Ford Excursion ??

We have been wanting a for Excursion for family trips when we take the boat. Have any of you owned one of the 6.0 ? I hear many stories about them mostly bad but also hear if they are bullet proofed they are great. I have no problem with the 7.3 but the 6.0 has the 4 speed tranny and would be a little better on freeway/high way pulls.. Thanks guys.. I'm a diesel guy so that is why the excursion ..

If you avoid the gas engines, I've heard good things. The v8 and v10 gas engines would spit out spark plugs because of the aluminum heads... crazy common problem.

Never owned one, but have a couple of friends who love them, theirs are 6.0s, bullet proofed. Seem to work well. We do alot of traveling to go snowmobiling, doing anywhere from 10-20 hours a day, pulling 8000-10000lbs, and the excursion really is a great rig for that. 5 guys can be way more comfy than you would be in a pick up. Would be great for kids. Its too bad GM never put a duramax in the Suburban/Yukon.

I owned a 6.0 briefly and it was my only diesel ever. You have to buy it knowing that you're going to have to put money into it. I bought a 2005 F350 with just over a 100K miles for 10,500 last summer, used it for the summer after putting $4000 into it replacing the oil cooler, egr cooler, and the high pressure oil pump. I did the oil and egr cooler myself and if I had replaced the HPOP while I was at it, I could have saved almost 2K of that 4K because I had a very expensive diesel shop do the pump. My head gaskets were still good so I never did the ARP head stud conversion which is the most expensive part of bullet proofing. I had no diesel experience but all of these things can be learned with some extremely good videos available on youtube.
I sold the truck after pulling the boat for the summer for 14,500 to someone who could appreciate what I had done because he knew a lot about the 6.0 himself. So I got my money back out of it excluding tax but it took time to find the right buyer.
I paid 6K less than the original owner was asking for the truck so your buy price will be the only thing that will make you feel OK about the money you will have to put into it.
The truck was a beast. I loved driving it in the mountains. It hardly had to downshift when climbing up I-70 into the Rockies at 75mph. It is the only diesel or turbo vehicle that I've ever owned though.
Keep in mind that newer Ford trucks with the 6.4 have even more issues than the 6.0. The Cummins and Duramax are considered far superior to the Ford but they're also double the price and can be hard to find. They are also not without their own set of problems as well.

I'm on my 4th 6.0. Love em can't get enough of them. Current one has 277k miles on it. Drive it evertday and Put 1000mi on it last week.
The trick to them is understanding how they work, and taking care of them.

My friends have a 6.0 Excursion that is lifted on 37's and I LOVE driving it. I've pulled my boat (RZ2) and their old Epic with it on several occasion's. I didn't have to do maintenance or repairs on it, just drove it. I can tell you that the 6.0 has plenty of power and that the seating is very comfortable for at least 7 people. I wish Ford still made them because I would get a newer one if that was the case.

Yep, I have '05 Excursion 6.0 & an 06 Crewcab 4x4 6.0. As long as you buy right and know what you are getting into they are great trucks. Do research prior ti buying and be expecting to put $3-$5k in just in case. My excursion had everything but head studs done. One owner -old guy that had a local shop maintaining it and they did everything to the letter. The dealer I bought it from had no idea. No regrets at all. Drives great (after V/B spring swap), tows anything and gets decent mileage. It's my daily driver....................My wife uses the truck for horse stuff. It always has a trailer and many times a camper on it. She has ridden/driven Chevy's & Dodges with other riders and prefers the Ford. I was a complete Chevy guy prior to this.............

RR, I agree 100% I'm shocked no other company has made anything like the Excursion in a Diesel , They would sell well I think. I am hopping to find one already bullet proofed and than just keep up on it from there. I have a 01 Cummings and I love it but just not enough room and have to much cash into to sell.. The Excursion for us would not be a daily driver just use when we have a car full of kids and dogs and gear..lol I'm sure some of you know where I am coming from.. Thanks Guys i'll keep doing my research .. It's nice to hear from people who have one or had one..

Excursion fits all of my wants. I'd love to find a deal on an 05, or have the cash to do the 6.7 conversion like some people.
A full size suv in a 3/4 ton diesel. Music to my ears. I'd pay 60k for one new in a heartbeat. My gf wants a 4 door wrangler that has a v6 and 3k towing cap and is the size of a shoebox for 45k. That's nuts

I have an 01 with 7.3. It's a decent enough tow rig, but there are a few things to keep in mind:

the design is 15 years old. Trucks have come a long way since then. It's not the most refined ride in the world.

Ford underspec'd the suspension for towing. there's quite a bit of intel out there on swapping out springs from the F250 (the V/B swap that Tracktor mentioned). That's a must. Your suspension will probably be pretty tired by now anyway, so shocks/bushings/etc should probably be done too.

Steering is vague. You will not mistake this truck's highway handling for a BMW. Or a suburban 2500, for that matter.

the hitch is only rated for 5000 lbs bumper pull. You can get an aftermarket hitch from reunel for about $1250 that's rated for 10k.

for getting 6-9 people to the lake in a single vehicle for under $15K, there's really not another option other than a van.

The late 6.0 ex would be a must for me. Front coils and oodles more power compared to the 7.3
The 7.3 is like a 12v cummins lol. Ol reliable, but not much power to offer

Originally Posted by Jmorlan

The late 6.0 ex would be a must for me. Front coils and oodles more power compared to the 7.3
The 7.3 is like a 12v cummins lol. Ol reliable, but not much power to offer

7.3 with mild tow tune is miles ahead of the f-150 with 5.4 and QX56 with 5.6 it replaced. Will do 60 over donner with boat in tow, which is more than either of the prior rigs could do. A lot less fun in the twisties than the QX tho (which was no treat, mind you).

But yeah, the extra gear in the tranny would be nice, as would the coils and the updated front end is a bit easier on the eyes too.

The issue with the 6.0 is just bulletproofing (and associated expense). I mean if you are taking it in and having everything done, and assuming you want to put a tune on it too, so you get gauges and exhaust, that could easily be a $10k bill. If you can do your own work, absolutely. If you are like me and are paying someone... sheesh it gets expensive quick on a truck that really won't be worth THAT much more after it's done.

My 6.0 with a tune will pull 11k lbs up Donner at 90 on cruise control lol
Things are like 2strokes. Get them in their happy place about 2100-2800rpm and they do their thing!

Converter has to stay unlocked though. Once it locks up it lugs and egts want to go into nuclear meltdown mode. Hahah

Nice Shawndoggy.. I have a 01 Cummings so I am sure the ride would be a step up.lol. I have see a few with air bags so I assume this is the underspec'd the suspension for towing which was mentioned .. Sounds like I should look towards the 04-05 years and if not bullet proofed I should that done and also some airbags for towing .. The largest thing we will tow is are 08 Supra 22ssv so we should be ok with a receiver type set up.. That's what we have on the dodge ...

Shawndoggy I was wonder what RPM range are you in around 70-75 and what the RPM range is on the 03-05 Excursions....

Put a bulletproof oil cooler and egr on it (if you need an egr in your state, otherwise delete it), make sure the injectors are good and ride out. I know plenty with 225k+ on stock headbolts. Just don't tune it and take care of the oil cooler issue.

Definitely the bullet proof EGR cooler but I've heard mixed reviews on the Bullet Proof oil cooler. The Bullet Proof oil cooler is air cooled which isn't necessarily better than the water cooled version. You definitely want to upgrade the original because of the design flaws but there are quite a few places that sell an updated oil cooler that replaces the original but has better flow and is much less likely to get clogged. They are also way less expensive than the Bullet Proof oil cooler. Just don't cheap out too much because you don't want to put in the Dorman cooler (or the Dorman anything else for that matter because it's a bunch of Chinese made crap).
If I was thinking long term I would definitely do the ARP head studs. I've heard that if you aren't tuning it or overheating it because of a clogged egr/oil cooler, that you won't blow a head gasket ... but I wouldn't count on that.
The other updates you need to look into are the oil standpipes, the blue spring upgrade to the fuel regulator, and the updated turbo oil drain tube. Maybe replace the glow plug module as well if it takes too long to warm up. These things are all pretty cheap and easy if you are doing the work your self and when you already have it pulled apart.

A little off subject, but any word on if the Armada is going to get the Cummins?

I'll say one more time, I have a 6.0 with 277k miles. It's my daily and my tow rig, and we definitely aren't easy on it. Anyone with more miles (pr experience, this is my 4th one) on a 6blowup is welcome to chime in their thoughts.

Originally Posted by Jmorlan

The late 6.0 ex would be a must for me. Front coils and oodles more power compared to the 7.3
The 7.3 is like a 12v cummins lol. Ol reliable, but not much power to offer

The Excursion never got the coil spring front end. I have a late '05. Frankly, one you do the V/B conversion and put decent shocks on it's pretty close. My wife hated driving it before I did that now she loves it....................

"Can ya name the truck with 4 wheel drive, smells like a steak and seats 35!"

Originally Posted by tracktor

The Excursion never got the coil spring front end. I have a late '05. Frankly, one you do the V/B conversion and put decent shocks on it's pretty close. My wife hated driving it before I did that now she loves it....................

You sure? I always thought the mater models had front coil. Take a look at this cl ad. Shows them in the pictures
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/5187520625.html

Originally Posted by Jmorlan

You sure? I always thought the mater models had front coil. Take a look at this cl ad. Shows them in the pictures
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/5187520625.html

110% sure. I have the latest manufacturing date you can buy. It's pretty common misunderstanding though. I have seen coil conversions such as the one in that add though. Not that hard to do but not sure if it would be worth it?.....................

Thanks everyone.. So my thinking is this, I'll look for a 03 7.3 and a 05 6.0 ( bullet proofed ) and pick the best of these years that I find. 03 was last of 7.3 and should be a good rig and the 05 6.0 is last year of them and I hear less issues...

At this point I wouldn't get too hung up on a particular year. It's really going to be more about how well the particular vehicle has been cared for and maintained. There are lots and lots of beat down excursions out there, even 03/05s.

I had a 2007 f250 with the 6.0 in it... Had over 10k in upgrades and repairs (both heads cracked) power max turbo, 190cc injectors, arp studs, Ipr research oil cooler relocation kit, 5" turbo back exhaust, tunes, ect... After I sold it I looked at 3 more all claiming to be bulletproofed with arp head studs... Not a single one had them... Drove 5+ hours to look at one... Make sure you look and make sure it does not have stock head bolts if they are selling it as "bulletproof"

Thanks for all your input guys.. I will double check for head studs that's for sure.. I'll post a few when I find some I'm interested in...

Mine had ARP on the stud itself and when installed you could easily see ARP on them for reference.

I laughed when I saw this thread as I am (well did) just purchase an Excursion with a Diesel and had the same issues.

I searched and talked to a few people on diesel forums and ultimately made the decision to go with the 7.3. Just seems like a lot of cost and what ifs for the 6.0. I only know 2 people that had the 6.0 and one loved it and one hated it.

I didn't and have not heard anything that bad about the 7.3 so I am rolling with it. I will almost always be towing when I am driving it so I do not mind it being a little slower.

Picked it up for a good deal to with very minor interior issues and only a couple scratches.

Good Luck!

Raymond.. Tell me more about your excursion. Pictures if you have them year .. ? How is it at 70 how's the noise level inside.. Thanks ... Brian

Brian @ 70 the 7.3 is loud. actually at all speeds the 7.3 is loud or louder. Nature of the beast.

RPMs at 70 in OD are a touch under 2k, but with a redline of 3500, 2K feels/sounds much louder than 2k in a gasser.

I purchased it but will not actually have it until next week. I will let you know though once I get it.

Here are a couple of pics

Nice Ray.. Looks untuned on. That's what I what. Untouched stock, so I can do all the mods to it.. I looking at getting one after the first of the year, waiting until my truck is paid for before I take on another vehicle..lol