‘00 Suburban LT 2500 (Gas) vs. ‘01 Excursion Limited (Diesel)

If your pulling anything more than a wet string out of a cats ass buy the Diesel.

 

EGT- exhaust gas temperature.
With the diesels you can get too much heat going into the turbos and cook them. This more of a concern if you mod the truck or pull heavy with it. Keep in mind that with the diesel there is more maintenance to do, IIRC the 7.3 has 2 fuel filters that need to be replaced, one regularly and one not so much. Also there is a lot more oil being used. If you plan on using the truck regularly then it wont be so bad since you can prolong the oil change intervals, but if it's gonna sit for a while you'll be changing the oil more so than needed.
I have a diesel, but I also drive 45,000+ miles a year. To me it was the pulling ability and longevity of the engine that steered me to the diesel over gas. Plus I consistently get about 17/18 on the highway. The equivalent gasser would get 13 if I was easy on it.

 

I've got an 01 7.3 ex w/195k miles on it now. The transmission issue is a second gear sprag gear issue that ford issued a bulletin on but has not warrented anything. Mine went out with 88k on it. Could also be a result of the hp mods I've added without strengthening the transmission. A "mild" chip is a way of adding hp through tuning the fuel delivery. I have a 6 pos flip chip in mine where i can choose from 6 different tunes ranging from a valet setting to 140hp. check out the dieselstop.com they have a diesel specific excursion forum there where you'll find lots of info. From a reliability standpoint, my Ex has only needed the transmission repair for the 7 years I've owned it. The oil changes get expensive though, probably negating my fuel mileage savings. 15 qts of rotella gets expensive!

 

Diesel FTW. Like Mongo said, let me know if you don't buy it. I'll mothball that one and ride mine till the wheels fall off.

I've done just about everything you can do to mine without tearing down the motor and it just keeps on rolling. Not saying I haven't had some failures but they were mine own fault for the most part. The trannies are okay if you drive like a sane person and service it regularly.

Plus the 7.3l runs excellent on Biodiesel and Veg. oil.

 

Skip the diesel.

I have a 7.3 and when they're running they're great. The other 10% of the time you're wondering if you have bad fuel, it's too cold, or something else.

Everybody acts like diesels are the cats ass. I run both at work, and FWIW the gassers are just fine.

Go gas, unless you tow 7 days a week.

 

Get the diesel, you will regret it if ya dont..... The burb is nearing time for a rebuild, the 7.3 is just getting started, then there is resale value hmmmm...you already have 10 people here trying to scoop it out from under ya. Havent heard anybody asking to buy the burb.

If you get the powerstroke, you need to read up on them and become familiar with it like you would your racebike. The people who have trouble out of them and complain are the ones who dont know shit and cry about the dealer cost to fix them when a cps in the glovebox can solve most roadside emergencies.

THey are simple to work on, simple to mod and will last forever, and dont worry about the injectors or pumps(there isnt a problem with the hpop's). The transmission is the only weakpoint if you get a bad tuner or dont pay attention to trans temps...again usually user error.

If you decide to mod it, get guages first, intake, exhaust, and some tuning from swamps or dp tuner. And have fun passing all the gassers towing up the mountain.:up:

 

We have a Suburban, and a 7.3 F-350. The Excursion will cost you more in mait. because it has so much extra fluid running around in it, 4 gallon oil changes etc. The up side is it will tow better, longer.

I have wanted one of those excursions for along time. I also would be interested in it if you descide you don't want it.

Also, look and ins/taxes for both. I am a huge fan of the 7.3, but with what you do, your suburban will work for a long time. So you need to look at total operating costs of both.

Oh, 265k on the original trans in my 350. If you don't race them, and you change fluid and keep it from overheating they are fine.

 

These are all great comments and have definitely spurred additional thought on my part. Please feel free to keep them coming.

I'm not too worried about the extra maintenance cost ... if it means a longer life expectancy for the Excursion over the Suburban. I just want something pretty dependable that's going to last for a while.

I really love the Suburban, it runs and looks great and it surely is fine for what I'm doing. However, having been presented with this (what I am now coming to understand is a) great opportunity ... I just wanted to be sure the Excursion can satisfy my needs just a little better and for a little while longer without putting me in the poor house dealing with issues known only to those who've already gone through them in the past.

JoedogR6 your point is well taken and something I'll have to make an effort to do i.e., read up on and become familiar with the powerstroke like I do my race bikes.

Okay, now for the $64K question ... the '01 Excursion has the smaller "soccer mom" mirror setup. The '04 Excursion the guy is looking to buy has the tow mirror setup. The soccer mom who is going to be driving the '04 doesn't want the tow mirror setup because she'll end up ripping them off going in and out of her garage. I'd love to have the tow mirror setup on the '01 Excursion. Does anybody know offhand if these are interchangeable and an easy swap to make?

.
(And of course if I decide the '01 is not for me, I would certainly let the wera peeps know who to contact.)

 

Yeah, that's me. I really like my Suburban, but the Excursion would be much better suited to my needs.

 

Being a transmission guy, both transmissions are about to the mileage they start to give problems. depending on whether the suburban is a 4L60 or 4L80 makes the difference on which one is cheaper to do or not. I know small block chevy's with 300,000+ mi. on them with the basic intake gasket and timing chain replacement. With the 4r100 behind the diesel you're lucky to get much over 100,000 on a transmission.

 

Those intake gaskets are the freakin' bane of these trucks. I think we have done three of them on the two we have had, as they seem to go out every 60k or so.

 

Hmm ... how can I easily tell whether my Suburban is a 4L60 or 4L80?

Also, is the 4r100 you mention a Ford specific transmission and the only one to come in the '01 Excursion?
.

 

It won't be broken if it's the 4L80.

I think all the 2500s have the 4L80.

 

Whew....

So what's behind the '01 Excursion ... this 4r100 that would be lucky to get much over 100,000? I just cannot imagine this is right.
.

 

Yeah the mirrors swap-i put the tow mirrors on mine when I got it. Its about a 30 minute ordeal.

 

Woohoo ... now there's some good news!

 

4R100 is behind the excursion. Mines at 135k and not a single problem. Not saying it won't crap it's pants tomorrow but it holds pretty strong.

Worried about the transmission, you can replace it with this:
http://www.brianstruckshop.com/
Hands down the best tranny on the market. A little more than $4k to install but it comes with unlimited mile, unlimited horsepower warranty. John Wood has been getting a good rep for his trannies lately too.

Mirrors can be bought here:
www.powerstrokeshop.com
http://www.powerstrokeshop.com/part...fo&PartID=338287&siteid=214083&catalogid=3655

 

4 K total? That should be my next stop after my stage 1 injectors!