I just purchased: 2001 Ford E-150 4.6L 103K Miles VIN: 1FTRE14W51HB99999

My plan is to travel around the USA (& maybe Canada) in this van with an approximate 1,000-1,500 lb payload. I'd like to address likely/known reliability issues before leaving home as much as is reasonable to. I'd expect to do no more than 25K miles a year for the next couple years or so.

I've looked through Ford's Owner's Manual a bit and the Maintenance Schedule and have come up with a list of maintenance and work to do. I'd like to get some feedback from people with experience that may know common problems and/or wisdom related to these vans. I'm not sure I will do all of the items I've listed, but I noted anything I came across so I won't forget about it.

I'd also like suggestions on tools to bring along, especially specialized ones that someone unfamiliar with E-150s wouldn't think of. Or any spare parts worth carrying.

I'd appreciate some veterans or anyone with an opinion to comment on and suggest additions or subtractions from my list. Thanks in advance. Also, if there are other useful threads or other information sources you think might help please post a link.

Maintenance
✦Oil & Filter
✦Air Filter
✦Clean MAF Sensor
✦Trans Fluid & Filter
✦Power Steering Fluid (change little bits over time with a baster)
✦Change coolant
✦Spark Plugs
✦PCV Valve
✦Cabin Air Filter
✦Inspect and lubricate 4X2 ball joints - Lube front lower control arm ball joints with zerk fittings if equipped
✦Fuel Filter
✦Inspect and lubricate steering linkage
✦Lubricate 4X2 wheel bearings, replace grease seals, and adjust bearings
✦Change rear axle lubricant on all rear wheel drive (RWD) vehicles (See page 34 of Service Schedule)(Normally done @150K Miles?)
✦Lube: Hinges, Latches (Hood), Striker Plates (Doors), Fuel Filler Door, Seat Tracks
✦Lube Door Weatherstrips, Hood Flap
✦Clean door drain holes
✦Lube Parking Brake Cable
✦Driveshaft Lube or other Maintenance?

Inspect
✦Inspect brake pads/shoes/rotors/drums, brake lines & hoses, and parking brake system
✦Cooling system & Hoses
✦Inspect steering linkage, suspension, and if equipped driveshaft and ball joints
✦Exhaust system & Heat shields
✦Accessory drive belt(s)

Other Work - Specific to my van
✦HVAC Blower
✦Tires & Alignment
✦Find leak (Coolant?)
✦Add Cruise Control
✦Install rear door lock. Or pulley & paracord system
✦New hub cap
✦Passenger Arm rest
✦Throttle Cable lube/sticking - Clean Throttle body/butterfly valve(s)
✦Carpet/rug in Back

 

you have pretty much covered it

 

The beauty of this vans is that you can get spares anywhere Ford trucks are present. The 5.4 engine has been forever. I was replacing the alternator at an Auto Zone parking lot in Las Vegas on my way to Death Valley.

In addition to all fluids and regular maintenance. A few things:

There is no cabin air filter.

Not just check, replace serpentine belt and tensioner. While at it, check for leaks on the water pump. Since you are replacing coolant, you may replace the pump anyway.

Since you are replacing plugs, replace the coils. You can get generic ones for dirt cheap.

I'll replace front and rear bearings. Fairly easy and can save you headaches down the read.

Alignment? After replacing ball joints, bearings, springs...

Shock absorvers and springs. Are thy in good shape? are they ********? New Moog CC880 worked well on my e150 and you can get them for less than $100 on Amazon.


Your vacuum reservoir will crack or the check valve will fail and you'll be wondering why the A/C is going to defrost. Not to be addressed right now, but learn how to so you are ahead when this happens.

Internal door cables. The ends are plastic and tend to break. You can fix it with bicycle cable tensioners or get aluminum ends from Amazon or eBay.

 

My van almost exclusively does road trips loaded with ATVs these days. 500 - 1250 miles each way through TX or the SW USA.

I carry a couple of van specific tools & parts with me always in the van:
- serpentine belt + tool for the tensioner because the belt can strand me
- spare coil + tools (short & long 1/4 drive sockets, u-joints, various extensions, etc) because I don't want a coil to strand me in the middle of nowhere and there's a lot of nowhere in the SW USA. The rough idle of a bad coil is annoying but the vibration at speed when the TC locks up is un-nerving. I have a socket I shaved so I can change the coil under the fuel rail if needed.

Otherwise, I usually have basic hand/mechanics tools with me for the long trips for fixing ATVs and this is enough to deal with most other roadside issues that might pop up.

You might consider a spring upgrade if you're going to carry 1500lbs in a 150 all the time.

Does the 01 4.6 have the oil cooler adapter by the oil filter? If so, check it for leaks. Maybe a preventative seal change?

Consider a headlight upgrade. The stock lights suck. I spend a lot of time driving at night. There are some good threads on this forum about headlights so no need to re-hash here.

I've also had to deal with the HVAC vacuum issues and broken cable ends mentioned.

 

Thanks for the suggestions all. I haven't been ignoring you, just doing some research & wrenching. I have some concerns about my specific van. If they warrant their own thread i'll split off, but for now lets spitball:

A) Coolant - The coolant seems to be orange. The Owner's Manual clearly states 'use green. do not use orange. do not mix them'. I'm seriously considering draining out all the coolant. Pulling an engine plug and running tap water through while running the engine. Filling with distilled water to flush out the tap water. Then filling with the proper green VC-4–A or current equivalent. The main problem here is i'm in Detroit and some weeks we only get a few hours of above-freezing temps. Additionally, There is a coolant leak somewhere (hose suspected) and you guys were already suggesting I replace the belt, so I might as well do the water pump too... Add it all up and and that makes a full day's work for me. If one little thing goes wrong it'll be sun-down on my driveway in 25* temps with an engine full of tap water. It's gonna be hard to do what's right on this issue before hitting the road/spring. (Side-note: I need to confirm I have the engine I think I have before putting this effort in, for now assume green is correct)

A-1) How concerned would you guys be about running the van as-is?
A-2) What do I risk by running orange?
A-3) Anybody suggest any products to help clean the system while flushing with tap/distilled water?

B) ABS - Road Conditions:
>Medium wet roads
>Moderate to High braking
ABS seems to perform weirdly with loud fairly slow shudders/clicking (slow compared to the ABS I'm used to). I think the vehicle stops well even when the issue happens, but I got distracted the few times it happened so it's hard to trust my life on that statement. The tires need to be replaced but they're not awful.

B-1) Is this normal for these vans? General thoughts/Ideas?

C) Steering - There's quite a bit of play. Maybe 4-6 inches of free play in the wheel between right and left before you get action. The van pulls to the right slightly going down the road, so in order to keep it straight my wheel is about 1/8th turn left at most times. I haven't done any looking into this yet so I have homework to do before asking specifics.

C-1) Does this sound awful/unusual?
C-2) Likely culprits?
C-3) How hard of a job worst-case-scenario?

Thanks again.

 

A) Coolant. I am not an expert, but I think there is a lot of "vodoo magic" on the coolant business. I understand some additives may be harmful for aluminum engines, etc. but I do not think materials are that far off from one manufacturer to other. I usually add coolant that says "universal". That being said, while you replace the water pump, flush the system with tap water, and refill with whatever coolant you want. I would not sweat it too much. IMHO

B)ABS- When I had my 2000 E-150 5.4, the ABS was only on the front wheels. There was a sensor on the rear differential, but no sensor on the rear drum brakes. If you only have one brake line going to the rear axle that is split on the axle itself, then you have no rear ABS. This maybe the reason why it feels different than a more contemporary system.

C) I'll check ball joins and specially the steering links. They are not hard or expensive to replace. The off-center issue should be addressed with the alignment. Surprisingly, it was hard for me to find a place that did a decent alignment on these vans.

 

Another specific question that may warrant further research or a seperate thread, just want to feel out what you guys think:

-Drained trans fluid pan
-Drained torque converter
-Replaced trans fluid filter
-I think I may have added a half quart more trans fluid than I drained out. Was an error I made
-Now I'm getting a whining sound that changes volume based on Park, Neutral, Drive, Reverse, etc.\
-I think the whine is almost non-existent in drive, the whine has gotten better after shifting through all the gears and driving maybe 10 miles

Thoughts? Concerns? likely causes? should I drive it a bit and expect it to go away? Thanks again.