Hi everybody! This is my very first post!

Here goes, I'm looking for an extended E-series van to start a DIY campervan conversion project, my plans are almost final I just have to find the vehicle to get the ball rolling.

At first I was thinking something recent like a 2011 model or maybe 2009 at worst but I just came across this thing and I wanted to get your expert's opinion on the subject before going forward.

For sale is a 2001 Ford E-350 V8 7.3L power stroke turbo diesel with 130 000miles on it (230 000km) + raised roof is already installed (worth 3000$) + crew cab + rear A/C + little bit of rust starting to show on bottom side panels + seams to run ok (I'm no expert).
The seller is asking 4500$ but I think we have room for negotiations.



I bought the carproof (carfax equivalent in Canada) and It's all good, no accidents or insurance claims and odometer numbers seems to bee good too.

BUT!! Here's the problem...

I can't seem to find anyone or any garage to inspect the darn thing!! I've called over a dozen of garages in the seller's area but as soon as I mention Diesel they hang up.

Even the closest Ford dealer as stopped doing pre-sale inspections (for legal problems)
Still I can have it inspected at their garage but as my own vehicle (not pre-sale + no warranty)
they charge 150$ for 130 or 170 points inspection, engine compression test is not included.

After reading a bit on the net about these engines, I found a lot of good things about the 7.3L, very reliable and lots of torque. also heard about a 16mpg average (city+hwy).
Correct me if I'm wrong but the major problem comes from engine cavitation and also the transmission. Will the dealer's inspection detect any of these things?

Am I better off doing the inspection myself, going under the van with a light and looking for leaks, checking levels, testing the coolant with strips etc...

I'm no expert but the time is ticking and I don't want to loose this deal, it's been a couple of weeks already since I first saw the add.

Thanks for your input!

 

Mike put together a very good basis for you to check things out yourself. It is designed more for the pick-ups but most of it will pertain to you as well.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...questions.html

With just 130,000 miles, that thing is just getting broken in. If it has had decent oil changes and they haven't towed extremely heavy with it, (and most people don't with a van), you should be fine. Hell the engine and tranny are worth almost half that asking price at least.

 

Thanks for the info,
I had already red and bookmarked that page a while ago, I will try my best to do most of the points on that list but like I said I'm no expert and some of the important points like engine compression test or fuel pump test etc... won't be done

One thing that worries me is this thread about 2001 transmission problems :
01-13-5***TRANSMISSION - 4R100 - DELAYED OR NO 2ND GEAR - DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0781, P0755 AND/OR P0756 - VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 4R100 TRANSMISSION WITH TRANSMISSION BUILD DATES BETWEEN 7/27/2000 AND 3/23/2001 ONLY
I don't know how to check the trany's manufacturing date but my guess is that after all those years if nothing ever happened to it, either it was not manufactured in those years or they simply fixed it already...

 

As far as the trans goes the VIN date on the drivers door jamb should give an idea. I don't remember the exact month that they changed from using the suspect clutch but I think after FEB you might be OK. It was the first several months of the year model that had the problem. (I think year model normally starts in ~ June of previous year)

 

Most of those tranny's failed by 130,000 miles. They had a problem with a diode. It is worth looking up to see if that van has one, but if it does, chances are, it failed already and was rebuilt.

 

evy: The fuel tank is probably something to inspect after you buy, although you could pull and inspect the oem in-valley fuel filter and see if it is silver in color (i.e., delaminating paint). If you haven't considered it already, for us van, F550 and F650 steel fuel tank guys it is something to be aware of:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...fuel-tank.html

Is there anyone with AE in your area?

EDIT: A compression test is a fairly involved process because it involves removing the valve covers and everything is tight under the hood of a van. And it is done through the glow plug holes after removing all the glowplugs, and removing glow plugs cannot be rushed on a 7.3L of any age because breaking a toasted swollen tip off an Autolite (only use Motorcraft glowplugs!) likely means removing the engine to remove the head to remove the glowplug tip lest it punch a hole in a piston.

Turning the telescope around, a blowby test is essentially a cheapman's compression test. It involves placing the oil cap upside down on the oil filler tube, like this:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-3-issues.html

(IMHO, the above looks like excessive blow by to me, but I am not that knowledgeable.)

Take a video camera with you when you inspect your truck, and post or link to your vids and these gurus will be your backup eyes and brain and tell you what they think.

 

Something to consider: A member recently sold his 2002 (same odo reading) for $17,000 in the Seattle area - because of the 7.3L engine. A 2003 6.0L on the same truck would have been lucky to get $10,000... and that would have taken time to sell. I'm just sayin'.

This van will have the expense of the fuel tank, and I would really ask about the transmission. I upgraded my transmission to a Motorcraft HD4R100, and that's the end of the transmission questions. Are you prepared to put a few more thousand into the van to bring it up-to-date? Are you comfortable with getting a scan tool and learning your vehicle? If so, you will have a very robust platform that will be good for many hundreds of thousands of kilometers. My truck has 280K miles (450,000 km) and it will give a brand new Superduty PSD a tail light demonstration.

 

Evy,


Please, please, please look at the oil pan for rust(look in my garage for pictures of the problem)!! I just serviced a friends ambulance with a little more mileage and a 7.3 and the oil pan was in terrible shape. Also, You really want to consider finding a good diesel mechanic and have them look it over before you buy.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys!!
I inspected the vehicle myself today, Here's what I noticed that worried me.

There seems to be oil on the engine (see videos) from my inexperienced point of view it's seems to be a head gasket leak but I'm no expert. The engine's oil level was very low...

Also the large amount of rust under the vehicle, mostly on the frame and components, yes it's a 2001 and it has seen many rough Canadian winters, we use salt on the icy streets up here. The outside body is not that bad, some rust spots on the bottom panels but only one panel (bottom rear driver side) is rusted through and needs a good repair job and paint.

"fbh31118" mentioned something about a rusted oil pan... It seems to be the case on this vehicle (see videos)

I'm worried that the amount of rust on the frame will prevent me from welding or bolting things to it (DIY Campervan build) or simply complicate things when I have to unscrew bolts that are rusted stuck...
I have around 15 000$ worth of RV equipment to install in this thing, I absolutely need a good starting point.

I filmed and uploaded to youtube 10 short (under 1min) inspection videos, If you have time please take a look and tell me what you think, thanks!

no.1 (engine view from cabin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPBW...ature=youtu.be

no.2 (engine driver side under view)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlGz...ature=youtu.be

no.3 (engine driver side under view)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFZc...ature=youtu.be

no.4 (engine driver side under view)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v1Z...ature=youtu.be

no.5 (transmission driver side view)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_06q...ature=youtu.be

no.6 (engine and components front underside view)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfiU...ature=youtu.be

no.7 (engine and components front underside view)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qls_...ature=youtu.be

no.8 (engine bay view)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U91...ature=youtu.be

no.9 (driver side rear under view)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wW7...ature=youtu.be

no.10 (general inside view)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4bt...ature=youtu.be

 

Out of curiosity I called a Ford dealer up and a head gasket fix is a minimum of 25 hours at 105$/h (2 625$) without parts...

 

Video 1, I assume you are using that the as the basis of your opinion of head gasket leak. That is just oil leaking from up top. Diesels are notorious for having a few leaking o-rings on the top of the motor. It's how they mark their territory. It is usually an easy fix, there are lots of how to threads here and Dieselorings.com has every single o-ring you will ever need for this thing at the best prices.

Video 2 That oil pan is not great, but it can be repaired. This guy (see the link) sells a kit and he has had a lot of success with it. It is probably what I am going to use on mine. Or you can buy a replacement pan, but the motor is supposed to be removed and turned upside down for the adhesive to cure to do that repair correctly.

Video 3 That again is oil dripping down from a leaking o-ring(s) up top. That hole in the inspection plate is where a lot of topside oil ends up running down the valley, then down the back of the engine and comes out of that hole.

Video 4 and 5 same as above. Tranny looks good.

Video 6 that rust on the body mount is not great. I have seen worse. The suspension and frame rust looks surface to me.

Video 7 looks like the power steering pump has a leak. The rest of that is road grime mixed with oil from up top.

Video 8 I wish you would have taken the intake tube off and looked inside the tube to see if the stock filter has been leaking and what condition the turbo fins are in.

Video 9 that lower part of the body is going to need some attention and some of that paint underneath could use a wire brush and some touch up, but nothing too bad.

Video 10 Looks like a van inside

See if you can talk him down some more. You have some points to make with the rust, the oil leak and the rusty pan.

 

Keep in mind most diesel shops won't work on a van with a diesel... i know my mechanic, along with a few others will automatically say no if they hear "e series"

 

OK, even though I don't know anything compared to the other guys who have posted in your thread, I figure that I am entitled to be a smart *** because we are both van guys.

Dude! You don't know how to do 7.3L ****! Good 7.3L **** requires movement!

At the very least you gotta start the friggin' engine and show us the oil filler cap blow by test! Also letting us hear you start the engine and letting us hear it run with the camera pointed toward the open engine bay would help. (There's a guy on here who likes to flick a bic lighter while running his engine at WOT to show off how quiet his superbly tuned 7.3 is.) But I digress. Getting, a friend to stand outside and video the passenger side as you drive towards and away from the camera would be good also. Finally, a video shot of the exhaust pipe as you start the engine and then raise the idle and let off the peddle a few times could be instructive.

Right now you are asking these engine gurus to imagine how it runs!

I have tried (unsuccessfully) to develop some respect for the E series 7.3L with these F series guys. You gotta raise your game and help us out for crying out loud.

OK so what do I see which hopefully some more knowledgeable guys will comment on?

I don't like the oil (diesel fuel) at the junction of the driver's side manifold to the turbo up-pipe, but I don't really know what that means except possibly unburnt fuel being expelled out an exhaust port. (Is the exhaust white when it is running? If so, you may have injectors in your future. Strike that, we all have injectors in our future...)

Your turbo up-pipes are leaking. See the soot at the passenger side up-pipe below baby's butt (below the turbo)? Not a big deal to replace with bellowed up-pipes in a van. Although I don't personally know if they make bellowed up-pipes for the van.

The van's air filter box is notorious for letting dust get to the turbo vanes. Make sure that the filter box has all the clamps and does in fact clamp the box down without gaps.

Rust. Well the body rust would dissuade me from buying it, but I am from California and we don't have rust like that normally. (Although we do salt our roads, we just don't tell the eco freaks about it). I am afraid if you touched the oil pan it would push through and spill the entire contents out on the roadway, but some of our rust belt brethren are the ones who should comment on that. However, take HKusp's warning seriously, the pan doesn't come off without the engine out of the vehicle and per Christof13T and SkySkiJason, the new pan will not seal unless the engine is upside down.

Bottom line, buy a vehicle from the US West of the Mississippi and South of Utah and you should be good to go.

Barring that, offer him $2500 and be prepared to put a lot more money into it.

But before you take my advice, please post some proper 7.3L ****!

 

I'm afraid you may be buying a money pit... and I'm the resident pit-filling, quick-sticking, Bic-flicking member.

Rust on oil pan: The PO couldn't look under the van and rattle-can something on there when it first started?

Up-pipe to collector interface: I noticed that exhaust leak right away... from Washington State... through YouTube. The PO didn't notice the reduced performance and loud noise inches from his ear, or he didn't care, or he couldn't afford to do anything about it.

Oil leaks: Head gaskets on the 7.3L don't fail, unless you do something really wicked to them. You have oil leaks to be sure, but they will all be O-ring related.

Pegged filter minder: This one really bothers me. This is super-simple stuff, yet the PO couldn't manage an air filter before putting more diesel in the rig.

The PO was poor, apathetic, clueless, or some combination of those... but that engine was thoroughly and completely ignored. The only question is for how long it was ignored... will you be a second owner or a fourth?

 

Ok thanks for your expert opinions, I know I'm not very good at this
Very stressful buying without the confidence of knowing what you're doing. It's a good thing I have you guys.

I think I will pass on this deal...
Although I can probably deal him down to 3gs I don't want to be in the shop all the time, or stress out before heading out on a big trip, having all that rust under there sure didnt help...

So I've moved on to other adds in the classifieds, please take a look and tell me what you think :

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post14334608

Thanks again for all your time and advice!