Hi ,

just bought a 1988 E250 in mint condition ...it' s a camper conversion .

it has a 351W and this engine is gutless ,,,
it has an exhaust leak around the air pump .....( Is there a link showing how to remove this pump ?)

what is the compression ratio on these 351W ?

what can be done for this engine to give better service ? economy/performance

the Van has a C6 auto tranny , what OD tranny would fit there without too much problems

thanks

Dan ,

 

It was gutless brand new too, but if you start pulling (smog) parts off you'll have a mess bigger than you can imagine.

 

It aint normal for a 351 CI to be that gutless !

could it be the catalytic converter ?

where the cams still retarded in 88 in ford engines ( they were in 71-76 )

 

1972 up are all boat anchors, less the Cobra and the Lightning engines. I would just go through it and get it back up to specs, then enjoy it for what it is........or go to FordRacing.com for a crate engine....

 

We have a 88 falcon e250. the vans are a boat anchor as well. They are heavy so it doesn't help having an engine that is already gutless.
Ford has an AOD tranny but I wouldn't stick it into that van without a beefed up rebuild.
The van will kill the OD in the stock tranny in a short time. At least from the reading I have done on putting in a OD tranny in ours.
The people we got ours from said they never could take hills faster than 55 in it.
We haven't drove ours that much yet but just the little I have;
I can tell its underpowered.

 

if there`s nothing to do with this 351 , ill pull it out and throw a diesel in .

I drove lots of 350`s chevy vans and without being quick , they would at least move better then this !

 

There is lots you can do to this motor to wake it up, as delivered it was smothered beyond all good reason. First get all the original exhaust off it especially the cat and install something aftermarket, and then change the cam to the Crane 444232 and be sure to use a ZDDP additive in the oil from then on. The whole smog(air injection) system can be removed but it has to be completely removed not sorta-kinda removed.. all points where anything attached to the motor or exhaust system plugged and vacuum lines to the diverter valves plugged. The EGR cannot be deleted without setting codes however.

 

Is that an EFI motor?

Do you have to worry about emissions inspections?

Not sure on the CR, but in '88 with MPFI, it was good for 210/315 hp/tq, at least in Broncos and F series if this is correct:

Engine_Specifications

Sometimes van motors lagged or were derated due to the itty bitty engine space available.

Serving suggestion would be a stroker crank and make a fresh 393 out of it. As for the OD trans, IMO a built AOD would be almost as much money as a Gear Vendors OD.

 

1) it is EFI

2) no worries at all about inspection ...we have none here !

My main concern is : If I invest on new headers + dual exhaust I hope it will show on fuel milage ....
the van has 47,000 miles only
besides a little exhaust leak in the air pump area ....nothing to do !

 

Lack of power is what drove the big 3 to start putting in Diesels in their Truck lines.....I drove a (new) 1/2 ton 83 GMC High Sierra 6.2 back in the day!

 

those 6.2 L were not reallly fast but 25 mpg ......

 

It was a Monster compared to any gas engine of the day.........LOL

 

How much does the van weigh with the conversion? Is it extended and/or raised roof? And what is the rear axle ratio (check the sticker on the driver door and find the cross-reference chart which I know is on this site).

I had an '86 GMC 2500 Vandura that was a Turtle Top camper conversion. They ridiculously put a 2.73 rear axle on it and it was a Turbo 350 with a lockup converter. I changed out the rear axle to a 3.42 (and put in a limited slip at the same time) and that gave it more guts without hurting the gas mileage even slightly. With the original axle ratio the van could barely hold 55 mph on a slight uphill.... Those were the days that mfrs geared vehicles to give high EPA ratings in a test sequence at the expense of actual driving function. Without an OD transmission, you should still have a rear axle ratio in the high 3's or even as steep as a 4.10 if you are hauling a lot of weight. Seems like a lot but to give perspective I had a '68 426 Hemi Roadrunner with a 4.10 rear axle (factory track pack ratio) and a 4 speed manual trans with no overdrive.

Most engine mods will increase high RPM power and what you need is more low end torque. The cheapest way to multiply torque is to change the gearing; that is how tow trucks can function with small block Chevy engines. I would not bother with the exhaust other than confirming the cats are not plugged, and I would not hack emissions controls in that new a vehicle.

I used to pull off cats (to run on reg unleaded) and air pumps in the old days myself, but once EFI and electronic ignitions got tied into the equation, I stopped messing with 'em. And I have seen too many examples of people hacking emissions systems and making a mess of them.

Good luck,
George

 

weight: 4750 lbs


the axle code is "23" on the door sticker ...( should be 3:54 )

cant find the link !!!

I`m mecanic by trade so pulling the smog equipement should be easy and well done ....
The exhaust system is single and barely 2 inches.....
for sure removing the cats & dual 2 1/4" should help
but spending $400.00 and not gain anything id be sad ;-)

Dan

 

That sounds light; I think an '88 E250 would weigh 4500 lbs empty and you say yours is a camper conversion? Do you have interior stuff? Raised roof?

I would imagine your gain from the exhaust system will only be at high RPM and will not help you where you want the power. UNLESS the existing cat is clogged, etc. The extra power from a big exhaust is gonna be at 5000 RPM and up, and you're not spending much time at those revs.

My '86 GMC was a carbed 305--talk about underpowered. Then I had a '96 Savana with a 350 and that had guts but was a real bad ownership experience. Back to my E150 4.6 and it's quite decent-great mpg. Does have to rev to make power.

My first van was a '73 Flatnose E200, also a Turtle Top camper conversion (pop top and a fridge) with a 302 and ya know, that van really moved around OK. But that was prior to smog rules.

Good luck,
George