Ford Excursion wandewring?
 

My wifes 2005 excursion seems to need alot of driver input to keep it going straight.Has anyone had the same problem.I have owned 3 f350 dually's,expedition's,and my daily driver is an 07 f150.When I turn the wheel on any of the other trucks the vehicle responds right away and if I hold the wheel it goes straight.With the excursion it seems you have to steer it back the opposite direction or keep moving the wheel back and forth to keep going straight.The truck was just checked (front end) at ford.The ball joints,tie rods all ok.4 brand new tires and 63,000 miles never even used the 4 wheel drive.I think it needs a steering box,anyone know if theres an aftermarket replacement.We love the truck so I dont want to get rid of it. I have no faith in my local dealership so I may just start changing parts.

I have a '04 Ex, and '00 prior. The rears are built more for "soccer mom's" and less like 250's. I installed Radius Rods, which keep torque steer straight, better shocks and airbags. Check out Ex forum on Ford-Trucks.com lots of info.

First make sure the track bar is tight and the bushings are good. An easy way to get a look at it by yourselt is with the engine off and the steering unlocked turn the wheel from side to side, you want the wheels to turn a little bit, if the truck seems to float across the axle then the track bar is loose.

If that is fine then it may just need a worm gear adjustment, this is easy to do and F up if you do it wrong, on top of the gear box you have a 5/8 nut locking down the gear shaft it's a 1/8 allen you need to hold the shaft loosen the nut and turn the allen clock wise, until it lightly seats then back it off 1/2 turn. Hold it and lock down the nut. Now drive it, if it's to tight it will have memory steer meaning it will not come back to center on it's own, if it's like that back the allen off 1/4 turn at a time until it's good, If it's better but not good enough you can try turning it in more. My Excursion is about 1/3 out and drives great but I have had others that need to be 3/4 out. Most of the time 1/2 out is good.

Get it up on a lift with the wheels hanging and try to wiggle em. Rebuild what needs to be.

My steering stablizer did this to me on my F350

The only way to cure the Excursion's wandering is to replace the negative-curve front spring with a set from the F250. You'll have to add the rear spring blocks too.

I have had 3 Excursions and they all wander. They're tire sensitive- they like the OEM Bridgestones and anything else seems to make the wander worse. I tried every suspension fix known to man on my first one- board member rbr2328 (Beau) clued me in to this fix. I've done it on all three of mine and helped at least a half-dozen others do it as well.

My friend also thought there might be a way to adjust the box too.Great info, would the Ford guy have checked that or what?I guess Im better off looking at it myself anyway.

I have also heard those with lift kits actually drive better than stock. Must have something to do with the springs as you suggest.

Any other trouble areas with these? I'm putting up my dually and Grand to get one car and these Excursions seem to have it all. Diesel, 4x4, quad captain chairs...

The only other irritating issue with the Ex is that they go thru the swaybar links like popcorn. They have rod ends on them and they wear. No grease fittings, no aftermarket replacement. In 30K, it sounds like someone is tapping on the bottom of the floorpan with a hammer right under your feet.

I tried everything- including the steering box. I finally took it to an old-timer who told me about the negative spring issue. (they guy was in his 80's, ran a spring & radiator shop that looked like it was straight out of 1954) The Beau told me about the F250 fix. Best part- I moved up to 315/17's (H2 tires) and the thing rides wonderfully. You can also stop slowing down to 3mph for speedbumps.

The Ex was made this way so women & little kids could get in easily. The stock one's kind of look dopey- nose-down, like a giant station wagon. The springs & blocks level it up and give it an entirely different look.

You can put the X code front springs in and it will sit level and ride good, I have the 5.5 inch Fab Tech lift with Hotchkins sway bars and rear air bags if I have a heavy load, 325 65 18 tires, it rides great and still get 21 hwy 19 city. Thinking about getting rid of the leaf springs and going air bags front and rear with the 5 link set up. My buddy has a 350 crew cab on 40's with that setup and it is the nicest ride you could ever get.

i lost about 3mpg all around with my 6 inch lift and 325 65 18's

I have other stuff done to help MPG's too. It was all done pretty much the same time so I don't know what it would make not lifted.

Im glad I asked the question! The springs sound like a good way to go because the truck sits low in the front.I have a v10 in it if that matters?? I will check in when I get a chance and let you know how I make out. Thank you !

Are the spring blocks ok to use in the front? I recall hearing not so good things about blocks.If not I guess positive front arched springs are the way to go.

NO BLOCKS IN THE FRONT. The f 250 stock spring is about 2-2.5 inches higher than the stock Excursion spring, and the one you want is the X code. On some you my have to play with the rear spring or block to get it to sit level but all them I have done we got lucky and did just the fronts. If you have a 4X4 shop around go ask them if they have any laying around from a lift they did. I know the guys around here get them all the time.
Then you can run up to a 35-12.50 tire on a 8.5 wide wheel. Sometimes you may get a little tire rub at full lock turn with that big of a tire, and I wouldn't go wheeling because you wont have a lot of travel but it looks nice and if you tow a big boat it gets your frame as high or a little higher then the trailer frame and it tows better.

check tire pressure as well... if it is off even a little, it will wander like a mofo.

Im running BFG 275r16 tires and they are brand new.I had a good shop do the install but I havent put a guage on them yet.I swapped trucks with my wife this week,she drives my 07 f150 and I started drivinig hers and Im like holy crap!This problem has gotten more noticable in the last month so something is definately up.I put a 20 foot trailer on the back(dirtbike enclosed) and the thing pushes the front back and forth a bit.I could pull my 38 formula with the dually at 70mph and it was rock solid,this truck makes me hold the wheel with both hands tightly! Love the exc and I was hoping to tow the skater with it but not now.
I am going to call the 4x4 place tomorrow and see if they have a set of springs.

Good timely topic. My Brother has been using mine for the past month while baby sitting the mutts. Forgot after getting accustomed how much they wander, until driving it to Seattle yesterday! Brother did not like how it drove either, cause he goes: "you owe me. I'll make it an even grand!" Have not looked at the bill for what he had done, but, alignments where involved! :D

I put mine on the rack and it came back clean,only minor adjustment but Im going to get a second opinion.

Changing the front springs cures about 90% of the wandering, I've got a father/son team for customers that just went through this, the father used brand X shop down the street and they used a front spring bucket kit to get 2" of lift and the truck wanders all over the road, the son's truck we put a set of f250 springs to get the same amount of lift on and it drives great, both trucks same mileage/maint schedule and same alignment specs. Different wheels, same offset and same tires.

PM Beau (rbr2328) and he can supply you with the Ford part numbers. You'll need front springs as well as rear blocks and the longer U-bolts. The Ford parts are going to cost less than an aftermarket kit and work better.

Put airbags on while you're under there- you're doing half the work anyway and if you're towing much over 4,000lbs it makes a huge difference. Use the Excursion kit (I prefer firestone's). You have to remove the stock bump-stop rubber from the frame. Before you install the F250 spring blocks, cut the bump-stop ears off with a cutoff wheel. The airbags don't clear them with the taller blocks. I mounted my pump in the jack compartment in the right rear of the cargo hatch. I took the gauge & switch from the bracket and mounted it in the compartment door panel. Now I can adjust height when hooking up the trailer. I took a piece of broom handle and made a bumper-height gauge with it. Now I hook up, pump up and set it to the unloaded bumper height. Remember the Excursion hitch needs a WD setup over 5K.

Think it was CS who gave the tip on my power loss and cloud of smoke problem awhile ago. It was a good hope that valve thing came off, something about pollution control! Well it did disappear and over a year latter, zero problems with 6.0 PSD!!!!

I'm going to investigate having this better handling. Despite having over 150K miles on mine and its getting pretty trashed inside. I don't think can get a better SUV for space, towing, and transporting 3 Rottweilers. Bought it just before 05 with 9 miles on it. My previous one wandered like this as well... It's always been a small annoyance of mine with these, until I get adjusted to driving them. But sometimes do think that one day I'll get pulled over for suspected DUI and that will not be fun with my dogs inside! They'll scare the chit out of any one that gets close while inside their Excursion! One has even busted out the rear side windows!

The EGR sticks in 15K. Most of the time they're ruined from the sticking. You can do the "work-around" or you can have a truck that doesn't run as well as it should. Or you can replace the $600 valve every other oil change. I'm surprised the EPA hasn't dinged Ford on this problem.

The wandering took me a while to get used to. I think it was just different from my Denali. I tow my boat just fine with mine but I put a 35 Cig on the back and it was almost doing a wheelie.... the tires pressure is important, i checked mine and it was way off, evened them out and it made a huge difference. Also could be the alignmnet is off.
I know GLH pulled his 42 Cig to Key West a couple times with his Exc. and he had airbags and a couple other smaller mods and it did fine but I am pretty sure he will tell you his dually is like night and day from the exc.

I pulled a 35 Cig from FL to OH with my Ex.

Bags, shocks, bars, F250 springs, WD hitch, upgraded brakes, you name it. A very comfortable, relaxed trip. The 42 would have really been pushing it- and well beyond both the tow rating and the hitch's capability.

If your nose is pointing skyward, your alignment is going to change.

Ok Ford part #'s for the X spring set up which is the fronts used on a F450 and F550 are
Springs-2C3Z5310AF same for left and right
Blocks-F81Z5598FA and F81Z5598GA one is left one is right
Ubolts-F81Z5705EA you need 4 I think part# is for 1

What about f 250 series.Called another 4x4 place today and told them about the wandering,they said no springs wont help! Sure sounds like they would.My sterring wheel moves back and forth without turning the wheels and I think thats a problem right there.At least 2 inches either side when I rock it.I too think Im going to get pulled over for DUI the way the thing drifts.If you dont pay attention your in the next lane!

What is the wd hitch? and what upgraded brakes did you use ? I have the Bags, Shocks, Rear sway bar now , looking to do the springs next Thanks

Sounds like you may have a broken spring, worn out steering or a worn or broken trac bar.

Working around has made the engine trouble free..... I'll look at your suspension upgrades.

No wondering will make this thing perfect for hauling cars, boats and dogs.........

Weight distribution hitch. The best deal on a 10,000/1,000 is a Curt at Summit Racing. You'll need the 6" drop bar to replace the standard one if you do the spring mod. Brakes are EBC greens on powerslot rotors.

If you are turning the steering wheel and the front wheels are not responding, it sounds like play in the steering gear box. It can be adjusted as described earlier, but I would use caution when doing so, making VERY small adjustments each time. There have been many a gear box ruined by over-aggressive adjusting.
There are aftermarkets available but will require the install of a more robust pump- check www.agrperformance.com for the gearboxes and pumps.

As far as the springs go, I certainly respect Chris' experience with his Excursions, however I have gone a little different route with the two I've owned. My towing duty and weight carrying requirements are no where near as high as some others have required, and I simply wanted to restore a level height to the truck and not sacrifice ride quality.
I used "U" code springs on the front and gained all of the clearance I needed between the frame bump stops and springs without the need to replace anything in the rear. It leveled the truck perfectly. I then added the Firestone air bags and adjusted as necessary for load. I've done this to two Excursions (Ford did the first under warranty) and have been MORE than happy with the results. Once you go to "V" codes springs or heavier, you will definitely have to do something with the rear as well.
For the amount of weight I carry and the boat(s) I tow, this works perfectly for me. I'll buy a heavier-duty truck if I ever need to tow or carry more than I do presently.

The only thing I have done to the truck was put add aleaf helper springs in the back.I dont carry alot just to compensate for the tongue weight with the trailer.I would like to raise the front to be level though.Unfortunately im too busy this week to mess with it but I need to address this soon.I will check the front end again but with the wheels hanging.The ford guy just put it on the rack and Im not really sure that was enough or how far he went in front end school either.

You want V codes. X's are too stiff, especially for a gasser. Unfortunately I don't have any part #'s. This is a often discussed topic on the Diesel Stop under the Excursion tab.

Most of us that replace front springs with U, V, or X do so to gain room for the axle to travel before hitting the bump stop. I did not notice steering improvement from that personally, but the ride sure improved.

The steering box is marginal at best, and Ford specs for alignment etc are HUGE!!! You can be within specs, and still a long way from right.

I second the Radius Rods suggested in one of the first replies. They did an amazing job on settling the truck down, reducing wonder, and letting the anti-sway bar work. You really should check them out.

Many Excursion owners change the rear springs for F250 springs, and like the ride and think the steering wonder is reduced also. I might do that someday, just not in a hurry now. BTW: I've done the V springs, Helweig bar, Air Ride bags, Radius Rods, and aftermarket shocks. It's still not a German sportscar, but it's okay now.

I finally had a chance to work on the truck.I just followed the procedure regarding the steering box adjustment.It took about 5 minutes and made a huge difference.I got about 1 full turn on it ( index screw) and tightened it down. I drove slowly at first then it was like driving a different truck.I had to drive a few miles to stop moving the wheel back and forth( previous habit).My wife took it for a ride and noticed right away.Thank you guys for your help!!!

I will most likely put a new box in the truck soon.

My 07 f-250 psd does the steering wheel shimmy thing when i hit "quick" bumps. THe ride is ok, but i am not pleased at all with bump steer from a factory truck. Thing is though, when i hook the boat up to it that all goes away. With the boat on it rides great and no bump steer. Bottom line, i think our trucks were designed to pull. They don't make great grocery getters.

Hey 454 do you have a damper on your truck? my 4x4 cc drw had almost every opp. but didn't have a damper on it stock and bump steered like a mother, I put a $50 rancho damper on an it was all good.