Here's the story-I have a well maintained 2004 E350 6.0 PSD that may need an engine replacement. At 823,000 miles, the van drives nice and tight. The interior looks like it has 100k or less. However, it has 823,000. The repair or engine swap out is north of $6000. I found a used complete used engine for $4000 from Diesel Redemption. Installation labor would be $2500. Even though the van drives better than my E150 with 125,000 miles, the electrical and AC are old. And it's a diesel. $125 oil changes. $40 fuel filter changes.

I just replaced brake pads and calipers all around. Fresh oil change and fuel filter change. $600 and change to do this myself! It's a diesel. Last year I replaced the alternator and batteries. $600. It's more like an expensive mistress that is never satisfied.

I want another E350 passenger van for camping. I know guys like JWA swear by these vans because they are durable and parts are everywhere.

I was thinking about the 1996 E350 with super durable inline 6 cylinders.

Or mid-2000-2007 E350 passenger van.

Any thoughts are recommendations?

 

Do you tow at all? The I6 makes 150hp and yes it can tow but you will be going back in time to the '70s when large vehicles were always in the way. A V10 van may be better suited.

 

I never tow, never will. I drive at or below the speed limit. I like the old inline 6 because it's easy to work on inside the van. Oil changes are pocket change. A complete engine replacement is probably less than any repair under the valve cover on the 6.0. No turbo.

Driving the 6.0 for the past 4 years has been intoxicating. The power is amazing. The TorqueShift 5 speed transmission is amazing. So are the repair bills.

 

So you're saying its an intoxicating drive but sobering when repair bills come due?

Okay so if you're thinking a 2005 E-Series is "old" then how much older would a 1996 or such be?

I'm skeptical you could find an E350 with the I6---I've never seen one listed for sale for just about ever. A people hauler would be extremely under powered with that engine regardless what fans of that motor claim. They're awesome to be sure but not for that use.

Not sure what your budget or vehicle fund situation is but if you can be without your current E-Series I'd sell it then take that money and look for something on eBay fitting your needs. I recently bought a 2005 E350 Club Wagon with 5.4 engine and 4R75W transmission. I only paid $5500 cash but that was an exceptionally low price---typically this same van would have sold for upwards of $8-9K.

Other than your fuel type your existing 2004 has a lot of life left in it but I completely understand wanting to be shed of the diesel engine. They're not for the timid and while they have a use to the average driver they're much like owning an elephant--great to have and look at but WOW the upkeep is just plain killer.

Shop around on eBay as that's a national market place filled with both dealers and private owners. I've taken up to a full year finding something I wanted but I was prepared to close a deal within a very few days with cash money when the right one came along. Keep email contact to a bare minimum, voice conversations always tell me far far more than anything written.

So that's a partial glimpse into my thought process.

 

The diesel van has what we believe is a failing lifter. The engine needs removing for repair. Basically, it's a complete teardown and rebuild when you get that far into it. $6k minimum. I asked myself "When do the repairs end on the diesel? NEVER! Having a gasser will reduce engine repair bills.

I found a 2003 E350 previously owned by the Air Force with 53,000 miles for $7k. Found another E350 fleet maintained owned by a private school with 178k miles for $3400.

Time is on my side. I have an excellent running E150 van. It drives like a marshmallow. I am taking the Active Suspension springs off my E350 and installing on the E150 to reduce the side to side swaying. A front anti-sway bar will help too. Refresh my memory JWA-what brand of anti-sway are you using in the front?

The only reason I am thinking about buying a used E350 is that my wife's cousins are coming from Manila to go on a 1-month 5000 mile camping trip with us.

The good old reliable V6 can squeeze most of inside. I have an old Subaru Outback that can fit the rest. My wife wanted 2 vans so we can sleep inside when needed. I can pay for hotels if we need to pull over and sleep that bad. I like taking my time when looking at vehicles.

I could sell the van for parts. The body is 100% straight. The tranny shifts smooth. Turbo, alternator, injectors....I may be able to get $2k out of this beast and put into another. You got me thinking! Wifey wants it. However, if I score her another clean E350, she will not care or even know what fuel goes into it. She drives nothing larger than her Honda Accord. She will be amazed at how quiet the new 5.4 diesel motor is LOL!

 

Both would be well looking into although if good maintenance records are available for the private school E350 that'd be my choice just based on price alone. You'll want to look for what and when transmission service was performed. My current 2003 E250 extended body was bought for $4500 with just over 165K miles---for the most part its been uber-reliable.

I run nothing but Hellwig, always in matched set front and rear. FWIW I have an '05 E350 extended body with raised roof, formerly a senior wheelchair lift equipped people mover. I added Hellwig short wheelbase motorhome sway bars and Bilstein shocks---a huge increase in size and noticeable improvement in the E-Series wiggle. Not cheap but handling is my main priority. Part numbers for the Hellwig bars is: 7008 Front & 7085 Rear.

I'd ask maybe $3-3500 for your van which might seem a stretch but the diesel lovers just might be willing to pay that for it. If they're serious DIY mechanics having a straight body in excellent condition is perhaps a bit more important than a small typical engine repair.

And keeping the wife happy greatly reduces stress I'm sure---nothing having a wife I have virtually NO stres!

 

I have had good luck with e350 15 pass vans. They almost always come with rear heat/air and all the other comfort equip.. Ck auto trader or e-bay. They usually go pretty reasonably on cost. Almost all will be 5.4 motors.

 

I like the E350 Platform. I need heavy duty as we use the van for camping. Time is on my side. The diesel van is still running. I may put an ad on Craigslist detailing all the work on the van. If it were not for the $6000+ price tag of getting a new used engine installed, I would keep the van.

 

Typically when a friend asks whether a vehicle is worth repairing or should it be replaced I'll ask how its performed over their ownership, has it been reliable etc. Of course depending on what repairs are needed to make it reliable for the most part IMHO its better to dump money into a known situation rather than plunge into something else. I ask myself what would I end up with spending repair money on or towards another vehicle? That's just me but I've never faced thinking of changing a vehicle due mostly to moving into another fuel type.

Coolfeet the luxury of time is a huge benefit and between here and SMB I'm 100% sure you can find an E350 gasser to suit your camping needs. I've bought 4 different E-Series through eBay and for the most part have been pleased with what I've found. Sometimes though that perfect van requires a bit of travel but it can be rewarding in the end.

 

Mike, the van showed up today on the forum. We traveled through western TN last summer on our epic adventure to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. Been through Tennesse twice in the last 2 years! You have a very nice looking van. The V10 is a great motor. I will email you later for more details and possible discussion on the phone. We are leaving for church in an hour. Kids are still sleeping. Wife is moving around a little.

We got our last van from a Christian school as they were unable to get insurance for transporting people. Too much government regulation in California.

 

JWA, TooManyToys on the diesel forum suggested that I buy an inexpensive boroscope on Amazon for looking at my cam lobes. I need to drop the oil pan-probably a good idea to clean it out and install rare earth magnets. The scope is $35.

Most of the advanced guys on the 6.0 diesel forum said that my particular noise may or may not be a big problem. The only way of knowing is to drop the engine or view the cam lobes with a cheap boroscope. The advanced posters that own 6.0's suggested that if it were their vehicle with the miles that I have, to drive it until it dies. It's been chirping away for 12,000 plus miles. I know the van inside and out. It's like a family member. So many awesome memories of traveling cross country, debate tournaments with the kids, going to and from church, visiting my parents. It's only let me down once with a cracked FORD radiator. Blown plastic top radiators in both vans. Junk!

Mike's V10 E350 looks tempting. The power of the diesel. Durable. Maintenance records $$$$.

 

Personally I'm not a fan of ignoring what might be a "fatal" issue IF there's a relatively cheap and easy way to determine what is wrong and the cost of repair. In my own case of a 5.4 gasser with VERY low oil pressure at idle I was advised to just drive it 'til it dies too---could be a few hours or few years---what the hell right? I opt to have something reliable so I had a reman'd engine installed--sure it too could die at any time but that's far, far less likely than running an engine I know has 8 PSI hot idle oil pressure. This way I decide when the van is down for repairs---better than have a problem out on the highway.

I'd spend a few dollars and the time necessary to decide the extent of your engine issue----because the diesel has been so good in the past it deserves that back I think? Either way you'll have good info to act on and might have a bit more peace of mind you made the right choice.

BTW where is this van Mike posts about?

 

 

JWA,

If you are asking about the van I posted for sale, it is located in Jackson, TN.

I should apologize for posting my van as being for sale. I just joined the forum. I'm a lurker/occasional contributor to a Land Cruiser forum where it is very common to post trucks and parts for sale. That isn't the case with this forum, so I apologize for posting my van being for sale.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Cheers,

Mike

 

I've had my 96 E350 for almost 6 years now, and the only real operational failure I've had was the fuel pump went out. Mine has the 460 which is a real horse and pretty common in that vintage E350, but I've found it to be relatively simple to work on, more so than I assumed anyway, and very reliable. It's been a rock solid van and only has 134k on the clock, but of course it's 23 years old. While it doesn't feel its' age at all, 23 years on the road is still a consideration. I did a lot of preventative maintenance a couple years ago which included a lot of items, including water pump, timing chain, the routine tune-up items, new A/C system, and brakes. But they were not nearing failure; I just wanted peace of mind for another few hundred years. :-) Nothing aside from expected wear and tear have been issues except the fuel pump, which is obviously not a problem specific to the vehicle.

I don't know if the 460 version is on your radar, but aside from expected relatively abysmal MPG (expected with the 460 and the 4.10 rear end), I love every minute of ownership of mine. I'd say once you get pretty far away from 10 years old, you're probably going to have to budget for more maintenance than with a newer model as a general rule. This is true for wives as well.

Good luck on the search! Hope the next one is good for 850k miles too.