Found a 97 Ford E150...

[Rugster]

I posted a thread about finding an old camper for $300 and then a few weeks later found the camper van and decided I liked the van better O(and the camper was more work than I was able to do) .

I posted an ad for the camper and got three responses very quickly. One of them was very interested so I decided to drive over to where the camper was located, at my Brother's home.

That guy never showed but one of the other people interested in it called me while I was there. Come to find out, he lived about 4 miles away so he came over to look at it.

He liked it, and wasn't scared off by the amount of work it needed. I had said I may be interested in trades on my Clist ad and he asked what I'd be interested in. I told him motorcycles or cargo vans would be good and he said he had a 97 Ford E150 conversion van. He said looked ok and was in good shape except for a blown plug. 

My Brother pulled up at that point so we went to look at it. He put a battery in it and it cranked right up and sounded good. My Brother gave me a really funny look when it cranked so easily and sounded so good. Sort of a 'This guy wants to trade THIS for THAT camper?!'

I think I'm going to take the trade. I have $300 in the camper



Now, any insight on the cost of a helicoil and the 5.4 triton engine would be appreciated.

 

[highdesertranger]

it takes more than a helicoil to properly fix those. a helioil is what a used car dealer does to make the vehicle salable. I am curious you said it had a blown plug but sounded good, how is that possible? highdesertranger

 

[Rugster]

I'll have to clarify but as I understood it, he had tried to repair the spark plug but it did not hold. The van runs, and sounded good.

What usually needs to be done to correct the spark plug issue? How time intensive is it for an experienced mechanic to do?

If he tried a helicoil and it didn't work, would that damage anything beyond a reasonable repair amount?

 

[Treehugger]

I have changed spark plugs and wires before.  I seem to be missing something here.  How is it possible to start an engine with a blown plug and hear it run wonderfully?

 

[highdesertranger]

"If he tried a helicoil and it didn't work, would that damage anything beyond a reasonable repair amount?" short answer yes he might have done irreparable harm. might need a new head now. also another common problem with doing mickey mouse repairs on these heads is where did the shavings go. I will tell you down into the cylinder. the best way to repair these is to pull both heads and do it off the vehicle, the proper repair is to install a one piece solid sleeve made especially for this. it's solid sleeve not a coil it's best to have a machine shop do this that is experienced with this process. the sleeve is bonded to the head. remember all ford gas motors of this vintage are prone to this. it almost should be done just for preventive maintenance. I know people who have tried to do this on one plug only to have another blow out a few months latter. highdesertranger

 

[Rugster]

Sorry, was a long day, the plug blew, he installed a helicoil and it isn't quite right. Not that I'm a mechanic, but if that's the case, that sounds like the head may need work?

 

[highdesertranger]

both heads need to be removed. all spark plug threads must be sleeved. hopefully a machine shop can fix the one he mickey moused. if not another head is in order. this must be done in order for you to call it reliable. highdesertranger

 

[Rugster]

Yeah, thanks for the replies and after getting excited, then doing some research, the chances of a high repair bill killed this deal.

 

[highdesertranger]

yeah sorry about being the bearer of bad news. but another one will pop up. highdesertranger

 

[Rugster]

Nope, thanks for the info, it is really appreciated. I still have my old 89 G20 class B

 

[DannyB1954]

Years ago I used to install spark plug helicoils without any problems. They are not like regular helicoils, but more like a threaded sleeve. At least they used to be.
I would hook up a shop vacuum cleaner that had a discharge hose to the exhaust pipe. I would turn over the engine until air came out the spark plug hole, (air from the vacuum goes up the tail pipe, through the open exhaust valve and out the spark plug hole). When tapping the hole for the helicoil, the chips would blow back out and not go into the cylinder.
Some people say that packing the tap with grease works also. The chips get stuck to the grease. The helicoil is actually stronger than the original hole. The reason being that because you tap the hole larger for the helicoil, there is more surface area holding the outside threads of the helicoil. The inside threads of the helicoil are steel, so it will never strip again.

 

[Alcatraz]

Take the deal. Jump on it.
You said yourself the camper is questionable.
You should be able to double your money reselling the van, without parting it out.
Or you can replace the motor with a more reliable one.