Bad mileage
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 12,246
Likes: 761
From: Houston, Texas
Thought I'd responded to this....
When I purchased my '05 Excursion, I had the same problem which was attributed to SEVERAL things:
-The hubs were locked on mine severely reducing my mileage to as low as 13 mpg. Turn them to the left to unlock and right to lock. When you turn the hub lockout to the left, you will need to find an open parking lot, back up a good ways (20-50 feet), then drive forward normally. To verifiy, reach behind the front wheels and try turning the spindle. If it moves freely, it's unlocked, if it won't move then it's locked and you'll have to try again. Be sure to check BOTH sides as you can have one side locked and the other spinning free.
-Since my truck previously didn't have the EGR deleted, the MAP nipple on my intake manifold was plugged with soot from the EGR. (Don't spray anything down into the intake!) You can cut and use a wire hanger to clear the MAP nipple as seen in this video:
I did this on my truck and it started boosting normally with less black smoke, but that wasn't the whole part of the puzzle. One piece remained:
-The EBPS or Exhaust Back Pressure Sensor and tube on my truck were plugged with soot. If you have a late build Excursion with a 2005 engine, it's under the degas bottle and much easier to get to than if you had an '04 engine. This video on you tube explains how to access it:
The video only applies if you have a 2005 engine. If you have a late 2004 engine, it's a different procedure as it's located on the thermostat housing. He ran weed eater string through it, but I took a different road which I believe worked much better. I went to harbor freight and pick up these: 6 Piece Tube Brush Set
I started by running some gasoline and B12 Carb Cleaner through the tube while running the brush through the tube. It fought me at first because it was just that plugged up. This was evidenced by the brush coming back out with plenty of carbon and soot discoloring it. I sprayed some B12 down the tube while scrubbing each side individually once the black soot washed completely out, it was good to go. Keep in mind that the steel brush I rammed through the tube no longer had bristles when I was done, but because of the design of the wire, it was perfect for breaking up desposits. I then took the same brush and forced it through the opening on the exhaust manifold. I didn't use any carb cleaner, but it fought me too until I finally broke through the soot build up blocking the port. I put everything back together, road tested the truck and it drove so much smoother.
-Stiction on the oil side of the injectors. When I bought my 2005 Excursion, it quietly suffered from stiction and I never knew it. Why? Becuase my truck had the latest flash that had an inductive heating strategy on the FICM. Stiction is only obvious when it's cold outside or stiction has almost completely paralyzed an injector. Inductive heating covers sitction up becuase it pre-heats the injector similar to how a glow plug pre-heats the cylinder; stiction is then covered up as a result. If you have a 2005 engine and have the strategy VXDB1MZ or have a 2004 engine and the strategy VXBC9XX or VXBC6XX, you have inductive heating)
The solution to this problem is Hot Shot Secret Stiction Eliminator. This works by cleaning the oil side of the injector and the high pressure oil system. There are other products like RevX and Archoil 9100 that lubricate and depending on the severity, fix stiction issues. I've used Archoil 9100 and I've found that Hot Shot Secret Stiction Eliminator performed as advertised and eliminated my stiction issues. While running HSS, it's important that your truck sees alot of highway time as your truck will be running at operating temp and the additive will be able to work properly.
You can order it from FTE's vendors or if you have an Autozone or Tractor Supply near you, you can pick it up locally.
-The next issue I had but didn't know, was deposits on the fuel side of the injector. While Powerservice Diesel Kleen, Stanadyne Performance Injector Cleaner, and a number of Diesel Fuel additive makers advertise their formula can clean Internal Diesel Injector Deposits, none of them can handle heavy deposits that form from the lack maintenance my truck had before I bought it.
The ONLY addtive I've found that effectively cleans IDIDs was Hot Shot Secret Diesel Extreme fuel additive. I ran the additive over two tankfuls early January 2015 and my truck starts, runs, and drives better since using it. The results weren't for just those tanks of fuel either, the results of the Diesel Extreme remained long after I used it. I.e. it wasn't just a bandaid for that tank of fuel. You can also find this additive at either Autozone or Tractor supply. Youtube video on it:
-FICM voltages. When I first got my truck FICM voltages were in spec at 48-48.5 volts consistent. As time wore on and issue with my batteries, slowly but surely damaged it. The issue with my batteries was that the Texas heat had taken it's tolll on the "maintenance required" Duralast Gold batteries I had. Even though topping them off with distilled water bought me time with them, I had a dead cell in one of them and the damage was done on the other causing weak starts and the slow, painful death of my FICM. To that end, I went to oreilly and got some of their Extreme Start maintenance free batteries. If I had to do it all over again, I would've spent the extra money and got their AGM Extreme Start Platinum batteries instead.
-The other issue I had was that the dinky small case 110 amp alternator was weak and couldn't keep up with the truck. I didn't have the money for a DC Power alternator, so I opted for the 140 amp alternator from a 2005 F350. While it's not a 200+ amp alternator, it does a MUCH better job of keeping up with the electrical system on these trucks.
If you have a scangauge check your FICM Main voltage KOEO, Cranking, and KOER. It should never drop below 45 volts per Ford spec, but anything below 47 is too low for me and a warning sign of trouble. If your FICM is indeed suffering send it off to Ed at FICMrepair.com and he can get you fixed up along with the Atlas 40 tune. It's a FICM tune only tune that increases the power back to and even slightly above what it was back when 6.0s were first released late 2002 for the 2003 MY. I have this on my 2005 Excursion and have much better starting, throttle response, and fuel economy. Consider disconnecting the batteries for the PCM to relearn after this.
-MAF. When I picked my truck up from Whiteface Ford in Hereford, the engine was literally covered in dust. I could hardly tell there was an engine below the hood it was that bad. When I got it home, I used some MAF cleaner and sprayed the MAF. The color of the gunk falling away was enough for me to know I did something good for my truck. Consider disconnecting the batteries for the PCM to relearn after this.
-Thermostat. The water temp on my truck wouldn't go past 170 (something) degrees no matter what I did. I replaced the thermostat with a new Ford thermostat and it still wouldn't go above 188 degrees. To that end, I swapped into the Mishimoto 200 degree thermostat. Building on the 203 degree thermostat available for the 7.3 trucks, I knew the benefit and jumped on it as soon as it was available. Running the Mishimoto 200 degree thermostat, I've realized better fuel economy and power once the truck reaches the operating temp of 200-204 degrees. With the hotter thermostat, the fuel is able to burn much better resulting in better fuel economy and power. No need to worry when towing with the Mishimoto thermostat either. Krazee Matt got a bad batch of fuel earlier last month and his Excursion wasn't driveable as a result. I got a flatbed trailer and towed his truck to Powerstroke Enginuities for repair. The total weight was 11.4K and temps never exceeded 204 WT and 216 EOT. Towing a similar load from Houston to the RGV, the fan came on once, but stayed off the rest of the 12 hour journey. I consider the Mishimoto 200 degree thermostat money well spent for my truck.
-Tunes. Provided you have a healthy truck and even when you do, the stock tune can at times leave much to be desired. I've run a number of tunes on my 6.0: Gearhead, Truck Source Diesel, Quick Tricks, and Gearhead stands above the rest. Running Gearhead tunes, my truck starts, runs, drives, shifts, and even idles better; the fuel economy and power can't be beat either. If you have an SCT X3 or X4 and run Windows XP or better, you can easily upload Matt's tunes from your email and onto your tuner.
These are things to check that will eat the impressive fuel economy and power the 6.0 can produce. My suggestions cost little to no money and come from my personal experience with my own truck, so I can attest to them working.
When I purchased my '05 Excursion, I had the same problem which was attributed to SEVERAL things:
-The hubs were locked on mine severely reducing my mileage to as low as 13 mpg. Turn them to the left to unlock and right to lock. When you turn the hub lockout to the left, you will need to find an open parking lot, back up a good ways (20-50 feet), then drive forward normally. To verifiy, reach behind the front wheels and try turning the spindle. If it moves freely, it's unlocked, if it won't move then it's locked and you'll have to try again. Be sure to check BOTH sides as you can have one side locked and the other spinning free.
-Since my truck previously didn't have the EGR deleted, the MAP nipple on my intake manifold was plugged with soot from the EGR. (Don't spray anything down into the intake!) You can cut and use a wire hanger to clear the MAP nipple as seen in this video:
I did this on my truck and it started boosting normally with less black smoke, but that wasn't the whole part of the puzzle. One piece remained:
-The EBPS or Exhaust Back Pressure Sensor and tube on my truck were plugged with soot. If you have a late build Excursion with a 2005 engine, it's under the degas bottle and much easier to get to than if you had an '04 engine. This video on you tube explains how to access it:
The video only applies if you have a 2005 engine. If you have a late 2004 engine, it's a different procedure as it's located on the thermostat housing. He ran weed eater string through it, but I took a different road which I believe worked much better. I went to harbor freight and pick up these: 6 Piece Tube Brush Set
I started by running some gasoline and B12 Carb Cleaner through the tube while running the brush through the tube. It fought me at first because it was just that plugged up. This was evidenced by the brush coming back out with plenty of carbon and soot discoloring it. I sprayed some B12 down the tube while scrubbing each side individually once the black soot washed completely out, it was good to go. Keep in mind that the steel brush I rammed through the tube no longer had bristles when I was done, but because of the design of the wire, it was perfect for breaking up desposits. I then took the same brush and forced it through the opening on the exhaust manifold. I didn't use any carb cleaner, but it fought me too until I finally broke through the soot build up blocking the port. I put everything back together, road tested the truck and it drove so much smoother.
-Stiction on the oil side of the injectors. When I bought my 2005 Excursion, it quietly suffered from stiction and I never knew it. Why? Becuase my truck had the latest flash that had an inductive heating strategy on the FICM. Stiction is only obvious when it's cold outside or stiction has almost completely paralyzed an injector. Inductive heating covers sitction up becuase it pre-heats the injector similar to how a glow plug pre-heats the cylinder; stiction is then covered up as a result. If you have a 2005 engine and have the strategy VXDB1MZ or have a 2004 engine and the strategy VXBC9XX or VXBC6XX, you have inductive heating)
The solution to this problem is Hot Shot Secret Stiction Eliminator. This works by cleaning the oil side of the injector and the high pressure oil system. There are other products like RevX and Archoil 9100 that lubricate and depending on the severity, fix stiction issues. I've used Archoil 9100 and I've found that Hot Shot Secret Stiction Eliminator performed as advertised and eliminated my stiction issues. While running HSS, it's important that your truck sees alot of highway time as your truck will be running at operating temp and the additive will be able to work properly.
You can order it from FTE's vendors or if you have an Autozone or Tractor Supply near you, you can pick it up locally.
-The next issue I had but didn't know, was deposits on the fuel side of the injector. While Powerservice Diesel Kleen, Stanadyne Performance Injector Cleaner, and a number of Diesel Fuel additive makers advertise their formula can clean Internal Diesel Injector Deposits, none of them can handle heavy deposits that form from the lack maintenance my truck had before I bought it.
The ONLY addtive I've found that effectively cleans IDIDs was Hot Shot Secret Diesel Extreme fuel additive. I ran the additive over two tankfuls early January 2015 and my truck starts, runs, and drives better since using it. The results weren't for just those tanks of fuel either, the results of the Diesel Extreme remained long after I used it. I.e. it wasn't just a bandaid for that tank of fuel. You can also find this additive at either Autozone or Tractor supply. Youtube video on it:
-FICM voltages. When I first got my truck FICM voltages were in spec at 48-48.5 volts consistent. As time wore on and issue with my batteries, slowly but surely damaged it. The issue with my batteries was that the Texas heat had taken it's tolll on the "maintenance required" Duralast Gold batteries I had. Even though topping them off with distilled water bought me time with them, I had a dead cell in one of them and the damage was done on the other causing weak starts and the slow, painful death of my FICM. To that end, I went to oreilly and got some of their Extreme Start maintenance free batteries. If I had to do it all over again, I would've spent the extra money and got their AGM Extreme Start Platinum batteries instead.
-The other issue I had was that the dinky small case 110 amp alternator was weak and couldn't keep up with the truck. I didn't have the money for a DC Power alternator, so I opted for the 140 amp alternator from a 2005 F350. While it's not a 200+ amp alternator, it does a MUCH better job of keeping up with the electrical system on these trucks.
If you have a scangauge check your FICM Main voltage KOEO, Cranking, and KOER. It should never drop below 45 volts per Ford spec, but anything below 47 is too low for me and a warning sign of trouble. If your FICM is indeed suffering send it off to Ed at FICMrepair.com and he can get you fixed up along with the Atlas 40 tune. It's a FICM tune only tune that increases the power back to and even slightly above what it was back when 6.0s were first released late 2002 for the 2003 MY. I have this on my 2005 Excursion and have much better starting, throttle response, and fuel economy. Consider disconnecting the batteries for the PCM to relearn after this.
-MAF. When I picked my truck up from Whiteface Ford in Hereford, the engine was literally covered in dust. I could hardly tell there was an engine below the hood it was that bad. When I got it home, I used some MAF cleaner and sprayed the MAF. The color of the gunk falling away was enough for me to know I did something good for my truck. Consider disconnecting the batteries for the PCM to relearn after this.
-Thermostat. The water temp on my truck wouldn't go past 170 (something) degrees no matter what I did. I replaced the thermostat with a new Ford thermostat and it still wouldn't go above 188 degrees. To that end, I swapped into the Mishimoto 200 degree thermostat. Building on the 203 degree thermostat available for the 7.3 trucks, I knew the benefit and jumped on it as soon as it was available. Running the Mishimoto 200 degree thermostat, I've realized better fuel economy and power once the truck reaches the operating temp of 200-204 degrees. With the hotter thermostat, the fuel is able to burn much better resulting in better fuel economy and power. No need to worry when towing with the Mishimoto thermostat either. Krazee Matt got a bad batch of fuel earlier last month and his Excursion wasn't driveable as a result. I got a flatbed trailer and towed his truck to Powerstroke Enginuities for repair. The total weight was 11.4K and temps never exceeded 204 WT and 216 EOT. Towing a similar load from Houston to the RGV, the fan came on once, but stayed off the rest of the 12 hour journey. I consider the Mishimoto 200 degree thermostat money well spent for my truck.
-Tunes. Provided you have a healthy truck and even when you do, the stock tune can at times leave much to be desired. I've run a number of tunes on my 6.0: Gearhead, Truck Source Diesel, Quick Tricks, and Gearhead stands above the rest. Running Gearhead tunes, my truck starts, runs, drives, shifts, and even idles better; the fuel economy and power can't be beat either. If you have an SCT X3 or X4 and run Windows XP or better, you can easily upload Matt's tunes from your email and onto your tuner.
These are things to check that will eat the impressive fuel economy and power the 6.0 can produce. My suggestions cost little to no money and come from my personal experience with my own truck, so I can attest to them working.
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 5,250
Likes: 11
From: West Virginia
My truck had an inductive heating tune and I replaced the ficm with the latest Ford tune and I have faster spool up and way less battery drain during starting. I'd highly recommend a ficm time from ficm repair to a newer strategy if you are still running an inductive heating (or "buzz") tune.
Always monitor battery voltage and at 3 or 4 years, start thinking about exchanging batteries. I run top of the line interstate batteries (they were like $400 a pair) but next time I'll get Sams club batteries and warranty them every 3 years. If your truck has the buzz tune, you may need batteries even more often. It's that hard on batteries .
As for tunes, everyone has an opinion but given the 6.0's lousy head clamping I'd avoid anything with even a potential to increase cylinder head pressures. If your studded, I'd give a tune a solid "maybe."
For me, stock is working fine.
I'm not sold on a higher thermostat yet. I struggle with high coolant temps when towing heavy in the hills with ac on in the summer. If there is a consensus reached that they are good for the engine I'd consider it, but with my egr delete, from what I've read, the jury is still not entirely in.
Always monitor battery voltage and at 3 or 4 years, start thinking about exchanging batteries. I run top of the line interstate batteries (they were like $400 a pair) but next time I'll get Sams club batteries and warranty them every 3 years. If your truck has the buzz tune, you may need batteries even more often. It's that hard on batteries .
As for tunes, everyone has an opinion but given the 6.0's lousy head clamping I'd avoid anything with even a potential to increase cylinder head pressures. If your studded, I'd give a tune a solid "maybe."
For me, stock is working fine.
I'm not sold on a higher thermostat yet. I struggle with high coolant temps when towing heavy in the hills with ac on in the summer. If there is a consensus reached that they are good for the engine I'd consider it, but with my egr delete, from what I've read, the jury is still not entirely in.
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 254
Likes: 0
From: Miami, Fl
Great post Toreador. Very informative. This info should be posted as a sticky. I'm going to try some of these out this weekend starting with the Hot Shot Secret oil and fuel additive. I've tried RevX and diesel Kleene with minimal results.
Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,420
Likes: 16
From: Ouray, CO
I just spread some REPs around and was released from Jail and I was able to Rep him again.. hint hint.
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 82
Likes: 1
I installed a new factory thermostat. I know the mishimoto one is probably good but I have a hard time not by ford parts. Anyways the old thermostat was stuck open when I took it out. Not to hard to install either. Hardest part was getting intercooler plastic tube on and off. Took it filled up and drove fifty miles. Ect 190-195. eot once warm stays at 196 to 198. Engine seems to run smoother more power. Now get this when I pulled in driveway scanguage was reading 18.2 mpg. Can I get a HECK YA!!!! Scan Guage is pretty accurate. I have run 3 tanks with it and it's been within 0.5 calculating by hand. I will post back when I run a whole tank through. I'm just
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 82
Likes: 1
I installed a new factory thermostat. I know the mishimoto one is probably good but I have a hard time not by ford parts. Anyways the old thermostat was stuck open when I took it out. Not to hard to install either. Hardest part was getting intercooler plastic tube on and off. Took it filled up and drove fifty miles. Ect 190-195. eot once warm stays at 196 to 198. Engine seems to run smoother more power. Now get this when I pulled in driveway scanguage was reading 18.2 mpg. Can I get a HECK YA!!!! Scan Guage is pretty accurate. I have run 3 tanks with it and it's been within 0.5 calculating by hand. I will post back when I run a whole tank through. I'm just
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Posting Guru
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Thanks to TD, I now have the 200 degree Mishimoto Tstat in, initial test showed 194 give or take on city roads with no load, ambient temp was approx 50 degrees.
I cycled it with a heat gun a couple times before install and used a new 91 housing. I did get it to 199 for a slight period.
Both parts were from Amazon.
With his direction I also cleaned the EBP sensor and Tube as well as the MAP nipple.
While none appeared to be clogged they were sooted up with deposits. It may or may not have made much difference at this point but I would not have known to do it otherwise and they would have only gotten worse.
I just picked up the Hot Shot oil and fuel additive and 4 gallons of Rotella 5w40 synthetic and a Motorcraft filter.
Tomorrow that is on the list.
Very excited to get on this trip and see collectivly how the improvements are.
I cycled it with a heat gun a couple times before install and used a new 91 housing. I did get it to 199 for a slight period.
Both parts were from Amazon.
With his direction I also cleaned the EBP sensor and Tube as well as the MAP nipple.
While none appeared to be clogged they were sooted up with deposits. It may or may not have made much difference at this point but I would not have known to do it otherwise and they would have only gotten worse.
I just picked up the Hot Shot oil and fuel additive and 4 gallons of Rotella 5w40 synthetic and a Motorcraft filter.
Tomorrow that is on the list.
Very excited to get on this trip and see collectivly how the improvements are.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,108
Likes: 23
You are not the only one with this issue. I think I have tried just about everything to get better milage out of my 6.0. Granted I am lifted and running 35's, but even when the lie-o-meter is saying 15mpg (like it did this weekend) the calculator is telling me I am getting 13mpg 
I have tried just about everything I can think of to help the MPG. I am running the FICM Atlas 40 program, the SCT street program, All new bits and bobs under the hood, including a regulated fuel return system, Bulletproff oil cooler/filter, Bulletproof EGR, and more. I have recently done a REV X treatment and I run stanadyne at normal fuel-ups.
Nothing I do seems to help. Next on the list will be a custom tune, but after that I am out of ideas.
I have tried just about everything I can think of to help the MPG. I am running the FICM Atlas 40 program, the SCT street program, All new bits and bobs under the hood, including a regulated fuel return system, Bulletproff oil cooler/filter, Bulletproof EGR, and more. I have recently done a REV X treatment and I run stanadyne at normal fuel-ups.
Nothing I do seems to help. Next on the list will be a custom tune, but after that I am out of ideas.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 12,246
Likes: 761
From: Houston, Texas
You can run duals on a V10 or 5.4, but with the diesels it's a little bit of custom work to achieve. I've seen it done, but most people don't want to go through the trouble.