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Excursion 7.3 purchase advice

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Old Nov 12, 2018 | 07:27 PM
  #16  
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Originally Posted by Sous
Exterior looks good, do you have any under the hood pictures by chance?
I requested some and will post them
 
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Old Nov 12, 2018 | 07:28 PM
  #17  
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The dealer said that the front driver side fender and hood were repaint it due to a minor accident
 
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Old Nov 12, 2018 | 08:34 PM
  #18  
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Front seats very unlikely original, third row is unlikely original, second row looks normal. Bonus as long as the replacement/re-covering was done well. A little suspicious that with all those photos they didn't show the driver's seat primary wear area, possibly just an accident. Make sure you get to do a cold start; show up early AM and touch several parts of the engine to verify it's cold before you fire it up. When you crank it be looking through the side mirror for exhaust smoke. While you crank it listen to the compression strokes and make sure the engine doesn't 'skip', speed up/slow down while cranking, it should be dead even compression strokes. It shouldn't sputter to life, it should crank 'till it fires; instant change. Start the test drive cold and drive long enough to get it fully warmed up. Test the billion electronic gismos; power & heated seats, steering wheel controls, 1/4 windows, etc. At the end of the drive when you turn the key off the radio & windows should still work 'till you open a door, then they all power off. If it doesn't do anything strange it's probably got lots of miles left in it. Injectors will be questionable if original. Price seems a little high for the miles, but it looks extremely nice so not bad if it all checks out. If you can get a "bring back guarantee" for a few days, some dealers will, that would be a big bonus.

For comparison: My '02 Ex has 428k, I bought it a few months ago with no previous history. Hitch pin hole wear/elongation indicates a fair bit of towing and the interior showed some lack of care. Issues it had, some still not addressed: Injectors stick when cold, leaks engine oil, steering fluid, and a little bit from rear diff. cover. Clear coat peeling, broken 1/4 panel window & windshield, fuel pick-up foot broken, very dirty inside & out, seats are worn & torn, shocks done for, tires close to done. Compression sounds even, no excessive blow-by, no smoke, trans works great, no rust or other major problems. Paid $3700 private party in So.Cal. I fixed the shocks, 1/4 glass, tires, fuel pick-up, diff. leak, cleaned it, and it drives & tows great. My boat is 13k lbs. and 13' tall so it's not an easy tow, but she gets it done.
 
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Old Nov 12, 2018 | 08:45 PM
  #19  
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Just take a long look Jon,

From what I'm seeing.........yeah.

My only thing would to have it scanned for codes. By a Dealer. A real Ford Dealership.


Denny
 
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Old Nov 13, 2018 | 06:29 AM
  #20  
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Like already said the mileage wound really worry me if it checked out okay. The seats don’t worry me either. The seats in the Superduty swap out easily over so many years. Probably had them recovered as the old were a little tore up. If it checked out and I was in the market I would probably buy it. The prices for the work quoted above can be a lot less if you are handy with a wrench.
 
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Old Nov 13, 2018 | 08:45 AM
  #21  
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As has been said, those seats look to have been re-covered. My EX came with 214K had the same new seat covers put on when I bought them. Here's a pic of mine that were taken in July when it was for sale. I bought it it a few days after this picture was taken.






Take as much time as you can to run multiple tests of the electrical systems. I flew down to Orlando, from DC, to pick up this truck and drive it back. Everything tested fine, the 1000 mile drive back was uneventful. I drove it for another 1500 miles after coming back home before it decided to die on the freeway. Took some time ad $$ to diagnose and fix the dead PCM. But the EX is back on the road and running as before.
 
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Old Nov 13, 2018 | 08:47 AM
  #22  
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In addition to the stuff mentioned (especially blow by test) and the large amount of stuff you will have to research...

Look at the exhaust manifolds and the side of the head above it check for rust or what appears to be paint. A lot of the times they can spray the frame and hide rust, but the exhaust manifolds will tell you how rusty it was prior.

Check the water pump for any signs of leaks, check the bell housing area for leaks then check the engine valley for leaks. Oil lines good, oil cooler clean, radiator not damaged no signs of previous leakage?

Check the degas bottle for cracks or if it has been replaced, check the coolant for any droplets of oil or fuel floating in it, smell the coolant make sure it does not smell like fuel.

Does the power steering whine? Does it have slop in the wheel? Any popping sounds on bumps or when turning?

These are a few things that can potentially tell you if you will be spending more money down the road. The Transmission is a weak point and you do not know how hard it has been worked, I would really pay attention to firmness of shifts and any shudder, which also ties into driveshaft stuff as well.

The list of stuff is huge and you will really have to research your tail off.
 
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