I'm looking into buying an Excursion and don't know which motor to go with. I will be towing about 5500 lbs which I know won't be a problem for the diesel but what about the "smaller" 5.4? Is the 5.4 a real dog when it comes to towing? The only reason I may avoid the diesel is because the nearest gas station that sells diesel is 30 minutes away from my home. What's the the 5.4 mpg?? Diesel's mpg?? What about plowing with this vehicle? Any good make plow setups to go with??

Thanks,

 

Get the diesel. I get 600 miles on a tank with mine. Who cares if the fuel is 30 minutes away? You only need to fill up twice a month!

The 5.4 is a great motor but 7000 lbs is too much for it.

fyi//Reno

 

First let me say that I can be classed as a Ford fanatic. Have driven Ford exclusively since 1979. To reply to your question about 5.4 vs PSD. There is really no choice. First if you want to push a snow plow, the 5.4 will barely push the Excursion. I have had several hundred calls concerning the 5.4 in the Excursion and helping the mileage. I supply the performance chips for the site here. There really is no help, the 5.4 in and Excursion is so severely underpowered. Average mileage with the 5.4 in the Excursion is 7-9 mpg city and 11-13 hwy. That is horrible. The powerstrokes are averaging 13-15 city and 16-20 hwy. And yes, I have names and phone numbers documenting the 20 mpg hwy driving. This is data compiled from about 300 Excursion owners. I have kept data on average mpg for the 5.4, the V 10, and the PSD in the Excursion. There is really only one engine choice for a vehicle that heavy. Feel free to call for further data or info. 1-877-399-6417
Later
Danny

 

I'm from So Fl, so not exactly an authority on snow plowing, but as no one else mentioned it, I thought I read in the owners manual that an Excursion can't be used for snow plowing.
Forget the 5.4 The debate centers on the V10 vs PSD

 

Hi
I have a 2001 Excursion Limited V-10 373 rear-reached 1000 miles on it just today. Can you give me some gas milages on this. Also , when is it considered "Broken in"? People have told me that you only get the high milage with the diesal when towing a load. Is that true?
Thanks
Bill in NY

 

Thanks for the info all!!

So it looks like a PSD is the way to go in an Excursion or a V10.

Is there any warm-up and cool down time for a PSD? Can I just start it up and go? Once parked parked can I turn it off??

I heard they take a ***** load of oil. 15 Quarts?? What type and how often does it need to be changed??

Someone mentioned that you can't plow with an Excurison. Can anyone confirm this??

Thanks!

 

I had heard the same thing about no plowing with Excursion. May have been in the manual like the guy in Florida said earlier. I'll look in my manual later tonight if I get the chance ok.
You could always go to the Fod page on line and get the 1800 helpline and inquire there.There is also some water thing you need toi drain monthly on deisals Ive heard and also heard u only get the good milage with diesal when its under a load--not sure of that though.

 

>Is there any warm-up and cool down time for a PSD?

Ford recommends that you let the diesel idle for a 5 minutes before shutting it off. This is only if you've been running it hard or towing full load. I drive slow around town so just let it idle 10 secs or so before shutdown. Say you're climbing a steep hill on the freeway towing some poor *******'s broken down Suburban Oo You'd want to let your Excursion diesel idle for 10 minutes before shutdown in that situation. If you add an exhaust gas pyrometer then you can just shut it down when the temp falls below about 200F. That's on my list of projects, before I add the Banks kit.

>I heard they take a ***** load of oil. 15 Quarts??

16 with filter.

>What type and how often does it need to be changed??

5000 miles. I use Chevron Delo, which all the Mercedes diesel fanatics swear by. Get it at Costco. I'm waiting for somebody to bring out a moderately-priced synthetic diesel oil (RedLine is too expensive), then I may switch to that. You can't run common synthetic oils like Mobil 1 because they don't meet CH-4 diesel specs so you'll damage your piston rings. And be SOL on your warrantee. And be a big dummy too.

>Someone mentioned that you can't plow with an Excurison.

Sounds like hogwash to me. I see Super Dutys with snow plows on them every time I go to Tahoe. Excursion = Super Duty with a different rear body. Ford did some weird soccer mom stuff to the Excursion suspension and maybe that's why they say no snowplow, if they indeed say that. I'd be surprised.

fyi//Reno
'00 4x4 diesel
4" ProComp lift

 

I guess it falls to me, the Florida guy, to back up my NO SNOWPLOW on an Excursion statement....It is on PAGE THREE of the owners manual....no snowplowing, no snowplowing option. I've seen snow on top of mountains while on vacation in the Rockies....but I haven't held a shovel in my hand in 30++++years, so I'll leave it to you snow folks to figure out if there is a way around the Ford no plow statement.


RTFM

 

The Powerstroke Diesel gets grate fuel milage in all driving worlds. I have a 7.3 Diesel in a F250 and my milage solo with 5.13 gears and 35 inch wheels is around 18-20 and towing is 14-15. No gas can match that and able to tow 8000+ lbs.

 

87roadracer:
GET The diesel if you can afford it. Power and economy. The V10 can match the performance of the diesel but the fuel economy is around 9-14 miles per gallon. The 5.4 is not any better unless you stay away from the hills, but your gear ratio has to be in the 3.75 not lower than 4.10. The Excursion is a heavy SUV much heavyer than the new suburbans and even the older ones. Think of this SUV as a slimmer hummer with a lot more driving manners. Go diesel, I Did. Don't worry about sluggish solo performance. This Powerstroke diesel is quick with or without the load. No smoke, very minimal smell and gas quiet in the cab. Out side noise is a little louder but quieter than the cummings. You will be ammazed with the fuel milage. 18+ solo.

 

Snowplowing generally requires a run-up to gain speed before encountering a big pile of snow. If this snow is fairly heavy, the sudden deceleration can trigger the SRS airbags such as are in the Excursion. They would have to be disconnected before using the Excursion as a snowplow,
but the excursion does not have an option to do this. One
assumes that the Super Duty trucks do not have airbags
or that there is a way to disable them.

 

Before I share my experiance with the performance of my truck, read my post (Smoke on start up).
I have 6000 miles on a 2001 excursion limited. 2nd V-10 engine and many quality control issues, however.
Now that it's straightened out.
I have a V-10 with 373 limited slip, I get 17 miles to the gallon highway and 13 or 14 around town. the V-10 does not feel over powered in this truck, I feel the 5.4 would fall short. The PSD is not worth the extra cost unless you really intend to put it to work. Other owners with 5.4 engines have told me that their truck was under powered and got worst gas milage then mine with the V-10.
The 2500 suburban was the other truck I considered and should have purchased, it rides better, is easier to handle and is not a ford product.

 

>I have a V-10 with 373
>limited slip, I get 17
>miles to the gallon highway
>and 13 or 14 around
>town.

Wow, are you sure they didn't slip in a 5.4L when they swapped engines?

That's exceptional mileage for a V10. I've got 15,000 miles on one and I don't even come close. 9.5 to 10.5 in town depending on variables. 13.5 to 14.5 om the road depending how hard I'm pushin' her.

 

I consistantly get 13/14 around town and 16/17 highway. I have a 3:73 L.S. rear and run 89 octane fuel, I tried 87 octane and lost about 1.5 mpg. I tow a 7100 pound boat in new england and get 13/14 when towing. Initially I was afraid to purchase the excursion because of all of the media hype about 9 mpg. I spoke to other local owners and they said they were getting the milage i am getting with mine. Now that the mechanical problems are straightened out, I really like the truck, it works hard and go down the highway like an air bus. Also, it burns about the same amout of fuel as my wifes grand cherokee, figure that out.