First van
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FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
First van
Just as the title suggests I just bought my first van.. an '06 E250 with the 4.6. I'm not a total van virgin however as my father had a succession of them when I was growing up starting with a '66 I believe with the old straight 6 and 3 on the tree and ending with a mid '90's E250 with the 351w.
So with regards to my new purchase the only issue it appears to have is a bit of a rumble sound and vibration at speeds above 40mph or so, I feel nothing in the steering wheel so I'm thinking it's either in the driveshaft or rear axle.. maybe U-joints or bearings. Any thoughts on that? The Dana rear axles in these trucks are pretty stout and long lasting but my father had to have the rear end of the 05 F150 rebuilt because of bad bearings and I understand that wasn't an unusual problem around this time so I'm wondering if I will have to do that too. I plan to drop the driveshaft and inspect or replace the U joints if they are at all tired, and if that doesn't help then I guess I'm going into the rear end. The truck has brand new tires on it BTW.
So with regards to my new purchase the only issue it appears to have is a bit of a rumble sound and vibration at speeds above 40mph or so, I feel nothing in the steering wheel so I'm thinking it's either in the driveshaft or rear axle.. maybe U-joints or bearings. Any thoughts on that? The Dana rear axles in these trucks are pretty stout and long lasting but my father had to have the rear end of the 05 F150 rebuilt because of bad bearings and I understand that wasn't an unusual problem around this time so I'm wondering if I will have to do that too. I plan to drop the driveshaft and inspect or replace the U joints if they are at all tired, and if that doesn't help then I guess I'm going into the rear end. The truck has brand new tires on it BTW.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 21,253
Likes: 1,656
From: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Before I'd begin worrying about anything else the U-joints would be first on my list of things to check.
So far I've read very little here about rear axles being an issue on anything past '97. While its not impossible something is failing back there it does seem to be rare.
Do keep in mind the drive shaft comes as a balanced assembly so replacing u-joints need to keep the yokes in their same orientation as it came on the van. It might not hurt to have the entire drive shaft checked for balance by a shop dedicated to that service.
So far I've read very little here about rear axles being an issue on anything past '97. While its not impossible something is failing back there it does seem to be rare.
Do keep in mind the drive shaft comes as a balanced assembly so replacing u-joints need to keep the yokes in their same orientation as it came on the van. It might not hurt to have the entire drive shaft checked for balance by a shop dedicated to that service.
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FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
Yes copy that and thanks for the reminder.
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FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 31,930
Likes: 1,499
From: Ottawa, Ontario
Oh and another question, what is involved in adding a trailer brake controller to these vans? I know with this vintage F series most of the wiring already exists so it's just a matter of adding the 7-pin connector and plugging in the controller, is it the same or do I have to add all the wiring front to back?
Fleet Owner
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 21,253
Likes: 1,656
From: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
There may be a factory kit helping add that brake controller to your existing van---I have no actual working knowledge of towing anything at any time. 
What I would suggest is not adding another topic to an existing post---it becomes confusing to the OP and useful info might not be posted due the title of the thread.
Visit the electrical and/or towing specific forums here on FTE as those guys probably have a lot of experience adding such connections to different Ford vehicles.
HTH
What I would suggest is not adding another topic to an existing post---it becomes confusing to the OP and useful info might not be posted due the title of the thread.
Visit the electrical and/or towing specific forums here on FTE as those guys probably have a lot of experience adding such connections to different Ford vehicles.
HTH
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