'09 E-250 4.6


Need some ideas/suggestions/input/output/help!

Bought a (wrecked but clear title) '09 E-250 Cargo Van in April of '10 with 600 (rounded off. 580 exactly) miles. 4.6, 4:10's.

Spent a year fixing the damage, (hit in the rear) double insulating/building the inside to a 1/2 cargo, 1/2 people Van. Carpeted, cloth, upholstery, rear seat up front. Cardboard, plastic, rubber mat, self, tie downs, etc, in the back.

Front and rear way bars, built in trailer brake, built the trailer hitch, undercoated, oiled, etc.

Started driving it April of last year. This thing is the 'sickest' vehicle I have ever driven! NO pickup, acceleration, or power.

I live in WV and there isn't many level places. Cruising along 65mph @ 2K rpm, or 70mph @ 2,300 rpm, slightest grade, head wind, or ever-so-slightly increase on the accelerator, it will down shift out of OD, but depending on the hill, keep loosing speed, 55mph, same pressure or slightly more on the gas it will downshift into 2nd! Depending on speed the rpm's will be between 3 and 4K motor screaming!

If I let the forward speed drop from 65-70 to 40 going up a hill I can keep it from downshifiting into 2nd. Sometimes loaded semis pass me going up hills.

The gas mileage was 7-10 in town, 12-13 on the interstate.

This was just the Van, NO trailer! The ONLY way this vehicle can and will pull any trailer is straight down a mine shaft! The manual sez 10K, with 4.6 and 4:10's. No way.

We took a drive out to Denver early fall to help bring my middle daughter back. While out there, had a place bend up a set of duals with Porter mufflers and X pipe.

BIG difference in performance/mileage! I can now go up hills at 50mph before it downshifts into 2nd. Coming back from Denver with a bunch of furniture/clothes/etc, got 18.9! I get 13-14 in town now. Sounds GOOD!

This van has been to two different Ford dealers and a couple of independent shops for diagnosis. The only codes the dealer could find was the seatbelt modulator. Replaced it. NO performance improvement.

Everyone has agreed this vehicle seems to be lacking on power, but there is nothing wrong that will/can cause a decrease in performance,,,,,,,,, that anyone can find or figure out.

I have ridden in 4.6 PU's pulling a boat/car and trailer go faster up hills w/o downshifting than what this van can!

The old Dodge Van I had prior, had a little dinky 3.9 V-6 and 3:55 gears, it will out run, out pull this Ford Van!

Anybody have any ideas/suggestions? Please?

THANKS.

 

the modular motors are built to rev, let it down shift and do its thing, hell my 5.4 and 6.8 both see 5,000K more times then i can count in a day just daily driving. if you need more speed let the truck do what it needs to do. lugging the engine can use more fuel then keeping it in the power band.

i rented a '11 crown vic with the 4.6 and it took some go pedal to get it moving when i wanted it to.

to me it doesnt sound like an issue with the van, more so an issue with you not wanting to let the engine get into its sweet spot at 3,000k rpm or above when needed.

 

Thanks for your input.

FIVE THOUSAND RPM'S!? That can't be right! The 'red line' on the tach, is at 4K rpm's!

Even at 4K it sounded like the motor was going to fly apart any second!

When I was 'fact finding' trying to determine a 'base' by seeing if the Van would indeed 'hold' 60 mph going up Cheat, that 2nd gear 4K rpm @ 60mph I only held for a couple of seconds at most. Motor sounded 'beyond' 'tight'. Anywhere between 3 and 4K rpm's this motor is screaming. There is NO WAY that motor would have stayed together at those kinds of rpm's for the several mile length going up Cheat!

The 'sweet spot' you say, really feels/sounds like it's between 1900-2300 rpm's. Anything 2500 rpm's and over, motor starts to sound 'raspy/labored.

What I'm trying to get across,,,,,,,,,,,, on the 'no power'. The 'normal' acceleration from a 'light/stop/?' is sluggish. Just to 'keep up' with normal traffic from a 'stop' I was shifting at 3K, and sounded like I was trying to 'race'. While other vehicles, some loaded (4.6 PU's Cars) didn't need those kinds of rpm's to get up to speed from a stop.

Going along crusing speed, 50-70mph, start to give it gas, to say increase forward speed, for whatever reason, or hold a uphill speed, nothing! Absoulty NO increase in speed to relation to the increase on the accelerator. Keep pushing on the gas/accelerator, there is no speed increase, but the motor will downshift from OD to 3rd, more increase of the gas, then downshift into 2nd.

I am at a loss of words how to describe the problem, other than what the dealers/indenpendent shops have told me. The vehicle does feel sluggish, but there is nothing showing up to indicate what the problem would be. It's always, "how much money do I want to spend to 'leave it for a few days"

Maybe if I would describe, it feels like there is an extra 5-8K pounds of extra weight,,,,,,, being carried around?

There is noting 'dragging', you know, brakes or something binding. Level I can easily roll the van back in forth.

That's why I came here asking to see if, there is a 'secret' hidden sensor/swtich Ford has installed on their vehicles to 'cut performance/?' after an accident, to make it more difficult/impossible(?) to get a vehicle 'right',,,,,,,,,,. Or is someone else has had the same (lack of)performance and what they did to remedy the problem.

Thanks again.

 

Since 1998 I have had a new company van every two years. Ever since like 06 they started giving us the 4.6 instead of the 5.4. Every one Ive had has been sluggish and reved like crazy. Of course with about 2000 lbs of gear in the back. The way you describe it though it sounds like something isnt normal. Just a thought, maybe something came apart in the cat from the impact but isnt enough to trigger a code. Maybe its restricted.

 

you heard correct, 5,200 RPM is actually where my shift points are set.


its going to be sluggish that is expected, its going to take more go pedal to get going. it does not sound like there is anything "wrong" with the van itself (sounds pretty nice actually) just with a smaller power plat.

hell my V6 explorer really likes to rev

 

I say from experience that driving uphill at 70 into a headwind I never had to jam the pedal to the floor to pass a semi. Thats also with a bunch of ladders on the roof. I will say that when the cruise is on in hilly areas I would turn off the overdrive because it wouldnt downshift quick enough. Try not to worry about the rpms. We have abused the heck out of those little motors and never had a problem, but my mind is set on the cat!

 

The original exhaust wasn't hit or damaged. The van was hit right dead on into the left frame rail end.

When I had the duals put on, (used the original OEM tailpipe and had a 'left side' tailpipe bent up to match) I had the "Y" pipe connector cut out, so each bank would have it's own separate exhaust. I started it up to see just how loud it was. No bits or pieces, dust, smoke or anything else came out each pipe. Wasn't all that loud either. Disappointing. The sound seemed balanced. You know, like one side was plugged up or,,,,,,,?

So what do I look for, if one or both catalytic converters are bad? No EGR codes,,,,,,,?

This Van motor is WAY tighter sounding (screaming) at 4k than what both of yours are at that 5-5.5Krpm's! My rpm's shifting at 3K, sounds very close to your Excursion shifting at 5+K!

There is NO WAY this motor would stay together at 5K! I don't think it would even reach 5Krpm's.

Like I mentioned. The 'sweet spot' or where this van is the smoothest, seems to have it's torque, is at 1,900-2,300rpm's.

I'm not running into anyone here local that has Ford Van computer chip tuner experience. Or, even the computer software to install an aftermarket performance chip, correctly.

I had a person on here mail me privately, and said the only way to 'wake a 4.6 Van up' to have some pulling power, was install a set of 4:56's.

What's you guys thoughts on that? I can change a set of gears over without any special computer skills. LOL

THANKS for the videos!

 

I know this is a little old, but I'll go ahead and ask a couple of questions. First off thats a 2V 4.6 right? IF you haven't had anyone read the codes, read the codes. Maybe read them again?

My Mom's truck ('01 4.6) will wind all the way up 6K when those punk Honda's want to start things. You can definitely tell a difference when you hit 3K in the truck. Overhead cams (or the small displacement) don't like to stay in the low RPM range. My 390 will walk the 4.6 any day of the week, but there is no way I would even bring that 390 to 5K, much less 6. That 4.6 will live at 6K for a while anyways.

Maybe your exhaust is playing tricks on you. We had a Grand Marquis (built 302) that sounded like a kitten at normal driving speeds, but the second that you slammed on the gas the thing sounded like a prepped drag car. Just a thought

 

Yes, what I have been told it is a 2V. How do I actually tell for sure?

The only codes right now, is a very (several 'verys') minor vacuum leak at the gas tank. (like the cap is not sealing right)

I can have the CEL light reset, sometimes it will say off for several days, sometimes it will light right back up. I don't have the several hundred dollars for the dealer to 'see if' it can be fixed. With no guarantee how much ($$$$) it will cost to fix it.

As I mentioned, I'm going to try and find a another gas cap, and see if they will keep the light off. If it does, I'll buy a new cap.

There were only TWO codes. The seatbelt modulater, which was tripped when it was wrecked. Several months after started driving, the vacuum leak at the tank.

Right now, the van has been sitting, because 2Wd's can't get in and out of here, waiting for spring thaw, in July. LOL