Ford Excursion and $5k To Spend: What Would You Do?

[justbecause]

maintenance. load range E tires. do you really need 35s?
bumper with winch up front.
I would not put a LSD in the front.... of anything. in the rear no problem, but I would want to have complete control of the steering axle.

good shocks.

the one thing I really wish my truck had, only "reasonable thing" I wish my truck had... is a back up camera. but only because I hook up to a trailer pretty often.

 

[IPA]

I pay about $1.64/gal right now. When I bought it 9 months ago I think it was around $2.25. Highest I've ever seen in my life was about $4.50.....that was back in 2008 and fortunately it didn't stay that high very long. If that was the norm I probably wouldn't own a full size truck.

I do a fair mix of highway and stop-and-go driving, and I consistently average 11.5 mpg. On the highway I can get almost 14 if I keep the speed reasonable.

Compare that to my Tacoma, which seemed to get 16 no matter what I did, and my current JKUR that averages about 17.

To me, a difference of 4.5 or so mpg just isn't dramatic, especially for something far roomier, more comfortable, and easier to load out. If I had a really tight budget I'd probably feel differently, but fortunately I do not.

 

[justcuz]

After seeing the pictures, maybe leave the suspension alone and just upgrade your shocks. It all depends on the size tire you want to upgrade to. Do the maintenance and research your rear axle. It may already have an LSD that can be rebuilt. The front axle is up to you. Ford used to install front LSD's from the factory in 4x4's. If you feel you need one, go for it. Personally for a vehicle this big, I would install a Superduty Dana 60 and an LSD. I am a west coaster though with few worries of mud and snow, so that will make a difference in your choices.
Also with your mileage I suspect the plug spitting repair may have been done by now. The big thing is engine cleaning. Apparently moisture can get trapped and cause the coil on plug units to short out easily. Might try looking on the Excursion forum for that.

 

[ExplorerTom]

I would not put a LSD in the front.... of anything. in the rear no problem, but I would want to have complete control of the steering axle.

I have an LSD in the front of my Explorer. Never once had a steering problem. I think you're referring to having a locker on the front making steering difficult.

Nice Excursion. I want to say that the V10 is just the bigger version of the 5.4l I have in my Expedition. The spark plug issue is easily solved by tightening them down and then slightly over-tightening them. There's a good video on YouTube about spark plug changing by a user named FordTechMackuloco. He does hundreds of useful videos for lot of different Ford models.

 

[tgreening]

Ten mpg? What were you guys towing, your houses? My '01 got a consistent 14.5 highway. I could do better than 10 doing 100% city.

To the OP: Ford-trucks.com, search forums for the Excursion forum and gaze in wonder that the time, money, and effort frothy-mouthed Excursion fanatics will pour into those big pigs. . And really, it's not as big as people think. An F-series CC short bed is longer than an Excursion.

 

[XJSuperman]

Must be better gas by you.....lol. Dad's 2001 F250 v10 only got 10-11 in city. But thats the nature of the beast.

 

[justcuz]

To the OP: Ford-trucks.com, search forums for the Excursion forum and gaze in wonder that the time, money, and effort frothy-mouthed Excursion fanatics will pour into those big pigs. . And really, it's not as big as people think. An F-series CC short bed is longer than an Excursion.

Maybe even an Extracab shortbed may be longer than an Excursion.
I know the Chevys are, 141" WB vs. 130" for a Suburban.
Not a Ford guy, but I would definitely own an Excursion if one fell in my lap.

Saw a couple B-150's (Suburban type vehicle) in Mexico years ago, my favorite was the 80-85 version with the tailgate.
Neat vehicles, Ford should have built them here.

 

[tgreening]

They're a nice comfy family toter. Not stellar fuel mileage by any stretch but not the worst in the world. Nice if you need to transport a fair number and their junk, towing something as well, while being a bit more Hollywood than if you did it with a van. No offense to the van club.

 

[IPA]

They're a nice comfy family toter. Not stellar fuel mileage by any stretch but not the worst in the world. Nice if you need to transport a fair number and their junk, towing something as well, while being a bit more Hollywood than if you did it with a van. No offense to the van club.

I would love a nice 4wd van....

 

[Pangle]

I am glad I found this thread, I am going through the same build process right now. I just recently picked up a 2004 EX with the 6.0 and 140k. It was fleet maintained and I was able to get a list of the major work which was performed by the local Ford dealer! Turns out the FICM and the EGR have already been addressed. I just spent around 1k on parts and upgrades, based on what I read here and other sites I went with the Zone offroad 4" lift, its simple, easy, and not expensive. It had just recently had a service and new tires which was also a score. There was a check engine light and a Code for Turbo boost malfunction. I googled the issue and there was a Video on Youtube which said to check a small tube on top of the engine which send the boost signal to the computer from the turbo. I spent 3$ and replaced the hose and now the thing is running like a scalded cat! One bad thing was the paint job.... It was previously a Fire Chief vehicle so I am going to have it painted this week as white on red is not my thang... Ill be keeping an eye on your build, good luck!

 

[Regcabguy]

Clean truck! Check the front brakes. My friend's V-10 ate them up constantly.

 

[toastyjosh]

X2 on the brakes! I had a V10 work rig, it ate brakes Gas and tires.

For the money do the brakes, plugs, swap out all fluids. Higher flow exhaust, shocks( bilstin or better),Seafoam, Load range E tires, LED light bar on the front.

 

[IPA]

Lots of good comments. I appreciate it.

Front brakes look almost new. Everything on the front end seems tight. It drives about 1000000% better since I got the new front springs and shocks. I need to do the rears also, but they aren't nearly as bad as the front was.

At the next oil change I'm going to take it to a good shop and have them look it over real thoroughly and probably swap ALL the fluids, and maybe the spark plugs. Just for a good baseline.

Tires are on the menu for this summer - I love the BFG KO2's. I may do a small lift and go with 33's or even 35's, or I may keep the OEM size. Just not sure yet.

Keeping my eyes open for good used bumpers and towing mirrors and the newer grille, and as soon as I get the new front bumper I'll do some aux lighting. I also need some good floor liners and some nice seat covers. The interior is in really good shape, and I'd like to keep it that way.

Maybe a roof rack isn't too far off, also. Or maybe I'll just go with a Yakima skybox 18. I've heard several comments about how weak the factory roof tracks are, but I imagine they'd hold up fine to the occasional 250# or so load of a full skybox and my 15' kayak.

 

[toastyjosh]

f250/350 springs in the front will give you a small lift, same with the rear.

33 should fit with out a lift

 

[XJSuperman]

I have a set of mirrors. I can get pics tomorrow if you are interested. PM me.