Project Toy Hauler

The Excursion has pretty terrible suspension from the factory, and the 5" lift on mine improved it slightly, but not much.  Ancient leaf spring technology used in trucks and horse carriages since the beginning of time.  It's rough and bumpy on the road, and it's not at all enjoyable off the road, both of which are a problem for me.  A couple years ago we used our previous SUV, a Nissan Armada, to do the magnificent 100mi White Rim Moab bike ride with the family, including our 6mo old baby.  The Armada was amazing for this, an SUV doesn't get much better than the capabilities of the Armada with a great V8, plenty of clearance, true 4wd system with low range, and suspension that works well on and off road.  Fun Fact for everybody, the Armada has a higher tow rating than a Suburban!  Unfortunately the Armada was sold while the wife and I had a downturn in jobs and had to cut back on expenses.  Although we really wanted another Armada, we decided to b...

The dealer put a new (refurb) alternator on the Excursion when I purchased it, I was hoping it was just due after 110k miles.  But, that wasn't the case, after only a few months this alternator also failed.  I was warned by a friend with a 6.0 that the electrical system is very sensitive on this powerstroke and that I need to be very careful with the FICM because low voltages can cause it to fail and when a FICM fails it can also take fuel injectors with it and then you get a nice fat repair bill of thousands of dollars.  Ouch!  I don't want that, time for some serious preventative maintenance. New Matching Batteries My truck came with two unmatched batteries and it was obvious one was much older than the other.  A quick trip to Costco and I had two new matching batteries under warranty! New Heavy Duty DC Power 250Amp Alternator I was determined to install my last alternator and make the electrical system bulletproof.  After a little research it lead ...

Something I struggled with since day 1 with my used Excursion was wheels that always had a bit of a vibration to them especially around 70mph.  I had them balanced and rotated multiple times with minimal results.  Let me tell you, driving 12 hours each way to San Diego and back with even minor vibration is really really annoying!  For a while I thought it might be something I would just have to live with. After a few months it was time for another tire rotation and I wanted to DIY so that I could inspect the brakes and rotors.  When I pulled the first wheel off I was a bit shocked to find massive 2” spacers attached to the wheel.  I immediately had flashes of what kind of disaster would happen if one of those spacers broke while towing my toy hauler and with the whole family...talk about a sick feeling.  I already wanted to replace the 2015 factory take off wheels someone else installed with something aftermarket, now I had a really great excuse to move n...

For the time being the Ford Excursion is my daily driver.  This gives me time to work out any issues with it before loading up the family and pulling a 12k lb trailer all around.  Hopefully I can find any problems with it and take care of them before risking stranding my entire family on the side of the road in the middle of the Utah desert.  I'll tell you what I learn in multiple blog posts, while driving it 5 days a week nearly 80 miles round trip from Ogden into Salt Lake City. For anyone who has driven a modern vehicle, stepping back into time 10 years might cause some techno-shock!  Lack of technology is a problem for somebody like me who loves gadgets!  We're talking a 10 year old sound system that was made before bluetooth was invented!  This just isn't going to work for me and I knew this going into the purchase.  I had planned a massive sound and tech upgrade from the beginning. Apple Car Play (or Android Auto) is Priority #1 Ever since t...

In my previous blog I decided a Ford Excursion is the only SUV that is capable of meeting my goals for a toy hauler and family adventure rig, so what are my choices to think about before purchasing one? A little history, the Excursion was made from 2000 to 2005.  During that time the biggest difference is in the engine and transmission choices.  For me all the other differences are minor in comparison and I won't bother to cover them here. Engine Choices V10                310hp          425lb-ft    4-speed 2000-2005 7.3L               250hp          505 lb-ft   4-speed 2000-2003 6.0L               325hp          560 lb-ft   5-speed 2003-2005 The V10 is actually a great motor other than poor gas mileage.  Most of your ga...