Let's talk Excursions v10's

In reply to Jaynen :

If it's been maintained then mileage isnt that big of a deal. It looks well taken cared of though. It's cleaner than mine and I paid almost twice as that for a ugly 2wd 7.3. 

Once the v10 starts getting tired you can swap in a later more powerful one lol. That will probably wont happen for another 200k miles though

I mean its a tow pig so it won't even be used that often I just don't want any surprises

In reply to Jaynen :

That one is so clean I'd be tempted to go test drive it, usually if they take that good of care of it, it's good mechanically as well. Maybe take it to a mechanic to look over it before you pull the trigger?

Jaynen said:

I mean its a tow pig so it won't even be used that often I just don't want any surprises

I get that logic, but at the same time, I don't want to be stranded on the side of the road 1000 miles from home with my travel trailer, family and dogs, either. Which is why my tow pigs will always be reasonably recent, lower-mileage vehicles.

OK guys so is there a mileage mark I should be staying away from or must have maintenance items to check/plan for?

Wife seems to be coming around but if its an occasional vehicle she would prefer 4x4

Alright I am joining the club with a 2001 4x4 limited v10 180k on the clock. What do I need to do first? Fluid changes?

AC only blows coolish so I think I need to add more coolant can I do that myself or do I need to take it to someone?

Also gets a vibration at around 60-65 that smooths out between 70-75 and comes back over 80. Wheel balance?

I realize I probably don't have a jack that is rated high enough to put it in the air or tall enough.

In reply to Jaynen :

Fluid and maint first. 

For towing these always help the excursion perform even better:

Upgrade trans cooler to the 6.0 diesel truck cooler. I bought a Dorman one from rockauto, easy install and keeps my trans temps low while towing. 

Make sure it has good shocks on it and maybe upgrade to installing a rear sway bar. Make sure the steering is tight.

The high mph shake is probably tire balance. I had my AC recharged by Vigo as he has the tools and I didn't. 

Get a steering wheel cover on that thing lol. 

 My fav forum for excursions. Good guys up there and access to free knowledge and parts. Excursion - King of SUVs

It needs new shocks for sure, I was thinking of starting there along with having all the tires checked for balance.

Do you have the two switches on the dash below the headlights left of the steering wheel? theres an on/off toggle and a toggle with a red light?

In reply to Jaynen :

 Post a pic of the switch you're referring to. I dont recall such a thing. 

I have the Rancho RS9000XL adjustable shocks. Love them. 

I was thinking of Rancho 9000's so good to know

 I've never seen that. Sorry

I suppose I want to make sure I get the 0" height ones and not the 4" ones since those are probably for lifted trucks. It sits really freaking high stock however.

I'm pretty sure those switches aren't factory. 

Jaynen said:

I suppose I want to make sure I get the 0" height ones and not the 4" ones since those are probably for lifted trucks. It sits really freaking high stock however.

 Yeah get the 4wd ones with no lift or 0" height. 

rslifkin said:

I'm pretty sure those switches aren't factory. 

I did see a big ass powercable not hooked to anything under the hood like there was a big sound system in it at some point. Maybe its related to that?

Looks like based on the VIN it has the 3.73 gears not the 4.30s, the door sticker/hitch sticker still says its rated for 12k but I think 10k is the rating for the 3.73s

I hear the 4.30's really serve the v10 well

Wonder how hard it is to swap the gears? Going to worry about shocks and fluids first. Then been looking at the hellwig sway or the rac suspension thing

Gears are either a lot of manual labor (swap whole housing from another truck) or really tedious and semi-technical (setting up preload/lash/etc).

There were a lot of helpful threads here recently about basics of AC repair. 

I did the r134 in a can on the low side pressure port and its blowing much colder now we will see if it stays that way or has a leak

Shocks and the hellwig ordered. Had some Amazon gift cards to help take down the price on the swaybar. Sounds like the instructions are pretty crap for installing it however.

Jaynen said:

Do you have the two switches on the dash below the headlights left of the steering wheel? theres an on/off toggle and a toggle with a red light?

Any sign of auxiliary light on the vehicle?  I use a switch identical to the one with the light for the auxiliary lights on my Outback.

There are some foglamps in the front bumper that's a good idea to check

In reply to Jaynen :

If that isn't the switch for the fog lamps, try pulling out on the headlight switch.  That is the way Ford did it in my Focus and the Transit Connect.  On the Transit connect there were two stops on the switch.  Pul to first stop and it turned on the front fog lights, pull to second stop and you had both front and rear fog lights.

Just popping back in here to say I love mine, tows like a champ and I don't even have my new shocks and swaybar on yet. I really think if you spend the money to gear one up to 4.10s+ or whatever you can't beat it for the money if you want to be able to tow big stuff

I've driven my buddy's Class C e350 (450 maybe?) v10 RV and i think it has around 4.10s in it. It honestly feels great for what it is (which is big and heavy).