Ford Excursion :: 2005 - Stiff Ride And Frozen Shackles
Jan 13, 2017
So the Ex came to me with a 6" spring lift in front and 5-1/2" blocks on the rear. It's always been a little stiff and bouncy. More than it should, in my opinion. There are also some occasional low-speed groans coming from under my feet.
On a recent inspection, I noticed the spring eye bushings are a little worn (front springs, the rear bushing of the spring). In taking the rear or the front leaf away from the shackle, I noticed that the shackle would not swing at all. This could be a problem. If the shackle can't swing fore and aft, then the suspension can't articulate, making the ride super stiff and bouncy. This could also wear out the spring eye bushing.
The design of this shackle looks very simple. Maybe too simple. A bolt goes through the top, and through holes in the frame. If this bolt is tight, then the top of the shackle is clamped to the frame and can't pivot. Is this right? Is it safe to loosen this bolt? Should it be lubricated?
BTW 2005 Excursion XLT 4x4 V10
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I've had the stiff ride issue with my 2005 gx470. Took it to three lexus dealers and finally the vehicle is fixed. Hats off to Lexus of Maplewood, St Paul, MN. Their shop foreman persisted and found after several days troubleshooting; a speed sensor was the culprit. My ride is much smoother over speed bumps without the need to cycle through the height adjustment.
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A couple years ago I did the V Modded B spring swap on my Excursion. The rear was quite a bit higher than the front so I added the 3rd leaf from the old rear springs to the new front and that worked but it is still a bit higher in the rear. I regularly tow one of two different trailers 3000 lb and 5000 lb and occasionally a 20" car hauler 6000-8000 lb. The smaller ones barely squat the rear of the truck. I recently added a Plow and would like to raise the front so it is level with the rear. I need to raise the front about 1-1.5 inches. What front shackle do I need?
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On a 2003 5.4 f-250 XLT 4 door, long bed
Running 285 tires, none lifted, factory lifted for snow plowing? Did have a plow mount when purchased used.
Had the truck over a year now & love it. My only real dislike is the stiff/ rough ride when empty, which is 80-90% of the time for me.
I know my truck & year have leaf springs with shock dampeners on the front, vs the coil spring and shock dampeners that came in the later years for a much improved ride. Also my struts are "Rough Country" which from what I understand are cheaper shocks. Had a 04 Tacoma I replaced with Bilstein 5100 shocks after leveling it & it was an amazing difference. So that's my only real comparison in shocks. I've read of guys replacing their entire front end for the coils & springs. Not interested in going that deep into it for a better ride. If that's my only option, all be happy with the ride as is.
What are my options if any? Better shocks/struts? Other than my rough country that are on the truck? Purchased used a year back & never felt the "stock struts".
I did find Bilstein 5160' s for my model truck. Link : [URL] .....
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Didn't notice this on the test drive, but as soon as I started living with my Santa Fe (about 3-4 weeks now) I can't believe how harsh and rough the ride is. Very very uncompromising over all road irregularities - even those you can't even really see. 2013 Santa Fe Sport?
It's so bad I've been searching for aftermarket struts and shocks to replace what must be garbage OEM parts - but nothing seems to be available for it yet.
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In our recent -20 F cold spell in Chicago, I noticed the ride got very stiff, have others experienced this in very cold weather? My theory is that the oil in the shocks or dampers become extra viscous at these temps and the cold shocks causes the ride to becomes like that of a Honda Civic with a dropped suspension. (It's so amusing to watch those Civic "low riders" going over railroad crossings, but it's all image right????)
Anyway I would think the colder temps would lower the air pressure in the tires, softening the tires a bit, but perhaps the rubber hardens counteracting that benefit. I have Michelin Primacy BTW. Since temps went back up above about +10 F ride seem to be OK again.
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I was replacing the brakes on the X, the threaded part that receives the top bolt for the caliper is frozen. I tried whacking it with a hammer and tried to free it up by turning it but no good. The bottom bolt assembly worked like it should but the top is frozen solid and makes the brakes rub, you can smell it. Do I need to replace the whole assembly or is there replacement parts for this?
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My daily driver is a Ford pickup. But we recently acquired a 2003 Excursion.
-5.4L V8
-3.73 rear end
-2WD
It is an Eddie Bauer, and despite its age and 150k miles, it is in really nice shape. It runs and shifts very smoothly. So far, we've replaced the rear glass hydraulics, put 4 new tires and a wheel alignment on it, replaced one brake line from the front to the rear, replaced a cracked rim and one missing wheel hub cap. The driver's seat base cushion leather is ripped, but I procured a replacement leather seat cushion cover which is brand new and a perfect match to the original two-tone leather.
Otherwise, the radio works fine, A/C front and rear is ice cold. The shifter linkage is very stiff and not accurate. I'm guessing the switch selector on the outside of the transmission is failing?
The driver's side power window does not work, and the reverse sensing system has only worked once. The switch always says "off" and if you push it, it won't stay in the "on" setting.
But anyway, here it is .....
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I want some honest opinions on whether a spring swap is worth the money and time to make the ride better and less harsh of ride. I currently have a completely stock 02' 7.3 4x4 Excursion with 204,000 miles. I have been reading a lot on the spring swap and really want to know if it's worth it for the sole purpose of ride and keeping the front off the bumpstops. I don't tow enough to justify it for that reason , and could live without the lift portion because I use it for a daily and family hauler. I experience some sway but not terrible ,but I do believe my shocks are shot as well and I have hit the front bumpstops a few times over railroad tracks.
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I need to replace the shocks and springs in my truck. I would like a stiffer ride something that doesn't bounce to much and offers better handling.
I have a 2004 4X4 Diesel Excursion
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Here is my 2004 Excursion PSD. The X was already lifted when we bought it, but I'd love to return it to stock ride height or near stock w/ the larger tires on 16's. So, not having been around 4x4's for long, how the heck do I figure out how it was lifted? Shackles, different springs, who knows??? Basically is just too much of a PITA not fitting into car washes and not being able to fit it in my garage for repairs.
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I have a 2002 4x2 xlt stock height with 100k miles. I've installed a rear sway bar, air assist bags in rear and bilstein shocks. I am looking for a smoother ride. It doesnt take the large bumps and train tracks very well. It feels like if the front end bottoms out. Ive been reading here on the forums about the rancho 9000 adjustable series giving a better ride, but most of those are for the 4x4 ex's they sit higher and more travel on the front end. So I am wondering if with rancho's make a smoother ride but not the front end bottoming out, maybe a 4" lift with the rancho's would give me both a smooth ride and no more bottoming out.
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My navigation system on '05 Avalon XLS is frozen in the home screen. I'm curious how I'm going to be able to change the clock and stuff like that if I can't get it to work again.
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My wife has a 2005 toyota camry with about 84000 miles. She had been complaining of intermittent issues but no one could find the cause till yesterday. Her front brakes were froze and would not release. I took it to the shop and they said the left front was hung and the pad came off and chewed the rotor up. They suggested a brake job. Well in the process of replacing rotors and pads on the front they could not get the caliper to release. Make a long story short, the rotor and pads are changed but the front brakes will not release. They checked the lines and they look good.
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My air conditioning has stopped working and the dealer tells me the blower motor has frozen up. This car only has 73k on it. Is this common to the 2005 Touareg or ?????
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When installing front lift shackles, do you place jack stands under the axle, or the frame? I can't really find an answer. I assumed the axle, but i saw a thread and from what i could see it looked like it was supported at the frame and the axle was hanging free in the air. Just want to be sure before i start unbolting the stock shackles tomorrow and kill myself.
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Having a somewhat scary problem.....my truck is already a rough ride due to the fabtech lift and the 37's and you get a lot of feedback through the steering wheel. Its a rough ride down the highway but where it gets scary is at lower than highway speeds like 35-45 range. I can hit a bump and it will send the trucl into this insane cavitation that will literally shale the fillings out of your teeth. I cannot tell if it is in the drive wheels or the front wheels. The best way I can describe it is that its like trying to push a buggy in wal mart with a bad caster wheel on it. It feels like you are about to have a wheel fall off or that its broken off a tie rod or something. Then you simply slow down to a stop and you can drive right on like nothing was wrong. The vibration or shaking does not slow down with the speed. I cannot find anything obvious broken or damaged but this thing is getting dangerous to drive.
05 F350 DRW Fabtech 6 inch lift and 37's. 114k miles.
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The gear shifter in my auto trans 05 Elantra is really stiff when shifting different gears. I was running fine as I went to work and back today with no problems. After I got back from work, the car was off for 30-40 mins. Then I went back and started the car and the gear shifter was stiff but still shiftable. I checked under the car to and fluid leaks but didn't see anything. What may be the issue here?
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I am getting ready to make a set of front shackles for my truck for a temporary lift solution to fit my 35s until i can afford a complete suspension lift kit. I cannot for the life of me find the size of the hole for the bolts. I don't wanna drill it too big then have play in the shackle. My stockers are still installed so I don't have those to measure just yet. Need to verify the diameter hole i need to drill? and stock shackles look to be about 5.25" center to center, from what i can measure with them installed on the truck? so 2" lift, the new shackles will need to be about 9.25" center to center, right? (add 4", nets a 2" lift?)
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My 2005 Prius is riding a little rough in the front. It seems like it might be the drivers side front wheel. I can hear the revolutions of the tire/wheel and I get a slight feeling of those revolutions from the drivers seat. I was thinking warped rotor but I'm no mechanic.
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Experienced the problem of a flashing defrost button and the entire HVAC system "frozen"? All the other buttons become useless while the defrost button is flashing on and off. If I then hold either the a/c button or the auto button, the system starts up at 75 degrees with the air running. I can then adjust to where I want it to be.
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