Thread:

02 Excursion or F350 7.3L Diesels

I'm looking at a 2002 4x4 7.3L Excursion and a 2002 4x4 F350 Quad cab 7.3L. The Excursion has a big lift (at least 6",maybe 10") as does the F350, tires are similar, Ex has 37's with 85k miles and 35'S with 138k miles on the F350. What does anybody know, good or bad about these vehicles? Good or bad track records? Turbo problems?

I have an 02 f350 with the 7.3, a little programmer and it runs great. I think either one will be an excellent choice for you!. I have seen several with 400 plus thousand on the clock. No EGR or head gasket problems to worry about as it has no egr.

Originally Posted by Newbomb Turk

I'm looking at a 2002 4x4 7.3L Excursion and a 2002 4x4 F350 Quad cab 7.3L. The Excursion has a big lift (at least 6",maybe 10") as does the F350, tires are similar, Ex has 37's with 85k miles and 35'S with 138k miles on the F350. What does anybody know, good or bad about these vehicles? Good or bad track records? Turbo problems?

I have an 02 Excusrsion 4x4 7.3. I absolutely love it. We use it as the Havasu hauler and family truckster. Every time we drive it, it never ceases to amaze me. By far the best utility/tow vehicle made in my opinion.

If you are looking to buy one of these 2 vehicles, I have a friend that has an 02 or 03 Excursion 4x4 with the 7.3, 35's or 37's, 20" wheels, 8 inch lift, regeared, beautiful truck. He is going to sell it and it has only 68k miles. Since it has the 7.3, I think he is way under priced at somewhere around 23k.

Like has been said, the 7.3 is a great motor if you are going to leave it alone. For the most part they have very few problems in stock configuration and regular maintenance. Changing the oil with good oil is a must for these since they run a HEUI system, which uses oil and oil pressure to open the injector. So any neglect on regular maintenance, have have larger ramifications.

So for people that leave them alone, they are great. If you DO end up trying to go for more power, then you have to be careful which one you get. Some of the 7.3s had forged rods and some had Powdered Metallic Rods. The PDRs cant handle much over 400hp before they collapse, so if you plan on doing anything serious to it, then you will have to look into upgrading internals

I would go for that excursion too, especially with that low of miles. It will hold its value way better, and they are the coolest SUV on the road. But with 37s and probably around an 8000lbs curb weight, I would not be expecting anything "great" for mileage. Not saying it cant be achieved however with proper upgrades.