1st post - sorry it's questions ;)
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From: the old home place
Bilstein Shocks, KW Suspensions and much more: eShocks.com
I would also strongly suggest that you go with the Ford factory steering damper setup discussed here if you don't have it already. It's well worth it.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ering-fix.html
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Joined: Feb 2011
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i didn't have that much trouble doing them on my E350. i think i had all 4 changed out in not more than 3 hours.
there's just enough space to get your hand with a wrench up to the top nut, then you spin the shaft from the bottom. mine had a wrench flat which required a thin wrench, or if thats not available, a vise grip could be used on the shaft of the old shocks at least, then figure out your wrench size and grind one down to fit
i've had to redo the RF a couple times because my top bushings keep decomposing. i'm on my third set already, and have driven more miles without that bushing than with them, so i have to say i've done this a couple of times. its not more than a half hour to do the top end of one of these front shocks on mine, and the bottom has easy access
there's just enough space to get your hand with a wrench up to the top nut, then you spin the shaft from the bottom. mine had a wrench flat which required a thin wrench, or if thats not available, a vise grip could be used on the shaft of the old shocks at least, then figure out your wrench size and grind one down to fit
i've had to redo the RF a couple times because my top bushings keep decomposing. i'm on my third set already, and have driven more miles without that bushing than with them, so i have to say i've done this a couple of times. its not more than a half hour to do the top end of one of these front shocks on mine, and the bottom has easy access
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Just a quick update - drove from Vacaville CA to Bakersfield across some of the Nations worst roads ;( and what a difference!! Prior to adjusting the box it was almost impossible to keep in one lane - now shes so much better. It's not as tight as a rack & pinion and we did have 30mph cross winds to cater for and it also helped when I inflated the tires - 50psi front and 70psi rear - they were all at 38psi previously, why, I have no idea.
I think I might tighten the adjuster another 1/4 turn and replace the front shocks as suggested.
I have noticed one thing that I do need to check out - the 5.8 Windsor seems to idle high - I don't have a tach on the vehicle so will check it when I get home but it seems to be 1500-1700rpm unless I'm mistaken. There is a note under the hood to say that the idle speed is set by the EECIV and only timing can be set - so I'll check the timing at the same time. Anyone else know anything about idle speeds?
Thanks for all the help so far - you are all the best!
I think I might tighten the adjuster another 1/4 turn and replace the front shocks as suggested.
I have noticed one thing that I do need to check out - the 5.8 Windsor seems to idle high - I don't have a tach on the vehicle so will check it when I get home but it seems to be 1500-1700rpm unless I'm mistaken. There is a note under the hood to say that the idle speed is set by the EECIV and only timing can be set - so I'll check the timing at the same time. Anyone else know anything about idle speeds?
Thanks for all the help so far - you are all the best!
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i don't know a darn thing about your model, but most EFI vehicles use an IAC (idle air control valve) to control the idle speed. they usually either fail wide open (high idle all the time) or closed (stall whenever you let off the pedal). i would suspect yours is stuck open, but applying a real tachometer might be a good choice before changing it
Fleet Owner
Joined: Aug 2010
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From: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
There is no easy way to do this, just plan to spend a day under the vehicle, or maybe a half a day if you are lucky. Use a sawzall where you can and just cut the old ones out however you can. Jack and brace that heavy beast VERY well first, and go to town! I did this on a van and it was just an all around bear, but well worth it. Might I suggest BILSTEINS!!!!! Get them here, I did and you can't go wrong. There are many threads on this!
Bilstein Shocks, KW Suspensions and much more: eShocks.com
Bilstein Shocks, KW Suspensions and much more: eShocks.com
Bushing wise I strongly suggest urethane parts, I've used ProThane but Energy Suspension is just about the same. They're far more durable and longer lasting than the OEM axle, radius arm and sway bar bushings. I've yet to see an E-Series chassis of 6+ years that wouldn't benefit from this sort of renewal.
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Made it home (Lake Havasu) with no problems - going up Tehachapi she held 40mph and with the AC on the temperature gauge got up to just below H and stayed there - coming down she cooled off of course.
I was surprised to find that there was no coolant recovery tank and when I checked, the water level was at the top of the fins - so I filled her up, only to have a large pool of water underneath when I gassed up! That freaked me out a bit
Only other problem is that the rear gas tank gauge isn't working and so I'm not sure what size tanks I have - a little disconcerting when I am not sure how many mpg I get either LOL (a rough estimate seems to be 14mpg - sound about right?)
I was surprised to find that there was no coolant recovery tank and when I checked, the water level was at the top of the fins - so I filled her up, only to have a large pool of water underneath when I gassed up! That freaked me out a bit
Only other problem is that the rear gas tank gauge isn't working and so I'm not sure what size tanks I have - a little disconcerting when I am not sure how many mpg I get either LOL (a rough estimate seems to be 14mpg - sound about right?)
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IIRC, the tanks were 22 gallon rear and 19 front. to test this, don't be afraid to run one tank dry and then switch to the other. once won't hurt anything, but running near empty as a habit will shorten the life of the fuel pump in the tank. i have an old carb'd truck and i always run one tank dry before switching over. its just a few seconds of downtime before the engine roars back to life.
your estimate of 14mpg sounds pretty good, but i would suggest keeping a log to keep track of it. this also helps diagnose problems before they get big.... "why am i only getting 10 MPG"... "oh, it started when..." you get the idea
as for the coolant recovery tank, i would suggest finding on at your local junkyard
your estimate of 14mpg sounds pretty good, but i would suggest keeping a log to keep track of it. this also helps diagnose problems before they get big.... "why am i only getting 10 MPG"... "oh, it started when..." you get the idea
as for the coolant recovery tank, i would suggest finding on at your local junkyard
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Thanks - I was a little worried about driving and running out of gas with an automatic with "impossible to steer without power steering" steering and power brakes
I did that in my old Monaco Class A which stalled as I turned into a gas station that was at the bottom of a small grade - darn near took out all of their gas pumps before I managed to steer and stop her
I did that in my old Monaco Class A which stalled as I turned into a gas station that was at the bottom of a small grade - darn near took out all of their gas pumps before I managed to steer and stop her
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i usually make sure i'm on the open road when it runs out - so if i doubt and find myself in an urban area, i simply switch to the full tank until i'm back where its safe to lose power.
and i should mention that the truck i do that in is a manual, so the engine is never allowed to stop in the process. but even with an automatic, it should keep the engine turning for several seconds, more than long enough for fuel to get back up there. if it doesn't for some reason, you then shift to neutral and fire her back up without slowing down much
and i should mention that the truck i do that in is a manual, so the engine is never allowed to stop in the process. but even with an automatic, it should keep the engine turning for several seconds, more than long enough for fuel to get back up there. if it doesn't for some reason, you then shift to neutral and fire her back up without slowing down much
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FORD's published specs say the tanks were 22 gallon & 16 gallon auxillary. However, some motorhomes may have specialty or aftermarket tanks.
Puzzled by steveclv's comments "Only other problem is that the rear gas tank gauge isn't working and so I'm not sure what size tanks I have - a little disconcerting when I am not sure how many mpg I get either LOL (a rough estimate seems to be 14mpg - sound about right?)".
Don't recall a "gas tank gauge" that told me "what size tanks I have". Doesn't '89 FORD gauge read E, \, l, /, F?
For me a "gas tank gauge" doesn't enter into MPG calculation. All that's needed are an accurate odometer & trustworthy authority certifying gas pumps. The routine is to fill tank(s) & record odometer reading then drive. Next time get gas log how many gallons it takes to fill from pump & log new odometer reading. Then subtract previous odometer reading to get number of miles & divide by number of gallons to refill.
Don't recall a "gas tank gauge" that told me "what size tanks I have". Doesn't '89 FORD gauge read E, \, l, /, F?
For me a "gas tank gauge" doesn't enter into MPG calculation. All that's needed are an accurate odometer & trustworthy authority certifying gas pumps. The routine is to fill tank(s) & record odometer reading then drive. Next time get gas log how many gallons it takes to fill from pump & log new odometer reading. Then subtract previous odometer reading to get number of miles & divide by number of gallons to refill.
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What I meant was that if I didn't know how many gallons the tank held and I didn't know how many mpg I was getting, then I had no idea how many miles I could drive before the tank was empty.
By driving say 200 miles and then refuelling I could work out the mpg (~14mpg) but unless I knew how many gallons the tank held I still wouldn't know the range.
By driving say 200 miles and then refuelling I could work out the mpg (~14mpg) but unless I knew how many gallons the tank held I still wouldn't know the range.
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I did PM you for your PP email address - you sent me your physical address but I need the PayPal email address so I can send you the money for the postage.
Thanks again!
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