i love my 2005 excursion. 160,000 miles, but parking in open fields at harescramble races is getting bothersome with my non-4x4 vehicle. I have noticed that it only spins 1 wheel, never both. I thought the clutches in the limited slip diff were worn, but a diesel tech said after checking the VIN on my truck, it's literally, is a 1 wheel drive. Not a limited slip that just has clutches worn out. So, looking at options on converting with an Eaton E-locker, where you push a button that locks the rear 2 wheels. you unlock obviously for normal driving so the tires don't get torn up. Any truck techs with insight on this?
the e-locker thing? getting some quotes from local offroad shops now. it was gonna be over $3000 to do a fully OEM limited slip diff conversion..
What?! Do the excursions have an 8.8 rear end like the f150? If so you can grab a cheap 31 spline posi rear end from a junkyard, have it rebuilt and in there for a lot less than a grand.
Okay just looked into it. They have the 10.5 rear end. They share it with f350s. No wonder it costs so much. Not many vehicles use that rear end. http://www.fordification.com/tech/rearends_ford15.htm
Or put a tractor/cutting brake on it where you can brake the rear tires independently, then you are out maybe 1oo bucks. <edit> Went to find some and man, I'm old. We were buying these things for 50 bucks back in the day, now they are ~150 bucks.
Detroit TrueTrac, around $800 for the (?)Dana 80, plus install kit and labor. Nothing to wear out clutch-wise, no air or wiring considerations...forget it's even there.
I had a Detroit in the back of a Suburban with a 1 ton rear end. Man I didn't like it at all. Towing a trailer around corners under power it would wind up and want to push the truck straight. Let off the throttle and it would turn hard again. Crazy annoying trying to drive it. My only experience with one.
Yeah I wouldn't put it in an Excursion, an air or electric locker sure. I think you need to find a 4x4 F350 chassis and just put the body on it
You'd be surprised how well feathering the brake while using the gas helps with transferring power in an open diff (and a limited slip).
http://www.ebay.com/itm/REAR-END-AXLE-DIFFERENTIAL-ASSEMBLY-3-73-LOCKER-FITS-00-04-FORD-250-EXCURSION-/311678747048?fits=Model:Excursion&hash=item48918041a8:g:JoQAAOSw0UdXtNbD&vxp=mtr You're welcome. There are even cheaper ones on ebay. Id go that way. just re&re the whole thing
i want to sooo badly, but the overall costs are lookin more prohibitive than i had hoped. In hindsight, had i known i woulda been doing offroad races, i would have gone 4x4. i actually went way outa my way to get the non-4x4 and had it portered here from a dealership in michigan.
it needs to be the kind you can take out of 2wheel drive mode. All the reading i did on some truck forums said just this.. if it's locked all the time, it's no good. yep. this is along the lines of what i'll likely be looking at.. just wondering why there are some that have a button that locks and unlocks from 2wheel drive? i sure wouldnt' want it driving both rear wheels except when needed.