The Van - do we call it a day.

[judykazooty]

Well , then I would wait to see what the brake check turns up before worrying any more about it.

That's the plan today, Popeye! I stopped worrying. We are safe, had just gone food shopping, and we and doing fine. I appreciate your input.
Judy

 

[judykazooty]

At that age a parking brake may not be disengaging fully.  Also,  if the brake springs in the rear brakes are original,  they may have lost their tension to disengage.  Again,  the hydraulic wheel cylinders in the rear brakes may be sticking. ...
Here is what is inside the Rear Brakes...

#6 are the brake shoe retainer clips and these tend to rust and break leaving the brake shoe to flop around
and cause mayhem....

I have had older cars brought to me with customers in a panic.  They would tell me that they hit a small pothole and the rear wheel locked up.  It was because the springs were weak and the shock of the bump threw the shoe against the turning brake drum and lock up.  (as if he had pushed the brake pedal....but the brake wouldn't release)  If the brakes don't lock up they may pulse...as mentioned in #6 failure.

... You would be amazed at the difference it makes after replacing those worn out things.

eDJ, Thanks for this! The visual helped a bunch. Very clear now and this matches our experience both over time and yesterday in particular.  We had pulsing some months back and squealing after parking for 14 days at a time. Breaks grabbing too. And this locking happened once when we first got the van. We were advised not to use the parking brake as that might have been the issue. It never happened again untill yesterday. I think you nailed it. Thank you again. Judy

 

[judykazooty]

I can't see if this posted or not- forgive the newbee.
eDJ, Thanks for this! The visual helped a bunch. Very clear now and this matches our experience both over time and yesterday in particular. We had pulsing some months back and squealing after parking for 14 days at a time. Breaks grabbing too. And this locking happened once when we first got the van. We were advised not to use the parking brake as that might have been the issue. It never happened again untill yesterday. I think you nailed it. Thank you again. Judy

 

[judykazooty]

because it's a hightop I would err on the side of keeping it or at least not scrapping it. Provided this fix is cheap junk yard stuff. anything you buy at the price point is probably going to need money it too.

I agree, bardo. Thanks for your input.

 

[judykazooty]

MrNoodly- it's a scarey thought! I was told it was used just for fishing trips over the years... where the fish were we can't really say!
Judy

 

[judykazooty]

If you do decide to scrap the van, that high top is amongst the goodies that you need to salvage especially if it's the 24" high top that actually gives you standing height.

It's fairly easy to move the high top from the 'donor van' to a new one even if it's not an exact fit...as long as it's not longer or wider than the recipient van.

Stateside a new high top is around $3,200, here in Canada it's worth more than my van!

Thanks Almost There- We bought it because it was what I call the "High High top". I had lived in a Chevy van for 3 months that messed up my neck and back. I needed to be able to stand up straight and not be crawling around on arthritic knees. I willl find photos so you can see. We did a lot of work ourselves on the tear out/build out. Everything that was RV had to come out. and mice had invaded the walls so we went to bare metal and new insulation. I won't ever scrap it.  Any one with some mechanical experience would do great with this van and be confident in maintaining it and keeping it going for years. We are getting better at diagnosing things, and watching fluid levels, hearing new noises, etc. I don't want to give up on it yet. Not gonna junk it for sure. We'll just have to get smarter. Thanks for your input LadyA

 

[judykazooty]

Good advice AT/Lady A !

I'll add this.
If you have been repairing and keeping up with maintenance items like tires,shocks,(brakes) and upgrades like oil coolers , roof vents , solar .

I might look at a repair or replace as another item crossed off the list of things not done to a vehicle that is just getting more reliable for a longer time......

Getting another rig would be starting from the beginning as to what will or might need attention.

The known vs the unknown.

Popeye, I agree with you, and I think Connie is (reluctantly) leaning this way as well.  Brakes are brakes. The cost of the fix is whatever it is, and then we have new brakes and lines and springs and latches and whatever else we find is involved. But then we have a good repair and good reliable brakes, and we are that much better off, and the van is in better shape and we are safer with one less thing to worry about. The expense of a transmission problem might set us back some, but that would also be one less problem- one more improvement. I dont' think this is transmission. If it is, we will deal with it. But any $3000 vehicle might find as a replacement could might face transmisison problems as well, and then the money is spent. Thanks again, Popeye. Wise.

 

[Gary68]

Thanks Gary68- It runs quiet, no knocks, smoke so far, no major issues. Sounds like a younger 8 cyl sedan. We lost power once in the middle of nowhere, had enough time to let it come to a rest on the shoulder-  took the flat bed tow truck a while to get to us. 100 degree mid-day, 2 women and 2 dogs- he dropped the van at the mechanic, (Randy Smith-Randy's Service in Elephant Butte, NM)- he asked me to start it up. I did. Randy said, "I dont hear a fuel pump." Sure enough, he followed the wires and there was one old wire with a spade end and another old bare wire hanging next to it. "I think we can do better than this." It was less than 4 minutes, fuel pump back in business, and he sent us on our way. In my next life, I want to be an auto mechanic. Trying to think of these issues as just another adventure.
I agree there is good value in this vehicle - I said to Connie last night, tomorrow is a new day and we get a chance to start again fresh. Today is a better day. Nice talking with you Gary68

you said 1976 ford? that would have a mechanical fuel pump thus no wires going to it

my 1977 chevy has 77k original miles on it,so your low mileage could be true,check the wear of the seats,pedals and carpet

 

[judykazooty]

you said 1976 ford? that would have a mechanical fuel pump thus no wires going to it

my 1977 chevy has 77k original miles on it,so your low mileage could be true,check the wear of the seats,pedals and carpet

I'm pretty sure I got it right, but I have remembered wrong before. He connected those 2 wires and it started up and the fuel got to where it needed to be. I'll ask him to clarify what he did to what when I speak to him this week.  My point was that on the whole, the problems that have caused us to break down were not major mechanical issues, but rather major headaches, anxiety producing pains in the butts. It looked to be low milage in the beginning, couldn't really tell from the pedals. The seats are are original, great and funky blue plastic/vinyl that is brittle now in the seat sides. Hard to know what is age and what is use. Thanks Gary68
Judy

 

[Ballenxj]

If it's either the rear end or transmission, it'll cost under two grand to repair.  Bite the bullet, tighten your belts, and get it fixed. It's worth it in the long run, and anything else you find to buy will run $2k or more, sometimes a lot more, and that's before you do anything to it. Also, start a log to keep track of what you have had done to it. The symptoms you describe make me think of a broken tooth in the differential? If that's the case I'm thinking closer to $1000 to $1500. butt if you have to rebuild it, it should last an awful long time.
That vintage of van will be hard to replace. I actually like older vehicles. The beauty of them is that you can keep rebuilding them. That is as long as the body is in good shape.
About the differential and wheels turning the same direction, if you have a limited slip or posi trac diff, the wheels are "supposed" to turn in the same direction, and those units are very desirable to have. If in doubt, have a reputable shop check it out for you.

 

[jonsun]

I was thinking a pinion bearing might of went out throwing the lash way out. But a rear end should not be that much to fix. a decent shop can do that in a few hours plus parts. $300-500....but IDK never actually had it done

 

[jonyjoe303]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]"eDJ, Thanks for this! The visual helped a bunch. Very clear now and this matches our experience both over time and yesterday in particular.  We had pulsing some months back and squealing after parking for 14 days at a time. Breaks grabbing too. And this locking happened once when we first got the van. We were advised not to use the parking brake as that might have been the issue. It never happened again untill yesterday. I think you nailed it. Thank you again. Judy"[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]The above describe my van exactly. Except I felt the braking in the front of my van.[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]When you said this, I forgot to mention that when my I notice my brakes grabbing it only did it when I drove the van 20 or more miles, like when the parts where hot. I still drove the van for several months before I finally decided to fix it since it wasn't a everyday occurrence. But at the end it got worst and I had braking/squealing/chirping just driving a block away. [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Most differentials rarely get serviced, sometimes water gets in there. Sometimes oil will leak out through the shafts and get on the rear brake drums. [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]If its the rear brakes that a quick fix, if its the differential that also won't take long to fix. [/font]

 

[bullfrog]

Thanks for bring back a memory of my mom slapping the snot out of me when she partially over heard me asking on the phone asking how much a rear end was.

 

[judykazooty]

If it's either the rear end or transmission, it'll cost under two grand to repair.  Bite the bullet, tighten your belts, and get it fixed. It's worth it in the long run, and anything else you find to buy will run $2k or more, sometimes a lot more, and that's before you do anything to it. Also, start a log to keep track of what you have had done to it. The symptoms you describe make me think of a broken tooth in the differential? If that's the case I'm thinking closer to $1000 to $1500. butt if you have to rebuild it, it should last an awful long time.
That vintage of van will be hard to replace. I actually like older vehicles. The beauty of them is that you can keep rebuilding them. That is as long as the body is in good shape.
About the differential and wheels turning the same direction, if you have a limited slip or posi trac diff, the wheels are "supposed" to turn in the same direction, and those units are very desirable to have. If in doubt, have a reputable shop check it out for you.

Thanks Ballenxj. I really appreciate what you have said. It's hard, this life, sometimes, but it's the life we chose- and the van we chose. I still love it. Folks are saying here that as these mechanical issues get resolved or repaired, worn out parts replaced, it only gets more reliable, more valuable to us and to the next owner. We won't ever have lots of money, so doing the repairs combined with bullet biting seems to be our best option. It may be a bumpy ride, but it's our ride! Be well, my Friend. Judy

 

[judykazooty]

Thanks for bring back a memory of my mom slapping the snot out of me when she partially over heard me asking on the phone asking how much a rear end was.

Still laughin at that one, bullfrog!!!

 

[judykazooty]

...a vehicle is dead when it is rusted out or damaged,you should be able to find 70's ford parts pretty easy and cheap
does the engine run good? no smoke or knocks?

... a high top van is a valuable thing and if running good should get you a pretty penny

So Gary, my Friend... It was not dead after all! My mechanic returned and didnt get to my van until after lunch today.  It threw a bearing on the drive shaft! We had replaced the u joints 6 months ago and the bearing was good and moving fine. Where the 2 halves come together, that bearing was just locked solid. Randy said he listened in the front, and in the back on the left and the right, and the only place left was in the middle. and sure enough, there was the culprit!

So... We celebate life! There is always hope if the old girl is not rusted out , or damaged. There's life in this old van yet! Thank you, and all my new forum friends who helped me find a way to deal with the dark unknown, waiting patiently with hope and faith that whatever comes, we will be able to handle it. You got me through a rough and scary time. Thank you.

 

[user 423]

Ha! None of us 'aces' got it right. The old carrier bearing...is it an extended van? Hope it didn't cost you too much.

 

[Ballenxj]

  It threw a bearing on the drive shaft! We had replaced the u joints 6 months ago and the bearing was good and moving fine. Where the 2 halves come together, that bearing was just locked solid. Randy said he listened in the front, and in the back on the left and the right, and the only place left was in the middle. and sure enough, there was the culprit!

That's great! And probably the cheapest part to repair. Is it an extended van? I sure didn't expect your van to have a carrier bearing.
Happy Daze.

 

[rvpopeye]

All that worrying por nada !
Easy fix .
Gotta love when that happens.....

 

[judykazooty]

Ha! None of us 'aces' got it right.  The old carrier bearing...is it an extended van?  Hope it didn't cost you too much.

slow2day- lol
-Is not an extended van. It cost $100 parts and labor. He continues to be kind to us. He was happy it was a lesser problem compared to the other possibilities. Yes!