Hi everyone, in Toronto Canada here. i found a 7.3L 4x4 X limited thats selling for around 9 grand. It has 272,000 KM. ive spent the last month or so researching the excursion and the 7.3L engine. Ive come up with a inspection checklist that i hope people here can take a look at and offer input as to if i am missing anything to inspect on the vehicle etc... here is my checklist

Before cold start

o Check coolant, radiator cap, inspect belts, fittings, hoses,
o inspect valley under HPOP for oil leaks.
o Inspect exhaust manifold for broken bolts
o Inspect air filter
o Inspect trans fluid, brake, power steering, engine oil
o Inspect radiators for damage,
o Inspect body for accident damage/repair
o Check fender screws for accident replacement
o Inspect exhaust tailpipe for oil/buildup ( bad piston rings)




After Cold start
o Check cluster for all lights
o Inspect exhaust gas for white/blue/black smoke
o Inspect all running lights and interior instrumentation
o listen to engine idle
o Turn steering wheel to listen for power steering pump problems
o Shift transmission to see if smooth from p-d , p-r ,d –r , etc

Test drive
o Brake without steering wheel
o See if running straight while giving it gas
o Transmission shifting smoothly?
o Engine temperature
o Engine power?
o Ac/ heat working?
o All vents working?
o Horn?
o Strong pull when pedal to floor?

After test drive
o CHECK OIL CAP FOR BLOWBY
o INSPECT REAR DIFFERENTIAL FOR LEAKS
o INSPECT UNDERBODY FOR LEAKS on driveshaft joints , transmission and engine block
o Inspect steering components, tie rods, ball joints, control arms suspension
o Inspect for rust
o Inspect transmission oil


what do you guys think? From the pictures the truck looks fantastic, the interior doesnt show major signs of wear and tear. the Seats look to be in good condition, even the wear on the steering wheel is very low.

worth checking out or a ticking time bomb?

 

Sounds like a thorough check up. Nice list!

On the blowby check...my truck shows some puffing out the oil fill. I was worried but my mechanic took the cap, flipped it over on the fill tube and said if it was anything to worry about it would have flipped the cap off the tube. Mine did not, just sat there until engine vibrations moved it.

 

do you do the oil cap check when the engine is hot or cold?

 

I would check both conditions.

 

so i was looking at pictures of the interior from the dealers website, and i noticed the auto climate control is in farenheight not celcius. Does this mean its a u.s vehicle? The speedo is in km/h not mph.

 

No you can change it in the settings. My US truck is set to Celsius.

The speedometer will generally let you know. Mine has miles on the outside and kilometers on the inside, whereas my previous Canadian V10 had the kilometers as the primary and mph as secondary.

 

I would also check to make sure the the front hubs/transfer case are engaging.
T-case and hubs can be checked by finding a dirt/gravel lot, flipping the ESOF switch and turning hard left and then right, you feel it binding a little but the dirt/gravel allows for slippage versus pavement. Also while stopped put it into neutral and foot on brake pedal and shift it into low range and listen you will here a small clunk(best way to describe it) then move toward to make sure low works.

 

in the event that i cant find gravel, is there any other way of testing it?

 

i also have a obd2 scanner hooked up to my laptop i have this program SCANXL pro, and it scan the following things

Supported Vehicles - Palmer Performance Engineering, Inc.

i just set up the profile for the excursion 7.3 and it says it does have enhanced diagnostics.

i will be taking my laptop with me to hook up to the obd2 for analysis. Are there any critical sensors i should be watching while going for the test drive? ( i will set it to record all data so i can go over it after the drive)

 

This might be better asked over in the 7.3 forum.

 

i put up a post there. What are the common rust spots for these vehicles?

 

inside bottoms of the doors

 

Pinch welds along the the bottom of the body.

 

Look under with a light behind rear wheels, and area where running boards attach. If the area under the brackets looks bad, it is probably even worse in reality.

Oh, and check the hitch to make sure it is not too rusty and will accept a ball without the assistance of a sledge hammer. (wish I had done this)

Did you mention power window motors, door lock actuators and rear hatch actually locking/unlocking with switch (or even at all)?

ADD ON: Bring a t15(I think) driver and check around the metal behind the tail lights. Mine was totally destroyed. I tore off the bad part, and it all sets in there still, just a surprise to me and would be a good way to get a better price.

 

Can you lift up a front tire at a time and check for loose ball joints? That would be a good idea.

Are the Jack and all the tools present?

Does the hvac do goofy things in 4WD? (Vacuum leak)

This type of list should be in the stickies, if is isn't already. I probably just missed it before.

See if anyone on this board lives near you so you can have a second set of eyes/ no emotional attachment. Have them show up in their Ex so you can compare...