1994 E150 Converison 5.0L 99,000miles
Let me start by saying i can install all your flooring or build you a PC, but what i know and understand about vehicles would fit into a very very small envelope.I am moving and need to sell this van. It sat for six months(i was driving a work vehicle instead) and some problems have shown up now that I'm driving her that may impede sales, please advise if you can:

In all the following cases i am hoping for "inexpensive solutions" as I am selling this van below blue book and need to do so prior to moving at the end of March. I have already moved a 92 Ford Conversion i had that exhibited none of these problems. Thank you in advance for your time and interest. Please email me for any further info you need. Thx again. Jon

1) I hear a sound coming from the doghouse when i am driving that sounds very much like keys quietly jingling while i drive, or perhaps like a muffled version of an old rotary phone ringing. Any thoughts?

2) When i accelerate hard or when she is cold a "knocking" sound comes from beneath the area between and slightly behind the front seats. It was suggested to me that one of the weights on the rotor(?) is unbalanced causing the engine to "buck" when pushed hard. This made little sense to me so i thought i should post something here for your guys who spend time with these vehicles everyday. This is far and away my primary concern as this will truly deter a buyer. Again, it only happens when she is pushed hard(like trying to pull out in front of someone on a busy street) or very cold(I live in Michigan).

3) The power bench/sofa in the rear was from another van(although it matches the upholstery perfectly and this van did originally have a power seat, so all the buttons are there for it) This seat has not been hooked up. I have 2 black and 2 blue wires coming from the floorboard and 2 white and 2 yellow wires coming from the seat. One set for reclining, one set for sliding. My question is what colors go to what? I assume black is ground but is yellow or white the ground coming from the seat?!?!

4)Last but not least. When i got the van running again after it sat, I discovered the battery was bad. I jumped it several times and was being driven insane by a "sucking or whistleing" sound that was emitted from the engine when on, despite serious investigation i could find no openings that would cause this..I have since replaced the battery and driven about 50 miles with the new battery and for whatever reason this sound has diminished significantly, if not dissappeared entirely. Suggestions to me were that the computer within needed to reset and the constant jumping made that tough. Also suggested was that a "fiber" gasket somewhere in the air intake system may be going bad, hence the noise. If the gasket is the case i wonder why the sound has gone away on its own.

Thank you all for reading this whether you can help or not. Jon

 

I would post your questions in the" 87-96 trucks and vans" forum I am sure you could get some answers there. The noise you heard could have been the alternator oveworking trying to charge a bad battery.....just a thought welcome to FTE

 

I am posted in the trucks section as well. I appreciate any and all responses i get and again a big thank you to everyone who has emailed me suggestions. I have to work this weekend(isnt self-employment great) but hopefully i will have a few hours saturday morning to work through some of the suggestions everyone has made. Here are some updates, despite the new thermostat when I exit the van i can smell hot anti-freeze and the temp gauge gets to "m" in normal before kicking back down to the "n". I am getting some anti-freeze in the driveway so i am going to check to see if perhaps the "gasket-in-a-tube" that was used to put it in is perhaps not sealing completely. The knocking type sound that comes from the engine compartment only happens when accelerating. It takes less acceleration to set it off when it is still cold in the morning. The best way to describe the sound would be to roll your tongue to immitate a phone ringing and then drop the pitch really low. Almost like a metal fan blade rapping against something as it turns. The fellow who listened most recently believes it is the "thrust bearing" which he says has two weights on it and if one is worn it will lend toward vibration when the engine is pushed, this vibration can cause the engine to "buck" into some other metal underneath causing the noise. I dont know how reliable that is, until i can get her up on a hoist(tommorrow morning) its hard to get a good grasp of what is happening. Thanks again for all your help and please keep the suggestions coming. For a guy completly inexperienced in mechanical work you folks at this forum have been lifesavers and have been great about not harrassing me for my complete lack of wrench turning knowledge. If anyone ever need flooring or PC help i would be glad to be of service. Thx again. Jon