I just go a 86 e350 6.9 van. In checking out a strange noise (low growl/rattle) when the steering is turned right of center I found the clearance from alternator to heater fan, and from exhaust manifold to firewall on the passenger side were very tight. In the case of the alternator it was _VERY_ tight and appeared to interfere with the alternator plug. Since this is an old van, I don't know for sure whether the alternator and/or belt is stock, but my first impulse is to use a shorter belt to get that alternator away from the fan housing while I look around more. And I don't actually know this is causing the noise since the fan housing doesn't seem obviouly scarred.

Does anybody have a 6.9 van and can take a look and tell me the clearance between the alternator and the fan housing?

The only reason other than a long belt (but that only explains the alternator clearances) that I can think would cause the clearances to change would be a bad/broken engine mount. Real hard to see that area and I haven't owned one of these b4 and don't know for sure what I'm looking at. It seems like a broken mount would cause other big problems and just from looking at the engine from the front, it all seems to sit level and true. Do the 6.9 mounts use a big rubber block or something that would squash down or deteriorate with oil and age?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Rufus