Hey y'all, rescued a rusty 1988 E150 5.0 V8 with 54,000 original miles earlier this year and have finally found the time to start working on it. This is my first project vehicle so i was hoping y'all could give me some advice on what to start replacing first. So far I've replaced the battery, alternator, fuel pump relay, and the serpentine belt, also the brake lines are new.

Thanks yall, excited to be a part of the forum!

 

Welcome to the forum.

I wish my vans were that rusty!! Besides the front edge of the hood it looks pretty good.

It sounds like you've got a pretty good start on it so far. What do you need help with? If it's running and driving I would start by replacing all the fluids, filters, and tune up parts like spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor cap and rotor. And if it's been sitting for a while make sure to check over the tires really well for dry rot/cracking. Old tires can have great tread but be garbage. When they get old the belts can shift, the treads can separate or just blow out.

 

Do not believe the miles shown on the odometer, as it reads to 99999.9 then returns to ZERO!

 

There are ways to decide if those numbers are real. A close inspection by someone experienced with older vehicles can tell this.

 

Wouldn't the Vehicle Title display the actual miles of the vehicles as it changed hands over the years? (Assuming they didn't check the "miles are exempt" box?

Also, love the van. It looks like it belongs in a horror movie, and i mean that in the best way, as i love horror movies.

 

There are a couple of simple things you can do to check the condition of the engine before you go putting money into it.

Do a cylinder block test. You can get the tool as a loaner tool at the parts store. you may have to buy the liquid..


Use a vacuum gauge to help determine the condition of your engine. If there is a harbor Freight near by you can pick up one cheap. Below is an example of some of the things you can diagnose. There is lots of info on using a vacuum gauge.
Vac Visual: Quick Guide to Vacuum Gauge Readings - OnAllCylinders

Compression gauge. When tuning up the engine and you have the spark plugs out, its a perfect time to do a compression check. BTW the front two spark plugs are much easier to reach through the front right wheel well. I don’t remember if I removed the wheel or not.

Check the timing chain for slack to see how worn the chain and gears might be.
There are some videos on this too but I didnt see a really good one.
Timing Chain Slack Test

Those 4 tests should give you a basic idea of how th engine is doing.

Like NumberDummy pointed out, unless the van was bought new and stayed in the family then you really cant go by the odometer. I have done all but the timing chain slack test on my 88 E150 with the odometer showing 20k on it now. When I bought it the odometer was reading 5K an the PO swore it was correct.. I recently rebuilt the rear differential and the left axle shaft was worn where the shaft rides on the bearing so I know it is at least 120K on mine..

What are you planing on doing with the van once you get it checked out?
A little TLC and it will start shaping up!

 

I wouldn't get to hung up on the whole mileage deal. I mean if it runs good and works who cares if it's 50,000 or 150,000. You can have a vehicle with a million miles on it and was maintained exceptionally and be in better shape then one with less then 100,000 miles that was just beat on and run into the ground.

If you are worried about it. I would recommend getting a good aftermarket oil pressure gauge. If you even have a factory gauge they really don't tell you a whole lot. A good aftermarket gauge lets you know exactly what the oil pressure is doing. A good water temp gauge is also a good idea. And also do a compression test. But just know if you have a vehicle that sat a while it may take some driving for the rings to free up. But if you have good oil pressure and good compression then you should have a solid engine.

 

Not necessarily. Just looking carefully at all the various parts and the overall condition of the van and interior tells you a lot as to whether it's age matches the miles on the odometer.

 

Just a note here...
A couple of years ago someone posted a link to technical service bulletins or TSB's for the 1988 E150 with a 5.0 engine. There are 3 that I remember that affect my van which is a 1988 E150 with a 5.0

1st is the engine oil level indicator reads incorrect. I learned this the first time I changed my oil and filter. The manual says the 88 5.0 holds 5 qts of oil. I put 5 qts in the engine and the oil level was just barely over the end of the dipstick, maybe a 1/2 or so. I went a head and added a 6th qt and it was still not showing full, I left it at that. From then on i just make sure to add 5qts only and when the oil level is just touching the tip of the dip stick, I add a 1/2 qt. The solution is to replace the dip stick but in my case I would probably never be able to find one. Perhaps yours was changed so be sure and check the oil level after adding just 5 qts when yo do an oil change.

2ND was pertaining to a chirping/squeaking serpentine belt, mine was ding that. The problem was that the power steering pulley was not pressed on quite all the way from the factory causing it to be misaligned. The end of the power steering pulley needs to be flush with the power steering shaft. Once I did that, the chirping went away. Perhaps yours was done years ago.

3rd is a click/pop from the aluminum one piece drive shaft. The solution was to replace the drive shaft. Since I doubt anyone has a new drive shaft laying around, i took mine to a drive shaft shop where the guy assured me it would not come apart... Mine has a little tick/click sound in it sometimes when backing up a medium to steep grade. The aluminum drive shaft is crimped around the yoke and then has some large bras/rivets welded in place to hold it... That is where the click/pop comes from. Perhaps yours was changed out back then.