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'05 Excursion Cab On Driveway Build

80K views 194 replies 32 participants last post by  Therabbittree 
#1 · (Edited)
Ok Some back ground info, my '05 Excursion recently sucked all the coolant out at a stop light back in January. It was billowing white smoke from exhaust. I pulled over immediately and only ran it, to load and unload from my car trailer. Coolant bottle was sucked dry. I have full gauges, and scan gauge II. I had been seeing deltas of about 15-22 degrees, and had been compliling a list of things to do if it blew. 1 week before the the gaskets letting loose the Cabin Heat would not blow hot, I thought that was strange, I wasn't sure if it was an electronic hvac issue or blend door, there was no blend door flap noise either. Now I beleive that is when the gaskets started to go or egr cooler etc.....I assume my oil cooler is plugged and egr raised coolant temp / pressure causing the headgaskets to blow sending coolant into exhaust. I have no oil contamination.
I have new a egr delete kit, coolant filter, ARP studs, restore and restore plus sitting here. I have been saving to do the head gaskets and a bullet proof oil cooler. I have an extra intake manifold too, I want to cut it open and port it weld up egr and coolant port too. If I do the intake I can sell the EGR delete. I had contemplated doing a Common Rail Cummins Swap, but I don't have $ for trans swap and doing feel comfortable with the 5r110 and the Cummins. I would want to do a Standard trans, and its a big project. I already have a big project going - 2001 Excursion with 12v and G56 six speed trans. So figure if I leave the 6.0L in there it will be different.
Tenative Build Ideas:

- BBD Oil Cooler with Cold weather kit.
- Warren 175/30 or 175/stock injectors.
- ARP Head Studs.
- Ford Head Gasket kits
- SCT Tuner debating on who's tunes to use?
- Fuel bowl delete with home made regulated return.
- Aeromotive A1000 into two fleeet guard filter bases with Filter and Water separator , ball valves on both sides of bases etc.
- Harpoon mod , either big drawstraw or sump upgrade. I'm leaning toward drawstraw, as the excursion tank is low exposed and had a big steel guard. I would have to cut open the skid guard and run the fuel line up and over the rear axle any how.. kind of defeating the sump.
- Looking to do 58v FICM looking at different ones ..? leaning on BBP
- Check the HPOP - maybe upgrade.
- 4" downpipe back stainleess with cat delete - leaning toward mrbp may weld in vbands instead of crimp clamps
- may do intake .. looking to keep a dry element filter though.
- would like to upgrade to a metal intercooler pipe on drives side suggestions?
- new intercooler boots - suggestions?

I previously had some several upgrades to the truck: Autometer gauges EGT, Boost, Trans Temp, Fuel Pressure, HPOP pressure, Scan Gauge II, CCV Mod. I had a new rear drive shaft built last year with all greasable joints and slip sleeves. The Double Carden joint had failed, and slip joint had play. This was causeing slight vibration. I added greaseable joints, and a grease fitting for the slip to front shaft at same time. In future looking to do Cary B V or X codes in front and modded B's in back with Bilsteins. Looking to bump to 285/16's tires. Oh and Truck has just over 200k on it. We are 2nd owners.



Photobucket Album for the 2005 Excursion
http://s2.photobucket.com/user/therabbittree/library/2005 Ford excursion

Photobucket for my other project 2000 Excursion with 12v Cummins and G56
http://s2.photobucket.com/user/therabbittree/library/Excursion
http://s2.photobucket.com/user/therabbittree/library/excursion 2


I post up some pictures soon.
Thanks,
Deo
 
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#2 ·
1 week before the the gaskets letting loose the Cabin Heat would not blow hot, I thought that was strange, I wasn't sure if it was an electronic hvac issue or blend door, there was no blend door flap noise either. Now I beleive that is when the gaskets started to go or egr cooler etc.....I assume my oil cooler is plugged and egr raised coolant temp / pressure causing the headgaskets to blow sending coolant into exhaust.
This is interesting to me as I have a similar problem that started almost two months ago. I have never noticed any blend door noise in my vehicle. But my heater no longer gets hot. My wife normally drives the vehicle and she had described it happening "overnight". As in one day it worked and the next it didn't. RIght now it gets luke warm at best. I figured that the blend door must have gotten partially stuck open allowing fresh air all the time. My deltas have stayed at around 13*-15* around town since I have owned the rig. I was hoping to do a BPD swap this summer, but I might just do a flush and River City Diesel delete with another factory cooler for now due to other financial obligations. Let me know if you have any other insight into the heater issue. Plugged heater core, blend door malfunction etc. Good luck with the project.

Cheers,

Brew
 
#3 ·
Well you are sure talking to the right guy, especially when it comes to our Excursions, with Cary.


Sent from AutoGuide.com App
 
#4 · (Edited)
Starting out:

Pulled bumper, head lights, headlight support broke the 2 lower core support bolts .. argh rusted in solid.. gotta love ny.



found the radiator packed with debris.. original owner was vet ..imagine the dust and fluff on the dirt roads packed in the raditor .. if I did a cab off I wouldn't have found this....

 
#5 · (Edited)




Dug deeper, removed metal core support, de gas botle , the intercooler pipe on drivers side, air filter etc.. you can see the CCV Mod, debating on trying to flush the coolant system now ... but not sure if that will work well as I can't run the truck for long...argh, and I'm planning on running the BPD air cooled oil cooler any how.
 
#6 ·
How do you remove the Transmission cooler lines from the radiator or the trans filter? I looked in the manual and it shows a special disconnect tool... is there a way to do it without the tool? . I hate these connections..lol. need some tips.
Thanks,
Deo
 
#7 ·
Well I did some more searching found out you need the disconnect tool. From another post Sinner6.0L recommended the Assenmacher 8023 , Disconnect tool. Quoted "the Assenmacher 8023 is by far the best tool made for disconnecting the 1/2" tranny cooler lines from the radiator. I don't even waste my time with the plastic tools anymore, most of the times our fittings are rusted to hell with a ****load of dirt and debris lodged up in there."

The Assenmacher disconnect is aluminum , and I decided to by the set instead of the single tool. I am debating messing with a fan clutch tool set too, I normally use aheavy punch and a hammer to remove them but the tool set seem much nicer. I found a nice KD tool ford 6.0L fanclutch wrench set for $40...argh ..lol more tools is a good thing :dunno:
 
#8 ·
This looks like it'll be fun to watch. :)

More tools is always a good thing...as long as you have the cash! haha

If you're going with the BPD air cooler I wouldn't worry too much about flushing the cooling system after you're done. The big issue with flushing after is when you're running the OEM cooler, it works really well as a filter during the flush and ends up plugged up again.
 
#9 ·
Just bulletproofed my 04 ex this winter. Have fun :)

are you removing the hvac system ? also if you pull the inner fenderwells out it makes the lower bolts on the valve cover and oil rails easier to get to.

as far as the fan goes i used a large pipe wrench and a srewdriver to get it off. makes a world of difference standing in the engine bay instead of leaning over trying to get it all.

I went with BD's intercooler boots which are top notch. I have a set of vulcan boots that are brand new i could give you a heck of a deal on. boots and clamps. I had ordered them but they were on back order everywhere so i went with bds because i needed them quick.

I would definiatly go with a metal intercooler pipe, any of the ford sponsors here can get you a good deal on one.
 
#10 ·
Worked on it half a day on tuesday, then got recalled to work.... argh, got fan off big wrench 1 7/8" and a tire iron to hold hub etc just smacked the wrench with hammer etc, I tried the long big punch and hammer on the nut with no luck first lol... got fuel lines off, most of the wiring harness disconnected, need to do pass side bottom and the drivers side oil pressure ? I think..this thing is a pain with the radiator trans cooler fittings the special tool I ordered hasn't come in but I tried a plastic Lisle tool and it won't fit in the fitting to release it.. so the radiator is driveing me nuts.. I'm still thinking hard on a Common Rail Cummins '05 and up swap, with a zf6.. I have a line on a zf6 swap from a 7.3 truck in a local yard only 91 k on it but no history ,or way to test it out etc... & my photo bucket account is full so I can't link ne pictures with out more storaqge, hope to fix that asap . Its always something...
Thanks,
Deo
 
#11 ·
Ok, Hopefully tonight I can post up a buch of updates!, Lots of stuff done, pulled hvac, heads ioff etc. debating pulling engine out , only the mounts and trans bolts left, so i can fix the leaky bedseal etc... its FILTHY. Uppipes were the hardest part ..argh... Rain in the forecast, need to send heads out and start ordering parts.
More tonight.
Thanks,
Deo
 
#12 · (Edited)
- I Disconnected the condenser. Need to recharge the system, I later removed the whole a/c system from the firewall...



- These 1/2" quick disconnects are a pain. Supposedly the universal quick disconnects will work..... not. Later I purchased a Quality Tool that does work.



- This is the amount of coolant I was able to drain out of radiator. Makes you wonder how much the engine inhaled?


- I Removed the Fan shroud bolts, and I cracked the lower drivers side attachment flange. The bolt stand turned and snapped it off, make sure you hold the bolt stand when loosening the attaching nut! Hopefully this saves some one the same misfortune. I hope to glue it or repair it some how.....


- Removed the Fan, I didn't have the special tool yet, used big 'ol 1 7/8" wrench, and pry bar to hold the hub. smacked with hammer and it losened up.


 
#13 · (Edited)
- Back Pressure fitting , seems like there was an update?.. the past tech left old fitting in?.. strange when it was removed the line was clogged and plugged solid with soot. Surprised it didn't have a coil to cool it off, and reduce plugging??


- Removed the fuel lines, planning on building a regulated return system. The generic Quick Disconnect tools worked fine for this!



- Removed the FICM , I had the oem upgraded harness thas completely enclosed.. its tight to under and the back mounting bolts are not fun.



- Here are some of the new tools I purchased.


- This disconnect tool works it will fit inside the fitting and release the snap ring. The universal one will not.



- Unable to remove the lower trans cooler lines from the radiator. Seems like they are rusted solid?.. won't release ..argh. I had to remove the radiator and the transcooler with them attached.. not fun.




 
#14 · (Edited)
- Discovered this little gem when i pulled radiator! Some thing must have rubbed or abrated the battery cable that feeds the starter! It was completely open and had been for a long time! The cable was very corroded and green. I don't see any marks on the A/C lines under the cable, so I don't know what did it?... I will be making all new battery and ground cables!







- Worked on removing the Turbo. Someone had been in there before, they left the bolt bolt out. There was quite the mess under the turbo... alot of greasy covered nuts, insulation, and general rodent fare lol...




- Removed the Intake. used a vacuum to suck up all the crud. I have a extra used one I purchased, I plan to cut it open and port the egr and bolt stand out and removed th eegr and coolant circuit etc.



- Removed the Passenger side fender liner.. it sucked. I is very stiff and didn't want to come out.

 
#15 · (Edited)
- Removed the A/C Evaporator box. The front stuff basically unbolts and you move it out. Unscrew th eglove box and the black lower trim piece. There are six 8 mm nuts inside the cab holding the EVAP Core in behind the firewall you need to remove. There are 2 semi hidden, you can't see them. But, you can feel them. One is to the outside, behind, and down slightly, you have to reach over the a/c box and feel it.





- The other one is on the inside / center of the car. You can't see it either . I had to remove the vacuum actuator and was able to use a long extenstion shoved long side the white duct hose to remove it. It IS tight. I hope it goes together easily!!




- Here are the Srews and nuts and tools used.


- Here is the box being pulled out .. it was tight and thought I forgot a bolt...and I did LOL. There is a small screw that holds the rear A/C lines clamped to the corner of the box.. I ended up pulling it apart, and discovered I had broke it free after the box was out.



- Much more room in there now!


 
#16 ·
Subbed. I enjoy watching these builds and learning from what others document.
 
#17 ·
- Passenger Valve cover sticker. Its a 2005 model year Excursion and the engine is a 2004 Engine. It has the cast iron HPOP cover, and the Valve cover mounted rail pressure etc.


- Before I pulled the A/C EVAP Core, I pulled the A/C Comporessor. now I pulled theExhaust Manifolds. The UP Pipes were the Hardest part of the Job. I still have bruises on my chest and stomach from laying on the engine reaching behind it attempting every sort of angle or approach to remove the bolts. I couldn't reach the back bolt that was centered over the engine. also the down pipe would not come out. If I dropped the trans crossmember it may have come out lol. I had to wait till the Pass head came over till I could get it out..


- Passenger Oil Rail


- Rockers and injectors


-
 
#18 · (Edited)
- Pulled Pass side Head. It wasn't too hard, They are heavy but managable with out a lift.



- Drivers side was tight at the corner where the steering shaft is located.



- General View



- Cylinders looked ok. Cross hatch still present.



- Cleaned up block, pistons ops, and the top cylinder lip by hand with scraper, solvent, and some scotch bright



- Pulled the Oil Cooler housing off. It was dirty and under it, the resorvoir was totall filled with oil. , sucked it out and found the Filter screen was torn. The Cast iron surface in the reservoir is coarse , so do not use paper towels to clean it out. It will grab the fibers and plug our hpop sensor screen later, and it isn't good in general.. lint free rags are better.. I think I may try to smooth the wall out with a sanding drum and make them smooth etc.


 
#19 · (Edited)
- Cleaned up the heads with some solvent. Dropped them off at machine shop on Friday. Getting them Pressure tested, Magnafluxed, surfaced, new Guides, valve job, and assembled new Ford seals. The Machinist is hotanking the heads and the rocker boxes for me too. I picked up the valve seals sat and droped them at teh machine shop ..and the dealer ordered thme and the were there next day ..$5.32 a seal ..argh. $181 in valve seals.. I know I will have to do some internet ford parts shopping when I buy the rest of the Ford stuff. I'm thinking Trousley? Machine shop finished the heads today Tuesday!


- Since I only had the torque converter, bellhousing, and motor mount bolts left to pull the engine, I pulledit. I wanted to degrease it and the engien bay. It is filthy!. The truck didn't drip but it must have had 9 years worth of gunk caked on it.. I can't stand crud and had to clean it up.







- Some cleaned up shots. Degreased and blew off the sludge with the torch and wire brush. deciding what color to paint..? thinking new ford grey or black?.




- I was surprised , and not impressed with the amount of casting flange there is does hanging off the block... I may die grind it down...





- I am debating pulling the pan and bed plate and re sealing it. or leaving it alone?. I pulled the waterpump housing and oil pump off..now I need a front crank seal ...Water pump looked ok, debating on the BPD water pump.. are there any other metal impeller waterpumps?... Ford and IH are insane on their prices .. $300-$400 for a waterpump. I'm used to Cummins..and they are about $40... heck the new 6.7 ones are still $60.

I will take some pictures of the heads soon and post them. Got to order the rest of the parts asap.
 
#20 ·
Get the BPD water pump if your gonna change it. Make sure you index the flywheel position if you pull the rear cover so that when you reinstall it you can hook it back up the to torque converter somewhat easily. It's still a PITA but is easier than guessing the whole time and fighting it trying to get them to line up.

Also since you pulled the front cover make sure you get a new front cover gasket as well as LPOP cover gasket and while you have the engine out it would also be a good idea to do a bedplate reseal as well as new front and rear main seals and oil pan gaskets. However DO NOT TRY TO INSTALL THE FRONT AND REAR MAIN SEALS WITHOUT THE OTC SEAL INSTALLING TOOLS!!! They are about $400 for the set. One more thing it would be a good idea to pull the hpop cover, pump and branch tunes so that you can replace the lifters since your that far into it as it is. Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to ask.
 
#21 ·
Adding up all the parts I need, i had th e10mm standpipes, upgrading etc. I have been looking at the crank seal tools Stallion make a nice one , but they are still expensive, Cheaper theotc, but still $. roughly 150 for front and 250 for the rear... thats a lot!. They do rent them but rental is pay full price , then they refund 1/2 of the $ when you return them, so it would be about a $200 rental fee..argh any one have a line on cheaper crank seal tools? Tuscany you mentioned getting new lifters, i may look into that are the 6.0L's Hydraulic?... I know they are roller lifters.. its cheap insurance..
Thanks,
Deo
 
#23 ·
order a ton of OEM Parts, Moving up to full hone job at machine shop and new rings and bearings,,, I wish the lpop was cheaper seem like a $400 is a huge amount of dough...any source for a cheaper lpop?...
Thanks,
Deo
 
#24 ·
Ok back to posting, Photobucket is a real Pain in the you know what...

- Pulled flex plate, marked it on rear cover, rear seal just leaking a little bit.


- Pulled rear engine plate ,still freaks me out the design with rear installed cam shaft, why?....


- Pulled HPOP, sent it to Dieselsite, replacing it with an Adrenline slightly higher then stock output.


- Pulled the oil rails to get the lifters and guides out, ordered new ones..


- Rolled engine over on its side to remove the lower end.

 
#25 · (Edited)
- Pulled lower oil pan, oil pump pickup, and upper Oil pan. Oil pan had a little bit of crap at bottom, nothing crazy.



- Bottom end exposed.


- Pulled Bedplate / Main cap plate. Started to Mark connecting Rods. Marked the Block also to help with reassembly. Car taken to mark in area not sealed by bed plate.


- You will need to rotate the crank to get the rod bolts, and caps off. be careful.. I almost had an issue when a friend visited and I got distracted. I didn't rotate the crank enough to mark the back 4 Cylinders...lucky it had taken a lot of pictures and when I pushed the pistons out one rod left a bearing on the crank, so that one was easy to figure out. I was able to match the 3 unmarked rod / pistons, up with the pictures I had of the piston tops.. I got VERY Lucky. Don't get distracted, and take your time lol.



- The bearings looked OK, one had a strange wear spot and the thrust bearing was worn pretty good, surprisingly as this wasn't a stick shift trans. I am glad I decided to tear down and rebuild. In the picture above you can see the thrust color. Next I pulled the piston oil cooling squirters.




- Decided to debur some of the casting flashing from the block, especially around the drivers side front as its exposed behind the thermostat and created a ledge to trap debris and grime etc... Block was sent out and hot tanked, and honed. The shop installed new cam bearings also, they used non oem cam bearings and said they will be fine, I'm slightly nervous about that as the originals had a copper color throughout , ie not the face from wear , but the whole bearing was that color, the replacements used are grey like normal cam bearings, any feeling on this, debating having them changed out for the oem ones.. but that's a pain reloading, traveling, more $, etc etc..
Sorry I thought I took pictures?? I can't find them now?
 
#26 ·
- Ok, Started to work on my extra intake manifold. Cutting it up to port it out and remove EGR, and water passages. I used a thin cut off wheel on a 4 1/2" grinder , and saws all. Note don't use 18 Teeth count saws all blades they fill up.. used less teeth ie 14 or less. Also be very careful with the grinder with a cut off wheel on it. It binds ALOT easier then regular width disc. I can normally use a grinder one handed if careful. Didn't work so well for me first night out. I got it bound in the rear egr cooler mounting tab and the wheel climbed out and bite my left hand between the ring and pinky fingers. Got lucky I missed the ligaments, tendons, nerves and blood vessels. Took 5 stitches. Work safe :doh: Use the side handle too.



- Next day I moved a vise outside , I didn't want aluminum pieces in garage near engine parts.. and cut it up further...





- Ground out the stands and ridges, it was hard to try to save the port humps that supposedly help flow. I mangled them so I ground them flat

 
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