Ok X experts........what should I know about these monsters? I ve got a 2005 f150 crew in the stable and i am thinking about something bigger (two kids, car trailer for my pulling truck).........and a wife . I just came across a 2001 limited with the 7.3, 167000 miles, asking $8500. They have the bluebook posted on the side glass with all of the prices on it $9500, $10000. I searched around FTE a little and read about the transmission issue on this year model. Any advice is welcomed!

Kirk

 

Hey,

The X id a great family beast. The bad news is the are hard on ball joints and weak in the springs. IMO I would have a double shocks up front and a swaybar in the rear. The streering is suspect as well. the good is all this can be fixed the price you are listing is GREAT for a 7.3 and 160K miles is nothing.....

Good luck

 

The X is a great family mover! That is why I love it. I have 4 kids and 3 dogs and we all can go places and still have tons of room. I have heard that the suspension areas are weak but that is easy to fix. The tranny I havent heard to many bad things yet. This is my second X, I had an 01 then went to an Expedition and came back. I think that is a great price for the 7.3. From when I have read the trans is weak if you do a lot of mods to the 7.3, that is all I can recall. Good luck with your choice!

 

You'll want to run the VIN to see if it falls in the range of the mechanical diode. Running an OASIS to see if it was ever replaced would be a good idea too. That's the major buggaboo for certain 01 PSDs.

If you get it, re-spring it. Much of the premature ball joint wear, bad steering behavior, wander can all be traced back to the weak springs all the way around. New springs and a rear sway bar should make it ready for 160K more.

 

IMO, the Ex is good right out of the box. But with all used vehicles you may run into some issues. The OASIS report is definately the way to go. I would have it looked at by my mechanic first.

The 7.3 will last forever. But IMO 167k is a lot of miles.

 

How much does the trailer weigh you are wanting to tow?

The Ex does have some quirks...but none that cannot be addressed...some cost more than others to address but in the end...you can have an incredible family vehicle and tow vehicle all in one.

I've watched folks in campground have 5 and 6 people pile out of a crew cab pickemup...it just doesn't look comfortable...I know there is a lot of room in those things...but no where NEAR the room inside the Ex. We travel far and wide each summer pulling our camper...my two girls (9 and 11) have PLENTY of room...heck they have more than my wife or I!!!...plus we can have stuff behind the third seat in easy reach of my oldest in the back seat...

167K is a bunch of miles on the REST of the truck...so expect to have to do some other maintenance...the motor...well that should be good to go from what I have read on here.

Check out the ball joints first...they are likely not stock...but hopefully the previous owner if he did do them installed a set of greasable ones...if not...and they are in need...consider greasable ones yourself.

Front end in general...likely the springs (as Monsta points out) and tie rods will need some work from the years of wear and tear...especially with that heavy PSD up front...

Steering box may need an adjustment to tighten things up...very easy to do.

Brakes have been known to be an issue on some Ex's and for that matter Super Duties in general...a set of fresh rotors and pads will fix that up.

Tires...some Ex's came with or have acquired D range tires...check yours out. Tire pressures can play a huge part of the handling equation...don't be afraid to vary your tire pressure to tune your suspension.

Rear sway bar...many did NOT come with an OEM one installed. You can easily get one from JCWhitney (Hellwig) and install it in about 1 hour.

Shocks are something easily over looked. I believe you really have two choices. Bilsteins or Rancho 9000XLs...the Rancho's are user adjustable and the Bilsteins are not user adjustable.

Power door lock actuators have been know to be a source of issues...you can search on that topic and have lots of reading. There is a very simple fix involving aluminum foil believe it or not...

Overall the Ex can be one of the BEST tow and family vehicles out there once you find the right one and if towing...find the right setup thru a WD hitch with integral sway control.

Good luck with your search,
Joe.

 

The dreaded diode failure only affects trucks manufactured between 07/27/2000 and 03/21/2001. Which mine happened to be one of those affected by the diode.....

Here's the full text tsb: https://www.ford-trucks.com/tsb/full...hp?tsb=01-13-5

Other than that, it's the best money you will ever spend on a tow vehicle/people mover. Mid July of 2007 my truck's springs really started to sag, almost as if it were a low-rider. To that end, I lifted and reageared my truck and have been much happier since.

If it's a 4wd truck, you have options: V,B,X, and F code springs can fix your saggging problem, give you a better ride, and give you a small lift at the same time. If you have a 2wd like I do, a full suspension lift kit is your only option as blocks make things worse.

What you should also know is that upon purchase of this vehicle, your wallet will become lighter and lighter, due to a syndrome we call PMS. It will strike when you least expect it and won't stop...well ever.

Happy hunting.....

 

I'll keep it simple. They kick ***.

 

If it all checks out ok it seems like a good deal thats no miles for the motor, now the rest of the truck maybe, maybe not it depends on how well the previous owner/s took care of it most of the known issues are small except for the torque converter there is plenty of knowledge to be had in this forum

 

If the tranny had the mechanical diode problem more than likely it would have been fixed by 167K miles. If it was replaced at Ford the Oasis report should show it.

You could always crawl under it and inspect the tranny for dates, mileage, etc. A rebuilt tranny should have a stamp on it.

You should check the ball joints and hubs if possible. Right around 165K miles is when both ball joints and hubs failed on my X.

Right now it's sitting at 193K miles with nothing done to the motor or tranny. The fuel mileage is better than both the SRW and DRW. Sort of sad but after owning the X for over 5 years finaly got a sway bar for it, just got to have it installed now.

BTW, $8,500 seems like a steal for a $40K vehicle when new, if everything checks out of course.

 

What spring package do you recommend?

 

Holy jesus you guys rock! I may need to change my signature to reflect a new "favorite forum." I have never gotten such a complete response. Well I have decided to buy it after driving it today. It has alot of the issues you guys spoke about: wondering, door locks and carfax shows ball joints being replaced at 100k. It is a beast! Have owned Ford p/u my whole life, but this things drives different. Pretty clean and the best part is it comes with a title! (it will be paid for)