Well, 2266 miles to be exact. From Indiana, through Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and into Florida. Here is the vehicle:


Van ran like a champ the whole way. Loaded up with 10 people (4 adults/6 kids) and a trailer full of luggage and tools.

Got 16.2 mpg on the way down and 14.7 mpg on the way back. Overall trip mileage was 15.34 mpg. Tank by tank it was: 16.09, 14.75, 17.77, 9.94, 14.2, 18.24 and 14.31

I was surprised some by the large fluctuation in mileage numbers. It seemed to do well in either larger steep hills of on flats. Areas with long slow hills seemed to eat up the fuel.

As far as performance, van was great. Set the cruise for 65mpg and just went. Never had to take it out of cruise. Filled up every 400-500 miles. Traded off driving through the night. The only casualty was the hubcap I lost in the way down.

The Good:
The DVD player I installed worked well to entertain the riders. Hotspot and unlimited data allowed for passenger internet access. The captains chairs in the back gave the adults plenty of leg room and made it easy to sleep.

Areas to improve:
The sound system was top of the line in 1988, but not now. Speakers are fine, but needs a new head unit for better radio signal pick-up and the ability to link to my phone and DVD player. The front passenger seat needs the ability to slide back more. It is fine for riding, but leg room is too small if you are looking to lean back to sleep. My muffler was rattling badly prior to the trip. The exhaust shop didn't have a suitable 3" muffler in stock so I just had them straight pipe it. It wasn't terrible, but there was definitely a drone at 65 mph on anything but flat ground. I also need to add more sound deading.

Overall was very happy with the way the van handled the trip. It was easy to drive, provided lots of room for the passengers and ran great the whole way.

Here is a pic from the hotel window. The old Ford was pretty easy to pick out....looked a little out of place with all the new stuff around.

 

Those are similar numbers to what my 96 got in the mountains. I too had one fill up that was lower than the rest (11-something) , along with one high number (17.3) I think the low number was a combination of the gas quality and the fact that is was all uphill (Aztec N.Mex to Ridgeway Colo) Had two instances in that tank where the engine died at a red light

 

I was hoping for a little over 16 mpg for the trip, but over 15 mpg isn't too bad given the circumstances. The 9 mpg wasn't a full tank. It was topping it off after driving around Disney for the week......so I could only put in about 9 gallons.

They also only had B20 Diesel at the prior station, so that is what I used. Not sure if the bio blend affects the efficiency.

 

Sounds like a good trip, the one and only way to really test your van for traveling like this.

Sound system I'd strongly suggest all new; speakers and head unit. Any new receiver/player will quickly highlight the older speakers age of design. They're great with stock era-correct electronics but not up to the task of higher powered, better fidelity of today's gear. My source of choice is Crutchfield--can't beat their prices, free shipping, great return/exchange policy and the all important customer support.

Moving the passenger seat can be done but it requires re-drilling the existing seat base or changing how its all mounted to the floor. The down side Ford's E-Series all across the line is that right side seat location.

 

I will look into new speakers as well. I have already replaced the ones in the front doors due to one failing. I am not looking for anything exceptional, the current sound quality is fine. My biggest things are:
1. to be able to hard wire the DVD audio to the in van sound system. It has an FM transmitter, but other signals always seem to interfere with it.
2. Be able to pick up radio station better. I have mine set for the area, but when traveling it seemed like I never could find one that lasted for any time.
3. I want to be able to connect my phone to it as well. I can stream Pandora for music, but have no way to play it through the van system.

I am going to take a look at the seat base. I have removed the seat quit a bit when I need to remove the dog house. I am hoping there is enough material that I can just re-drill it to shift it back. If not I may have to figure out a new bracket of some sort.

 

Oh, yours is a diesel ? I missed that part. Makes me feel better about my numbers (mines a GT40 headed roller 351) My 99 SD F250 averages even better. Fully loaded with the camper and 200 gals of fuel it gets 12+ Bio doesn't affect the mileage. Fed mandate is B5 blend now. It's rare to fill now with straight diesel, but I have done so a couple times in the past year. You can tell by the smell. Bio blends smell like paint, which rancid cooking oil smells like too. Is your diesel turboed ? If it's not, I'd look into doing that. The mileage and performance will improve.

 

Mine is currently a N/A 7.3 IDI. C6 trans with a Doug Nash O/D. If I swapped in an E4OD I would probably see 20-22mpg hwy on a semi regular basis due to the built in O/D and locking torque converter. I just like the simplicity/durability of the c6...plus it is what I had already.

I am currently eyeing this guy:


According to members with similar vans I should see an increase in both performance and mileage. Just a little hard to bite the bullet and spend the $$.

 

A lockup converter's not going to net you that kind of gain. What you've got now is good. The Turbo will be a huge improvement. My SD's 7.3 flat out moves the F250 like a gas motor in a small car. From a 55 mph "stomp" all you have to do is wait a second or so for the turbo to spool up before it takes off like a rocket. Don't even have to downshift the 6 speed out of OD. It'll cruise with a heavy load up and down rolling hills without touching the shifter. That's the one thing I miss in driving the van vs the SD F250 on vacations. You can load the vehicle up with anything you think you need to bring along without paying a penalty in performance. My best mileage with the 7.3 was 23 mpg but that was running light and keeping the speeds below 60-65. It's got a ZF 6 speed and 3.73 rear with 32" tires.

 

Under optimal conditions members with the same van, only differance being the trans, have seen 20-23mpg on repeated tanks all hwy. Of course optimal conditions means completely unloaded, on nothing but flat ground, no headwind and cruise set 60-65mph.....but that is optimal conditions, not average.

Overall I am happy with what I got. I would be interested to see where I would end up under the same conditions. If I can get in the high teens I would be happy. I didnt get the van to be a Prius...but it fun to tinker with and see how well I can do. I got it since there are 5 of us and a dog. It gives us lots of room when on the road and I can use it as a tow vehicle for my track car and travel trailer. Plus when I camp out at the track I dont have to set up a tent and I have an actual bed to sleep in. That and the price tag was right. Getting something newer would have given me more performance and mileage out of the gate, but it would have costed me more with insurance, registration and a possible payment. Since I cant just leave it alone I probably would have started messing with it anyway.

The turbo will be my next big investment for it. Just gotta wait til the savings rebounds some from the trip etc.

 

We bought our 96 for the same reasons. Nothing out there now with the room now that looks halfway nice. Our 96 has a fold down power rear seat. That and the high top conversion makes it ideal for two people to "camp out" in at a moments notice. I doubt anything new gets any better mileage. Everything "new" now looks just plain retarded in the styling department, only two come to mind, Nissan's offering and Ford's "euro" looking vans. Ain't gonna buy either one. I paid $3900 for the 96 with 97K miles on it and an interior that was as good as new. Spent another 2 grand or so on the engine, brakes, new axles and bearings exhaust and suspension to make it "as good as new".

 

Yep, mine is getting close to where I want it. I got it for $3500 with 120K on it. Interior is in great shape and only a few small rust spots. Planning on driving it until the wheels fall off...then I will duct tape them back on and drive some more.

Funny about the new stuff. My dad has a 2010 Ram 2500 with the Cummins 6.7. It does great pulling his 5th wheel, but doesn't do much better than mine as far as mileage. If mine were a truck and not a van with the areo of a barn I would probably be right even with him. Of course he still has all the stock emissions stuff on it, no tune and about 600ft/lbs of torque. With the turbo kit I will probably be about 400ft/lbs.

I'm with you on the new styling. It seems boring and everything just looks like a different shaped blob.

 

@baddad Do you have photos of your high top? What size engine? I am looking at an E350 with the 5.8. Why did you have to drop $2k into such a low mileage vehicle?

Thanks!

Mark

 

I have pics, but can't post em here. The 2K I spent was to upgrade and prevent future potential problems. The rear axles and bearings would have been a problem had I not changed both. In the 8.8 rearend in the 150's, the alxe itself is the inner race for the wheel bearings, the surface is hardened and once that thin layer is worn through, it's just a matter of time before the bearings wear through the axle, that's something you do NOT want to happen at highway speeds. I also did a GT40 head swap, this was done to both use the heads I already had on hand and to "fix" the exhaust leak at the manifold/head junction on the passenger side head. In doing this, I also changed the manifolds to shorty headers. The swap gained me some power and efficiency, so it was money and time well spent. Some of that 2K was also spent on new shocks, new front springs and a heavier swaybar to improve the handling. I bought the van for $4000 so all in all, I have about 6K in it, far less money than a newer van would have cost. Plus it's easier and simpler to work on with the 5.8 vs the newer models with the mod motors

 

I always plan on having to invest a decent amount into a used vehicle.....especially aince most people dont have maintinance records. I see it as a good thing since then I can make the cehicle the way I want it instead of settling for something that isnt quite right. I can invest the $ in what is important to me and I dont have to pay for stuff that isnt.

 

I know what folks mean about investing money into a used vehicle. I bought a decent e150 van for $1000 and took it on a 3500 mile road trip the following day. It ran great! It needed shocks and the tires were just okay. I bought new Michelin tires, KYB shocks, installed new tie rods and ball joints. Did a basic tune up. Flushed the transmission. Two years and 19,000 miles later, the van is still running like a champ. I have over $4000 into the van. This includes oil changes, tune ups, tires, etc. I could sell the van today on Craigslist for $3000 firm. It's got 105k on the clock. Not bad for all the use and abuse.



Pismo Beach, California