Excursion 7.3 Diesel Repair List - help!

[big_john]

Gotten lots of great advice so far. Looking to purchase a 2001 EX with 4x4 and 7.3L Diesel with 194k miles. Private seller agreed to part ways with it for $10,000. Buying from the second owner who has the service records back to mile 30,000. Includes all sched maintenance, oil and filter changes, and a few other semi major repairs including a starter and an alternator. Also received regular lube and fluid changes. And it runs like its been taken care of.

The interior is in decent shape, but the PO dinged it pretty good on teh rear quarterpanels (both of em). Those have nothing to do with the drive train and safety of the vehicle however. My mechanic gave it a full 2hr exam this morning and came up with the following:

- New Tires ($800)
- New Bump Stops ($200 part + labor)
- Tie Rods DS1438 and ES3427T ($344 P+L)
- Transmission fluid exchange ($160)
- Differential Fluid Change - dope, dextran, silicon ($304 P+L)
- Alignment ($63)
GRAND TOTAL ~ $2000

So I'd have $12k into the truck which isn't bad.

BUT - my mechanic did find "oil in the valley pan" which is apparently a common problem with these vehicles and can come from any number of things but said finding and fixing could cost another $500 - $1000 but it may be just a loose fitting...

Not sure I can find a better specimen for the price and knowing it was taken care of for the first 190k miles is a bit reassuring...I just cannot decide.

[Silverwanabe]

Hi,

194k on a tow vehicle or any vehicle is a lot of miles.
I would be concerned that something major would go out on a long trip.

My 2 cents, I would pass on this one and keep on looking.

[Diesel1]

Oil in the valley, likely the high pressure oil pump fitting o-rings leaking. Very commen problem,very easy fix. You need a Ford part number 2C3Z-9G804-AB o-ring kit. Consits of 3 o-ring and a tube of loctite. Takes about an hour too change the o-ring on the pump fittings.
I have 300k on my 7.3, best engine out there in my opinion. Around here 10 grand for that rig would be a good deal. Adios, John

[RibTickler]

Don't forget swapping the rear springs to F250 springs and adding a rear sway bar.

[Silverhobby]

Remember SilverWanabe, this is a diesel, It's just getting broken in good at this mileage. Fords Rock !!

[GStephens]

I have two Ford diesels. My older one has the 7.3 and is nearing 300,000. Other than a serpentine belt and a fuel pump this truck has been trouble free and is still the one I find myself driving most of the time. If it has been cared for, I wouldn't be too concerned about the mileage.
GStephens

[Road Ruler]

Try offering $5,000. and plan on another 5 to get it right.

[Bing-Bing]

Althought I have a V10 2000 EX with 100k I havent had any problems pulling a 34' after adding a rear swaybar...Didn't need the heavier rear springs and went with Rancho shocks...A Ford diesel at 190k is still young according to the guys with them I run into...check the Excursion Forum for lots of info....happy trails.

[HowieE]

I added Hellwig sway bars front and rear to get a better level of control.

Some of the prices seam a bit high. The differential, and the trans fluid can be done at home.

[mello mike]

I know a guy with over 600k miles on his Ford 7.3L Excursion. Diesels last a lot longer than gassers if you maintain them properly.

A beefed up Helwig sway bar is a must for the rear axle. I still have the stock sway bar on the front. I tried both Ranchos and Bilsteins on my Excursion and much prefer the Bilsteins. The Ranchos 9000s were too soft even on the max setting.

[tlavergne]

What kind of fuel mileage can you expect with a 7.3 Excursion...towing and not towing?

[Mikethefixit]

Frank
Mileage depends alot on the driver. We have essentially the same thing only in a pu. with 355 rears. We can get 20 not towing and about 16 towing.
If one is gentle with the diesel throttle ,and you let the engine make its torque first and then speed.Not expecting to go from 0 to 60 in 5.4 seconds you can get fuel mileage. We run around town here with ours and get 14 mpg on average in stop and go driving.

[handn]

Big John read my response to your other post. I am the original owner of a 2000 Excursion Power Stroke with 178,000 miles. I listed all of my repairs since new. I suggest you check and see if some of my repairs were performed by the present owner of your rig. If not you might budget for them in the future.
What weight are you planning to tow? I tow "light" a 25 Safari about 6000 gvw and don't feel I need sway bar modifications. The stock suspension controls my rig perfectly. I did upgrade to premium "Rancho" type shocks recently and feel the ride is more controlled. Not cushy by any means. The Excursion has leaf springs all around and is not known for its smooth ride.
I don't feel like I am a lead foot but I don't match Mikethefixit's mileage, mine is more like 17-18 solo and 13-11 towing but I do get 14 in stop and go town driving. I did notice about a 5% drop in mileage with ultra low sulphur fuel.
Based on the repairs needed and body damage, I think the price the owner wants for your prospective purchase is a little rich. If you are willing to examine pickup trucks also and also look at Cummins powered Dodges you could find one for 10k in better condition.
If you do go for the Excursion, you will have one of the ultimate tow machines and a great vehicle once you get done fixing it up.

[Diesel1]

I think most if not all the Excursions came with 3.73 gears. The 7.3 with 3.55 gears went away in the late 90's(percieved lack of power).The 3.55 gearing got better milage. I would expect your milage to mirror Handn's. On my 1995 F350 4x4 with 4.10 gears(and a 7.3) I get 16-17 empty and about 14 towing. But my old trailer is lite and I tow at about 60mph.
At the risk of irritating a lot of folk I think the Ford is much more truck than the Dodge. And the resale values indicate that in my opinion. Adios,John

[Bing-Bing]

The EX also came with 4.30's like mine and get better mileage then the 3.73's. With my V10 I get 11 towing at 60 mpg. We didn't buy the used diesel because it was $5000.00 more and we would have needed to go 72,000 miles before breaking even. Also the $100.00 oil changes every 3000 miles put us off. You might consider a V10 and save yourself thousands. The modular ford engines love high rpm's and we go right up Wolf Creek Pass like its not there.

[slowmover]

I think the Ford is much more truck than the Dodge.

MTBO on the 7.3 is 250k miles. On the Cummins it is 350k miles. (Mean Time Between Overhauls; industry average, all users). The Ford has more comfortable seats.

[99Limited34]

I'd try to get a little better price on it if you can.. The mileage isn't a concern at all, I've got 205,000 on my 7.3, the majority of them pulling my 34 foot limited. Have replaced the belt and batteries and glow plugs, truck still runs like new..The oil leak sounds like the HPOP oil rings a simple repair.

[Airstreamer67]

REDNAX, what or who is the source of your data relative to MTBO? Thanks.

[nilesrob]

The X is a glorious TV, and the 7.3 reigns supreme. I had one diesel mechanic, who worked on a lot of diesel, told me the 7.3 normally came in for a "tune up" at about 500k. Other than the noise compared to newer, this X with a 7.3 is generally a great machine. I threw a roof rack on mine to carry bikes and firewood etc. - awesome.

[TinLoaf]

That sounds like a lot of money. I traded in a 2000 Excursion 4x4 7.3 liter on my current F-150 in the summer of 2008. It had 157,000 miles.

I do admit that the engine was very, very good and I long for the days of 14+ mpg towing and 22 mpg unloaded. I never had any trouble with the engine except for the $19 glow plug relay.

However, at 8 years old everything else was starting to show its age. The tailgate stopped locking, window switches stopped working, the rear differential started getting louder. I had upper and lower ball joints replaced at 100,000 miles and they were already starting to rattle at 150,000. 4x4 vacuum engagement no longer functioned, then 4x4 front hubs seized requiring replacement. Big bucks.

I just couldn't justify that kind of money just to have the 7.3 liter. Besides that, the Excursion wasn't that great of a tow vehicle. I had to add a Helwig rear sway bar to help make up for the soccer mom rear springs that caused rear end steer. The OEM brake rotors are so bad that most people resorted to a PowerSlot variety.

The steering was always sloppy even after a new box and repeated tuning. I had to constantly make adjustments to keep the combination between the lines and that is really exhausting on long towing days.

So again, I can't see spending that much money on an old Excursion. The engine may last forever, but you'll get nickeled and dimed by the rest of the truck. I'm much more pleased with the way the F-150 handles the Airstream. Towing with it is a pleasure.