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The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.
Just bought a new used tow vehicle for the boat. I hope it will work out well. I bought a 2001 Ford Excursion limited edition. Its a 3/4 ton. Built on the Ford F250 chassis I'm told. A V-10. Should have plenty of power. What do you think. Thanks.
Yeah, I've never been a Ford man but hey its what I found and bought. Might be under powered, a v-10 ? I really hope that was a joke. I don't know how long ago it had it's last tune up but it isn't missing just now. But here I was all jazzed that it had plenty of rubber left on the tires when on the drive back to my truck yard one of them decided to throw off it's tread. Bummer, had to spend $200 for a new one this morning. Well better now than while towing the boat. Thanks Guys.
I don't know how long ago it had it's last tune up but it isn't missing just now.
Bladeswell
In your year Excursion, the length of the threads on the spark plugs is approximately half of typical plug thread length and the aluminum heads casting may be softer than typical. So the threads in the head can be stripped easier than on other engines. Being aware of the issue, some mechanics under-torque the plugs, which then wiggle loose and blow out.
If you do your own mechanic work, be careful to torque the spark plugs to the proper spec. There are several incorrect torque specs floating around on the Internet. If you have a shop do the work, make sure its a good one familiar with the issue or maybe go to a dealer.
I hope this doesn't sound too negative. If you run into spark plug issues later, there's a great retrofit that's relatively inexpensive. The Excursion is a great truck.
So glad that was a joke. And thanks for the info regarding the plugs. I was not aware yet that my heads were aluminum. Hopefully the years have made progress with them. I remember that the early aluminum heads and blocks were really troublesome. Thanks again.
Written humor can be tricky... For tongue-in-cheek respnses, we have some built-in hints...
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Dave Bristle Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired), Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge
Yes, but then it doesn't seem as dry if you include the hint. Part of the joy is the other person sweating for a moment.
Having said all that, I am in the market for a second vehicle in the next year or so for towing, and the excursion is one I hadn't considered. I had an '04 durango in the past, but buying one for a tow vehicle seems foolish given how god damned unreliable the thing proved to be. I loved that car so much, but anything that could go wrong did.
Offshore Account, 1977 Hull #243. SR, SK
Edited by - offshoreaccount on 05/17/2016 19:40:04
Do pay attention to the sparkplugs. If you wait until the factory service interval, it's too late. Better replace them now and with antiseize before they try to come threw the hood.
quote:I had an '04 durango in the past, but buying one for a tow vehicle seems foolish given how god damned unreliable the thing proved to be. I loved that car so much, but anything that could go wrong did.
I had a 97 Dakota with the 5.2 and 3.92 gears and it towed the boat great. I sold it and a few years later decided to get another one because it had the highest tow rating of any compact/midsize truck. I ended up buying an 06 and it turned out to be the most failure prone vehicle I have ever owned. It also struggled to tow the boat despite having a higher rating than the 97. I loved the truck and kept it for seven years but after the latest high dollar repair this winter I decided to cut my losses and let it go. I bought a '15 tundra and couldn't be happier.
There is a great website, trailer life magazine, that has detailed guides with tow ratings for every vehicle in every configuration available for that year. It's worth noting that tow ratings are pretty subjective and the manufacturers can set them just about anywhere. There is a new standard rating system but only a few companies certify to it.
Chris Sacandaga Lake, NY 1984 C25 SRSK "Les's Moor"
Yeah, my family was a dodge family, and we had a dakota that was a few years older than the durango (purchased new). Same story with reliability. Needless to say, we haven't touched a chrysler product since, and I'm not too fond of fiats.
Offshore Account, 1977 Hull #243. SR, SK
Edited by - offshoreaccount on 05/19/2016 18:05:14
Actually, most of the manufacturers are onboard with the SAE standard as of 2015. The advantages of the new trucks include amazing, for a truck, mpg. My F-150 gets 20 city, 22 overall, and 25 highway and the other brands have also improved significantly. Chrysler"s small diesel gets rave reviews for smoothness and excellent economy with really good tow capacity.
Dave B. aboard Pearl 1982 TR/SK/Trad. #3399 Lake Erie/Florida Panhandle
Wow, I am surprised to hear that the Tundra gets such poor mileage. I would have thought it would be better. I am not looking forward to seeing the mileage mine is going to deliver being a V-10. And I bet the fuel tank is at least 30 gallons. I haven't yet had to put gas in it.
Ahhh, the Fiat 850 Spider--our first and last disposable car (1969-new). Drive it for two years, and then throw it away. Every component has reached its useful life.
Dave Bristle Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired), Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge
Friend of mine had a F-350 Ford dually with the V-10 when they first came out. He got about 10 MPG pulling boats but he could pull a 28' cruiser at 80 MPH and not even feel it!
We got a 2015, 2500 dodge ram diesel. Have gotten about 21 on the highway, about 17 or 18 in town. Just pulled the boat on about 130 mile round trip getting about 15. Not a hitch on the drive.
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.