Looking for a 7.3 excursion

[rivercat]

The ultimate SUV. made from 00 to 05 only the 00-03 has the 7. 3. Im looking into them and all I see are 90-150k mile units for 20+ 5k over KBB and there is one with 336k for 12. 5. I know the motors are bulletproof as long as the injectors arnt worn then maybe a HP oil pump at the most or a transmission rebuild. Are there any conserns with the chassis. One intresting thing is excursions are like 75% mommie or traveling executive driven and very few tow. No fear of buying one that has hauled a bunch of cows or equipment on a gooseneck or a 5vr camper all its life.



Question is should I shoot for a 100-150 unit and pay 18-20 or go ahead and buy this one w/336k and spend the extra on repairs and upgrades? are there any serious chassis problems with high miles to be aware of? like front end hubs/bearings expensive rear ends anything that could be a deal breaker or could a careed for "X" see 400-450K easily?

 

[DAN V]

keep looking

Keep looking. You will find what you are looking for. I looked for a year before I found mine. It had 157k miles and I paid 13k for it. I now have 167k on odometer and runs like it is new. I changed all the fluids in mine within a couple of months. The only thing I found bad was the X-fer case was mostly water. I would research KBB and online to see if there are any better deals out there. 20k is too much for a rig that has over 300k. The 7. 3 are bulletproof and will last 500,000 or more as long as they are maintained right. I have never changed my HPOP. My neighbor has a 1997 7. 3 he purchased when new and has never changed his HPOP. If my 7. 3 ever gives out i will probably get a new VW TDI wagon.

 

[EGroeneveld]

For reference I just sold my Excursion for $ 27,500. It was a 2005 Excursion, 6. 0 Diesel, black paint, Limited, leather, fully loaded with DVD player, back up warning, leather, power heated seats, trailer brakes, 4'' lift, 33'' tires, PIAA lights, etc... only 55,000 miles.



I loved it but decided to upgrade our camper (currently looking hard) and I also just bought a RZR to I'm driving my 2005 Dodge 3500 Dually all the time now

 

[macdaddy]

Keep looking. You will find what you are looking for. I looked for a year before I found mine. It had 157k miles and I paid 13k for it. I now have 167k on odometer and runs like it is new. I changed all the fluids in mine within a couple of months. The only thing I found bad was the X-fer case was mostly water. I would research KBB and online to see if there are any better deals out there. 20k is too much for a rig that has over 300k. The 7. 3 are bulletproof and will last 500,000 or more as long as they are maintained right. I have never changed my HPOP. My neighbor has a 1997 7. 3 he purchased when new and has never changed his HPOP. If my 7. 3 ever gives out i will probably get a new VW TDI wagon.

Before you deem the 7. 3L "bullet proof" read about it here. There far from bullet proof!!!!. Espiecally when fueled



POWERSTROKEHELP. COM - The Information Source for Ford Power Stroke Diesel Owners & Mechanics



Mac

 

[Blue Ox1]

I have been happy with our ex,Front ends are a little soft and the brakes on them suck . But otherwise has been a good vehicle,I just rolled 108k,bought it with 72 k 3 years ago. They do have the crappy front end all the leaf spring fords do but every vehicle has some downfalls .

 

[DAN V]

bulletproof

What I meant when I said they are bulletproof is that it will last a long time as long as you maintain the engine correctly. I do not plan to ever "fuel" my 7. 3! I just love it when one on you "engineneers" know what you are talking about. I bought this rig for a daily driver to haul my dog and get groceries. It was cheaper to buy this than a brand new "other" vehicle.

 

[macdaddy]

You dont need a degree to know what the 7. 3's limits are.



However you sound like you have one (Degree) if your only going to use it to transport groceries and a pet.



Mac

 

[mberry]

My mother has an '02 XLT 4x4 with the 7. 3L. Right now it has right around 135K miles on it and it runs great. Couple of things though.

1. The front leaf springs are completely worn out and need to be replaced. There's no spring in them anymore.

2. The steering is sloppy. Probably needs ball joints or something.

3. The rear hatch lock no longer works for some reason. In fact, the whole rear door area needs work to repair seals, locks, window washer fluid tube, etc. .

4. I'm guessing the rear end will need to be rebuilt in the very near future due to issues with the limited slip and lack of maintenance.

5. Shocks. I think they were worn out in the first 20K miles.

My mother takes very good care of her vehicles but I don't think she thinks about things like changing gear oil, transmission fluid, transfer case lube, or coolant etc.

We are trying desperately to get her to sell it to us. Not only do we need the vehicle, it's pretty comfortable but I must admit I do not like captains chairs, and with a few new parts will be a great family vehicle for another decade or more.

 

[JZellers]

I have an '02 4x4 Limited with 178K on it. I bought it 2. 5 years ago with 137K and it was not in bad shape mechanically but needed a lot of mechanical upkeep, mostly in the front end. It was nothing you wouldn't expect for that many miles and in fact, I've done all the same work on my '03 Ram 3500 that now only has 45K on it.



The 7. 3 is a pretty good engine. I always intended to do a Cummins conversion on mine if the 7. 3 ever went bad but it shows no signs of doing so. It feels sluggish compared to our Cummins engines but it works reliably



The bearing hubs on the Fords are not as expensive as they are on our Ram's. They're a lot easier to change too. The auto-lock hubs are vacuum controlled so the bearing hubs are o-ringed and don't typically rust in place. Mine came off by easily hand when I changed the ball joints. The locking hubs could be a problem - mine were. It seems that the auto locks either work or they don't. Some people have have luck cleaning the internals up and some give up and replace with manual hubs - I did the manual conversion because mine were either not locking or would lock and not unlock.



The transmission should not be an issue assuming it was properly maintained. I changed my fluid and filter this summer and to be honest, I don't have any reason to believe it was ever changed before. It was still cleaner inside than the 48RE in my Ram with one fourth the miles.



You should expect to replace quite a few front-end parts if the previous owner did not do it already. Once you start though, if something else is worn, it will show itself pretty quickly. I chased the sloppy steering that mberry mentioned for months because I simply replaced the shocks and steering stabilizer. That led to tie rod ends, ball joints, steering box, springs, radius rods and sway bar on the rear axle... you get the idea



After all that was done, however, it's been basically drive-and-enjoy. They're a great vehicle. If the 336K Ex is in great condition cosmetically and was properly maintained, many of the worn parts might have been taken care of already. It's funny, when I bought mine, it was right before the $4-$5/gal fuel prices hit. I paid top-dollar for what it was at the time but after it started costing $200 to fill up that 44 gal tank you couldn't give them away by the end of the summer. From what you're finding pricewise, it Looks like there's renewed interest in the big SUV's.

 

[rivercat]

yeah im in a 06 Jeep GC hemi now and amazingly it gets 15-18 with the MDS but that pales in comparison to the X that can gets 16-18 or 20-24 on the highway with TWICE the room. Also the fact that mini vans wear out in like 80k and only get like 18-25 with v6s and cost over 20 new might factor too. to the first reply the ones for 20 are low mile 80-140 the one that I can look at that has 336k is only 12k

 

[RustyJC]

From what you're finding pricewise, it Looks like there's renewed interest in the big SUV's.

The 7. 3L Excursions are hot items among the travel trailer towing RV community right now as there are no current production SUVs that are comparable.



Rusty

 

[rscurtis]

There is an outfit by the name of DuraBurban that will repower your suburban with a Duramax, and completely integrate it so it is a dealer serviceable item.

They use the GM 14 bolt rear end, and for the really serious towers, the AAM 1150 is available. I doubt you'll get into one for the price of a used EX, though.

 

[CThomsen]

I bought my 02 limited 4x4 last year. With 4 kids 5 years and under I needed more room. Previous owner had great maintaince records so I've done very little other than drive. I paid 18K with 78K miles in excellent condition. I looked hard for 6 months but found a good one. Mileage and power are lacking compared to the Cummins but it works for now. If the 7. 3 ever gives up it will get a real diesel.

 

[rivercat]

thanks for the replys

 

[Regcabguy]

yeah im in a 06 Jeep GC hemi now and amazingly it gets 15-18 with the MDS but that pales in comparison to the X that can gets 16-18 or 20-24 on the highway with TWICE the room. Also the fact that mini vans wear out in like 80k and only get like 18-25 with v6s and cost over 20 new might factor too. to the first reply the ones for 20 are low mile 80-140 the one that I can look at that has 336k is only 12k

Why would a Excursion get 18-25 mpg on the freeway when it's pickup- configured cousin get maybe 17-18 with no load and stock tires? My friend's 2000 7. 3 F-350 ,265 tires has never exceeded 15 mpg. with a Banks Powerpack on it. My buddy's V-10 Excursion,eats brakes,wanders like a 2nd gen. but is one of the most comfortable vehicles I've ever driven.

 

[rscurtis]

That 18-25 figure was for a mini-van. I agree, that would be pushing it for an Excursion- unless it was repowered with a 4-cylinder Cummins.

 

[rivercat]

Why would a Excursion get 18-25 mpg on the freeway when it's pickup- configured cousin get maybe 17-18 with no load and stock tires? My friend's 2000 7. 3 F-350 ,265 tires has never exceeded 15 mpg. with a Banks Powerpack on it.

Well, aerodynamics? the bed box catches allot of drag without a tonnu cover, also the Xs are generally geared 3. 73 maybe the trucks are mostly 4. 10. One of the crucial parts on the 7. 3 is the Cam pos sensor some were bad even new and cause the new truuck/x to have poor mileage.

 

[rivercat]

well I bought a 01 made in 8/00 w/ forged rods, it has 158k on it and I love it so far, I have already ordered a hellwig a bilstein stabilizer, and a fumoto valve. it has a juice 3 pos and magna flo 4"exhaust. Whats next? im not much on the juice I can go through all three positions of the switch and not feel hardly any change at WOT.

 

[Blue Ox1]

Dp tuners has a better chip available for your Ex , Also have alot more choices on what program you want . They are supposed to be one of the best for the 7. 3

 

[rivercat]

well let me ask you this, I know heat is the killer of autos. Is there a definite number not to cross? DP makes a 140 agressive tune I want to have installed on my chip is it gonna toast the transmission the first time or if I just keep trans temp down will I b ok?