Posted: 6/5/2011 8:28:19 PM EDT
| I asked this before in a different section and did not get much feedback. I'm looking at selling my suburban1500 and going bigger. A 2005 excursion. I like the V10 for it simplicity am I have three friends with V10's in their excursions. All claim 17mpg if set at 55mph. No faster. The diesels sound great but I can only get the dreaded 6.0. So. Any opinions on the big Ford Ex?? |
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as stated above look for a 7.3L
i have a buddy w/ one (7.3L) 4x4 & it gets 24mpg hwy. if a 6.0L is still on the road, its probably decent. do an egr blockoff & it will last, though the v10 is nice b/c parts are cheaper than diesel parts if you want the newer looking front...you can change out grille or front clip |
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as stated above look for a 7.3L i have a buddy w/ one (7.3L) 4x4 & it gets 24mpg hwy. if a 6.0L is still on the road, its probably decent. do an egr blockoff & it will last, though the v10 is nice b/c parts are cheaper than diesel parts if you want the newer looking front...you can change out grille or front clip I am not calling b.s., but I would really love to know how your buddy is accomplishing 24 mpg. I've been looking at the truck below. I swapped vehicles for the week. It's a 2001 7.3, 2x4 with 140K miles. I was getting around 16 highway (not hand calculated - computer result) and about 13 with the boat & trailer. The truck pulls and handles great, but the lack of 4x4 is likely a deal breaker. I know her ghetto tires didn't help, but the truck struggled at one of the ramps I use. The rear tires were on textured concrete and I still needed to "rock" it out. I have been spending time on www.thedieselstop.com to learn about the 7.3 excursion - the have a subforum for the truck. I really like the truck. I don't think its worked for a living, given the wheel/tire setup. In fairness to the truck, I let the trailer sit in sugar sand while I was flushing the motor with fresh water for a few minutes, but it was damn depressing to have all the power without traction. If I knew better tires would carry the day, I'd make a run at the truck, but I think I'll keep searching for the perfect specimen. 
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| Not be Captain Obvious, but almost all "heavy duty" engines are going to perform fairly similar in MPGs as long as HP/TQ numbers are fairly close. The biggest thing that's going to seriously effect your gas mileage is not the engine size but the rear end gearing. A big engine with highway gears will outperform a small engine with 4.10s. But if you need to tow then you need the low gears and hence must trade MPG. If you don't need to be towing the moon, find one with a 3.42, 3.23, or 3.55 rear gear. Or buy another rear end and swap them in and out for your applications if you only tow once in a while. |
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@drdeath, the later (mid '04 and newer) 6.0 engines were much better than the earlier (03's to mid '04). you can do a search on youtube and there's videos that point out all the problems w/ the 6.0 and how it was fixed. Ford rushed them to production too early, to try to compete w/ the new duramax that was coming out.
@keib, I have an '02 Ex w/ the 7.3 turbo diesel and my wife can get 21 mpg mixed highway/city driving. Best I've been able to get was 16 mixed. So, if somebody were to not go over 60 mph, I'd bet they could get 24 mpg, assuming flat ground and no wind. IIRC, at 60 mph cruising on the freeway, it's barely turning at about 1200-1300 rpm. Our Ex is chipped, but set for performance. ETA, do you know if the Ex you looked at had a limited slip? Seems to me that a limited slip would fix the problem at the boat ramp, as well as narrower tires. W/ those wide tires she has, it spreads the weight out (larger contact patch) and makes it more likely to loose traction. Our Ex has been phenomenal, a little rough on crappy dirt roads, but other than that we love it. Even thought of buying another. ETA: what prices are you guys looking at paying? |
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Im down to three 2005's. One a v10 , two- 6.0 PSD...whats the egr problem? Not sure of the EGR problems specifically, but a lot of the bad press that the 6.0l got was from very early production 2004's. I have a late model 2004 Ex with the 6.0L and love it. Best SUV I have ever had, put 45,000 miles on it last year alone. Everyone I have known that bought one with the V10 wished they bought the diesel. Never met a diesel owner that wished he bought the V10. 
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I was getting 10.2 mpg with the V10 on a 2003-F250 with a crew cab. Installed a K&N intake and the mileage improved to 12.7mpg. And that is burning the 93 octane, runs like shit on the 87...
Living in the north country, the damn things rot out, for mine is in the shop right now getting eight years of salt damage repaired.. The other thing is the exhaust manifolds, at 100k had to replace. Not a fun nor cheap exercise... |
| I've got an '04 with the V-10 and love it. I get shitty gas mileage towing my camper, but it's about 9k lbs with the aerodynamic profile of a cinder block, so I guess thats to be expected. I've never actually done in depth mileage calculations, but I estimate about 15mpg or so. I added a Roadmaster active suspension to help beef up the rear leafsprings. IMO, the best truck I've owned. |
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Im down to three 2005's. One a v10 , two- 6.0 PSD...whats the egr problem? Not sure of the EGR problems specifically, but a lot of the bad press that the 6.0l got was from very early production 2004's. I have a late model 2004 Ex with the 6.0L and love it. Best SUV I have ever had, put 45,000 miles on it last year alone. Everyone I have known that bought one with the V10 wished they bought the diesel. Never met a diesel owner that wished he bought the V10. http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss218/darrellapp/TIRES002.jpg http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss218/darrellapp/BOV002.jpg Nice how the cat is color matched to your Ex. 
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as stated above look for a 7.3L i have a buddy w/ one (7.3L) 4x4 & it gets 24mpg hwy. if a 6.0L is still on the road, its probably decent. do an egr blockoff & it will last, though the v10 is nice b/c parts are cheaper than diesel parts if you want the newer looking front...you can change out grille or front clip I am not calling b.s., but I would really love to know how your buddy is accomplishing 24 mpg. I've been looking at the truck below. I swapped vehicles for the week. It's a 2001 7.3, 2x4 with 140K miles. I was getting around 16 highway (not hand calculated - computer result) and about 13 with the boat & trailer. The truck pulls and handles great, but the lack of 4x4 is likely a deal breaker. I know her ghetto tires didn't help, but the truck struggled at one of the ramps I use. The rear tires were on textured concrete and I still needed to "rock" it out. I have been spending time on www.thedieselstop.com to learn about the 7.3 excursion - the have a subforum for the truck. I really like the truck. I don't think its worked for a living, given the wheel/tire setup. In fairness to the truck, I let the trailer sit in sugar sand while I was flushing the motor with fresh water for a few minutes, but it was damn depressing to have all the power without traction. If I knew better tires would carry the day, I'd make a run at the truck, but I think I'll keep searching for the perfect specimen. http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/ad124/michael_sfl2002/x_Dorado.jpg BFG all terrain - stock size K&N drop in tuner - set for towing/MPG set cruise control & dont drive above 60 it was figured on calculator while on road trip. dont pay attention to the overhead display MPG - its not always accurate. |
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as stated above look for a 7.3L i have a buddy w/ one (7.3L) 4x4 & it gets 24mpg hwy. if a 6.0L is still on the road, its probably decent. do an egr blockoff & it will last, though the v10 is nice b/c parts are cheaper than diesel parts if you want the newer looking front...you can change out grille or front clip I am not calling b.s., but I would really love to know how your buddy is accomplishing 24 mpg. I've been looking at the truck below. I swapped vehicles for the week. It's a 2001 7.3, 2x4 with 140K miles. I was getting around 16 highway (not hand calculated - computer result) and about 13 with the boat & trailer. The truck pulls and handles great, but the lack of 4x4 is likely a deal breaker. I know her ghetto tires didn't help, but the truck struggled at one of the ramps I use. The rear tires were on textured concrete and I still needed to "rock" it out. I have been spending time on www.thedieselstop.com to learn about the 7.3 excursion - the have a subforum for the truck. I really like the truck. I don't think its worked for a living, given the wheel/tire setup. In fairness to the truck, I let the trailer sit in sugar sand while I was flushing the motor with fresh water for a few minutes, but it was damn depressing to have all the power without traction. If I knew better tires would carry the day, I'd make a run at the truck, but I think I'll keep searching for the perfect specimen. http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/ad124/michael_sfl2002/x_Dorado.jpg BFG all terrain - stock size K&N drop in tuner - set for towing/MPG set cruise control & dont drive above 60 it was figured on calculator while on road trip. dont pay attention to the overhead display MPG - its not always accurate. I regularly got above 21 mpg in my Ex when we first bought it with stock size tires. That dropped down when we but 285s on it though. Now we get right up to and a little over 20 on the freeway and right around 16 in normal driving. |
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I really wanted something that size, but parking them is a total PITA, so I ended up with a WK Grand Cherokee. Hemi power and Quadradrive II (fully locking electronic diffs). http://www.topohiker.com/news/newspics/Rock5.png It's really not that bad to park. It's actually easier than my 3/4 ton 4x4 crew cab truck - tighter turning radius and the back up sensors are pure win. |
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I had an 03 4x4 V10 with 3.73' and consistently got 12mpg in town and 14mpg highway up to 70mph.
Above that and it dropped quickly. The best I ever got on the highway was 15mpg running 65mph and pretty flat. Nice vehicles. They do have soft suspensions for their size and weight in an attempt by Ford to make them ride smooth. It definitely affects the handling and towing but nothing that can't be fixed. |
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I'm not a Ford fan, altho its hard not to like the Ex. If it was me, I'd look for one with a blown 6.0, get the adapter kit from Destroked.com, and drop a 5.9 cummins in it. Best of both worlds, comfort pf the Ex, with a real half a million mile diesel engine. It's a bit of work, but well worth it in the end.
Ops |
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I'm not a Ford fan, altho its hard not to like the Ex. If it was me, I'd look for one with a blown 6.0, get the adapter kit from Destroked.com, and drop a 5.9 cummins in it. Best of both worlds, comfort pf the Ex, with a real half a million mile diesel engine. It's a bit of work, but well worth it in the end. Ops would love a 5.9 in an Ex. Havent had any problems with my 6.0, and I am amazed by the power it puts out, but would still love a cummins. 
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I'm not a Ford fan, altho its hard not to like the Ex. If it was me, I'd look for one with a blown 6.0, get the adapter kit from Destroked.com, and drop a 5.9 cummins in it. Best of both worlds, comfort pf the Ex, with a real half a million mile diesel engine. It's a bit of work, but well worth it in the end. Ops How does the 7.3 compare to the Cummins? I've head the 7.3 is a half million mile engine, but not the 6.0 (or 6.4 for that matter). |
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I have an 01 that i bought in 03. It has the V10 and i average 14.5mpg and have done 18.5 on the hwy at about 65mph. Bought it with 13K on it and now have 130K. The only problems I have had are the back doors wont lock/unlock with the power lock button, you have to manually lock/unlock them. I replaced the tires at 67K and its about time to do it again. I really like mine.
YMMV |
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I've got a 2003 with the 7.3L...somewhere around 18 mpg. It gets 18 pulling nothing or pulling a trailer. Depending on the wind, it drops to 15 mpg when I pull the boat (21 ft cabin cruiser).
My dad sold his 2001 to my sister. He still kicks himself. If you can find the 7.3L that's what I'd find. I've had two Ford dealers walk right up to me and ask me if I wanted to sell it. After I declined, they gave me their cards & told me to call when I was ready. It's the best vehicle I've owned. Rhino |
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I'm not a Ford fan, altho its hard not to like the Ex. If it was me, I'd look for one with a blown 6.0, get the adapter kit from Destroked.com, and drop a 5.9 cummins in it. Best of both worlds, comfort pf the Ex, with a real half a million mile diesel engine. It's a bit of work, but well worth it in the end. Ops How does the 7.3 compare to the Cummins? I've head the 7.3 is a half million mile engine, but not the 6.0 (or 6.4 for that matter). The 7.3 suffers a bit due to Ford's manipulation of the engine control computer, against Navistar's advice. Instead of gradually wearing out, the 7.3 tends to drop the crankcase into the street.. Honestly, no current engine in an American utility vehicle is as overbuilt as the Cummins B block. The closest competitor IMO is the Bavistar/International DT 466 which was to my knowledge never installed in a pickup. Man, that would make one HELL of a swap.. If I were not disabled I''d have to try a DT 466 into an older Ford pickup or Ex. That would REALLY befuddle the next guy who opened the hood! Ops |
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My 01 EX has ~180,000 miles on it and runs like a top. Just starting to burn a little oil though. All I have ever had to do was regular maintenance on the power train, and rotors on the drivetrain (warp easily when towing heavy trailers). THe v10 gets a combined city/hwy of 11mpg. Straight interstate is 14-16 depending on terrain. Towing 8000lbs on the interstate = 11mpg.
I would get rid of it if I didnt have 6 kids and needed a BOV to hold us, a pile of gear and tow a 12x5 trailer. For now it suits my needs well, and I would buy it again if I had it to do over. Good luck. |
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Quoted: I really wanted something that size, but parking them is a total PITA, so I ended up with a WK Grand Cherokee. Hemi power and Quadradrive II (fully locking electronic diffs). http://www.topohiker.com/news/newspics/Rock5.png What mileage does the hemi offer you in that wk? I have the diesel wk and qdII and tend to average at least 20mpg even with winter diesel and more idling during the winter months. Right now I am back into the low 20s on every tank. |
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V10 mods... Is there a tuner out there for these that can help mpg? Does a free flow exhaust with a HF air filter help?? http://www.5startuning.com/ |
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I really wanted something that size, but parking them is a total PITA, so I ended up with a WK Grand Cherokee. Hemi power and Quadradrive II (fully locking electronic diffs). http://www.topohiker.com/news/newspics/Rock5.png What mileage does the hemi offer you in that wk? I have the diesel wk and qdII and tend to average at least 20mpg even with winter diesel and more idling during the winter months. Right now I am back into the low 20s on every tank. Nothing like that.  With the oversize E rated tires, I can get ~16 highway and ~13 city. It'll set you back in your seat if nail it though. 
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I'm not a Ford fan, altho its hard not to like the Ex. If it was me, I'd look for one with a blown 6.0, get the adapter kit from Destroked.com, and drop a 5.9 cummins in it. Best of both worlds, comfort pf the Ex, with a real half a million mile diesel engine. It's a bit of work, but well worth it in the end. Ops How does the 7.3 compare to the Cummins? I've head the 7.3 is a half million mile engine, but not the 6.0 (or 6.4 for that matter). Compares well. You might be in it for some injectors at 2-300k but otherwise the 7.3 is a great, great engine. |
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I bought an '01 Ex with just over 100k on the clock this last Oct. Best vehicle I have ever owned. I have been a Chevy guy in the past, but what with the crap going on the last few years and having been a Ford Technician, have gone back to Fords pretty much exclusively ('10 Fusion, '09 Focus, "01 Ex.) I got a really good price on it, but it had the V10 in it. Now gas mileage isnt the best, and I have a lead foot, but theres something to be said for towing a camper through the rockies and not even knowing you were towing it. The power is great, but the gas mileage sucks, I wish I had a diesel, but all the ones in my price range had well over 200k on them. I know, they'll run for a half million miles...lol. But it wasnt the engines I was worried about, it was the rest of the vehicle. At some point suspension wears out...
I would buy another one in a heartbeat, and will do whatever it takes to keep mine on the road. Its a great BOV, and weekend getaway SUV... Bill |
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I bought an '01 Ex with just over 100k on the clock this last Oct. Best vehicle I have ever owned. I have been a Chevy guy in the past, but what with the crap going on the last few years and having been a Ford Technician, have gone back to Fords pretty much exclusively ('10 Fusion, '09 Focus, "01 Ex.) I got a really good price on it, but it had the V10 in it. Now gas mileage isnt the best, and I have a lead foot, but theres something to be said for towing a camper through the rockies and not even knowing you were towing it. The power is great, but the gas mileage sucks, I wish I had a diesel, but all the ones in my price range had well over 200k on them. I know, they'll run for a half million miles...lol. But it wasnt the engines I was worried about, it was the rest of the vehicle. At some point suspension wears out... I would buy another one in a heartbeat, and will do whatever it takes to keep mine on the road. Its a great BOV, and weekend getaway SUV... Bill every Excursion owner I talk to says the exact same thing. Including me. |
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I bought an '01 Ex with just over 100k on the clock this last Oct. Best vehicle I have ever owned. I have been a Chevy guy in the past, but what with the crap going on the last few years and having been a Ford Technician, have gone back to Fords pretty much exclusively ('10 Fusion, '09 Focus, "01 Ex.) I got a really good price on it, but it had the V10 in it. Now gas mileage isnt the best, and I have a lead foot, but theres something to be said for towing a camper through the rockies and not even knowing you were towing it. The power is great, but the gas mileage sucks, I wish I had a diesel, but all the ones in my price range had well over 200k on them. I know, they'll run for a half million miles...lol. But it wasnt the engines I was worried about, it was the rest of the vehicle. At some point suspension wears out... I would buy another one in a heartbeat, and will do whatever it takes to keep mine on the road. Its a great BOV, and weekend getaway SUV... Bill every Excursion owner I talk to says the exact same thing. Including me. Indeed. Guy I bought mine from has one for sale that he hasn't converted to six doors. I'm tempted, but I don't need a car payment right now. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I bought an '01 Ex with just over 100k on the clock this last Oct. Best vehicle I have ever owned. I have been a Chevy guy in the past, but what with the crap going on the last few years and having been a Ford Technician, have gone back to Fords pretty much exclusively ('10 Fusion, '09 Focus, "01 Ex.) I got a really good price on it, but it had the V10 in it. Now gas mileage isnt the best, and I have a lead foot, but theres something to be said for towing a camper through the rockies and not even knowing you were towing it. The power is great, but the gas mileage sucks, I wish I had a diesel, but all the ones in my price range had well over 200k on them. I know, they'll run for a half million miles...lol. But it wasnt the engines I was worried about, it was the rest of the vehicle. At some point suspension wears out... I would buy another one in a heartbeat, and will do whatever it takes to keep mine on the road. Its a great BOV, and weekend getaway SUV... Bill every Excursion owner I talk to says the exact same thing. Including me. Indeed. Guy I bought mine from has one for sale that he hasn't converted to six doors. I'm tempted, but I don't need a car payment right now. Bah Let him do the conversion and then buy it. You know you want to so you can tease me about having the stretch.  |
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Quoted: I asked this before in a different section and did not get much feedback. I'm looking at selling my suburban1500 and going bigger. A 2005 excursion. I like the V10 for it simplicity am I have three friends with V10's in their excursions. All claim 17mpg if set at 55mph. No faster. The diesels sound great but I can only get the dreaded 6.0. So. Any opinions on the big Ford Ex?? Hey Doc, If he's claiming 17mpg from the V10, it's because he's rolling down a hill in neutral for 300 miles. Those things suck gas like there's no tomorrow. I have a friend that has a '03 F250 w/ a V10, and he avg's about 10 mpg. He can't afford to drive it to work w/ $4 gas, so he drives his wife's car. So far, ours is the best vehicle we've ever owned. We have a 2005 w/ the evil 6.0L. Disclaimer, though, we've only owned it about a year. We have 4 of the kids that live w/ us, and it's the only thing that can get us and any reasonable amount of gear anyplace and pull the camper safely. We also have a '03 F250 w/ the same dreaded 6.0L. Just got back from a fishing trip to TN, avg'd 19.8 MPG w/ 4 other guys and the back end full of beer, ammo, and other heavy stuff. The Ex does slightly better than the F250, I suspect because the truck has slightly bigger tires. When I pulled that load of lumber down to Rustee's place, I got avg about 15mpg w/ 10K lbs through the mountains. If it were me, I'd go diesel or stay home in something that big (Hi PA  ). I think my stock 6.0L will pull my buddy's V10 backwards at 75mph. Once you're over the initial cost of the engine upgrade, there's no comparison between the diesel and the gasser –– diesel wins.I'm curious what your use case is? Are you driving around town, towing, over the road driving, ...? Ex's suck in parking garages... Regardless of engine, you'll love the car if you get one. Best SUV ever made IMHO. Good luck whatever you do... -Slice |