So after a couple months of searching for "the one" to build a camper van I bought a 2003 E150 with 135,000 miles under the impression it was a 4.6 V8. I specifically wanted a triton V8 for the great reputation they seem to have.

I discovered it is the 4.2 V6 and after being initially pretty pissed about it, decided that I can deal. I did not want to deal with chasing the guy down, we met a few different times for test drives, mechanic visit, and final purchase, he was a pretty genuine nice older guy who was just retiring and selling the work van. I dont think he meant to mislead me.

However I then remembered all the issues my dad used to have with several V6 ford explorers (repeated transmission failures). I sort of re-worried myself about putting a lot of work/time/money into something that doesn't have a known good reputation.

My question is how concerned should I really be?

 

Well, we have WVVan here who spent years building a wonderful camper van and he blew up his 4.2. I think you need to be very careful about intake manifold gasket leaks and front cover gasket leaks with this engine. What happens is that one of your cylinders can fill with coolant and hydraulic the engine when you start it with pretty fatal results. Read WVVan's extensive threads for a lot of great camper ideas and also for his engine catastrophe.

You might also look at the 4.2 engine section of the forum for both good and bad news on that engine. I would personally avoid the 4.2 in a full size truck but since you own it already, maybe go with it and watch for any signs of gasket leakage. If it is ever the slightest bit reluctant to turn over on starting, do NOT keep trying to crank it.

I have a 4.6 in my '02 E150 and it has been a great engine for 128k miles but I got new heads at 42k miles (under extended warranty) because Ford messed up the design of the PI heads on '01-'03 Romeo 4.6's; the EPA gas mileage with the 4.6 was better than with the 4.2. The 4.2 was the budget engine for fleets and dealer loss leader vans. The 4.6 and 5.4 can spit spark plugs so they are not perfect. My late FIL had an old 3.8 Cougar that needed head gaskets so I have a bias against that whole Essex engine line.

It does not have a lot of power so don't add 3000 lbs of camper build to it.

Good luck,
George

 

The modular V8s have proven over the years to be outstanding engines, but I wouldn't discount the V6 either. We've had some members over the years rack up hundreds of thousands of miles on their 4.2L engines and they're still running strong.

There are a couple of common problems with the V8s that you won't have to worry about like timing chain issues and COPs. If the van has adequate power for your needs I wouldn't be afraid to keep it.

 

You brought it to a mech to inspect and didn't notice the number of cylinders?

 

Ummmm........ Don't take this the wrong way, but you took it on a test drive prior to your decision to purchase, along with taking it into a mechanic to have inspected, and at no point in time clue in that this vehicle is equipped with a V6 just by even the sound of the engine? How is that the seller's fault? Did he TELL YOU it was equipped with a V8 (which even if he did, it shouldn't have fooled you once you heard the engine running)

Anyhoo, what's done is done. The lower intake gasket and front cover gasket leaks didn't tend to be nearly as common on the 2000s and newer 3.8/3.9/4.2 V6s as they were from vehicles of the 1996 up to 1999 era, to honest coming from a Ford tech. As far as reliability, my personal opinion is that they were good for very light duty usage as far as weight was concerned. To use as a camper, I would definitely go with a V8 and upgrade to an E250.

Those Triton 4.6/5.4/6.8 engines have proven themselves to be extremely reliable overall, and very good on power. Yes, there were a handful that were prone to spitting out spark plugs, but I honestly don't think it was THAT common that 4 out 5 would have this issue. I'd say more like 1 in 20. As far as what to do with your new purchase, I would probably just try to resell for the same or better money as you just paid for it, knowing your situation. Whatever you choose, best of luck.

 

1. It is not the sellers fault, I said in my post that I honestly don't think he even knew, he told me without hesitation that it was a 4.6 V8, it just never occurred to me that he might be mistaken.
2. Why would anyone inherently just *know* the audible difference between a V6 and a V8?

 

I open hoods on vehicles I am buying immediately and look to make sure the engine is not filthy and covered with oil, and at least pull the engine dipstick and trans dipstick. I would do this before even driving the vehicle to a mechanic. I could tell instantly if I was looking at a mod V8 or a V6...

As for the sound of V6 vs V8, my wife would not know but I sure would.
I have owned I4's, a V4 (old SAAB Sonett), I5 (Acura 2.5TL), I6's, V6's, and an H4 Subaru. And probably 20 V8's. I enjoy the characteristic sound of each but as a lifelong Detroiter V8's sound the best to me especially with loud exhaust systems. Spend a day at a dragstrip or a NASCAR race and you should get the V8 sound imprinted in your head. In the new high end V6 Ecoboost F150 pickups, Ford is piping FAKE V8 sounds thru the radio so truck guys can have the "right" sound in the cab. Really, even though the Ecoboost has more power than many V8's.

If you are not building a heavy camper, I would say you are OK with a healthy 4.2 V6 and the E150; your power to weight ratio would be far better than the 2 camper vans I owned years ago, a '73 E200 with a 302 and an '86 GMC 2500 with a carbureted 305 (which was a pathetic smogger engine with 160 horsepower). Both were Turtle Top conversion vans with poptops. Plywood bed/dinette bases, a fridge, a propane heater in the GMC, small water tanks and sinks.

The 4.2 was used as the base engine in even the E250 from '97 to 2003 or so and you will have to wind it up a bit to get power but it ultimately has more horsepower than the old 300 inch six and should cruise all day at 70. I once rented a 12 foot box truck with a 300 in it and loaded it with a whole household full of furniture. If you are gonna drive a lot in the mountains you would probably want more guts, however.

Maybe describe what all you're gonna put in your camper...if it's a cargo van, empty weight is probably ~4800 lbs and GVW should be 7000 lbs. If you can keep the camper build under 1000 lbs, you should be OK with a couple people and some stuff. If you anticipate your camper build plus your passengers and cargo being over 2000 lbs, you do need more than an E150.

Good luck, and don't let anyone let you feel bad about your van...if you need inspiration, check out WVVan's extensive build thread. He's running a 4.2.

I would drive it for a while before you start any major work and confirm that it does not burn oil, that the trans shifts reliably, etc.

Getting back to your original concern about your dad's problems with Explorers, the '02 and later V6 Explorer used the 60 degree 4.0 Cologne German V6 and the 5R55 5-speed auto trans, which was more problematic than the 4R70W that you have in your van (and which I have in mine). The engine was not related to your 90 degree Essex V6 which is an evolution of the old 3.8->3.9->4.2 and is kind of a sawed off V8 in design.

Happy Holidays,
George

 

I had an 03 e250 with the v6. It wasn't terrible. I got it with about 160,000miles and sold it a 1.5years later with 230,000.

I did have codes and bad performance due to lean codes which were fixed with intake gaskets and isolator bolts. You can read details on my 2013 posts on here.

Also I had the sound of a small exhaust leak the entire time. I tried this and that and everything and not until the end did I conclude that it had a burnt valve. But it ran strong for tens or thousands of miles like that.

Read up on this forum, be proactive, and enjoy your new van.

 

Oh and yes, it is very very gutless on hills and on ramps.

But if you keep your average under 65mph you'll get 16-17mpg. Wind resistance hurts economy in these vans, especially with V6.

 

From what I have seen and read that motor will more than likely need major work at about 160k miles(200km) due to the well known coolant leak issues. I specifically avoided vans with that motor when shopping for a van last spring. And on top of that if you are building a camper you need to start with a 3/4 ton truck, by the time you install everything necessary to make it comfortable and useful as a camper the truck will be overloaded and handling will be compromised. My suggestion would be to put it up for sale and start shopping for an E250 with a 4.6 or 5.4, the one I bought has 250k on it and still runs like new.. doesn't consume any oil and passed the emissions sniffer tests with flying colors. The one issues all Triton V8s suffer from is broken exhaust manifold studs that result in exhaust leaks, but once you fix that issue correctly it's not likely to reoccur and these motors commonly go 300k to 400k or more.

 

Building on Conanski's comments.............

Any camper-like build out that would changes the van's utility from cargo-only to full time dedicated camper nearly demands starting with the E250 chassis. Thinking a suspension designed for much lighter duty will NOT be the usable finished project hoped for.

Saddle the already-taxed E150 chassis of the 2003 year with a wimpy motor further reduces the usefulness and reliability of this van in the OP. While this motor might have a good reputation in other vehicles its just not advisable having it in your anticipated camper build.

FWIW my perspective is always having the best chassis/engine/transmission which tends to mean a bit more robust than my beginning needs. As a small example my current work only 2003 E250 extended body weighed right at 5,300# when empty and new to me. Today my interior and enhanced suspension parts raise that daily driven weight to 7,800#. I don't tow anything and tend to never load it with more cargo but even so with the 5.4 motor and 3:73 gears I get about 15 MPG but sadly its a bit sluggish---then again its not a sports car so that's of little concern.

I'm fairly certain a smaller engine would be far more problematic and a bigger gas hog. I can't even think of a lighter GWR chassis but an E150 built before 2007 would NOT be my choice for any van let alone a camper-type conversion.

 

Sure, but on vans, not as easy. Got a V10 and you don't see much under the hood with the air cleaner blocking the view.