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Hello everybody, this is Alex, writing from Stuttgart, Germany.
Since 2017 own a E-150 4,6l from ’98.
As Ford never offered this vehicle in Europe, it is quite “exotic” on our streets, one of probably a view hundred in Germany.
I already did a lot of things to it, as the vehicle I originally bought was more like a junk yard car, pre-owned by construction workers that probably didn’t even wash it for 10 years. But it was cheap and engine and transmission seemed to be fine.
After riding it for a view month I really liked it. Friends and even strangers used to call it “kidnapper van” because the most common situation for Germans to see such a vans is in Hollywood movies…
So I decided it´s worth to be converted to run on LPG, making the everyday use almost 50% cheaper. Therefor I wanted to remove the body from the chassis. During this time, I discovered this Forum as the most imported knowledge base, because the is almost no community in Germany for those kind of vehicles. (e.g. I am still not sure how “body mount” is translated in German).
I was lucky and a second E-150 (’97, 4,2L V6) came over may for low bugs and in very decent shape. Unfortunately, the V6 engine was destroyed by the common “hydro lock issue caused from a coolant leak on the intake manifold.
So bought it and switched bodies in between the two vehicles an install the LPG System to the V8. I ended up with a nice red V8 Econoline that could be operated for 10€/100km like a Volkswagen Golf or Jetta.
Anything was good until realized (last summer) it was pouring coolant from the right cylinder head outside. But the leak was minor, so I kept riding it and had to add like 1L of water per month.
This gave me the time to search for a spare engine. I bought a 5,4L 2v from 2000 out of a Ford Explorer. I disassembled it changed all the soft parts and installed flat top pistons from the 4V version to boost my compression ratio for enhanced performance on LPG.
Now the 5,4L is installed and already run with the 4,6L ECU and it´s coil pack ignition system. But as there is (of course) nobody in Germany that could reprogramm the 4,6L ECU to accommodate the bigger displacement, I got a ECU from a 2000 E-150 5,4L, alongside with all the chassis- and engine- bay wiring harnesses.
And this is the first question I struggle to find information on my own. How can I prove the ’97 body electrics will work with the 2000 chassis electrics? That's why I finally signed up on FTE.
(I will post the question with just the necessary background information in the Full Size Van section again….)
Looking forward to learn more and maybe I’ll also be able to help someone out with the experience I gained so fare.
I spent about 3 years in Stuttgart while serving in the US Army. (88-91) I was stationed at Stuttgart Army Airfield. Germany was awesome, I made sure to stop and see a lot of history while in Europe.
Welcome to FTE. That's a great deal of impressive work. I hope you are able to get your wiring issue right.
Check in the, "Regional Chapters" section. There is an international chapter. You may find there are one or two other members with similar vehicles, or, at least, the same drive lines and electronics.
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