FordExcursions.com Forums
Godfather
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• Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY, USA |
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• Registered on 4/13/2003 |
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• 53 posts |
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 Posted:4/13/2003 10:22 |
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UPDATE/UPDATE: July 12,2003 NOW 72,000 miles at 15months old!!
Alternator died at 70k - cost $290 at dealer plus labor etc. Has anyone else had this happen??
THANKS FORD for deleting amps or volts gauge and substituting the ABSOLUTELY USELESS trans temp gauge that always reads the same!! Because of the stupid deletion I had NO WAY of telling the alternator was dying!!
Listen to this guys- guess what was the absolute LAST warning light to come on??? That's right - alternator!!!
EVEN BETTER: As the juice was slowly dropping, here's what I noticed:
1. Dash & interior lights dimmed.
2. Headlights dimmed.
3. ABS light came on!! (Watch the pattern)
4. Trans Overdrive gearshift light started to blink!
5. Airbag light came on.
6. I pulled over and clicking solenoid/no start/lotsa cursing!!
I WONDER if you guys with errant dash emergency lights are having these "ghosts" caused by charging system problems???
MORAL of the STORY: Im getting the pillar gauges BUT, they're gonna' be AMPS, VOLTS and TRANS TEMP.
I recommned you do the same!!!!
BTW, Country Ford in Levittown Long Island NY was very good and Jodi the service fox, is a doll!!!
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MAJOR QUESTION: How HARD do you guys drive your Xs!!! Mine has lotsa'
highway miles but many are with 3 ton trailer YET:
1. Still have OEM Firestones (I hate that Japanese company!!). I finally had them rotated (1st) time at 70k- fronts (now rears) were VERY cupped and mad a horrendous WUMP,WUMP,WUMP sound.
I was SURE it was a wheel bearing but, Jodi was right- it was the tires!!
Any recommendations for inevitable replacements? I actually want a quiet rib truck style tire (like Armstrong) OR the Goodyear HPs like the Land Rover uses.
2. Brakes: STILL the originals with a very slight pulse. I think I'll run these till they're metal on metal and do the ART upgrade BUT,
I see my discontent with ART- now what??
How hard do you guys drive to need brakes so often???
3. I do OC&F around 5,000 to 7,000 (Pennzoil 15w40 Diesel & 99 cent Penske filters BUT I add 2 cans of Lubro moly supplement with each change.
4. Confession time: I still haven't changed the tranny fluid/filter- 40 LASHES !! I'd like to add a spin on filter in th e return line from the rad/cooler and may use the typical standard oil filter for Fords (PER 1, Fram PH8A etc)- WILL THIS WORK ??? Has anyone ever tried this ?? I think it should work A-Ok but maybe there's some 1st hand experience.....
5. Mo' confessions: Fuel filter changed ONCE at 30k and air filter at 60k - More lashes!! Truck runs great though!!
6. Fuel supplements- I've used Stanadyne a few times BUT it's VERY hard to find. I usually buy the cheapest gallon of ATF or 10W30
and throw that in at fill up (44gals-cool!).
I always treated my Diesel Rabbits to a quart of the same ( 10 gal tank) and the one i still have (218k) runs great. Maybe the oil cleans the filter or am I lucky and always get good truckstop Diesel!!
BTW- If Kero is available cheap, I'll put in 25% or so!!!
7. Do "youse guyz" let the turbo cool/spool down before shut off? Do you drive VERY SLOWLY when cold till she warms up?
These are my normal SOP on everything I drive or ride.
8. I've read lots of stuff about antifreeze/cooling system pinholes!! It's time to change mine or add the supplement- what is the
right thing to do????
The other question is how do you drain the 20 feet of lines to the "tail gunner" rear heater core and then- bleeding???
I almost am inclined to flush and put in "old reliable" - green Prestone anti freeze- comments PLEASE!!!
I KNOW I raised lotsa points here and appreciate you reading it all but, I'm keeping this truck FOREVER and hope my transgressions
are not fatal. Thanks guys..
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Here's old post (April):
I LOVE this truck and live in it just about... Solo @ 70 cruise on highway it will get 18 to 19 mpg (4wd) and pulling HUGE car trailer with FLAT 9x9 front it drops to 11. Will a roof wing help???
Fuel filter- this is the round top-of-engine type of filter. What's a good price/quality/manufacturers # for replacement, please??? TIA for your help.
Here's my tip for oil filters: K Mart is dropping the Penske line and has the 1995# filters for (get this!!) .99 cents!!! I already have 50 "in stock". Another good source: Sears has the Purolator ones for $ 2.99.
Tip # 2: I always have VW Rabbit diesels and luv em'. I have always used a moly oil additive in them and the Excursion, except because of the 15 quart cap, I throw two in at change time (5-6 k) with the Pennzoil 15-40 diesel oil (again KMart @$6.00/gal). Has anyone else used Lubro Moly oil additive?? I use it in my Harleys too!!
I'm glad I found this forum- Thanks!! Ciao, Godfather
PS: Is there a steering box problem?? My 2002 has a 5 degree dead spot and drifts since new over lane dividers??? How about rear water leaks ????
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Scott Coats
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• Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA |
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• Registered on 1/8/2003 |
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• 84 posts |
• 1 Vehicle
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 Posted:4/15/2003 13:13 |
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I get the filters from eBay in six-packs and change them every 15,000 miles, so I have enough for a couple of years. Just do a search on PowerStroke Filter and you find both oil and fuel filters. Look for the Racors...OEM for Ford and much less expensive.
Scott
2001 PSD Excursion, 4" Lift, 315's on 17" Weld Evo Velocity-8 chrome wheels, 315-75-17 BFG AT/KO's, SS Westin Tube Steps, 2200 watt sound system, full pillar gauges, AFE Air Raid, DiabloSport Revolution experimental custom EEC chip (120HP) tune, 4" exhaust, clear turn/head lamps, safety brake light, oversize wipers, 2003 SuperDuty turn signal/heated power towing mirrors, billet grill, limo tint, ProComp steering stabilizer and shocks, the list goes on... |
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Godfather
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• Sea Cliff, Long Island, NY, USA |
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• Registered on 4/13/2003 |
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• 53 posts |
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Posted:7/12/2003 21:33 |
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THANK YOU SCOTT- BTW, what part # do you use for the 2002 7.3??
If you know please post it.
Thanks, Greg |
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CHPMustang
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• Plano, TX, USA |
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• Registered on 7/24/2002 |
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• 1,800 posts |
• 1 Vehicle
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 Posted:7/13/2003 11:18 |
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For fuel filters I purchase mine from Diesel Injection Service http://www.dieselpage.com/racrefpl.htm before we picked up the Excursion I ordered the filters/accesories thru their webpage and phone when we lived in California.
Now that we're a local drive to the Dallas DIS I just will call my orders 
About time for our tire rotation,sounds like an afternoon project 
BILL
Bill
2002 Excursion XLT-P 4x4 7.3L Powerstroke Diesel
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Dan Nguyen
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• Yuba City, CA, USA |
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• Registered on 11/13/2001 |
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• 22 posts |
• 2 Vehicles
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Posted:7/14/2003 23:19 |
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Fuel filters every 15000 miles. Make sure you buy the racor brand and not the brands that have the caps built in from Napa since they leak like a lake. Make sure you drain your fuel bowl every 15000 miles also for water.
Coolant should be done @ 50-60000 miles for total flush unless you have the gold stuff. Every 15000 miles you should add a pint of fw-16 to your coolant collection tank.
Brakes; well live with what you've got and good luck.
I'll add air filter to be checked every oil change. If you are having to change an air filter every oil change or so, you might consider upgrading to the new AIS filters from Ford for about ~~200.00. Ford say these can go 30000 miles ... I'll let you know in 25000 miles.
I buy my fuel filters throught theses guys:
http://www.shopdiesel.com/index.cfm/action/home.htm
Their prices are a little lower than Diesel Injection Services, however DIS is always great to deal with.
Have fun
Dan |
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Posted:7/15/2003 16:54 |
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Wow. I think you stretched the limit on some of those key maintenance tasks. Alternators die, they cant last forever. I am not sure that if you had a Volt and Amp gauge that anything different would have happened, your alt is still going to die. I heard some PSDs have dual Alts, one on top and one lower one, but I am not sure about that.
Good luck. keep up your maintenance and your X will be happy. 
I cant stress common maintenance enough, it will extend the life of your vehicle. Good luck.,
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