Hello,

This is my first post here. Just bought a one owner 2003 Excursion 4X4 with the 7.3 and only 18,000 miles on it. Bought it off ebay and specifically asked the seller if it had a 3:73 limited slip rear end....He answered yes. I should have investigated more. Got it home and it does have 3:73 gears but is an open diff. Called the makers of Powertrax ( Richmond Gear)and even though they list an Excursion locker, they are not making it. Called the local Ford dealer to see about converting it to a factory Ford limited slip. Manager said it was possible, but needed the numbers off the diff tag to order the right parts. After giving him the numbers, he explained that what I have is a 3 pinion carrier ( that's what he called it ) and these cannot be converted to limited slip. I asked for more clarification as I am somewhat familiar with the inside of a differential, but I've never heard of a 3 pinion carrier. He said in so many words that there are 3 sets of spider gears in my carrier.

Can anyone shed some light on this. Has anyone installed aftermarket limited slips in their Excursion.

The reason I really wanted limited slip is because I go ice fishing in upper Wisconsin and drive out on the frozen lake ( ice is usually 3 feet thick). Usually there's a significant amount of snow and I need the traction.

Numbers on diff tag are:

V 420 C
73 10 5 2J24

 

I just picked up a 2000 3x4 Xcursion myself! Most differentials have 4 pinions in them. Even the open carriers usually have 4. Either way you could buy a new or used Carrier out of a 4x4 or superduty with the same size rear end.

 

If you are looking for a rear end that will perform somewhat like a locker you do not want a Ford limited slip. It is real limited! Fine for those times on a wet road when you loose traction on occasion, but I think you will need something more robust for prolong drives on ice.

RoyC

 

After doing a lot of reading and searching under the Super Duty forums, I guess what I need is a Detroit Locker , Detroit Soft Locker, or Detroit Electrac. Any guidance on either of these? Pro and Cons between them?

 

I'm in same boat, have 2004 v10 with open rear. Needed 4 wheel drive to get off my wet lawn last fall. Have heard the Ford limited slip is junk. Some tell me to go with the True trac, the diff with the helical gears. Anyone have experience with this??

 

My mustang's spool works real good. I was joking with a friend about my X not having a limited slip and he said the factory limited slip in his truck might as well be an open carrier.

 

'02 4x4 V10
I put an ARB selectable air locker in the front and rear. It's a great setup. You have open diff on the road and instant locker when you need it. I climbed a hill in the Mojave desert that was giving my friend on a Honda CRF450X all he wanted. It was steep, rutted and had a lot of vertical faces in it. Never slipped a tire. I did a lot of research before deciding on the ARBs and didn't find a single negative comment about them.

They run about $850 each, you need a compressor for about $200 plus labor. I was already installing 4.88 gears so the labor was minimal.
Michael

 

I forgot to mention that I went selectable after reading a lot about the detroit locker and the noise it makes and possible bad manners on icy roads. My Ex tows 95% of the time and I wanted an open diff for that. But it tows the toybox out into the dunes and I was tired of getting stuck. Plus we go to Big Bear sled riding a lot in the winter and like to go way back offroad to get away from the crowds. The lockers front and rear should reduce the drama!
Michael

 

I would love to find out what rear end I have in my X. My door tag is blank where it lists the axle.


I found the original window sticker in the glove box. It says 3.73 ratio regular axle. However, I see it also states that it came with the Electronic shift on fly 4x4 system. Someone had to have changed the front hubs from the auto/lock to free/lock.

 

Downriver Thunder;
All Excursions have the Sterling 10.5" rear axle. The front is a Dana 50. Depending on the ratio you want to go with you may have to go with a ring/pinion from the older Sterling 10.25. I went with 4.88 which required the 10.25. I believe 4.30 is the lowest you can go with the 10.5" R/P set. The Superduty forum has a lot of information on gearing. I searched on locker, LSD or Limited slip when I was looking.

It sounds like you have been upgraded to manual hubs. I plan to go to Warn manual hubs as my next upgrade. The stock hubs seem to be very unreliable in my experience. Again, if you search the SD forum you will find a lot of people that have switched. One advantage of manual hubs is that you can select 4 wheel low and still be in two wheel drive. Nice when backing the toybox from the road, over the curb, to the back of the house. All of which is concrete where I wouldn't want to be in 4x4.