Repair questions on 04 6.0 Excursion

[Toddler]

I am looking for an excursion to serve as a grocery getter for the better half. I have found one I like but I wanted to ask a few questions about some repairs the current owner has made.

The head gasket has been replaced at the same time 8 new injectors and new O-rings all with factory parts

The EGR valve has been replaced twice

Turbo pedestal bracket and Turbo have both been replaced

It has a cat delete

The questions I have are

With the head rebuild would you use an aftermarket kit like the AMRC kit over factory parts?

Does the cat delete negatively affect the backpressure on the turbo (I have a local mechanic who is telling me it does)

Thanks for the help

Toddler

[Joenmell]

Those are all good questions. I wish I had known about this site when I went to purchase my "Ex". Hope you get some good answers, soon. Mine has been towed to the shop for the second time in three months. Doesn't mean that they are a bad vehicle, I'm just sayin'........

[Toddler]

Boats
I paid the price when I purchased my F350 so I am doing a LOT of homework now. What happened to your truck?

Drew

[Joenmell]

Both times were "STOOPIDITY!" at it's best. I had an oil leak, new about it, hoped it would go away... Was taking my daughter to the Dr's for an appt, then gonna swing by the shop. The whole time, sorta ignoring the orange light on the dash that said the fuel tank was empty. Long story short, never, never, ever let a diesel run outa fuel Towed to the shop, oil leak fixed, three injectors later. Total bill $1650.

Second, I was heading to my oldest daughters soccer game, stopped for a snack and some extra cash (gonna take her to dinner after the game). The EX decided not to start, at all. After towing to the shop and $80 to hook it up to the EKG (Extra Kash Getter), we found that I didn't have enough oil pressure to start her up. Well, another long story short... After adding almost a gallon of oil, the pressure came right up and she started easily. I had the shop go ahead and do an oil change for me. Total bill $200. chalked it up as a lesson learned. Gotta know how to read the dipstick properly. I had just checked the fluid level on all three vehicles the weekend before.

All in all I really like the Excursion. I enjoy having a Diesel. The kids all call it "The big rolling turd", but then again they always ask me to take them places in her

Final note: this thing is one hell of a grocery hauler. $400 dollars worth of groceries doesn't fill the back. And still room for the kids.

[jhenson]

My "ex" has close to 100k on it and never had a problem with it. And it has been dubbed the "Big Brown Turd". My recent purchase of the F250 on the other hand has been a major pain in my arse! Curious to see the answer about the cat delete becuase my f250 has the cat removed. Good luck with it

[lowrthnu92]

Cat delete will not negatively affect the motor at all. With a turbocharged engine you dont want any restrictions after the turbo.

[peace2peep]

Those repairs were needed because of a problem with the factory setup...repairing with factory parts equals more factory issues. If you buy it, be ready to make some repairs with the correct parts: delete egr, head studs, and look into the oil cooler.