Just bought the extended 1 ton version of this van with the above engine in it. I suspect it is a real gas big. Any ideas on mileage and will I have any trouble pulling a 20 foot tag along trailer with this van/engine combo.

thanks
Sh

 

Expect 10mpg towing. EVERY extended van with a 351w I had got 12 in town and about 14 or so on the highway, those were carbed though. My '92 E150, 351w standard cargo got 14 in town, and 17 on the highway, but it was empty all the time.

 

I got the same van, 1992 e350 with the 5.8l. Can't really say anything about the mpg, probably 12-14 . I just put gas in it , not really checking my mpg.

Is there anything I can do to wake up the engine a bit? Does a K&N filter and high flow cat and muffler help?

 

> Does a K&N filter and high flow cat and muffler help?

K&N will not do a thing. Looking for a cheap fix go headers and 2" straight exhaust each side, the van exhaust is very restrictive before the cat.

 

I towed a 26' enclosed car trailer (1500lbs?) with a T-Bird (4500 lbs) in it for years - no problems. Class IV trailer hiitch + oil cooler, extra trans cooler, etc.
1994 E-150 5.8L Conversion (No plastic roof it is a standard roof).

 

You really want to wake it up? Remove the muffler. It's the restriction in the system, the 1 ton Y-pipe is actually the same at the cat as the 460. It's a larger opening than the 1/2 ton system. You could also replace the two cats with a single three stage cat. Those two little things could really wake it up. It's hard to find a set of headers for a van with a 351. Usually they require more modification than it's worth to make them work. If you decide to go to true duals you'll need an H-pipe to maintain cylinder balance.

 

The biggest restriction in the exhaust is the dual cat setup before the muffler. I replaced the dual cat setup with Y pipe and a single, high flow cat and got a noticable bump in HP, torque and mileage. Install a low restriction muffler and do a 3" pipe all the way back from the Y pipe.

Once you have this setup in place, the K&N makes sense.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

I have a 1992 Ford E350 Camper Van by Coach House - same engine as you. I have not towed anything yet but drove it from Texas to Ca. My van has a 35 gallon tank.
I believe the tow capacity is 5000lbs. but I have no reason to tow anything that heavy. Good luck.