Check the front swaybar bushings?

Check the other radius arm bushing. They do go bad pretty regularly. Replace with Moog eurathane bushings.

 

I just located the source of a "rattling - thumping" noise on my E150 when I hit certain "washboard" imperfections in the road ….. it was the END BUSHING on the sway bar that had worked it's way out and was just hanging on the sway bar, while the sway bar end was hitting metal-to-metal on the bare opening. Not sure if this is your problem, but something to look at. I had looked at the sway bar mounting hardware/bushings several times, but didn't notice the loose bushing inside the I-beam hole. I was used to sway bar "end links" on my other vehicles, so this was new to me. I think this is a file photo of the bushing that came out …. it's just where the end of the sway bar pokes through the I-beam.

 

 

While looking for "rattling noises" on my van. I also found my rear tailpipe hanger was "hogged out" and very loose, but it was an easy fix with a new rubber grommet and larger bolt. I put rubber pieces and foam everywhere I could find metal-to-metal contact (and there were a LOT !!), tightened up every bolt I could get to, and lubricated anything that looked like it needed it ….. after several months of ownership, I finally have a quiet, solid-feeling van going down the road. Best of luck on getting yours done !!

 

I just found the bracket in front of the big catalytic converter at the y pipe flange is broken. Not sure if it has been broken all along. Does anyone know if this bracket is integral to the flange or does it bolt on with two of the three flange bolts.

 

Re: Urethane Bushings

Depending what brand you use the sway bar bushings might require complete removal of the metal sleeve the OEM parts have---I use Energy Suspension myself. Their set includes the frame mounting bracket bushings as well.

The axle pivot bushings--again depending which brand, Energy Suspension for me there too---might require you LEAVE the factory steel bushings in the I-Beam during installation.

Good luck with all this---its not complicated but sure is a lot of heavy lifting.

 

Wow. Most of my complaints have been rectified. I can live with it like this. Replaced the “HT” tires with actual “LT” tires. The difference is significant. No more beach ball bouncy feel and the annoying and dangerous tendency to fall off to the left is mitigated.

 

Replaced the KYBs with a set of Monroes. I never liked how the KYBs fit. The body of the shock was too close to the track arm even with a spacer. The driver side developed slop in the shaft and was clunking. My advice: Dont use KYBs. Get the Monroe’s or splurge on the Bilsteins.

Also. I put Monroe load coil shocks on the rear. I noticed while crawling around, the parking brake cable to the right wheel had significant wear on the casing from interfering with the driver side coil over. I assume that under certain conditions the cable was hanging up in the coil and tension was being put on it, hence the slightly higher temperature at that wheel. I was also noticing hard shifts sometimes like a brake was dragging.

I also installed an Addco rear sway bar. It firmed things up nicely. If you get one of these, be sure to buy several grade 8 washers and nylon lock nuts. I like washers and they don’t include any. Also, you’ll be trial and erroring on the install a few times so some of the lock nuts will no longer be any good. Their directions are F-

Feels good to finally be figuring these problems out.

 

It is a good feeling when your hard labor and time pay off in a smooth, quiet riding vehicle. I just returned from 10,000 miles of traveling this summer, and couldn't be more satisfied with the performance and reliability of my old van. Now I know why people keep these Econolines for 250,000+ miles … they are a great way to travel with a lot of room and (in my case) avoid spending big bucks on hotel rooms. I went places and travelled back roads that a bigger RV would never dare to travel, and got 19mpg to boot …. so it's really the best of both worlds. Glad to hear you've got your van to a point where you can really enjoy it now.

 

So where did you purchase your rear sway bar at? Looking on-line I'm having a hard time finding it for sell. I can find it in the catalog. Any issues installing it? Hardware included?

 

Having bought and installed several front and rear sway bars my first and only choice would be Hellwig. IMHO their front bar mounting system is far superior to the Addco brand. Addco utilizes a very similar through-the-I Beam arrangement with bushings that are most likely prone to wear out just as the stock parts do. No real need to improve the front bar if it cannot be better secured to the I-Beams.

Hellwig can be found through Amazon or Jegs.com or Summit Racing---they have the better prices.

HTH

 

Found it online at an outfit called SD Spring. The Addco number is 697. I went with the Addco since my van is old, not a cream puff and I guess I’m cheap. If I do the front, I’ll splurge on a Hellwig.

As I went through the install, I realized that many fasteners needed to go certain directions for clearance, access etc. The directions don’t divulge this and are truly useless. You could throw them away.

Note the orientation of the bend of the plate and that the side with four holes goes to the shock mount. I personally would’ve preferred a better bolt spread here but I don’t plan on doing any auto crossing. We’ll just have to see how it holds up.

Before tightening the plates that bolt to the shock mounts, put the bolts that will hold the bar clamps in with threads towards the rear of the van. I also used a wide flange, heavy washer on the bolt hole that I had to drill as it seemed a little closer to the edge than I liked.

In my pic, taken from the right rear, you’ll notice the clamp bolts are not facing the ground like I mentioned earlier. I had to cut the end off of the upper bolt as it bottomed out on the axle tube. Maybe it would’ve added support, perhaps it would’ve worn a hole in the scaly old tube. I was running out of lock nuts and didn’t feel like undoing it again anyway. And you may also notice the lack of washers on the clamp bolt...I ran out, wasn’t going to get more and was going to get the damned thing on that night!

On the “L” brackets for the end link, make sure you’ve got them the right way. The holes are different sizes. I used a washer on the chassis side here too. The big holes go to the chassis if I recall correctly.

Had I had this info, a box of washers and some extra lock nuts before I started, the job would’ve gone much quicker.

 

Hellwig's installation is much much less complicated and/or fraught with DIY improvised steps.

Of course there are some fasteners that are better oriented one way or another but that's not a real issue. I do have a few photos of my own installation of a typical Hellwig front bar--glad to share them if interested.

 

I had slop in my tail shaft housing and had the bushing in it replaced. Got rid of some NVH. A previous owner cut off the rear heater core lines as they had rusted out. While under my van I moved them around and discovered another source of clunking. I removed their remains.