97 E350 Crestline Ambo Build/Mod

[tgreening]

Thanks.


Anyone know how much refrigerant a 97 E350 Crestline Ambulance needs?

I just had mine done and should know this but long term memory is on the fritz. I do know this, the A/C shop had a book that told them how much juice a standard E-series took, and how much to add on top of that for the various configurations. As I recall it wasn't near as much as I figured it would be. Less than a pound extra I believe.

I guess the short version is your A/C shop should be able to look it up. Mine did.

 

[Bikersmurf]

Crestline told me 3 lb 15 oz.

The shop came up with 4 lb... or so the paperwork shows. Just need to replace the Clutch for the Cooling Fan (Radiator) and we'll be set to go.

 

[Bikersmurf]

Picked up a new Water pump, fan clutch, and thermostat... Big pile of shiny parts waiting to be installed.

 

[IdaSHO]

Hopefully the H20 pumps service goes okay.

Broken bolts upon removing old pump is common....



Ill say a prayer for you tonight :sombrero:

 

[Bikersmurf]

I'll keep that in mind... I've had good luck over the years, but I'll be cautious. The pump has likely been replaced a few times before in its 15,300 hrs of use. The pump is still good, just figure it should be done while the clutch is being replaced. Water pumps can be a bugger to replace in the middle of a trip... so it's a couple extra hundred now vs $600 at the least convenient time if it fails.

 

[Bikersmurf]

Hopefully the H20 pumps service goes okay.

Broken bolts upon removing old pump is common....



Ill say a prayer for you tonight :sombrero:

I appreciate that...

Had a look at your site... I`d love to see more pictures of your work. I can only imagine what you could do to the inside of an Ambo box. If you lived in my neighborhood I`d have you build me the Murphy bed/desk for my unit... but I'm afraid shipping would be a deal killer. Looking at your build photos makes me think of pictures of the framework ambulances are built on... Box aluminum framing on 16" centers, skinned with 1/8" aluminum, and then insulated... much the same overbuilt mentality. Best of luck on your venture.:beer:

 

[Bikersmurf]

The install went smoothly. New Water pump, Clutch Fan, Upper and lower rad hoses, Bearings x 3 (2 idler and 1 tensioner). The water pump was near the end of it's life, the bearings were in various states of death, and the hoses were last replaced in 2002 (by hose date).

A/C is great... it cost a small fortune to get it working, but the end result is worth it (especially if I don't add up the cost). New pump, newer aluminum lines under hood and to cab back, newer condenser (in front), newer blower motor, new clutch fan, a couple new hose ends, 3 lbs 15 oz refrigerant, and a liberal amount of blood sweat and tears.

 

[tgreening]

.

A/C is great... it cost a small fortune to get it working, but the end result is worth it (especially if I don't add up the cost). New pump, newer aluminum lines under hood and to cab back, newer condenser (in front), newer blower motor, new clutch fan, a couple new hose ends, 3 lbs 15 oz refrigerant, and a liberal amount of blood sweat and tears.

Sweet! Just in time for winter to roll around.

 

[Bikersmurf]

I know... The defrost should work much better now with the newer fan motor.


That said, we're having some of the hottest weather of the year right now... They're expecting it to be hot for the next week or so. We often see warmer weather till mid August. Of course we've not seen snow in a few years, and this is the year the almanac is predicting a ton of snow here.


Withe the new 4000/side 10 leaf packs, it sits about 2" higher at the rear wheel wells and 4.5" higher at the rear bumper. The spring shop did add a 1" steel block on the heavier (drivers side) to level out the truck side to side. They said 1" is the highest they can add to one side... I'm hopping it'll settle about an inch when the dust settles. I'm considering a small spacer block under the front coils to level out the body a bit. I've only seen 2" spacers, and I don't know if I want raise the front that much at the cost of lowering the rear bumper that much. Approach angle is much better on these vans than departure angle (with what seems like about 5' of rear overhang).

I'll post up a pic if I can reclaim my phone from my youngest child who has claimed it for Pokemon hunting.

 

[IdaSHO]

Thank you for the kind words about my work.

Ive been punching out estimates for custom campers for quite a few folks lately, many very interested even after the quotes. That's a good thing :elkgrin:

Funny thing, is that currently, out of the dozen or so potential clients Im working with, more than 50% of them are from Canada.


So dont be shy. An ambo or van camper conversion would certainly be fun.

And Id love to do some work for you. Big or small, no worries. :ylsmoke:

 

[FDM2012]

Did you change the thermostat?

 

[Bikersmurf]

Yes, I also changed the thermostat... those were the only bolts that broke. Fortunately I didn't care that the thermostat housing bolts sheared off in the old water pump housing.

I've read mixed opinions about using the stock 195 deg thermostat vs the 203 deg thermostat that International runs in the equivalent engine. Apparently Powerstrokes with a 195 deg the engines tend to run on the cooler than optimum. However, since mine's in a 8500+ lb van bodied Ambulance, I chose to run it cooler since vans tend to have poorer air circulation in their confined engine bays. Given that it has 15,300 hours on it and it runs like a top I didn't want to mess with it.

 

[FDM2012]

Yeah, I bought a 203, but am dragging my feet on getting it in there. I have a coolant temp gauge
that I will put in first, so that when I do, I can really keep an eye on things.

You know, I have an ex-girlfriend that you could put in the back of that rig to level it out real quick.....

 

[Bikersmurf]

I don't know about that... I had a 600 lb safe riding around in the back that barely made it sit down...

You'll have to let us know about the temperature your rig runs.

 

[FDM2012]

You know it. This is the only site that I am posting my build on, so I am trying to record the most
significant things, as I go along.
That, and I always like the feedback, and to share.

Sounds like those front spacers might be the way to go. I'm guessing it takes years for the OEM springs
to de-arch, so now with the upgrades that you have, it might not ever level out. Time will tell!

Maybe 2 of my ex-girlfriends?