New member w/questions
#1
05-01-2007, 08:21 PM
New member w/questions
Hey guys,
I am new here,and I am looking at buying a full sized van to replace my 03 Ram 1500 quad cab I just sold.I have decided it will be either a full sized Gm,or Ford van,and I am leaning toward the Ford.My questions are as follows.
I will be towing a 5000lb(fully loaded) travel trailer up to 6-7 times a year tops,and will be using it otherwise as a vehicle for dump runs,etc.I don't drive much anymore now that I have a company van that I can take home,but I do need a large type vehicle with the heft,and power to tow the camper from time to time with my two boys,and my wife. I have been told by many that I would be best to get a 3/4,or 1 ton chassis van to do this,but I am not sure.It seems a half ton would do me fine for this light-ish towing load,and the fact I don't tow often. I have found the Chateau package vans suit my needs pretty well,but I could do just fine with a club wagon XLT as well. What are your thoughts on a chassis size for my situation?Would I be best to get the 5.4,or 5.8 litre engines depending on year,or will a 4.6/5.0 work just as well? Is there a cut off year on the engines with the spark plug trouble like my brother-in-law had with his 2001 f150 super crew 4.6 Romeo engine?Would I be okay with the 4R70W tranny,or should I opt for a larger chassis with the E40D tranny?How do these vans tow?Is there anything I should be looking at when look at these vans? I am on a pretty tight budget in that I don't want to spend more than $6K,and I don't care about the mileage as long as it isn't too high(200k plus).Anyone know of a good E-series for sale in this budget/spec range?
On a side note I looked at a 98 E350 chateau the other day in CT that had the 5.4 ,and E4OD tranny,and the engine sounded sort of like a diesel outside of the van.Is this normal?The van has 136k miles on it,and the A/C doesn't work(probably due to rotted lines to the rear ac unit). It also had a little rust on the rockers,and a few other minor things wrong with it.Do you guys think it is worth the $3900 the seller is asking?
Sorry for the novel here.If you have any suggestions let me have 'em.
Chris
1974 Mazda Rotary Engine Pickup
1979 Mazda RX-7 GS
E-Series van??
I am new here,and I am looking at buying a full sized van to replace my 03 Ram 1500 quad cab I just sold.I have decided it will be either a full sized Gm,or Ford van,and I am leaning toward the Ford.My questions are as follows.
I will be towing a 5000lb(fully loaded) travel trailer up to 6-7 times a year tops,and will be using it otherwise as a vehicle for dump runs,etc.I don't drive much anymore now that I have a company van that I can take home,but I do need a large type vehicle with the heft,and power to tow the camper from time to time with my two boys,and my wife. I have been told by many that I would be best to get a 3/4,or 1 ton chassis van to do this,but I am not sure.It seems a half ton would do me fine for this light-ish towing load,and the fact I don't tow often. I have found the Chateau package vans suit my needs pretty well,but I could do just fine with a club wagon XLT as well. What are your thoughts on a chassis size for my situation?Would I be best to get the 5.4,or 5.8 litre engines depending on year,or will a 4.6/5.0 work just as well? Is there a cut off year on the engines with the spark plug trouble like my brother-in-law had with his 2001 f150 super crew 4.6 Romeo engine?Would I be okay with the 4R70W tranny,or should I opt for a larger chassis with the E40D tranny?How do these vans tow?Is there anything I should be looking at when look at these vans? I am on a pretty tight budget in that I don't want to spend more than $6K,and I don't care about the mileage as long as it isn't too high(200k plus).Anyone know of a good E-series for sale in this budget/spec range?
On a side note I looked at a 98 E350 chateau the other day in CT that had the 5.4 ,and E4OD tranny,and the engine sounded sort of like a diesel outside of the van.Is this normal?The van has 136k miles on it,and the A/C doesn't work(probably due to rotted lines to the rear ac unit). It also had a little rust on the rockers,and a few other minor things wrong with it.Do you guys think it is worth the $3900 the seller is asking?
Sorry for the novel here.If you have any suggestions let me have 'em.
Chris
1974 Mazda Rotary Engine Pickup
1979 Mazda RX-7 GS
E-Series van??
#2
05-02-2007, 07:21 PM
Welcome to FTE.
Pulling 5k should be no problem. If it was me I would look for a 5.4. I have had the 5.0 and was not happy with it. In my opinion, 200k is good with a diesel, but not for a gas engine. Others might feel different, but I don't think it would have much life left in it. A club wagon shoyuld do it with the right tires and hitch etc. The rear ratio can make a lot of difference. Heavier trucks will have a stronger suspension and different rear ratio, The E4OD is ok. You will spend 2-3k on a good rebuild though.
I probably would not buy anything with a gas engine that sounds like a diesel.
Pulling 5k should be no problem. If it was me I would look for a 5.4. I have had the 5.0 and was not happy with it. In my opinion, 200k is good with a diesel, but not for a gas engine. Others might feel different, but I don't think it would have much life left in it. A club wagon shoyuld do it with the right tires and hitch etc. The rear ratio can make a lot of difference. Heavier trucks will have a stronger suspension and different rear ratio, The E4OD is ok. You will spend 2-3k on a good rebuild though.
I probably would not buy anything with a gas engine that sounds like a diesel.
#3
05-02-2007, 09:36 PM
A 150 with a 5.4 should be fine. I regularly tow 4000+ lbs with my 5 liter, E150 Clubwagon and it does just fine. The travel trailer would have more aero drag than my open car trailer so that would be a tougher load. If you have the option of an E250 or 350, go for it but a 150 w/ a 5.4 would be adequate.
Stay away from the conversion vans, they are heavier than Clubwagons and the interior is of questionable quality. I love my Clubwagon XLT. It makes a great travel and tow vehicle. I have 257,000 miles on it and its still going strong.
If you go with a 250/350, it will have an E4OD but don't worry about a 150 with a 4R70W, they are excellent transmissions. My Clubwagon has the 4R70W in it and its been great.
Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT
Stay away from the conversion vans, they are heavier than Clubwagons and the interior is of questionable quality. I love my Clubwagon XLT. It makes a great travel and tow vehicle. I have 257,000 miles on it and its still going strong.
If you go with a 250/350, it will have an E4OD but don't worry about a 150 with a 4R70W, they are excellent transmissions. My Clubwagon has the 4R70W in it and its been great.
Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT
#4
05-05-2007, 05:55 PM
Hey guys,
I just went to look at this van local to me,and I have a few questions.The van has a few issues,but none that seem major.The first is the AC doesn't work,and I don't know why.The compressor pully never kicks in,and the seller said it was working fine before he stopped using it about ayear ago.Also the heat controls don't switch over to VENT even when in AC position like they should.They switch from floor to defrost,and such,but never to vent.Is this an easy fix?The rear system only blows on the floor as well.The other is there was/is a clunking noise from the front suspension when hitting bumps(I could only drive up,and down local street as there was no plates),and it appears as though on the drivers side the large bar/arm that travels toward the rear,and attaches to a bracket with a large threaded end was resting up against the frame while the passengers side was not.It seems that maybe that bushing was shot.I don't know what the name of this arm is,or if it is supposed to be up against the frame,but the pass side was not.If this is the problem how tough is it to fix?Can you just loosen the large nut,and then take the bracket off the frame,replace the bushing,and re-attach the bracket to the frame,and tighten the large nut? Worst case scenario how much am I looking to fix this bushing presuamble,and the AC(even if it means bypassing the rear unit)?
The van is a 98 E350 Club Wagon XLT with the 5.4 litre,and the E4OD trans and 201k miles!!!!! Is that too high of mileage to even consider buying? The van has a few dents,and a cracked headlight assm,but the frame is clean,and the body aside from the accident damage as you will see is in good shape for a New england truck.Here is the link.Any help would be most appreciated.
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...eadExists=true
Chris
I just went to look at this van local to me,and I have a few questions.The van has a few issues,but none that seem major.The first is the AC doesn't work,and I don't know why.The compressor pully never kicks in,and the seller said it was working fine before he stopped using it about ayear ago.Also the heat controls don't switch over to VENT even when in AC position like they should.They switch from floor to defrost,and such,but never to vent.Is this an easy fix?The rear system only blows on the floor as well.The other is there was/is a clunking noise from the front suspension when hitting bumps(I could only drive up,and down local street as there was no plates),and it appears as though on the drivers side the large bar/arm that travels toward the rear,and attaches to a bracket with a large threaded end was resting up against the frame while the passengers side was not.It seems that maybe that bushing was shot.I don't know what the name of this arm is,or if it is supposed to be up against the frame,but the pass side was not.If this is the problem how tough is it to fix?Can you just loosen the large nut,and then take the bracket off the frame,replace the bushing,and re-attach the bracket to the frame,and tighten the large nut? Worst case scenario how much am I looking to fix this bushing presuamble,and the AC(even if it means bypassing the rear unit)?
The van is a 98 E350 Club Wagon XLT with the 5.4 litre,and the E4OD trans and 201k miles!!!!! Is that too high of mileage to even consider buying? The van has a few dents,and a cracked headlight assm,but the frame is clean,and the body aside from the accident damage as you will see is in good shape for a New england truck.Here is the link.Any help would be most appreciated.
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...eadExists=true
Chris
#5
05-05-2007, 08:47 PM
Your link gave me a "Vehicle Not Found".
Good chance the AC lost it's Freon, possibly due to rusted out lines to the rear unit, which is extremely common & kind of costly to fix. Low pressure interupts power to the AC clutch. I was quoted nearly $300 per line just for the parts. They were found on the obsolete FORD parts system at a far away dealership so I'd also need to pay S/H.
On a 200K vehicle many things could be wrong w/any system. See my thread on clogged AC evaporator, I'll bet the van you looked at has reduced air flow b/c of this. The blast of air out of the dash vents is the most noticeable, its harder to judge the flow out of defroster & floor vents, all are likely to be weak. I was not aware the rear system even supplied floor vents, I'd thought it was strictly overhead. I also ran a question about my rear/overhead air flow shutting down from an apparent vacuum motor issue-the rear blower keeps screaming, but the air is frequently shut down under load. Slowing down opens the flow back up. May just lock the damper in the open position if I can't resolve the issue.
The radius arm bushings are also notorious for crumbling, but are cheap & not to difficult to replace. A recent thread about this included info on aftermarket urethane bushings which sound like a big improvement over the soft rubber OEM items which might not go 100K. If not done already, its likely to need ball joints too.
Good chance the AC lost it's Freon, possibly due to rusted out lines to the rear unit, which is extremely common & kind of costly to fix. Low pressure interupts power to the AC clutch. I was quoted nearly $300 per line just for the parts. They were found on the obsolete FORD parts system at a far away dealership so I'd also need to pay S/H.
On a 200K vehicle many things could be wrong w/any system. See my thread on clogged AC evaporator, I'll bet the van you looked at has reduced air flow b/c of this. The blast of air out of the dash vents is the most noticeable, its harder to judge the flow out of defroster & floor vents, all are likely to be weak. I was not aware the rear system even supplied floor vents, I'd thought it was strictly overhead. I also ran a question about my rear/overhead air flow shutting down from an apparent vacuum motor issue-the rear blower keeps screaming, but the air is frequently shut down under load. Slowing down opens the flow back up. May just lock the damper in the open position if I can't resolve the issue.
The radius arm bushings are also notorious for crumbling, but are cheap & not to difficult to replace. A recent thread about this included info on aftermarket urethane bushings which sound like a big improvement over the soft rubber OEM items which might not go 100K. If not done already, its likely to need ball joints too.
#6
05-05-2007, 08:57 PM
The rear heat/AC unit on this van had the capability of sending the air to vents along the side wall(left side) at the base where the floor meets the side wall,and it was blowing like crazy there. The front system was blowing crazy hard on defrost,and floor,but would not blow anything out the vents. Do you think the problem with the vents is a tough fix?How much am I looking at to have an AC expert fix the system,even if it means bypassing the rear unit?
Is that what you call them,Radius arms.I was describing them to a friend of mine,and he called them something else,and also told me that if the brackets they were mounted through on the frame were bolted on instead of riveted that they had been messed with before.I thought I saw my brother-in-law working on these same things on his 83 F350 years ago,and the brackets were indeed riveted,but maybe Ford got smart,and went to bolts for easy of replacement.Does this sound right?Thanks for the help.Do you think a 5.4 litre with that miles is a total hand grenade when it comes to having issues shortly?
Chris
Is that what you call them,Radius arms.I was describing them to a friend of mine,and he called them something else,and also told me that if the brackets they were mounted through on the frame were bolted on instead of riveted that they had been messed with before.I thought I saw my brother-in-law working on these same things on his 83 F350 years ago,and the brackets were indeed riveted,but maybe Ford got smart,and went to bolts for easy of replacement.Does this sound right?Thanks for the help.Do you think a 5.4 litre with that miles is a total hand grenade when it comes to having issues shortly?
Chris
#7
05-05-2007, 08:58 PM
The cars.com page says the vehicle listing is no longer available. Anyway; to answer your questions; The AC could be anything but a compressor leak is most likely with that many miles on it. If the compressor is leaking then you would have no pressure and the compressor won't engage without system pressure. You will have to have a shop test it. A new compressor and a system flush and service can run as much as $1000. The vent no opening may be a vacuum line or a bad AC controller.
The suspension arm you describe is called a radius arm. Those bushings are typically shot by 150K miles so they need to be replaced. And from your description, they are due. Not to difficult. I did mine in an afternoon and the kit is about $40. You will want to do most of the bushings with that many miles.
200K miles is alot but if it has been well maintained, its probably good for another 100K. However, from the sound of it this one may not have been. My van has 257,000 and still has plenty of life but then I am dilligent about the maintenance. The motor is probably good to go but figure that an E4OD with that many miles is on borrowed time and a quality rebuild will run $2K.
Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT
The suspension arm you describe is called a radius arm. Those bushings are typically shot by 150K miles so they need to be replaced. And from your description, they are due. Not to difficult. I did mine in an afternoon and the kit is about $40. You will want to do most of the bushings with that many miles.
200K miles is alot but if it has been well maintained, its probably good for another 100K. However, from the sound of it this one may not have been. My van has 257,000 and still has plenty of life but then I am dilligent about the maintenance. The motor is probably good to go but figure that an E4OD with that many miles is on borrowed time and a quality rebuild will run $2K.
Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT
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#8
05-05-2007, 09:36 PM
The rear roof vents are only operable when the front is switched to either vent or AC, heat is at the lower portion only. If the engine makes ANY noise beware, could be the OHC chain tensioner, a very costly repair, and in the van, it's not accessible at all. With all of the problems, I definately would pass on that one, it'll wind up costing whoever purchases it a fortune, sounds beat, there are so many out there, you should find another.
#9
05-06-2007, 07:00 AM
Here is a link to my website with pics of the van I went to look at.
http://web.mac.com/cdirado/iWeb/Diradosite/E350.html
Chris
http://web.mac.com/cdirado/iWeb/Diradosite/E350.html
Chris
#10
05-06-2007, 12:15 PM
Fleet Mechanic
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: savannah,ga
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trucks continued to have rivits
vans switched to bolts and what is there is stock
with the amount of work to make it road worthy
600.00 for front end, up to 1000.00+ for a/c
I would have trouble offering 1500.00 for it
its possible to do work yourself and save
but in negotiations you always quote shop prices
to lower the price
200,000 miles and E4od can cost another 2,000.00
vans switched to bolts and what is there is stock
with the amount of work to make it road worthy
600.00 for front end, up to 1000.00+ for a/c
I would have trouble offering 1500.00 for it
its possible to do work yourself and save
but in negotiations you always quote shop prices
to lower the price
200,000 miles and E4od can cost another 2,000.00
#11
05-06-2007, 11:11 PM
Chris, You need to make a list/ (cost?) of all the things that are wrong or in need of repair to safely haul you and your family. Plus you need to budget for a possible engine or tranny in the future. Add up all of those figures plus what the seller will take and then see what NADA blue book value is. That Blue e-350 looks pretty well-used in my opinion. It is obvious that it hasn't been taken care of, just used......