Hi Guys,

Just bought a 1999 E350 Chateau with 175k miles to take the wife, my parents, and the three dogs to go on road trips. Was looking for a Chateau specifically so the parents would be comfortable in the captains chairs.

https://plus.google.com/photos/11825...NuyypTigbSZ_wE

The pics above are from the seller. I will try to update with my own pics tomorrow. It has a rear bench seat not shown in the pics. I want to get her in tip top shape so I don't have any worries on long road trips.

Some things I see that I want to tend to and get advice on:

- Assessment. Unfortunately, I didn't get a pre purchase inspection but hoping to meet up with some forum folks this weekend that could give me their opinion of the condition. Crossing my fingers that nothing major will turn up

- Some rust on the rockers and roof. Not sure hot to solve for it yet. Again, crossing my fingers that it won't be too bad. Might try to find a shop that can fix it.

- Get some new tires. Currently has some bald 265/75/16's. I went to America's Tire today and was going to get Michelin LTX M/S2 225/75/16's (since that was on the door sticker) since when my wife drove her home, she was tailing me in the van and said I was going too slow. So I knew the speedo was off from the big tires. Unfortunately, they said the wheels are aftermarket and are either 8.5" or 8" (I forgot which) wide and would be too big for the 225's. They said the minimum would be the 245/75/16's so I'm getting those tomorrow once they get shipped in. Not preferred but I'll do it. Other than aesthetics of filling out the wheel well better, not sure if there are any pros with the bigger tire size.

- Steering wheel leather. The previous owner(s) must have gripped tight when driving since the leather is all loose now. I was thinking of putting on Wheelskins but with the original leather all loose underneath, not sure if its a good idea.

- Remove the front deflector thingy on the hood. Its eating up the paint.

- Remove the visor with lights. I didn't like it at first but its kinda growing on me. Only problem is when you look on top, looks like silicone slapped on the bolts. And theres some slight bubbling in a small area on the roof. Not sure if the bolt holes are allowing water to penetrate somewhere.

- Fix the hood. It doesn't close right.

- Transmission. From the car fax report, looks like the transmission was replaced at 36k miles. Going to try to be vigilant about changing the tranny fluid. Is it a good idea to get a tranny cooler as an additional safety measure?

- Install an alarm with a remote start with a delay for diesel. My civic got stolen a couple months ago. Although alarm doesn't prevent it, just hoping to add as potential deterrent.

- After the above is nailed down, may look to any potential mods that would add to any of the following: safety, comfort, maintenance, and fuel economy

I'm going to try to put some time in and detail her this weekend. Any thoughts or suggestions to anything above would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
John

 

Wow---ton of items to discuss here! Somewhat in order I'll give my opinion, hope it helps............

Assessment: Get a good code scanner and see what it says. If you're not familiar with those try finding someone close by perhaps a DIY like so many of us who already own varying types of scanners---they're invaluable and far far less expensive than having a shop charge you upwards of $100 just to give you a competent reading of any DTC or Check Engine Light you might have or experience. (While Advanced Auto Parts et al ad infinitum have free scanning that's not helpful for the most part, they can't and don't really dig too deeply into what really causes the DTC.)

Rust: Rockers might be hiding more rust so if this is a long term vehicle I'd seriously think about removing the fiberglass running boards and doing a thorough inspection of rockers (inner and outer) as well as the rear wheel openings along with the front fender. Rockers and rear openings are slighly more important only because fenders are bolt on items, somewhat easily replaced whereas rockers and rear would require a bit more detailed body work.

Tires: 245/75-R16 Michelins are an excellent choice! 225's were standard for that chassis, 265's a bit too big IMHO and as you mention without re calibration of your speedo you'll have inaccuracies. Don't second guess your choice of Michelin's---pricey but well worth it, also IMHO and experience too.

Steering Wheel: I'd check on eBay for a NOS version of that same wheel if that aesthetic is important to maintain. As an alternative a nice new or gently used factory replacement (also available from eBay etc) would be the best option. They'd fit from 1997 up to at least 2008, one with switch would be required to maintain your factory cruise control.

Front Deflector: Those things, especially the cheaper variety are more pain then effective. They do rub hood paint off but apart from that being unsightly its not a big rust concern since the hoods are a composite material. Removing it would reveal the paint rubs so if refinishing the the hood isn't in the plans just leave it in place.

Visor: Those tend to leak, depending who or how they were originally installed. The slapped-on silicone suggests attempts to stop leaks by the previous owner. If your headliner isn't stained or wet after a rain this shouldn't be a big concern. Removing at this point would leave the mounting holes along with various rubbed raw spots in the paint. I personally don't care for the look but that's subjective so pay it no mind!

There are adjustable bumpers for the hood, located at the extreme outer edges of the radiator support---these affect how the tops of the fenders and hood align. If the issue is closing and perhaps not latching properly that too can be adjusted to a degree. Those do wear out over time however a bit of lubrication and proper adjustment can make a world of difference. Double check the secondary latch so you're not suddenly shocked one day at speed when/if the hood flies up--it ain't pretty!

We have a separate forum here for transmissions however the 4R70W typically is a reliable transmission, tends to not need a lot of additional cooling for the most part. Mark Kovalsky, our resident former Ford Transmission Guru/Engineer has great advice about such things----search his numerous posts for the best advice

If your van is maintained with proper service and the minimum service intervals you should enjoy it for a long long time. I have a 2000 E250 5.4 motor bought with 203K miles at time of purchase. Its a cargo/work only van but its still one very solid running van even at 275K miles. I've renewed the typical wear items, enhanced the suspension with urethane bushings, Bilstien shocks, Hellwig anti-sway bars and of course Michelin LTX tires too.

I also run an 03 E250 that will soon have brakes upgraded to model year 2008 and later parts----a simple bolt on swap. This is something easily applied to every chassis at least back to 1997.

Fuel economy: It is what it is however proper and complete spark plug maintenance at 50K miles; cleaning/checking the MAF sensor and every other routine upkeep/maintenance should give you no less than 13-15 MPG's assuming you have the 5.4 engine.

Anyway that's all I know at the moment!

 

Pics limerence posted "from the seller" clearly show fender DIESEL emblem.

 

One comment on the tires....if your tires are larger than stock, your speedo would UNDERread and you should be going faster than what the speedo says. (Truck goes farther for each tire revolution.)

I think 245's were standard on some models and would give a little larger footprint than 225's.

And Michelin LTX's are IMO the best tires for our Ford vans.

Good luck with the van,
George

 

245's came on extended E250 & 350 models.

 

Thanks for the responses guys. And yes, thanks Club Wagon, and sorry for not stating it earlier, it is a 7.3L

I just added pics I took this morning and added it to the album.

JWA: A couple things I wanted to mention:

Running Boards - I totally forgot about it until I read your post but I totally agree. Need to take off the running board and see how bad things are. I was thinking about potentially keeping the running boards off since it makes the van look a little too old school for my taste. However, my parents are in their 80's, might be good to still have it there for them. I know AMP Research makes a powered one that looks pretty cool but way too pricey.

Steering Wheel - Good idea to swap the wheel. Is it hard to switch out? Found a NOS one but $250 though http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-BLACK-LEATHER-STEERING-WHEEL-FORD-E150-E250-E350-ESD-F250-F350-FSD-BRONCO-/281078299093?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item41719279d5&vxp=mtr It doesnt say if it is the with with cruise control though. And if the year range is 97-08, this would work too? http://www.ebay.com/itm/97-03-FORD-F150-ECONOLINE-VAN-E150-E250-E350-WOODGRAIN-LEATHER-STEERING-WHEEL-/331020522279?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4d125c5327&vxp=mtr It looks a little different to me

Front deflector - Took it off already. not pretty at all but I don't want the marring of the hood to continue.

Tires/Wheels - To be honest, I would have preferred the 7" width rim. I know that the difference may be minimal but I wanted to have it slimmer so theres less contact with the road so better low rolling resistance for better fuel economy. But oh well.

Visor - Yeh I might leave it on there for the time being. It was actually easy spotting the wife in the van in the rear view mirror with it.

Hood - This was my worry too, that it would pop up on a drive. I've tried tugging up on it even though it doesn't close properly and can feel that its catching. So a little bit of comfort there. You mention bumpers on the hood, are these it?

The one on the left is just dangling kinda. Can't seem to make it go through to lie flat.

Tranny - I'll have to read up on what items Mark suggests doing. What handle on here does he go by?

Upgrades - There are a couple of things that you mentioned on upgrading/adding: sway bars and brakes, both of which make the van safer which I would like to do Is there a thread that speaks to good mods to do for our vans? I tried looking in this specific sub forum for one but didn't have any luck. I didn't want to look outside since I didn't know if mods that other would be referencing for trucks still apply as good mods for vans.

Some things I just noticed:

- The rear doors, did they have speaker grills that cover the speakers? Looks like mine are exposed as shown here


- The temperature gauge on the rear view mirror, its way off. Is that common?

- The hinges on the doors, what looks to me as having the middle section broken off. Or is that just my imagination and just some rust build up that makes it look like something was there before?



Thanks,
John

 

Yup. Those FG running boards trap salt/dirt, hold moisture & invite rust. Any holes drilled into rockers promote rust.

There were full length aluminum running boards on my Club Wagon & I took them off before sunset the day I bought it. My biggest objection was that they made it impossible to slide underneath to do even the simplest inspections.

There were FG running boards on my F150 & even though it's 4X4 & higher off ground, they still restricted getting underneath. So I took just the driver's side running board off, leaving passenger side to ease elder's access.

Don't like appearance of either style. Prefer the small/simple cast aluminum coach/stirrup/foot pad designs.

 

Club Wagon, how are the running boards attached? If they are bolted on, and if I were to take them off, would there be holes exposed that would leave the van more susceptible to the elements and rust?

 

Door hinges are fine. What you're seeing as "middle section broken off" is actually a door opening limiter, for when the Hold Open is disengaged, so as to prevent the door from hitting body.

Note it's EZ to disconnect the Hold Open bar & open doors wider to gain a little more width for loading.

 

Fiberglass running boards are generally mounted with a ton of self tapping screws/bolts right into the rocker panels. I pulled mine off my previous '96 Savana and left them off. Van was black so I painted the holes with that rust killer stuff and then dabbed them with a paintbrush with black paint and the holes were not very visible. The Chevy/GM vans are square at the bottom so the boards stick out in a silly way. Fords are tucked in at the belly so running boards make a bit more sense.

In addition to screws along the length, there are metal braces at the step points that attach to the inner rocker panel for support. Once you look under the van, you will see what they did to put yours on.

My '02 E150 has some decent minimal fiberglass boards on it. Van is white so the holes (and my converter used a LOT of sheet metal screws...grr) will show a lot more if I remove them. They don't restrict getting under the van or cut the ground clearance. I would so much prefer not having them, but mine are not bad and don't go beyond the wheel openings.

Good luck,
George

 

As you can see there are a few moronic types who'll bash an otherwise helpful reply, finding that one single solitary incorrect or unknown issue, point it out as though it nullifies every thing else in a post. Good lord people can be soooooooooooo fricking petty when they have nothing else to contribute!

Okay then---- I'd avoid both those steering wheels as they're waaaaaay over priced. Tasca is a great dealer on eBay but their prices tend to not be competitive with even dealerships. My idea was to find a VGC used stock wheel with the CC switch accommodation, that without the leather covering. If you can deal with that change of interior appearance by far it would be your best option. Such upgraded dressy interior items carry a hefty premium, whether to go that route or not depends on your budget.

This is what I had in mind as a replacement: http://www.ebay.com/itm/97-98-99-00-01-02-03-FORD-E150-E250-E350-E-SERIES-STEERING-WHEEL-CONTROLS-VAN-/171069341551?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27d486ff6f&vxp=mtr
Here's another similar to your existing wheel: http://www.ebay.com/itm/97-98-99-00-01-02-03-04-05-06-07-E-450-E-Series-Black-Leather-Steering-Wheel-/300609433502?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item45fdb7ef9e&vxp=mtr Its priced close to your own similar find but the seller might be a bit flexible. There's no rule on eBay where you can't approach a seller asking about pricing---respectfully mind you!

If you want the leather covering look online through eBay, find seller LKQ Online as they're a good internet dealer. Be prepared to pay the higher price though---again all up to you. Once you get a new wheel most of us can walk you through the change---you'd need a suitable steering sheel puller, borrowed if at possible. After disconnecting your battery and temporarily disabling the air bag system its quite an easy task.

Keep the running boards for their convenience, at least for now. Most likely they've been attached at the outer ends, through the body, so that would have to be addressed. Removing them for an inspection is your first step. If anything needs to be dealt with do so ASAP, keep this in perspective though because there is no permanent cure for rust, you can best hope to slow its return and growth. POR-15 along with many other brands are known to be very good dealing with rust, in fact POR means "paint over rust"!

If nothing severe is wrong with the rockers they can be protected to a degree with pre-emptive POR-15 et al treatment or something like 3M's urethane body chip protectant films.

Your 8" wheels are just fine, you do NOT want less rubber on the road, at least to a degree. The 245's are probably the best size for most of our E-Series, a good compromise between 225's & 265's. As mentioned some stock chassis did specify the 245's.

There are a number of threads about suspension improvements and if I have the more interesting/helpful ones in my subscription base I'll be glad to post a link for them. Basically though make sure every stock suspension component is in top condition, that your alignment is correct---just typical things normally done anyway. A rear sway bar for me is an absolute must as they make a tremendous difference in a van's handling characteristics, even the puny stock ones offered.

Bushings wear out, most notably the front sway bar as they fit through the I Beams. Brake-wise, again depending on your budget its possible to change calipers, rotors and pads to the '08 model year and later giving you a huge increase in braking power. I know for a fact there's a lengthy post here about that--BrianWas and myself both contributed heavily there. I'm about to do that to my own'03 in fact.

Typically most improvements to suspensions in general would apply equally to our vans so there's no sub-forum for such things here on FTE. We seem to rely on others making a mod or asking a question to brainstorm or tell of actual experiences. Feel free to do so here----plenty of helpful guys along with the occasional clown or two.

Your rear doors may have had speakers at one time----you'd have to dig around behind the trim panels to see if the wiring is present. With a fader function on your radio/receiver that's nice if everyone wants to listen to the same thing!

Your hood closing issue---those are indeed the bumpers I mentioned but they're probably not affecting the closure. Check the tang mounted to the hood itself, make sure its not worn thinner in one spot. Also check the mating latch on the radiator support---from your description it sounds as though the secondary latch is working correctly but the cable-released portion could be near its end of safe life.

I don't see any images of the mirror mounted temp gauge---not sure I've ever seen on stock on an E-Series but could be wrong there.

Whew! You're high maintenance Limerence! Just kidding and any questions you have don't be afraid to ask---its how we've all learned over time, hopefully we can now share that with a new member!

 

Haa haa.. I wanted to knock out all the questions I had and then start crankin on working on her. Taking off now to put some new tires on her. Thanks again, much appreciated

 

So... she has new shoes all around, including a new back up spare. Got her detailed as well.

So working on my list of what to do next to base line her, as well as good bang for the buck mods.

Maintenance
- Oil change with Rotella T6 and Fumoto Valve
- Tranny fluid flush and new filter using this as a guide. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...and-video.html
Can anyone comment how hard it is to do for a noob? Also, how do I tell which tranny I have to order the correct filter kit (my tranny was replaced at 36k miles).
- Brake fluid - Might let a shop do this one, not sure how to do.
- Air filter
- Coolant flush
- Any other things to baseline?

Mods/Upgrades (from reading different threads and this, not sure if all are worth it to do)
- Bilstein HD shocks, while there replace steering dampener
- 2" wheel spacers
- Hellwig front and rear sway bars
- Refresh/replace rear springs
- Front coils (any particular one to go with?)
- 2008+ brakes
- Suspension bushings (any particular one to go with? Urethane a rougher ride than rubber?)
- Roadmaster Active Suspension
- Headlights (anyone upgrade to Depo lights or something similar?)
- Trans cooler

Not sure which of the above are overkill. This is going to primarily be used as a family van. Looking to build it with safety in mind which to me is initially braking and suspension. I know there are alot more components to the suspension which I will need to add to the list. Unfortunately, haven't met anyone locally with a van that can help assess the condition as to whether or not to replace. And once safety is nailed down, potentially look at comfort mods, then performance at a way later point.

 

<edited to="" fix="" typos="" and="" added="" more="" info="">[Edited to fix typos and add more info]

Seems like a lot of $$ to drop on a nearly 15 year old van with 175k. Make sure the rust and all that is taken care of before you start upgrading mechanicals (other than "must do" things). But, that 7.3 diesel is a good motor that will last forever if you take care of it. You might check over on sportsmobileforum.com and peruse some of the diesel threads there. A lot of really good info from the folks there. Start at http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/viewforum.php?f=39 and please spend time searching before posting a new thread! Don't be scared by all the discussions and horror stories about the 6.0 diesel; your 7.3 is what everyone wants as it's such a good engine!

I have a 1998 E250 Sportsmobile (campervan), and have done a number of these mods already. Generally, they were worth doing.

1. I had the same the full-length fiberglass running boards as you do on both sides, and replaced them with OEM Ford black/gray running boards found on CL for $100. Looks much nicer, and there are less places to trap gunk that will lead to rust. The fiberglass ones were a PAIN to take off, with many of the bolts rusted on and requiring a grinder to cut off. Mine were installed with bolts through the bottom "lip" of the body, and a lot of self-tapping screws in the wheel arches, too, leaving plenty of holes in the sheet metal that I still have to deal with. Your van actually looks kind of nice with them, though, due to the two-tone pain (IMO). My van is white and the boards were white, making it look too much like a 1980s van.

2. I upgraded my brakes and front end to a full 2012 E250 swap, as JWA mentioned. It definitely stops and handles better, but whether it's worth it or not depends on how much you get the parts for (I got them cheap from somebody that did a 4x4 upgrade to a van) and how much it costs to install. If I were you I'd upgrade the shocks first (I put on Bilsteins and they are nice) and then drive it a bit. All told, I'm into the front-end swap for about $2,000 including parts and having my mechanic install them.

I also added a rear sway bar from an E450 cutaway van that I got at a junkyard for $30. Pretty easy install, requiring drilling two holes in the frame and bolting onto the axle with U-bolts. Made a big difference in rear-end wag, but I have an extended van. On a standard body like yours it might not be as noticeable. The junkyard one is the same size as the aftermarket Helwig ones, BTW. If you are going to upgrade to a new-style front end/suspension, don't buy a front swaybar, as the 08+ setup uses a different type with end links, so it will be a waste of money.

3. Yes, you are missing the rear speaker grilles. You can find them online pretty cheap (ebay). I think the same place that sells those steering wheels you posted has a set of grilles posted. There are a number of threads here about the setup of the OEM Ford stereo and speakers. Worth a search to find them. In short: the center and rear speakers and wired in parallel, and fade together. I.e., you can fade to the front speakers, or to the center/rear together. You should have one in your side door and mid-ships on the driver side wall, too.</edited>

 

BriWas - was thinking the same thing about the rust but right now, it doesnt look that bad. I am looking locally for someone to quote me on the work.

And yes, that is a lot of coin to drop but I, like you will be looking for deals to be had on them.

Thanks for the tip on sportsmobile forums, will have to check that out.

BTW - do you have pics of your van with the OEM running boards?