Had my van back up on the shop's lift this morning. Checked wheel bearings, shocks, shock mounts, leafs and shackles, sway-bar bushings, coil mounts, looked for hanging brakes, loose lugs and worn steering box.......NOTHING.
Together with the mechanic we spent 45min and everything looks normal under the van. His suggestion; get higher quality aftermarket shocks (Edelbrock, Ranchero, etc) and having the camber/canter set right in the front end. The front sway-bar bushings were slightly worn but not suspected as the culprit.
So now I have to concider the brownie theory again, and maybe I'll just get used to it but I know something's different from the day before the work was done.
...but I certainly enjoyed the brownies too If you make up another batch, I'd be glad to party with ya. Back in 1985, we spent my wife's 35th birthday (and our honeymoon) in Amsterdam, and had some really delicious "space cake" (real name, sold in cafe's there) for her party....good thing it's hard to get lost in Amsterdam.
I'm assuming you didn't change the amount or placement of your tools and stuff in the van before/after the brake work (raising the center of gravity or like that).
I remember when I bought my (new) '96 Savana that the rear end seemed to do some weird moves, like on a quick lane change, and somehow I just got used to it even though I thought maybe I really needed a rear anti-sway bar. If you drive a lot of twisty mountain roads, a rear anti-sway bar might help as well as some stiffer shocks.
I had an '86 GMC Vandura before the Savana, and that one actually handled quite well--I put Gabriel "Red Ryder" shocks on it, and they were really stiff (bouncy ride in the back). It was a Turtle Top van conversion and I remember "testing" it with 255/70 tires and the new shocks, and one of the drawers flew out of its mounts and hit the opposite side of the van
I know a lot of Ford van guys like and recommend Bilsteins, although they're pretty pricey.
Where can I find the Bilsteins and rear sway bar George?
Not sure what would be the best source for you....on a quick Internet search, here is a listing for Bilsteins, running only thru 2005, but it may just be a tad out of date:
You may be able to find better prices, a confirm that the Bilsteins will fit your van (an '06 as I recall?), etc.
Not saying the other shocks are bad in any way, but I've had OEM Bilsteins on an old SAAB 900 and a couple BMW's, and they do last forever...Konis and Bilsteins are a couple of classic "best you can get" kind of names in performance shocks. KYB also used to be a good name--I put some of those on an old Toyota Land Crusher FJ40; not sure what they've got in Ford van apps...
Likewise, Hellwig is a real old name in sway bars and I'd trust them for good fit, etc...but there may be other brands. Maybe hit google yourself and just look for "Bilstein shocks E250" and "rear sway bar E250" and see what comes up....
Still not Googled anything yet but did happen to see my mechanic today and his advise is this. Since the rear is a fixed axle then a swaybar does little good back there. He does feel however that the front swaybar is undersized. So his recommendation; new heavyduty rear shocks and a beefier front swaybar.
Still not Googled anything yet but did happen to see my mechanic today and his advise is this. Since the rear is a fixed axle then a swaybar does little good back there. He does feel however that the front swaybar is undersized. So his recommendation; new heavyduty rear shocks and a beefier front swaybar.
Mustangs and other solid-axle performance cars (including NASCAR stockers) have used rear sway bars for a million years--it serves the same purpose as it would with IRS--keeps the body of the vehicle level when you're cornering. It effectively raises the rear spring rates (like putting on heavier rear springs) when the body is not level, but in a straight line, like a speed bump, doesn't affect the spring rates. And a sway bar, on the front or the rear, will add loading to the outside tire on that end of the vehicle.
The heavier rear shocks would keep the rear end from reacting as quickly in quick maneuvers and that might be of help in a quick, transient handling situation, but even a good lane change is slower than what I'm talking about, and I'd expect the sway bar on the back to help there.
Especially if the rear of the van is loaded fairly heavily (you do carry tools and stuff, right?), the optimum might be a larger front bar and an added rear bar. How soft is the rear of the van riding with all your stuff in it?
Or just have some more brownies and drive slower....
I had a similar type problem. I say similar because the van was fine while loaded and when I took about 1000lbs of equip. out of the back of it within a day I had squirrelly rear end. turned out my left rear shock was completely loose at the top. At least on my van the left rear is the hardest to reach the top of and this is the second time one has come undone. (neither installed by me, although if this one comes undone it will be my fault). apparently once the weight was lifted off it and I hit a bump it was enough to bring the top shaft completely out of it's mounting hole. Maybe while jacking it up for service something similar happened?
Hey workvan, are the new tires the same exact brand and size? If not it's the tires.
I've had similar problems finding tires that don't have flexi sidewalls. Even tho they are 10 ply doesn't matter either. I have had to return 2 sets of tires after only 500 miles of use for this same problem on both my 95' and 98' E350 extended cargos. Michelin and Firestone Steeltex were the only tires I could use for so many years. Good luck and keep us updated with more info.
apparently once the weight was lifted off it and I hit a bump it was enough to bring the top shaft completely out of it's mounting hole. Maybe while jacking it up for service something similar happened?
Thought of that and checked it, thanks
Quote:
Originally Posted by jethro b
Hey workvan, are the new tires the same exact brand and size? If not it's the tires.
This is highly probable. Even though the new tires were on the Fri before the brake job was done on Monday, it's possible I didn't notice the handling over that week/nd and then attributed the strange swaying only after I had picked it up from the brake shop.
Concidering this I went back to the tire dealer and swapped out the new Cooper Discovery 6 ply for the same model in 10 ply, but no difference. Now that you mention this I recall the worn tires that came on the van were Firestone and I may need to go back with that and/or the Michelins.
I added a Hellwig rear bar to my '85 short wb van, along with some Sears gas(?) shocks. (OK, budget time...) Very noticable difference.
In your case, budget permitting, I would get the rear bar and consider adding the bigger front bar. (You always want the front bigger than the rear)
Good luck.
Yes but, if it's the tires it won't matter how many swaybars and other handling improvers you add. It will still do the side to side thing. Trust me, I've been dealing with this issue since 1996 when I bought my first set of tires.
Yes but, if it's the tires it won't matter how many swaybars and other handling improvers you add. It will still do the side to side thing. Trust me, I've been dealing with this issue since 1996 when I bought my first set of tires.
Interesting---hey Workvan1, what kind of tread pattern do the tires have? If they're a blocky all terrain type of tread, I can see that flexing around more than something like a traditional rib type tread, although the latter won't work as well in snow or mud.
What kind of Firestones were on there? I'm guessing that well-worn tires would give a steadier ride as well, because there's not as much rubber to flex around.
I've had great luck with Michelin LTX M/S tires on my van (although they're P rated XL tires on an E150). I believe Ford uses these as OEM on their heavier vans in LT ratings too. I've heard good things about BF Goodrich Commercial T/A's as well.
If you want to check some serious tire reviews, Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels probably won't have the Cooper brand, but they do have Firestone and Michelin...maybe do some homework if you're in the position of having to decide.
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If you make up another batch, I'd be glad to party with ya. Back in 1985, we spent my wife's 35th birthday (and our honeymoon) in Amsterdam, and had some really delicious "space cake" (real name, sold in cafe's there) for her party....good thing it's hard to get lost in Amsterdam.
