E150,250 vs E350 Parts
#1
E150,250 vs E350 Parts
I recently purchased a 2012 E350 12 passenger for my wife and I've been wandering around car-parts.com looking for odds and ends that were missing, broken or simply weren't included with this particular vehicle. One of the items I've been looking at is luggage racks and it has me wondering what sorts of items are interchangeable between the 150, 250 and 350 and which are not. And are there few enough changes in the E350 from 1992 to present to buy most non-engine specific parts from any year?
Please keep in mind I am not mechanically inclined (I work in IT), but considering this van only has 65k miles and over the last 5 years we've only driven our family vehicle about 5k miles per year, I expect to keep this van forever. As such I would like to start learning as much as I can about it and eventually be able to replace the odd part or two myself. I recently replaced the battery and, fearing the worst, looked up how to swap the alternator and was very pleased to see how roomy this thing is under the hood once you move the intake out of the way.
Anyway, any tips, tricks or insight is greatly appreciated.
Clifford the Big Red Van
Please keep in mind I am not mechanically inclined (I work in IT), but considering this van only has 65k miles and over the last 5 years we've only driven our family vehicle about 5k miles per year, I expect to keep this van forever. As such I would like to start learning as much as I can about it and eventually be able to replace the odd part or two myself. I recently replaced the battery and, fearing the worst, looked up how to swap the alternator and was very pleased to see how roomy this thing is under the hood once you move the intake out of the way.
Anyway, any tips, tricks or insight is greatly appreciated.
Clifford the Big Red Van
Last edited by Jaguarrior; 09-24-2017 at 06:46 PM. Reason: remove bold
#4
#5
@jimbomitch - Thanks for the info and the quick response! I'm really not a fan of red (quite the opposite really), but we got a good deal on it and the kids love it. Initially they called it "The Fire Truck", but now we call it "Clifford the Big Red Van". lol
@Conanski - Thanks for replying so quickly! I was surprised when I found the E350 has only seen minor changes over the last 25 years, but I guess that's a good thing when it comes to parts. I'm hoping I'll never have to buy another van again.
@annaleigh - Thanks for the tip and for responding so soon! My wife and I have 5 kids, so we can remove the 4th row to make luggage room for long trips, but the luggage rack gives us more configuration options.
I have a follow up question: do y'all have any suggestions for simple modifications, either stock, aftermarket or something you rigged yourself, that has provided added convenience or utility? As an example, my wife placed a bunch of plastic storage bins under the seats held in place by bungee cords which has made that otherwise wasted space a great place for snacks, water and other materials for the kids while on the road such as change of clothes, books, etc.
Thanks!
@Conanski - Thanks for replying so quickly! I was surprised when I found the E350 has only seen minor changes over the last 25 years, but I guess that's a good thing when it comes to parts. I'm hoping I'll never have to buy another van again.
@annaleigh - Thanks for the tip and for responding so soon! My wife and I have 5 kids, so we can remove the 4th row to make luggage room for long trips, but the luggage rack gives us more configuration options.
I have a follow up question: do y'all have any suggestions for simple modifications, either stock, aftermarket or something you rigged yourself, that has provided added convenience or utility? As an example, my wife placed a bunch of plastic storage bins under the seats held in place by bungee cords which has made that otherwise wasted space a great place for snacks, water and other materials for the kids while on the road such as change of clothes, books, etc.
Thanks!
#6
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