Bought 6.0. Now what/next steps

[elnonio]

Needed a bigger truck/car than the Magnum to haul the 3 kids, the dog, the wife and still be able to go ski or take a trip without loosing sanity.

In comes a nice 1 owner, 1 dealer, meticulously maintained in and out, Excursion ltd, 81k miles, very clean. 2004 Ford Excursion LIMITED in Louisa, VA - VIN 1FMSU43PX4EC74579 | EveryCarListed.com

Now, I will exercise the search button, and have already done so. Still, I would appreciate if y'all can pool your knowledge together and give me the top 5 or top 10 items (hope this doesn't become top 200!) to do when buying one of these. No job too small, nothing too obvious either. I don't have the owner's manual with me (getting new tires on, plus dealer has to clear up a problem with a rear seatbelt).

So, been reading the T5 oil changes discussion on the 6.0L forum, and clearly a baseline oil change is a first start.
Next, a good EGR cleanup just to make sure.
What else?

S/F
Antonio

[Dasaliac03]

egr delete
free flowing exhaust
GAUGES WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE

with local 6.0 guys, they say if you fix the problem areas before they break, youll never have a problem out of the truck! EX: egr, head studs, and gaskets

im not a 6.0 guy, so im sure one will chime in

[kingranch89]

Where you from

[elnonio]

Have yet to update profile. Currently in Quantico, VA.

Buddy said the same thing: take care of head before the bolts start stretching, but it's still an expensive proposition, and once issues are addressed, they're good for a looong time.

EGR delete: won't know until I figure out if it will be needed for testing. Truck will be licensed in Texas (home state) but used in Virginia now (and some states like CA require military personnel to do emissions testing even when vehicles is licensed elsewhere).

Gauges: still have to figure out what is what, but you're referring to the EGR cooler inout and output, right?

[Heathrm]

I would get gages first, the insight cs or cts are cheaper options for this. You need to know what is going on with the truck before you start changing out other stuff. This was my first purchase and it saved me big time. I would have never known my oil cooler was plugged up if i didn't have the gages. I ended up parking it for a week so I didn't do any further damage. You don't want to let propblems go with these trucks, as they can quickly lead to other things. The small things can add up, let alone the price of a HG job.

The main gages are EOT (Engine Oil Temp), ECT (Engine Coolant Temp), EGT, and boost.

Congratulations on the new rig and welcome to the org.

[elnonio]

Originally Posted by Heathrm

Congratulations on the new rig and welcome to the org.

Thanks. Ordered the CTS and EGT sensor.

Lived in Havelock (Woodland Dr) 2005-2008. Would have rather returned there than Quantico; oh well.

[tuckman]

When the funds are available start looking into a V and B code spring swap. Also start looking for a rear stabilizer bar, you can get a Ford 30mm for cheap at most wreckers. That will help your Ex's handling lots, especially when towing.

Good job on getting the Insight, that thing is a life saver!

Welcome to the org.

[blueovalman14]

Originally Posted by elnonio

Have yet to update profile. Currently in Quantico, VA.

Buddy said the same thing: take care of head before the bolts start stretching, but it's still an expensive proposition, and once issues are addressed, they're good for a looong time.

EGR delete: won't know until I figure out if it will be needed for testing. Truck will be licensed in Texas (home state) but used in Virginia now (and some states like CA require military personnel to do emissions testing even when vehicles is licensed elsewhere).

Gauges: still have to figure out what is what, but you're referring to the EGR cooler inout and output, right?

welcome to the .org from a fellow texan!

i would say to get a exhause and gauges first!

how much did ya pay for it??

[elnonio]

From VR Speed factory:

1 x Edge Insight CTS Monitor (1996 & Newer OBDII Enabled Vehicle) 83 (83830) = $351.99
1 x Edge EAS Starter Kit w/ EGT Cable for CS & CTS (expandable) 9860 (98603) = $115.99
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $467.98
Free Shipping: $0.00
Total: $467.98

Salute right back at you!

[blueovalman14]

Originally Posted by elnonio

From VR Speed factory:

1 x Edge Insight CTS Monitor (1996 & Newer OBDII Enabled Vehicle) 83 (83830) = $351.99
1 x Edge EAS Starter Kit w/ EGT Cable for CS & CTS (expandable) 9860 (98603) = $115.99
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $467.98
Free Shipping: $0.00
Total: $467.98

Salute right back at you!

Good info to know but i was referring to the price you paid for the EX!