Im going to be flying to Colorado to buy a 1986 e350 with the 6.9L then driving it back to Florida. For $1800

1986 very well cared for 350 XL Super Van road ready. Former work van. Retired now.

6.9 International Diesel Motor
Automatic transmission
AC
Power windows
Power locks
Int wipers
Tilt steering wheel
Cruise control
Stereo
New tires
Good brakes
8000 lb winch in custom bumper
Dual batteries
Dual fuel tanks
New front suspension
Progressive springs
New king pins
New shocks on front
New tie rod ends
New Drag link
Insulated
Custom drivers side tool box
Tow package
Trailer hitch front and rear
New bushings on I beam


The owner says he trusts it to make it back to Florida said he doesn't see any reason why it wouldn't make it. He did tell me that the oil only has about 1K miles on it but it is old. And when I asked him about SCAs he wasn't really sure what that was but he said he usually just used good coolant and never had a problem. Hes owned it for 10 years and it has 195K miles.

Ive never owned a diesel but I am very familiar with working on trucks and cars. Can I just take it to any Jiffy Lube or something to get the oil changed just for the drive back. 15W-40 correct? Also is there anything else you would change or look at before I start the trip?

 

The price is decent, but I have worries about a colorado van and its rust underneath. If it's rusty, I'd say $1800 is kind of high. If it's clean, that's a decent deal for an IDI van.

The kingpin job alone is probably a thousands bucks worth of work. Judging by all the suspension work (I went thru all the things listed), he was probably pissed off at how much these old econolines meander on the highway.

I don't think SCA's a major concern on the 6.9's. I thought the 7.3's were susceptible to cavitation due to the thinness of the engine walls, but the 6.9's were less likely, therefore the SCA's could be ignored. IDK. Maybe another FTE member can chime in.

Assuming the winch works, that kind of sweetens the price.

Some red flags for me: Rust potential, there is no mileage on the ad, and calling it a "Supervan." IIRC, I thought the supervan was the econoline with the extended rear. But I could be wrong, because my Ford Manual is so large that I can't find the page where I read about the Supervan trim package. Regardless, if it's not a Supervan per se, then I'd be worried about the PO's knowledge (best case scenario is ignorance), and the PO's maliciousness (worst case scenario is why is he lying?).

You can go to jiffy lube and have them change out the oil. BUT BUT BUT, do not let the pimply wallflower teenagers put the wrong API engine oil in that IDI. To be completely sure, you might want to bring 10 quarts of Rotella 10w40 conventional oil and force them to pour that in. I hate those jiffy lube places because they still charge you the same amount even if you supply the filter and oil. But since you are trying to limp this beast back to FL, you aren't in a place to negotiate.

As for the drive back to FL, you shouldn't have too much trouble, but with any old engine, anything can happen. You can't predict everything so the best thing to do is buy a AAA membership ASAP. Then upgrade to Premiere AAA very quickly. They have a waiting period of something like 30-days before your Premiere AAA kicks in, but once it does, then you can have a free 200-mile tow every year, and five 100-mile tows. VERY USEFUL.

 

Thanks a lot for responding!
Sorry the add does show the miles it’s at 195k. And as far as the rust I asked him and he said the underneath is almost no rust a little surface rust but he said it was coated from the factory.

The owner is an much older guy can barely text and seemed normal on the phone. He said he’s owned it for 10 years and that his father owned it before him. I think it’s definitely just ignorance. I haven’t payed him anything and don’t plan on it if he is lying about any part of the deal.

And yes I’ll but some Rotella then take it too the jiffy lube place and make them use that. And yes I do have AAA I’m pretty sure it is the premium also but I will check.

Is there any parts or tools I should buy just to have on hand before I start the trip.

And I kinda figure that with these old IDIs it would be hard to prop the engines up and make them run great when there are deeper problems right? I know with my old XJ Cherokee it would be running like a charm then next week some censor or something could fail and disable the whole truck. From what I read these engines are extremely simple and really only need air, compression, and fuel. And if it starts up from a cold start good and runs down the road good it should be in decent running condition right? Shouldn’t be too many surprises that could pop up right?

 

LOL. I once drove my IDI van from Newfoundland to Los Angeles with a cracked block. The coolant was contaminated with oil. I had gallons of that goop in my reservior and radiator, and it took 6 flushes to clean it out. But the Megavan just kept rolling. So yeah, you can limp these beasts forever since there are no computer parts to fail on you.

195K ain't bad. It's likely the IP, injectors, and GP's might need replacing at that point. They typically have a 100K lifespan, so you are coming up on 200K. ALso, it's just good to get a good baseline cuz you can't trust the PO for ****. Buy your IP and Injectors from R&D IDI Performance. Best prices and best service. And put in your order quick cuz he is busy AF and it may take a while.

I find it hard to believe a CO van doesn't have rust. My van is from Calif, so relative to my experience, anything is rusty.

Make sure your AAA is premiere. Get the clock started on the transition if it ain't.

As for hiding problems, the PO can hide a lot. These beasts actually can run thru anything, and you need to look for issues because they tend to run unless there are MAJOR compression or timing issues. Check the smoke levels when it is cold and warm, at various RPM's. Check your coolant before it is warm and see if there is any oil or contaminants.

Bring your tools obviously. The most important tools would be a bunch of different length 5/8" open-ended socket wrenches, to get access to the injector lines. In these vans, there isn't a lot of room, so elbow, stumpy, and long 5/8" wrenches are a must unless you like removing parts to fasten down injector lines. Also, you might want to invest in a HIGH QUALITY 5/32" allen wrench (of different sizes) and some custom fashioned 9/16" wrenches for your IP and fuel screw, just in case your timing is off on the drive back. Here's a video I made of how to time it, but you would need a timing gun. But just knowing the process is good before you get to the van.


You might want to buy a few new belts just in case this old van had been sitting for a few years. Don't want to be driving through Nebraska and have a belt bust on you. Also, bring a tire gauge and check the pressure in your spare tire. Tires that sit for a long time have a tendency to bust on road trips.

Once you are on the road, I would buy a few containers of various fluids (steering, brake, bearing grease, engine oil, tranny fluid, coolant, rear axle gear fluid, etc) just in case you start getting leaks on the way. If you have time and access, you might want to pull the dust cap off the front wheel bearings and smush in as much SYNTHETIC bearing grease as you can. Who knows the condition of those bearings right now, and knowing you have some higher quality bearing grease could mean you can eek that van home without your rotor and bearings going out on you.

Also, while you are greasing, check to make sure your driveshaft bearings are greased. That's a long way for a driveshaft joke to go after sitting for a long time.

Depending on the weather, you might want to invest in tires now. Hate to hit a Great Plains ice storm with bald tires. Almost 4 years to today, I drove from Kansas City to Amarillo in one of those infamous ice storms, and i just kept the speed 25mph and stayed off the accellerator over bridges. But if I had bald tires, then it would have been impossible. I had 3/8" of built up ice on my passenger side so bad that I couldn't open the side doors.

One more thing that could be worth bringing is some Diesel Service so that your fuel lines don't gum up in the cold. Also, who knows how old that Diesel is in the tank, which makes me a bit concerned about your fuel filter and whatnot. I would like to drain that fuel out, but I doubt you'll have the time and space to pull that off. maybe you'll be good to run diesel service and top off with new diesel and hope it works. But if you start getting fuel starvation, you might want to bring a WIX filter or something just in case. Also, a gallon of diesel is always good just in case you need to fill up a filter or if you run out. These old IDI's have a thing called the "cone of failure" which is a fuel pickup that usually breaks in the tank. That means once you hit 1/4 full, the fuel lines won't find any fuel and it'll effectively mean you are empty. Maybe the PO has installed the common workaround of clamping a small section of fuel hose to reach the bottom of the tank, but if not, then you might want to have a spare gallon of diesel just in case you run out unexpectedly. Also, it's very common that these fuel gauges fail (I made a writeup about replacing the sender units) so maybe invest in a 5-gallon diesel can, not just a gallon. Assuming you have 12 mpg, that would mean you only have a 60-mile range on that 5-gallon jug.

 

Also, you might want to bring a multimeter. At the very least for your roadtrip, buy one of these cig lighter voltmeters so you can keep an eye on your voltage. The VR's (voltage regulators) on these old beasts are susceptible to failure, so if your alternator is going to hell, having a digital display of your voltage can help out a bit.

 

Does the person you are buying it from have an oil pan to drain it in to? If so, I would just change it myself. No jack or jack stands needed.....and check all your other fluids.

As far as SCA's, I would bring some test strips. If there isn't any I would get some NAPA Kool to put in it prior to the trip. The 6.9's are a lot less susceptible to cavitation, but since it would kill the engine I say better safe than sorry.

For longer trips I always bring extra belts, fluids and a tool set. Nothing fancy, just a ratchet, box end wrenches and a decent size crescent. Maybe one of those 12v inflators. These all could be purchased cheaply once you arrive and having extra's at home is never a bad thing.

Good luck on the trip. Let us know how it goes.

 

Last time I went on a trip, I just went to the local Autozone and spent a few $ on a drain pan and filter wrench(+ the oil) Went out and changed the oil in the parking lot.
Oh, and Autozone(at least where I was) took the used oil free of charge.

 

IDK. Every time I glance at my car at the Autozoo here in Inglewood, some pissy store manager waddles out to remind me that "no working on cars or trucks in the lot." The Autozoo this guy pulls up to might have a similar assbag running the store. I'd hate to be half way thru an engine oil drain and have them kick me out of the lot with no oil in it.

On many of my roadtrips, I've driven to abandoned lots or parking areas to change my oil. Then I return the oil to the original containers and drop them off at Autozoo. As long as you have a decent sized drain pan, it's pretty easy to do on these high-riding beasts.

 

Huh, interesting. I suppose that has something to do with Commiefornia?
My /local/ autozone(idaho) always has someone working on something in the lot; sometimes it's pretty involved like new a-arms or a wheel bearing, and nobody cares.
The one I went to on vacation was in Oregon, and nobody looked at me twice. I just /did/ it; if they wanted to complain, well, they can wait until I'm done.
They won't have a tow truck there before I'm done anyway.

 

They won't have a tow truck, but they'll have a cop there asap. The cops here in Inglewood respond to business owners extremely fast. But when some ******* completely parked and blocked my driveway for a whole day, the cops never showed up after several calls to dispatch.

IF you are quick with the job, doing it in an abandoned lot is probably the safest way to go. But then again, this guy is new to the IDI, so maybe it's a bit to ask for a new engine. Maybe just take the oil to jiffy lube and have them screw it up.

 

Jiffy lube places will strip out the drain hole on your oil pan and silicone the plug in place and not tell you. You will get several hundred miles away and lose all your oil on the freeway and will be hunting for a new engine.
ALWAYS do your own oil changes. I would drive home on the old oil way before anyone that's not me touches my drain plug.

 

Good point.

Reminds me of this story :: https://consumerist.com/2012/08/07/w...-call-me-back/