Info On Common Vans

[Gideon33w]

Glad to see someone who knows and is taking the proper precautions! The early overdrive on the Dodges was always odd but they went to locking/unlocking setups early so load is low even on older models. That said, I prefer to keep the rpms up a bit on those motors and therefore disable OD when not needed.

 

[Raven+Squid]

Nice!

 

[Sundance]

I just noticed an ad for an old Chevy Express in really good condition EXCEPT they had knocked a lot off the purchase price because they can't get it to shift out of 2nd gear. Your Q-tip suggestion might make a really easy fix for that! (Hee, hee!) ...or maybe it really needs a full transmission. Nice tip, though!

 

[ascii_man]

Excellent information.

Given the rarity of one-owner full-records vans for sale and the importance of scheduled maintenance, does that make GMs somewhat impractical on the used market?

 

[ascii_man]

Also, what is the history of traction control on the various models?
Stability Control is another feature, but Traction Control was offered on Ford Windstars in the 1990's, but I don't know how common it is on vans. Especially conversion vans, which are typically based on a cargo van.

 

[BC Guy]

Hmmm. I thought my 1990 E350 460 was a 7.2. Was I wrong? I got rid of it around 10 years ago, so I don't think I have anything left that I can check.

 

[NeedAnEscape]

Hmmm.  I thought my 1990 E350 460 was a 7.2.  Was I wrong?  I got rid of it around 10 years ago, so I don't think I have anything left that I can check.

460 cubic inches is ~7.5 liters.

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

This is really good info. Thank you so very much!!

 

[digitaldervish]

Thanks for this amazing info Gideon! I actually think I'm leaning toward Ford, I'm wondering if there is a year I should be looking at where they got the spark plug issue figured out. 2006-2010 models seem to be around my price range.

 

[akrvbob]

It is a very good thread.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Thanks for this amazing info Gideon! I actually think I'm leaning toward Ford, I'm wondering if there is a year I should be looking at where they got the spark plug issue figured out. 2006-2010 models seem to be around my price range.

The Ford 4.6, 5.4, and 6.8(V-10) engines had the broken spark plug problem from 04 to EARLY 08.  The problem was corrected on the 5.4 and 6.8 after 10/09/07 and on the 4.6 after 11/30/07.  The engine build date can be found on a sticker on the engine itself.  These were all 3 valve heads and 2 piece spark plugs.

Earlier versions of the same engines had 2 valve heads and 1 piece spark plugs.  They had a different problem - the spark plugs could blow out while the engine was running, stripping the spark plug hole.

BTW, the 6.2(V-8) engine that came out in late 2010 never had any spark plug issues.

Regards
John

 

[GotSmart]

Glad to see someone who knows and is taking the proper precautions! The early overdrive on the Dodges was always odd but they went to locking/unlocking setups early so load is low even on older models. That said, I prefer to keep the rpms up a bit on those motors and therefore disable OD when not needed.

My problem is that my Dodge B250 Ram Van is made up of different parts from different years. It originally had a v6.

The body is a 91, the 318 is a 69, the TBI, computer and linkages are from a 91.  I do not have a clue about the transmission. (It came from a donor truck with the 318.  Both were supposedly rebuilt with 20K miles.) It is a 3 speed, and does not seem to link up perfect. (Lever is a bit off)   It has been running fine for the past 2 1/2 years.   Next month it goes in for a mechanic service and AT drain.  At this point I am willing to pay to get the details done right.    

I bought this as a basket project and finished the engine instal in my garage.  Everything even slightly damaged has been replaced or repaired.

 

[gojo]

I'm  referring to the earlier part of this thread about blowing and breaking sparkplugs on ford 4.6, and 5.4 engines.
I have a 98 and a 08 f150. I bot. both of them below 100,000 miles. My ford manual recommend changing plugs around 100,000. I change mine about every 60,000 miles. I never had a problem, guess because I bot them before anyone had there hands on them. Starting with 1997 there were only about 5 threads and it don't take much to strip the aluminum threads. I torque them at 140 inch pounds. Not all, but I think a lot of blown out plugs are over tightened, by weakening the threads. Some say that the plug also blow before 100,000 miles. Well a lot of employees at the assembly lines aren't mechanics anyway, probably human error.
On my 98 f150, at one time had two plugs break and I didn't have any problem taking them out. I blame it on the brand of the plug. They were Autolite, since I been using Motorcraft I had no problem. If any body ever changed plugs on a 97 on up, it don't much to crack a plug by wrench slippage or etc., and that may be how mine broke.
Here is a site to vehicle problems.  http://www.carcomplaints.com

 

[steamjam1]

My problem is that my Dodge B250 Ram Van is made up of different parts from different years. It originally had a v6.

The body is a 91, the 318 is a 69, the TBI, computer and linkages are from a 91.  I do not have a clue about the transmission. (It came from a donor truck with the 318.  Both were supposedly rebuilt with 20K miles.) It is a 3 speed, and does not seem to link up perfect. (Lever is a bit off)   It has been running fine for the past 2 1/2 years.   Next month it goes in for a mechanic service and AT drain.  At this point I am willing to pay to get the details done right.    

I bought this as a basket project and finished the engine instal in my garage.  Everything even slightly damaged has been replaced or repaired.

Wow. That's the best of both worlds really. The pre smog 318 is much more powerful then the 1991 engine but is a direct swap in. To boot you got the semi modern TBI on it. If its a three speed, and from a similar year truck, it'll be an A998/999. If its a 727, better yet.

 

[SoulRaven]

I'm replying to this thread mainly so I don't keep losing it. Lots of great info for me to attempt to digest.

 

[Zak]

Wow, thank you Gideon 33w, very informative. It'd be amazing if someone would do something like this for minivans. I always have the minivan option in the back of my mind and know I am not the only one.

 

[poprouge]

I'm replying to this thread mainly so I don't keep losing it. Lots of great info for me to attempt to digest.

Ha ha ha, I was thinking the same thing!!!   :angel:

 

[VanDwellerMod]

This thread is a "sticky" that shows up at the top of the Mechanical Issues sub-forum. Easier to find that way

 

[Gideon33w]

Wow, I forgot I wrote this until I went poking around the forum again, haha.

If there's enough demand I could do a minivan version as asked for above. There's so many different minivans though ...

 

[PineyCruisin]

Excellent thread with invaluable info! So glad I stumbled across it for keeping our newly acquired Chevy in tip-top shape.

I did however notice in the Dodge write up that the problem with plenum gaskets on Magnum engines was not mentioned at all. When searching for a van and doing tons of research on the Big 3 (since we've had no experience with full size vans at all), blown plenum gaskets seemed to be very common for the Magnums among owner forums. This thread was especially informative: https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen-ram-tech/286307-end-all-be-all-plenum-thread.html

Maybe the problem isn't as common as we had suspected???