrived. I went used because new were too expensive, SDSprings online couldn’t tell their head from their ***, and I wanted the springs to be passed any sag stage (this could mean easier ride but could also backfire. If you’ve ever ridden in a truck that’s been used to haul all its life, worn springs is a hard-*** ride). I was willing to take the chance at $75/spring to go used.

PAUSE: This also posed the question of doing a modification to them or slapping the factory F250 springs on as is. I didn’t want to do Cary T’s mod because I didn’t want the lift. Well, you also can’t put a 250 spring on an EX and not have an issue. With the spring sitting as it would on the EX (arch down, mount points at each end in the air) you can see a single leaf separate by a ½” (or so) block on the F250 spring pack. We’ll call this the “top leaf.” This has to be bed support, as since it doesn’t tie into the other leafs so it can’t be ride support. If you look on your EX you will see fuel hoses on the driver side and A/C lines on the passenger side. This leaf would most likely hit those lines under severe compression. Don’t leave it to chance, take it off. The other issue is that the F250 pack as is would be too thick to mount on your EX axle using factory EX u-bolts. Wait for it, this part will **** some people off…. I REUSED THE FACTORY U-BOLTS!!! http://images.ford-trucks.com/forums...2/rotz.gifWhy? #1 I’m a big boy, I understand the risk. #2 it guarantees that I am not adding ride height by thickness. The only ride height change would come from the arch/hardness of the springs. So then, you have no choice but to modify the F250 spring pack. This was easy, as my EX spring pack came out in pieces. Eureka! The single bolt in the middle of the spring pack had lost the nut (this is actually good news as it lends credence to the theory that my rear springs are part of the cause of Problem 1). While u-bolts will contain the side to side movement of the leafs, it cannot contain the front to back movement of the leafs when not under compression. Without that bolt, there was the possibility of movement I believe.

Ok, onto my “spring mod pack”:

1) Start with the 4 main leafs of the F250 pack.
2) Put the shortest two leafs from the EX pack onto the bottom of the F250 leafs.
3) Take the axle wrap bar from the EX pack and put it on the bottom of that.
4) Take the bracket from the F250 pack that was in-between the bolt head and bottom leaf (you’ll see its thicker/heavier than the bracket on the EX pack) and put it on the “spring mod pack.”
5) Don’t put any spacer between the axle wrap bar and the shortest leaf. Then use the thicker spacer for all the leafs EXCEPT the top/longest leaf. That should be the thinner spacer. This means you will use 4 thicker spacers and 1 thin spacer.
6) Get some clamps or a really heavy person to compress the leafs together and put the EX bolt through the “spring mod pack.” Tighten the nut as hard as you can with a vice-grip on the bolt head.
7) Congrats, you now have a spring pack with basically the same thickness as the EX spring you took off. If you can’t get it to work, change spacers as you need to make it work with the EX bolt. Otherwise, you’ll need longer u-bolts or you will have to remove the factory EX 2” (3”?) blocks on the rear axle.

Rear Dampers – Again, Ranch 9000’s. Swap was cake.
The rear spring swap and damper swap, even with playing with the spring pack and test fitting, took all of 5 hours. Again, all bolts were by hand.


Results:

Ride height – I got excited and didn’t do a measurement on the front from the fender to the ground before. However, noticing the difference in the bump stop to the spring, it went up about 1”. As I mentioned, I believe the Ford guys meant for the front springs to reverse arch. Even the V-code springs bend upside down on the EX. In my opinion, the struggle for the EX isn’t in the front springs (there are exceptions obviously, this is just my experience). The rear raised 1 ¼ ” from spring arch alone. This kept the rake of the EX the exact same as what I was looking at before. That kind of sucks, but at the same point I know if/when I tow or load up the rear, it will sit level and not sag. In the end, I’m happy it worked out that way. I was getting a flat fixed and they had 35”x12.5” wheels/tires sitting there, so I test fit it on the rear. Not a chance. Don’t do this mod if you are looking for that. I suspect 33” x 10” would fit at the max.

Ride quality – Oh man! This thing rides smooth now. It is just as soft as it was before with the dampers set on 5, and its just close enough to riding like a boat that I want to stiffen them up a hair. However, going over those big wallows is so kickass. I do it now just for fun. First time I went at one of these wallows at 30mph, my wife hunkered and screamed because she thought we were hosed… it soaked it up and there she is on the floorboard, staring at me. Priceless. As a practical matter, it would be even better had I replaced the bushings on the front sway bar. If you can move the bolt-eye, they are worn (think ball joint). This I suspect will make a nice difference. Also, I bought a Hellwig rear sway bar (mine has no factory bar). I also suspect this will help with the “boat” feel and will report back.
In the end, this completely fixed Problem 1 (ruts in road movement). My advice is start here, and then work toward a steering gearbox, etc. For what its worth, I do not see the science or reasoning behind needing larger tires as a matter of fixing anything on the EX. If you want bigger,fine. It should be either for looks or you are doing something more aggressive overall. My theory is… is F250’s, F350’s, duallys, and semis can ride on the same width tire as your EX, so why would your EX need wider tires than they do? Keep in mind, that does not apply if you are changing the purpose of your EX. As a highway cruiser, 265/275 tires are all that is needed.
HOWEVER, as noted there are TWO Problems, and they are independent of each other. Problem 2 is getting fixed as we speak. I will know if I am right this afternoon, but I believe the vague steering and lack of return to center is from lack of Caster. I told the guy to cram as much Caster is this POS as he could get. Then I’ll test drive and we’ll adjust. I look forward to any replies or questions where I can help. But in the end, you just got to dive in figure it out. Otherwise, the suggestion you get from somebody will only **** you off if it doesn’t result in exactly what you wanted.

P.S. If I get one comment about tire pressure I'll snap. If I can change springs and dampers, I can damn sure check tire pressure. And if I change all that, I better be smart enough to play with pressures before doing it.

 

Any pics of your modifed rear spring pack?

 

No pics yet but they'll be on here soon enough. Just wanted to get it up in writing. Also, just talked to alignment shop. He checked every nut and bolt, connection, joint, etc, and everything is in brand new shape. We currently have about 3.5 degrees of positive Castor in the steering. He said he can only take it up to about 5 degrees. So I told him to crank it as far as it will go. He did note the same driving feeling I had, which was the wheel doesn't recenter after incremental turns/movement. He did note however that this is how every F250/Excursion is that he has driven.

 

I can reiterate the Op's focus on the rear of the Ex for a large part of its negative handling issues.

My Ex is a 2001 7.3 4x4. My front end is tight, new steering box, ball joints and tie rod ends. Dampners are new Bilsteins on all four corners. What I noticed on my Ex is, when I would go into a turn off throttle the rig immediately wanted to oversteer (the rear of the truck felt light it wanted to come around the front end) and on throttle the rig would push ( no steering in the front). These issues were exaggerated when the fuel tank was 1/2 to 3/4 full (lots of weight in the rear sloshing side to side in the back).

My solution was to put on a rear sway bar. It made a tremendous difference in the handling and drive ability of the Ex. Now the rear suspension of the truck feels connected to the front suspension. No more delay in the rear end when the front end changes direction. What would especially drive me nuts is going in a straight line down the highway and make a small correction in the steering of the truck and then have to correct again and again because the rear of the truck would do the delay sway and I would need to continue to correct the steering just to settle down the rear of the Ex - lots of drama. Now I can point and shoot when I need to change direction without the drama - no more rear sway going in a straight line. I cannot believe they allowed these rigs out of the factory without a rear sway bar.

 

The alignment shop was able to get just over 5 degrees of Caster into the front wheels. He used cams, as he didn't think to use axle shims. 5 degrees was as far as he could go with cams without putting too much Camber into the wheels. So far so good. Steering is heavier at turn in and seems to have reduced going back and forth. Will know this evening when going on a 5 hour trip.

 

I'd be really interested in an update. This is a problem that my new [to me] Ex has fairly severely, and I'm worried about how the problem will be amplified when I tow.

Any insight or magic combinations would be welcomed.

Chad

 

Being this thread is 2 years old you may not get a reply from the OP

Start a new thread explains your symptoms, concerns or problem and I'm sure the folks here can help you sort it out.

 

Chad,

I did a write up on a V/Modded B swap (Cary T's configuration) and it was a world of difference.

I started with the spring swap (didn't mess with shocks or steering components) and it was a different truck when I was done. Rode straight (could take my hands off the wheel for a good 1/2 mile on a flat freeway and she rides straight). I did get a little lift (about 1-1 1/4"), and the rear end is maybe 1/4" higher than the front.

One thing I will say is that with the Modded B springs and my "day to day" driving situation (3rd seat removed, a good 300-350lbs of gear in that space), when I tow the rear still sags 2", putting me ever so slightly nose-up. The trailer I pull is a 16' dual axle box trailer, 7300lbs, about 13% of that (say 950lbs) on the tongue).

My fix for that was to add AirLift bags to the rear with a remote control. I run 15psi when not towing, 60psi when towing. When I am hooked up with 60psi in the bags, I have the same ride height front to rear as when I'm not towing. The nice 'side effect is that I can pull under the hitch, hit the air bags, and the rear "lifts up" 2" as I'm dropping the trailer...when I unhook the reverse...the ball "drops" 2" as I'm jacking up the trailer foot...makes hitching up that much faster.

A note: If you go with any kind of automatic air bag system, wire in a switch to the compressor. If your remote battery dies and you try to manually drop/add air, the auto manifold will drain air or fire up the compressor. It's a pain getting under your rig at midnight in the rain to disconnect the manifold power.

My particular setup turned my truck from "meh" ride and handling and ride to "f@#$ yeah!!!". Absolute best mod I did...closely followed by the 08 mirror upgrade.

 

Don't expect to hear from Larz, his last visit to this site was that post above your back in 2014.

Like Pirate said, start a new thread and introduce yourself and your new EX (we love pictures here! ) and describe to the best of your abilities what issues you want to address. We have plenty of helpful members here who can lend advice or even a helping hand with the wrenches. Speaking of which, where in the Keystone State are you located? I'm in Media and I don't mind getting my hands dirty.

 

I'll fire up a new post. Honestly, I felt a little guilty even considering it, as I've noticed there are at least a dozen posts on this already. I just stumbled upon the "Comprehensive..." post too, a lot in that one.

Chad

 

Thanks for the info. It seems like all of the ideas I've seen across threads are generally the same. Sounds easy enough, unfortunately I don't really possess the skills or knowledge to tackle this kind of thing, so I need to be able to talk it well enough to get a mechanic to do it for me.

Great idea on the mirrors too. My wife and I were just talking about the need to upgrade those.

 

I'm over in the York Area, Spring Grove specifically. My luck, it's probably too far away, but the knowledge here is invaluable as it is.

Chad