PHL -> ATX in a ford e350 7.3 in 12 days (Maintenance list before I leave?)

mortaldemon

mortaldemon

New member
Hi all,

I am planning on moving to Austin Texas from Philadelphia Pennsylvania in a under 12 days. I have a ford e350 7.3 van with 142k on the clock. It's a 26 hour, 1660 mile journey. I am curious what all you would suggest to look over before I take this trek. I have done regular maintenance such as air, fuel, oil filter, oil changes and I did check the coolant with my uncle who is a mechanic (special tool to see how much life is left). What other things would you guys advise me to look at. Should I do a brake bleed before hand? The parking brake does not work currently either. Tire tread seems decent as well. I plan to live in my van but the main consideration is actually making it there so I can make money and then fix any remaining issues. Thanks all for any responses, it is greatly appreciated as I move into this new chapter in my life.

Alex
 
Raul

Raul

Adventurer
Check the wheel bearings and brake pads. Easy to change at home, a pain to do in middle of the road, specially the bearings (I have first hand experience). Not that long of a drive.

Do you plan to live in your van in TX during the summer? Have you been in TX during summer before? Austin is not as bad as Houston, but still.....
 
Bbasso

Bbasso

Expedition Leader
I'd also do...
Rear diff oil change w/ additive if needed for LSD.
Antifreeze- Rotella ELC concentrate mixed 50/50 with distilled water.

I've stayed in TX multiple times in my vans and that heat isn't a joke!
Swamp cooler = ha! Ya need A/C.
 
2

2.8rsr

New member
Are you having brake problems? Take your rear rotors off and check to see that the axle seals haven't failed, leaking oil onto your parking brake shoes. This leak caused a vibration I chased for a while under braking that I thought was coming from the front brakes/D60 axle.
 
Buddha.

Buddha.

Finally in expo white.
Tire pressure.

Also I like to carry an infrared temp gun and check the temps of things like tires/hubs/ and I suppose transmission pan since you probably don't have a guage for that.
 
Deshet

Deshet

Adventurer
Most/Some of what is above should not be needed except maybe the "beer and fuel" unless you have current issues with your truck. The parking brake has nothing to do with normal braking. You didn't mention the year of your truck. (PSD or IDI) It looks older in your avatar. How long have you owned the truck and how many miles have you driven it? Driving 1500 miles in 2 days isn't any different then driving 1500 miles in a month. The 1500 miles in 2 days is actually better for the truck. If your cooling system is good you should be ok. If your truck is junk more will reveal itself during your trip.

Keep an eye on your fluids

If it is a PSD
Bring a 10 mm socket and a CPS....(you should always keep a spare in the truck)

If your tires are bald you may want to get new ones.

Vacuum Pumps and Alternator usually start to go at around 200,000 miles

One thing that alot of diesel owners don't do is it let the turbo cool down.....
Idle the engine for a 3-5 mins at each stop before shutting down, after that look for leaks.

Your insurance company should offer a roadside assictance option. Mine is only $1.00 a month per vechile. Your uncle helped you check the coolant which leads me to believe that you are just learning about trucks. You picked a good platform but don't bite off more then you can reasonable handle get roadside assitance.
 
5spd97

5spd97

Member
Buddha. said:
Tire pressure.

Also I like to carry an infrared temp gun and check the temps of things like tires/hubs/ and I suppose transmission pan since you probably don't have a guage for that.
Click to expand...

I do the same. I keep the temp gun in the driver side door pocket and whenever we stop at rest areas or for fuel I do a quick walk around. Its especially helpful for those with DRWs because accessing the tire valves is a pita. As a point of interest I've found that the front tires usually run about ten degrees cooler than the outside rears, and the inside rears run about ten degrees hotter. The sunny side might be ten degrees hotter than the shaded side.
 
tatanka48

tatanka48

Active member
i understand the TEMP GUN so many use today butt 'taint necessary for checking condition of runnin gear

each time you stop for fuel(vehicle or human) check the tyres n hubs manually

the back of your hand against the sidewall of each tyre will tell you all you need to know

as will your finger tips against the center of the wheel where it has the greatest contact w/ the hub

if you can't comfortably touch those points you have an issue

like shaking warm milk from a baby bottle on the inside of your wrist will tell you if it's right for baby to drink

as mentioned above the sunny side will be a bit warmer

once you get to Texas the temps will be warmer... DUH!!!

once you get to Texas you have a limited amount of time to get your vehicle inspected and the title n tags changed out

the parking brake is a part of that inspection so you need to get that issue taken care of

the parking brake on my '02 F-350 froze up due to exposure to a salt environment and lack of use causing me to get that problem resolved before they woud pass the truck

you will have to present the inspection certificate when getting the title & tags switched over to Texas

take a serpentine belt w/ you along w/ the tools to change it(wont likely need it)

some of the 7.3's ran the upper radiator hose thru the belt so have the ability to remove the upper hose from the radiator to affect the change along w/ some 50/50 coolant to top the system off as needed after the change

you already changed the oil & fuel filter

check the age of your tyres

tyres over 10 years old tend to begin failing w/ Texas heat and some major name tyre shops wont touch 'em if they're older than 10

you didn't mention std/auto transmission

if auto check the fluid level & COLOUR(ask uncle how to do it)

the stuff on the dip stick should be PINK

if not then get AT transmission fluid changed(requires special equipment to suck the old out and replace w/ measured amount of fresh)

most of the tyme you can park over night @ truck stops free and SS&S there too

a shower can be bought at the trucker's fuel desk for a few bucks(usually less than $10 incl fresh towel and more often than not it will be in a nice full private bathroom

no need to tell them you aren't a trucker

SHINY SIDE UP

T
 
wanderer-rrorc

wanderer-rrorc

Explorer
tatanka48 said:
i understand the TEMP GUN so many use today butt 'taint necessary for checking condition of runnin gear

each time you stop for fuel(vehicle or human) check the tyres n hubs manually

the back of your hand against the sidewall of each tyre will tell you all you need to know

as will your finger tips against the center of the wheel where it has the greatest contact w/ the hub

if you can't comfortably touch those points you have an issue

like shaking warm milk from a baby bottle on the inside of your wrist will tell you if it's right for baby to drink

as mentioned above the sunny side will be a bit warmer

once you get to Texas the temps will be warmer... DUH!!!

once you get to Texas you have a limited amount of time to get your vehicle inspected and the title n tags changed out

the parking brake is a part of that inspection so you need to get that issue taken care of

the parking brake on my '02 F-350 froze up due to exposure to a salt environment and lack of use causing me to get that problem resolved before they woud pass the truck

you will have to present the inspection certificate when getting the title & tags switched over to Texas

take a serpentine belt w/ you along w/ the tools to change it(wont likely need it)

some of the 7.3's ran the upper radiator hose thru the belt so have the ability to remove the upper hose from the radiator to affect the change along w/ some 50/50 coolant to top the system off as needed after the change

you already changed the oil & fuel filter

check the age of your tyres

tyres over 10 years old tend to begin failing w/ Texas heat and some major name tyre shops wont touch 'em if they're older than 10

you didn't mention std/auto transmission

if auto check the fluid level & COLOUR(ask uncle how to do it)

the stuff on the dip stick should be PINK

if not then get AT transmission fluid changed(requires special equipment to suck the old out and replace w/ measured amount of fresh)

most of the tyme you can park over night @ truck stops free and SS&S there too

a shower can be bought at the trucker's fuel desk for a few bucks(usually less than $10 incl fresh towel and more often than not it will be in a nice full private bathroom

no need to tell them you aren't a trucker

SHINY SIDE UP

T
Click to expand...
This has got to be the best post of the week!!

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk
 
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