Any PowerStroke guys out there?

[scenarioL113]

Looking to possibly buy an Excursion. They were only made from 2000 thru 2005.

Early ones have a 7.3 and the later ones have the 6.0. I heard nothing good about 6.0's but its hard to fine a pre 03 with low miles on it.

I was thinking about a 2005 thinking maybe that some of the 6.0 bugs may have been worked out but who knows.

In the FDNY we use Excursions as Chiefs cars and they get the crap beat outta them and are still going good.

The Excursion is a perfect vehicle for my family and would like to get one. I am very pro-diesel and have limited options.

Any input would be appreciated.

[Capn' Tony]

I have '01 F350 with the 7.3 Has never in 10 years given me a wrinkle. I don't use the truck for hauling or work so the miles are easy ones. I expect it to last forever :) . milage is not great, 12-13 around town and 16-17 on the highway when not pushing it.

[bob lico]

frank the owner of oakdale yacth has a 2005 . he ask us to "help" it out a little bit so we installed a complete gale bank kit . really tame family car with 450 hp. idles real nice and is use by his " soccer mom " now.

[steve miller]

I had an '05 F-250 with the 6.0......it was great, never a problem for the three years I drove it.

[BCBertie]

I have 2006 F-350 dually with a 6.0. It's great with a couple caveats:

1. They really need to be run. I don't use mine enough.

2. They were designed when diesel fuel had a lot sulfur in it. The EPA then required Low-Sulfur fuel, and Ford did not fully appreciate the impact that would have. The impact is that current fuel does not have enough lubricity in it, and also tends to "coke up" if not run hard enough. I've had to have the intake and turbo pulled and cleaned (Ford did that under warranty). About a year ago my dealer and I were getting a handle on it, and now I use the lubricity additive with every fill up, and occasionally also add the cetane booster. $2 every tankful (I don't notice it considering it costs $120 to fill it up). It's been perfect for the last year.

I don't think they have any problems now, and with the prices so low because of their reputation, I wouldn't have any problem buying another one.

Cheers!

John

[RussP]

We have a 96 4x4 pick up with a 7.3 and run the shit out of it, 256k with no problems. Also had a 2001 with the 7.3 with 100k with no problems at all. I would stick with the 7.3 if you could, it takes the Ford middle man out of the equation as you could get the parts right from International.

RussP

[Bruce]

Like your diesel boats, every diesel over the road owner should be using an additive every tank full. The current quality of fuel both gas and diesel we pay stupid money for SUCKS.

The issues the poor refining creates is mind boggling.

I know, I know too damn lazy or cheap. But take from one who repaired this stuff, the good addtives work and will save you money in stupid maintenence and repairs.

Here is a utube video of a guy whos company specializes in power strokes, he has a series of videos and well worth watching them before you make a decision.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdxMM73w ... re=related

[Rawleigh]

I have had to replace two EGR valves on my '06 6.0 F250. The only other problem so far is that the exhaust manifolds leak a little when cold. 79,000 miles so far.

[JP Dalik]

The later versions held together better than the 02-04 products.

Early problems included:

Different stator wheel in turbo- noisy

head gaskets- to fix this the typical move was to take the cab off

EGR Coolers

Connection issues along the entire engine wiring harness- mystery shut offs etc.

transmission temperature sensor failures

engine timing sensor failures- stall and no start

low oil pressure sensor failures- stall and no start

Things seemed to get better from late 04 through 06. I had an 04 F250 quad cab and I purchased it used with right side head gaskets and EGR cooler already replaced. After market mods could be your best friend depending on which state you live in- getting rid of the EGR really extends the life of this engine. I used my truck for 2 years before the wiring issues and oilly anti freeze pushed me into a different ride at 117,000 miles

[mike ohlstein]

I have two 7.3's and a 6.0. The 6.0 is very well mannered and powerful, but it really needs to be run hard or it will give you coking trouble in the ERG valve and will clog the variable pitch turbo vanes. Another common issue is leaky injector O rings which lead to fuel in the oil and a shot main bearing. I don't doubt Bob's Banks job was done properly, but plenty of 6.0's that were pushed too far up the HP scale wound up becoming boat moorings. Be wary of a 6.0 with chips or gauges.

The 1999.5 and 2000 model year 7.3's were the best ones made. They have forged rods and limited EPA crap. My 2000 F250 makes 600HP at the crank and never skips a beat. It shakes a little at 60 mph, but that's because I keep spinning the rims on the tires and throwing them out of balance..... My 2003 7.3 is bone stock and just keeps chugging along. Common problems are cam position sensor failure (engine dies), high pressure oil pump failure (engine won't start), and various top of engine oil leaks which will cause you to swear that your rear main seal is leaking......but it isn't.

The 7.3 is coupled with the E4OD tranny, which is a piece of shit. 125,000 miles is its MTBF. Unless you're Timmy....then they last about 40,000 miles. There are several guys who rebuild them properly, but it's a $4500 job. Don't settle for the $3000 AAMCO rebuild. It won't last. If it gets to that point, I'll point you toward the master rebuilder. Even Timmy can't destroy his transmissions.......The 6.0 has a more robust tranny. Not perfect, but should last as long as it isn't abused.

If possible, get engine and tranny oil samples and send them out for testing. Most important with the 6.0, but you could do either. At the very least, if it's a 7.3, give the tranny oil a sniff. Burnt is bad.

Oh yeah......check the oil pan on the 6.0 for rust. I think you have to pull the engine to change the pan.

There's almost nothing on the 7.3 - E4OD combo that can't be fixed. Just don't overpay, and you'll have a truck that will go 350,000+ miles per rebuild.

On edit, here is one more design flaw on the pre 2003 7.3 trucks. The transmission coolers were built with both the inlet and outlet on the top. Any good plumber knows that this creates a trap. I guess that Ford didn’t have any plumbers on staff. As tranny clutch material wears, it gets caught in the cooler and eventually clogs it. This contributes to the short life span of the E4OD. When rebuilding an E4OD, a new cooler should be installed. The coolers made after 2002 have the outlet on the bottom, and drop right in.

[bob lico]

mike two points number one sayville ford is the largest truck dealer in ny. you go in the back near the parts room and they stack e4od transmisions . they don`t even try to repair just change units ----terrible trans . for a diesel. the second point is this gale bank conversion is a 7.3 .i have to remind you this is driven my a mother taking the lacross team from one place or another. i am not kidding it idles perfect and you would never know whats under the hood unless you put the pedal to the medal or look at the 4" exhaust out the back. when it warms up next week come take a look .quite a few modifications but it is so sweet and quiet.

[bob lico]

mike; star transmission on route 109 farmingdale does the right thing with the unit . not just a shift kit and change fron oem. clutch face to waffle there is alot more to it .another idea is to make template of bellhousing then have our harry baab make a adapter to chevy allison diesel trans (the best in the business) and shim the convertor.

[Cunado]

Frank,

I have a 2000 F250 with 348,000 miles on odometer which wasn't working for a while back in '02. Lots of idling and towing around the farm. Replaced 1 water pump, 1 crankshaft sensor (from recall)fuel filter housing, 1 starter, 2 clutches, three clutch linkage.

Recently purchased 2002 F250 for my "city truck" to take back and forth to work, kids to their practices and games etc. Has 198,000 miles drives smooth as silk. I try to keep it off the farm roads.
Lots of 6.0 for sale cheaper than the 7.3's around here for a reason.

My father has a '99, my business partner '00, business parner's brother 7.3 excursion, all with same success.

Brother in law, other farmers I know lots of problems with 6.0 the past couple of years.
One nursery around here got 3 new 6.0's a few years back, kept being picked up by tow trucks to go back to the dealer. They finally had to go with gasoline.

As for transmissions my father had his rebuilt a couple of years ago for around 2,000. Everyone else has been lucky, I've had more problems with my standard.

I know which one I would pick...


Be sure the cruise control has been replaced, it's a recall forgot to mention that. They just catch on fire by themselves no big deal. Any other questions please let me know.

Brad

[Ironman]

Im in masonry bidness..heavy stuff
Ive had a couple of \the super duty duelwheel flatbed fords..7.3s not to many probs with the engines,or the stick trannys.. but the strange way theyre built..for instance..
(the whole dashboard falling apart with the clutch pedal cage ) ON Both trucks,an 89 & 93..you know takin the whole dash out to fix an alumin cage is not "A better ider"or take the cab off to get to the engine...
Had a couple dodge w/ Cummins & now got a couple Duramax w/ Allison..Stickin with them for now..
Wayne

[scot]

Bruce said;

The issues the poor refining creates is mind boggling.

I agree. Don't run "no name" diesel. I run only Shell. Chevron, etc in the Dodge/Cummins. And buy your diesel from outlet that sell thousands of gallons per week, like a truck stop. You want someone that will know long before you get there if they get a bad load. 360K and running strong, also as Bruce stated run an additive, I run a bit of Lucas in every tank.

[Kurt]

As for fuel at truck stops. I try to avoid Pilot...and now FlyingJ since Pilot bought them out. Not sure what they do but in my Peterbilt, I can get almost a .25 mpg increase by not using their fuel.
My cat really likes biodiesl but had a hard lesson in Illinois a week ago when some B20 gelled up on me at 5-10 deg. But in warm weather....really runs nice.

[Bruce]

We noticed a little drop in fuel economy with the Freightliner 60 series Detroit this past summer after filing up at Pilot also. Didn't think nothing of it until now.

Not much of a load with the car trailer, but still noticed.

[scenarioL113]

I bought the 2005 Excursion Limited. What a truck!

I love it to say the least. It has 75K miles and is BONE STOCK. Its a California car with not a spec of rust at all. The original exhaust looks brand new. No aftermarket crap at all on it.

I am just keeping my fingers crossed. I have driven a few hundred miles on it with no hiccups.

Just keeping my fingers crossed!


I must say it is absolutely perfect for my needs, I absolutely love it.

[gmelvin]

Check out powerstrokehelp.com. Those guys know ford powerstroke diesels and have a great video resource that owner Billy Hewitt has provided. I know them personally and trust what they say. Hope your excursion treats you well. I love my 2000 4x4 Excursion as well as my 2006 F350 dually.

Glenn, 76' 31 Bertam Sedan