Ford Excursion - School me!

[Michael Slade]

So...I'm tired of waiting for Jeep to release their diesel Commander I was told *by Jeep brass* would be here two years ago.

What I am thinking of is a Ford Excursion with the diesel motor. I really like the size of the thing, and I have driven one before, so I have an idea what I'd be getting myself into.

I like the idea of it, but one thing I don't like is the split rear tailgate. Do they come with a drop-down tailgate? I know that's kind of nit-picky, but it's the thing I absolutely LOVE about my Range Rover.

Gimme the straight dope on these things. I don't see many that are 'Expo-ed' out.

 

[02TahoeMD]

Well, the Excursion does have 2 things going for it, sheer size and the diesel engine. The ride can be a bit rough, but I guess that depends on the perception of the user. My brother has an F350 with the diesel in it and the available power from it borders on insanity. He has done some upgrades to it and has been able to simply blow the doors off of your typical low rider racer in a stop light takeoff. So, the power is very nice.

Here are some nice Excursions I found on the net: At Your Curb link

There is also JDHolder's Excursion, from this very site: White Excursion

And a decent one on Cardomain : Click me

I am sure if you popped over on one of the Powerstroke or Ford Truck forums you could get a good bit of info.

 

[mightymike]

We have a 2000 Excursion 2wd with the V-10 gas motor. We've used it as the "Family Truckster", towing moderate loads all over the place. It has over 180,00 miles on it with zero problems. It does have a "truck" ride to it, but it is as solid as the day we bought it. I can't speak about the diesel motor, but the truck itself has been great.

 

[jdholder]

What would you like to know?

The 7.3 liter motor is the reason I own mine. And I can cary everything plus the kitchen sink in mine.

Weak links (as with all Superduty's) are
- CPS (crank position sensor) $25 item, carry a spare in your glovebox - I can change mine in 10 minutes with a 10mm socket.

- Automatic Trans - I am on my second one in 150k miles. First one lasted 125k miles. Rebuilts from EBAY are relatively inexpensive, but John Woods or BTS makes bulletproof ones for $4k or so.

- Dana 50 front end - I haven't broken mine yet, and when I do (if I do) I will probably just switch in a 60. The 50's stub axles neck down to smaller 30 spline on the ends.

The rear doors are only sold as a split barn door type. They are Fiberglass and have a lot of storage behind the beauty panels.

I have done lots of work to mine, and I LOVE IT. It goes places where people think it can't. It's very comfortable offroad (with a little lift). You can stuff HUGE tires is you get fiberglass front fenders. I ran 37's with NO lift and now run 40's with 5 inches or so of lift.

Hope that helps.

 

[Michael Slade]

I guess I'm looking for mods and stuff...lift kits, springs, etc... It's the same as the F350 underneath right?

I wonder if I can make a rear tailgate that will drop down. If they're only made out of fiberglass I may not want to step on them though.

I'm looking to take out the rear seats and sleep in the thing if I have to...or tow...or put the seats in for some kids...etc...

Give me your impressions on the various diesels offered. I did some research and am not sure what to believe. I like the idea of the older model years (i.e. price...), but there must be a good reason they changed the engine. Was it just to meet emissions standards? Is the 7.3 THE engine to have?

Thanks!

 

[jdholder]

Anything that will fit for the 99 to 04 leaf spring superduty's will fit for the Excursion in terms of springs. The rear shocks use a T-Bar upper mount, so they are different than the SuperDuty rear shocks, but all the big names make a rear shock.

I run BDS (now discontinued) front 2" spring hangers (ICON makes 3 or 4.5 inch hangers) with F350 "x" Code springs (+1.5 inch over Excursion springs) plus Deaver Mini Packs (+2 inches) for a total of 5.5 inch front lift. I run custom Deaver rear springs.

If you take out the rear seat you have a large flat area for sleeping. I have a truck vault drawer system in mine, so I don't sleep in mine, I tow a trailer to sleep in.

I really like my Ex - it's my daily driver. In my opinion the 7.3 liter is the motor to get. Some will argue the 6 liter is better, but I feel it is more "high strung". The tranny on the 6 liter is nice, but it is also "high strung" and costs more to buy if you destroy it. The 6 liter is faster stock for stock, but add a intake, exhaust and a turner to your 7.3 liter and you will be plenty fast.

My Ex weighs 9660lbs without me in it. So it's no lightweight, but it is very fun.

 

[GunnIt]

I Have a 2000, 4wd, with the 7.3 TD. I has been a great vehicle that we plan to keep and drive it until the wheels fall off. We currently have 135K-miles on it. I recently had it in for service (new injector wiring and did the glow-plugs while it was opened up, $1,400) and the mechanic said that he would be surprised if I did not get 300 to 500K-miles on it before I need a new engine.

The split rear door is one of the vehicle strong points: you can open the whole thing up with one hand, this comes in handy with your arms loaded with groceries etc. There are 2 latches on the rear doors that allow you to swing them totally open to load large items. I can't imagine a a tailgate or any other rear door system offering any advantage over the current setup.

The 7.3 is bullet proof. It drives like a truck unlike my 2500HD which drives like a car. You can carry 8x10' sheets of plywood in the back, with the seats folded down. You can't do that in a short bed pick-up. Chip it and you can get 20-miles to the gallon.

This is a safe vehicle for you and your family because of the weight and mass of the vehicle. You will learn to be looking for an Excursion parking spot as soon as you enter a parking lot...you can't just pull into any spot.

I bought this vehicle new and paid $50K; if it were to be wrecked I would buy another just like it and probably pay 60-70% less.

 

[jdholder]

My Ex has 150k miles and the only things (like I mentioned) that it has needed was a trans and a CPS. The Trans was replaced under warranty at 96k miles (bad reverse solenoid, or something like that - common in 01 model year).

 

[ujoint]

I'll add, the Excursion is an awesome vehicle. As Jon stated, the D50 is a weak spot, but they don't get broken very often, especially with a good driver behind the wheel. They can be upgraded easily with the Dynatrac free spin hub kit. The front suspension is the same as an F250/F350, but the rear uses different springs due to the mass back there. As far as engines go, you won't find anyone that dislikes the 7.3, it's awesome. It may be getting hard to find a low mileage rig, but you never know! The 03-04 6.0's had allot of issues, mainly the turbo. So 05 may be the golden (and last) year for 6.0's. They also had the updated front sheet metal, the cleanest looking Ford front end in years (IMO). ---Chris

 

[02TahoeMD]

One more thing I remembered today - an agency that I have frequent contact with at work has converted an Excursion into a Tactical Medic truck, and there is ample room in the back to hold a stretcher, BLS instruments and supplies, as well as provide space for a medic to kneel next to the stretcher. It is a pretty well done conversion, bottom line is, if you want to sleep in it, no problemo, at all.

(Come to think of it, if that truck ever gets sold, it would make an awesome turn-key expo type ride! )

 

[Michael Slade]

Seeing a lot of the V10 gassers with the dual-fuel CNG conversions. I wonder how much usable space that takes away. Would it be possible to put a quick-release on the CNG lines to make the tank removable when I want to go out and use that space where the tank would go?

Just thinking... I still really want that diesel.

 

[Zorro]

Curiosity of the auto-transmission hater in me ...

Other than the obivous SUV gargantuan interior space vs pickup, is there a good reason to go with an Excursion vs an F250/350 (in which one could get the 7.3 with stick shift)?

 

[jdholder]

Curiosity of the auto-transmission hater in me ...

Other than the obivous SUV gargantuan interior space vs pickup, is there a good reason to go with an Excursion vs an F250/350 (in which one could get the 7.3 with stick shift)?

The wheelbase of the excursion is 137 inches, while a F250 or 350 Crew Cab short bed is 156 inches. That's a plus in my book as it's already tough parking an Excursion, it's even tougher parking a F350.

Otherwise, I actually prefer the automatic - they are just a little more fragile, unless you have them built.

 

[Michael Slade]

Otherwise, I actually prefer the automatic - they are just a little more fragile, unless you have them built.

+1

I'm sick of the stick. Call me an old softie.

 

[Martinjmpr]

After reading this thread, just for fun I searched Craigslist and was amazed at how many Excursions I saw for sale. I even found a few with 4wd for right around $5k. Quite a few diesels, too.