Let's talk Excursions v10's

With the 4.56 gears and 35" tires guys say that would put them at like 3-4k rpms at 70 but thats this engines happy place. I only have the 3.73s and it does ok but I can see how the gears would make a big difference

Just a small update - Love living with the Excursion still. Get's a consistent 11.8 no matter what I do to it. It's a mini-van when I need it (rarely), a truck when I need it (mostly), and relatively comfy to do both in.  The main thing I miss from my Suburban is the tailgate - if it had one it would be perfect. I have some maintenance to catch up on for the v10, but it just hums along for now.

Here it is with 2k lbs of hardwood in the back. Drove exactly the same with no noticeable sag and the average MPG actually went up (probably because of the mix of more highway) to 11.9.



 

I have a 2000 F-350 SRW 4x4.  Plugs and coil packs need replaced.  I have 115,000 on my truck with the originals so it's due.  You can get the Denso ones on Azm or RA.  They are literally the same thing as the Motorcraft just without the Ford part number stamped on them.  I got the set of 10 & Motorcraft plugs for less than $300.  The plugs are fine as long as they are torqued correctly.  The factory exhaust manifolds rot so if this one has the originals look them over good & listen for a ticking for exhaust blow by.  The studs are a pain to remove when they break & expensive to hire the repair done.  I went with the full Gibson SS header set when I did mine.  On the 4x4 the factory ball joints were crap so check those.  Run it with the hubs locked in to see if front driveline is good.  Run it in & out of 4X4.  You shouldn't have any noise from the front with the hubs engaged & the 4x4 off.  If you do it could need new seals & bearings on the 1/2 shafts.  If it has auto locking hubs make sure they work.  I am on my 3rd set on my truck because they don't always engage or disengage.  The first two were Ford & the current set are Dorman.  The Ford hubs are expensive.  The power locks also tend to fail so make sure they all work both ways.  The overhead display goes dim or stops working.  That is usually a board in it that comes loose.  It's a pretty easy fix if you can soldier.  Other than that mines been dependable since new.  Yeah the gas mileage isn't great, though better than our Chevy with the 6.0 in it, but it has pulled everything I have ever asked it to. 

Our son has a large family and his vehicle of choice has been the eight passenger Expedition.    He has had four now which have all been leases so can’t tell you about high mileage problems but he has not had any issues maintenance wise. The latest is the eco boost engine and for everyday driving is great. He just completed a 2000 mile trip and averaged almost 20 mpg with the eco boost. 

We have had two Class A motorhomes powered by the Triton V10 in the F53 chassis. Have not had a single engine issue. Our latest has the five speed automatic and aside from it down shifting at the sight of even the smallest hill it has been great with the probably 22,000 pound load. I think the reason for the downshift is this engine really does perform best at higher rpm’s. Always seems to have enough power and acceleration is not bad considering the load.  Now gas mileage is not great but is comparable to other motorhomes based on the Chevy chassis. 

I almost bought a 33' Class A with a low miles V10 that had beautiful oil in it but was mysteriously locked up for ~5k.  Decided the logistics of the job made it not worth it. So anyway, broken ones exist! 

As far as expiditions go, I honestly like them just as much aside from the engine choices. I'd rather have a 6.8 Excursion than a 5.4 Expidition. I'd also rather have a 6.8 Navigator, but that's sort of besides the point since I haven't been able to find a really cheap 1st gen Navigator to start with. I did look into buying a cheap dohc 5.4 Navigator and sticking in some 3.73s i pulled out of a bad Mustang housing. It's one of my CL email alerts.

And I might buy my friend's v10 class c RV since it spit out a plug thread and he doesn't really need it anymore due to a changed situation. Hmmmm.