Pics of your VAN! Post up!
- Thread starter adventureduo
- Start date
eblau
Adventurer
I put about 1500 miles on this thing since Thursday of last week. It has 150K on it but sat unused for a number of years so I did some basic maintenance, thermostat, radiator, brake flush, rubber lines, alternator, belt, tensioner and a bunch of cosmetic upgrades inside. The van ran great overall and of all the mechanical things that could have gone wrong on my trip IT WAS THE NEW RADIATOR.... Luckily it never completely blew but rather seeped out when it was cold. Oh and these things don't like crosswinds or passing big rigs.... a true white knuckle experience at times. I was unknowingly gripping the wheel so tight that I had to relax my hand and stretch it a bit from time to time lol. Got some shocks and a helwig rear sway on my list now. The ability to throw it in park and hang out in the back of the van when I wanted to take a quick break or eat is worth the switch I made from my four wheel camper. My girlfriend and our puppy loved the extra room it provided too. This one is a keeper.
Van (5.8) exhibited a very slight misfire under part load and a couple weeks back cranked but never started then just started up and was fine. I thought these two were unrelated however the more I dug around online I saw a lot of people replacing their PCMs. I didnt know why but I pulled mine just in case and sure enough something caught my eye. There are 3 capacitors on the board and all three exhibited some sort of failure and were leaking on to the board. I am having a guy replace all three this week in hopes it cures my random annoying misfire. I went online and sure enough its really common among these Ford PCMS but most people opt for the lazy and expensive method of buying a "refurb" one or putting a junkyard one in.
Lessons from the road:
I have always popped the hood and had a look when I fill up for gas on a long road trip. This time it paid off, a small leak from the trans cooler fitting that was easily fixed by snugging it down and the radiator leak that was frustrating but got us back home. Don't assume new parts are good.
Van (5.8) exhibited a very slight misfire under part load and a couple weeks back cranked but never started then just started up and was fine. I thought these two were unrelated however the more I dug around online I saw a lot of people replacing their PCMs. I didnt know why but I pulled mine just in case and sure enough something caught my eye. There are 3 capacitors on the board and all three exhibited some sort of failure and were leaking on to the board. I am having a guy replace all three this week in hopes it cures my random annoying misfire. I went online and sure enough its really common among these Ford PCMS but most people opt for the lazy and expensive method of buying a "refurb" one or putting a junkyard one in.
Lessons from the road:
I have always popped the hood and had a look when I fill up for gas on a long road trip. This time it paid off, a small leak from the trans cooler fitting that was easily fixed by snugging it down and the radiator leak that was frustrating but got us back home. Don't assume new parts are good.
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Abitibi
Explorer
Hi Nick
I'll send you a PM with his info. He just started building an ambo so his bus might also be up for sale at some point...
Cheers
David
wanderer-rrorc
Explorer
Spent the weekend camping at Mohican state park here in Ohio..
Somehow in the year since I got the pop top installed the kids never went camping in the van!!! How did that happen?????
All 4 of us inside on a perfect 50* night slept PERFECT!!
Finnaly got some photos with the new wheels/wrap and the top popped and awning deployed..the cross country marathon folks gave me plenty of Nice Van!! comments and asked if they could swing by for lunch!
Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk
Somehow in the year since I got the pop top installed the kids never went camping in the van!!! How did that happen?????
All 4 of us inside on a perfect 50* night slept PERFECT!!
Finnaly got some photos with the new wheels/wrap and the top popped and awning deployed..the cross country marathon folks gave me plenty of Nice Van!! comments and asked if they could swing by for lunch!
Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk
chromehorseii
New member
bozwell13
Adventure Dad
New shoes for Moby, bumped up to a 285/75/16 Cooper. I've been running BFG AT/MT off road tires for 30 years but lately it seems like they're dropping the ball. The last set I put on my duramax turtle top lasted less than 15K miles and yes my alignment is correct. They were also super loud, again not something I remember being an issue in the past. I just bought a new set of ATKOs for my burb, they no longer have a snow rating, took a lot of weight to balance and the tread seems to not be as deep as in the past, only 15/32nds now??? I notice their reviews online have plummeted also. Since this rig spends so much time on pavement, I'm going more mild, hard to do as I love the look of an aggressive tire. I just installed Cooper AT3 XLTs, they're silent and super smooth, took very little weight and so far I'm very impressed. I didn't realize how loud my BFGs were, I can hear wind noise in the cabin I never heard before, lol. I've always liked Coopers ATs but they lacked the "look," just didn't look tough. The new XLTs have the sidewalls, but still a pretty mellow center tread thus the excellent drivability and quiet.
bozwell13
Adventure Dad
Yeah my KO2s were as loud at 15K miles as some cheap mud terrains I've had in the past, feels like we're paying top dollar for the look and name only. The Coopers do not have the snowflake but I ran a couple sets last winter on service trucks and they did very well. Having them siped makes a huge difference too. I notice the Coopers have a 60K warranty while the BFG is 50K, I don't expect either one to get even close.
Redheddedwonder
Active member
The van parked next to the wreck of the Peter Iredale, Fort Stevens Oregon
Wazak
Member
Not a 4x4 but capable of easy forrest View attachment 510616View attachment 510616tracks our Rear wheel drive Renault Master Lizzie is driving and Tina has the job of navigation
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Raul
Adventurer
I was very pleased with the Cooper AT3 on my old RWD E150. Fairly quiet and did great on the snow. On the 4x4 E350 I have Falken AT3W and love them.
Bikersmurf
Expedition Leader
Hey, if you’re up to pulling an engine, there’s an ‘06 Crestline over here that lost a cylinder, $2500 obo. Combine that with the 6.0 for $500 and you’d have your self a running/driving time bomb of a 6.0... Like my pitch?