A7B2FX4

Very good points you have made. I just wish my experience with the 6.0 and 6.4 was more positive. My 03 F350 6.0 has cost over $8000 in unexpected repairs in 135k miles. My 08 F450 6.4 would have been thousands in unexpected repairs if it hadn't been covered by warranty. I got rid of it with about 60k on it cause it was totally unreliable. The dealer I sold it to said it had 22 codes stored. So I run a 00 F450 with 128k on it and have only had to do glow plugs in it since new. Love my 12 FX4 Eco with 0 problems in 15k miles. Too bad the diesels tend to be a money pit.

DaveCaver

Thanks again for all the help, guys. I just bought a 2003 7.3L Excursion with 112k miles. It needs some work, but I'm very happy that I got it.

smokeywren

The Excursion with a 7.3L is a great SUV. The weak point is the 4R100 tranny. If it hasn't already had the tranny replaced with a BTS, John Wood, or Ford Heavy Duty Rebuilt 4R100, then plan on doing it soon.

I replaced my 4R100 at around 112,000 miles with a BTS. I had taken excellent care of the tranny, including running Mobil 1 ATF and doing a complete ATF change per Mark Kovalsky's procedures every 30k miles. When Brian at Brian's Truck Shop (BTS) tore down the tranny, he said the tranny would probably have lasted another 100k miles, but the torque converter was on it's last legs. If the torque converter lets loose and goes south, it will take the tranny with it.

So if your 4R100 tranny is the original OEM tranny, I would immediately replace the torque converter now, with a stock Ford OEM converter. Then at around 200k miles, begin planning on a rebuilt tranny from BTS, John Wood, or as a minimum with a Ford Heavy Duty rebuilt 4R100. Or if you just want a rebuilt tranny that will last another two or three years, then the normal Ford rebuilt 4R100 is all you'll need. Those are available from the parts department for around $2600 list or $2,150 from a discount Ford parts dealer such as:
http://www.tousleyfordparts.com/part...t=TRANSMISSION

Here are Mark's ATF change procedures:
http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/...ission-198641/

Here is a discussion of the Ford Heavy Duty 4R100 that costs a bit less than a BTS or John Wood:
http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/...-4r100-264248/

DaveCaver

Smokeywren, thanks for all of your input, it's very helpful. I really appreciate the links. I have a follow-on question (are we surprised? )

I took the Excursion for a pre-purchase inspection at Longmont Ford, so I knew before I bought it that I'm going to need to have two oil leaks fixed: the oil cooler seal and the oil pan seal. I was told by the Ford mechanic that they would need to pull the engine to fix these seals. My question is, when the engine is pulled, can they easily do what Brian did and look at the torque converter to tell whether it's on its last legs? Basically, will I save some labor costs by having these things done at the same time? Will any reasonably good mechanic be able to tell how the torque converter is doing? Also, should I have this work done by a Ford mechanic, or can I branch out to save some money? The Longmont Ford people warned me not to go to the Ford dealer in my city (I won't say which city since I don't want to start any fights, but I had previously heard bad things about them). Thanks for answering all of my newbie questions.

smokeywren

A good 4R100 tranny tech can tell by the racket the torque converter makes if it's beginning to pack up and go south. When it gets bad enough that you can hear marbles rolling around in a tin can, then get to a tranny shop ASAP if you don't want to have to call a tow truck.

To pull the engine, first they have to pull the tranny. While the tranny is out, it's a simple job to replace the torque converter. It's right there. Takes a few minutes to R&R the torque converter. A new OEM torque converter is about two hundred dollars for the parts from a discount Ford parts dealer that charges 10% over cost, so maybe you can twist the arm of the parts manager and get him to agree to a price of dealer's cost plus 10% for the new torque converter.

If they treat you right, they will go by the actual time required to R&R the torque converter and not try to charge you the "book" cost as if they had to pull the tranny to R&R the torque converter.. My guess would be one hour labor cost, plus the ATF required to fill up the torque converter, plus the about $200 cost of the torque converter .

Mechanic? Maybe not. You need an automatic tranny expert that's familiar with the '99-2003 4R100 tranny. Most big Ford dealers will have a 4R100 tranny expert.

I'm leary of independent shops unless I know them well and know their reputation for handling my exact problem. They're fine for brake jobs and tires, but too many tranny shops don't know what they're doing with a 4R100 tranny.

I lived in Aurora for 20 years - 1973 until 1993 - so I know there was a big difference in Ford dealers back then. I normally used Courtesy Ford in Littleton to do business with. For my Toyotas, I drove all the way up to Fort Collins to the Volvo/Toyota dealer, who gave me much better deals than the Toyota dealers around Denver. But I never had older vehicles that required a dealer service department, so I'm not familiar with the service departments. Even my '77 E-Van I special-ordered new from Courtesy and put over 100,000 miles on it never saw the inside of a dealer service department.