7.3L or 6.0L

[damnedin82]

Hello all,
New to this forum, and I am looking to buy a used Excursion. Not being very knowledgeable on diesel motors, is there a general consensus as to which engine/year is "better"? My price range will probably land me in the older 7.3L range, but thought I'd get your opinion(s) first.

Also, I have an '89 4x4 F350 7.5L crew cab. Does the Excursion have the same type of live front axle/leaf spring setup that my truck has?


Thanks for the help. I'm sure I'll be back with more ??'s

[Chuck Norris]

Originally Posted by damnedin82

Hello all,
New to this forum, and I am looking to buy a used Excursion. Not being very knowledgeable on diesel motors, is there a general consensus as to which engine/year is "better"? My price range will probably land me in the older 7.3L range, but thought I'd get your opinion(s) first.

Also, I have an '89 4x4 F350 7.5L crew cab. Does the Excursion have the same type of live front axle/leaf spring setup that my truck has?


Thanks for the help. I'm sure I'll be back with more ??'s

2002-2003 7.3 will be you best bet. This is the year that FORD reduced the size of the Turbo for more lower end spool up and reduced lag. The 2003 is also the first year for the 6.0 liters. unless you have a great Mechanic or have a great relationship with your FORD dealer stay away from the 6.0 IMO to many issues ranging from head gaskets to EGR coolers ETC.

[rcr682k2]

I have heard alot of comments similar to this one by Mr. Norris but i feel compelled to respond.

I have a 2003 Excursion Limited 6.0 Turbo with 120k miles. This truck runs like the day I drove it off the showroom floor. I replaced the alternator at 85k miles but other than that and my oil changes, I have never had to have the vehicle serviced in any way for any issues at all. I love this vehicle.

In defense of Mr. Norris' comments though, I also owned a pickup with a 7.3 liter and it also never had any mechanical issues.

The 6.0 is much more powerful in both horsepower and torque so if you are hauling (Which I AM) then you may want to go with the 6.0. Also, the 6.0 gets better mileage due to it's smaller displacement.

[phantom_smack]

The 6.0l seems to have more problems if you make short trips or extended idle times(carbon buid up in the egr system)and remember oil changes are the key for long life with these deisels