Vans in general

G

goodwaves

Adventurer
ok really wanting a van I think. Wanna get out and be self sufficient, stealth camp when needed and carry the mutts when I go.
What really holds me back is, never having had one, how HARD are they honestly to work on? I aint no mechanic by any means, but can do the basics.
How hard is it to get at the things you might need to get at. Say if the wiper solenoid goes out, or oil pressure sending thingy goes out.
Filters, spark plugs/glow plugs.
Just looks like a total pain in the butt to do anything. Is it as bad as I imagine?
Thanks and there are some inspiring rigs here which is why I am asking! I might have missed out on a '05 quig e250 due to my fears.
 
mgmetalworks

mgmetalworks

Explorer
Not as bad as it looks. Yeah, there are some tight squeezes here and there but I've actually found vans easier to work on in a lot of ways vs. the Ford or Chevy trucks.
.
If you're thinking about a Ford van, consider this... From '92-present, the vans haven't gone through as many model year changes as the truck which means that the same or similar parts span many years. I got parts out of '92 that are the same thing as my 2013 (slider door hinge). The second thing to think about is that the vans are pretty basic compared to trucks too. There weren't a lot of fancy options packages for vans so there aren't as many things to go wrong.
.
Vans are killer. There isn't much you can't do with one. :)
 
G

goodwaves

Adventurer
mgmetalworks said:
Not as bad as it looks. Yeah, there are some tight squeezes here and there but I've actually found vans easier to work on in a lot of ways vs. the Ford or Chevy trucks.=QUOTE]



haha, I have seen some of your work on here, not sure you saying it ain't to bad, really means "ain't to bad" for someone of my skill level or lack there of!
no doubt though, a van would fit my needs the best.
Click to expand...
 
mgmetalworks

mgmetalworks

Explorer
goodwaves said:
haha, I have seen some of your work on here, not sure you saying it ain't to bad, really means "ain't to bad" for someone of my skill level or lack there of!
no doubt though, a van would fit my needs the best.
Click to expand...

:) I was actually referring to the accessibility of things rather than the skill level required. The van has pretty good accessibility for most things a DIY mechanic would want to tackle. I haven't had any issues getting my big paws in and around things.
 
Stitebunny

Stitebunny

Adventurer
Van's are cool! I had the same thoughts as you. Never had a van before the one I got this past summer. I have the v10 in mine and have poked around a little bit, and some spots are tight, But it really isn't that bad. Not sure about stuff in or under the dash yet, but if that is the only reason keeping you away from a van, don't let it!
 
D

deserteagle56

Adventurer
mgmetalworks said:
Not as bad as it looks. Yeah, there are some tight squeezes here and there but I've actually found vans easier to work on in a lot of ways vs. the Ford or Chevy trucks.
.
If you're thinking about a Ford van, consider this... From '92-present, the vans haven't gone through as many model year changes as the truck which means that the same or similar parts span many years. I got parts out of '92 that are the same thing as my 2013 (slider door hinge). The second thing to think about is that the vans are pretty basic compared to trucks too. There weren't a lot of fancy options packages for vans so there aren't as many things to go wrong.
.
Vans are killer. There isn't much you can't do with one. :)
Click to expand...

I agree. I must, since I've been driving one since 1972 (but only three total in all those years).

Can't speak for a diesel-powered one but mechanically the gas powered have been ultra-reliable. The newer ones, like all new vehicles, have a number of electronic components that, unless you own all the test equipment, you won't be able to diagnose/fix yourself anyway. Filters are a piece of cake. On my '07 Ford the air filter housing is the first thing you see when you open the hood, very easy to get to. Oil filter is also very easy to get to from below, hangs down next to the engine. The tranny filter is also the easiest to change compared to any other vehicle I've owned. A remote cartridge, next to the transmission. No more dropping the pan, getting oil all over everywhere, just to access the transmission filter. The transmission pan even has a drain plug stock from the factory, something I had in install myself in all my older vehicles. Remember that service intervals on all the newer rigs is ~ 100,000 miles so there is no reason to take the engine cover off very often!
 
G

goodwaves

Adventurer
Now I am really thinking like I might have made a mistake letting that Quiggly get away. Thanks to everyone for the responses.
 
ujoint

ujoint

Supporting Sponsor
goodwaves said:
Now I am really thinking like I might have made a mistake letting that Quiggly get away. Thanks to everyone for the responses.
Click to expand...

Na, they have a lot of limitations and you have plenty of other options out there.

All good point about van life above. One thing I do want to address is your question about mechanics charging more for vans. I have seen this, I dealt with tech's telling me flat out how much they hate working on vans. Makes ya feel real good! In my opinion its laziness. There are of course a few things that are MUCH harder in vans (injectors or any other repair that requires getting into the heads on a diesel) but mostly everything else is easy if not easier. I've spent many hours sitting indian style in the floorboard working on a van engine.

And did you expect to find anything but van love in this section?!?!? :D
 
G

goodwaves

Adventurer
lol yeah right on Chris, I kinda thought of that.
Bunch of van addicts giving biased opinions.
Lot of times things are a labor of love and you don't realize thats what it is.
But, still, a van looks like what I need, just gotta find the right one.
I thought the quig was good in that it already had the basics in there. Figured it would work till I could get you to de-quig it.
Of course if I had a spare 60k laying around I would just grab up MegAmbo! that thing is sick!
Appreciate all the post of everyones rig, easy to kill time reading all the threads.
 
C

crazy

Adventurer
I've had 4 Ford vans. E350 and E450 school buses and 1993 14 pax gas. I have a 1997 14 pax gas now. They have all been reliable so not too much to fix. Just service mainly. Fuel filter change on a 7.3 diesel is a pain. Is it hard, no. Just more time consuming than a pickup. If I would have kept the diesels, I would have installed a fuel filter closer to the tank. All minor stuff. The stuff that's hard is stuff that you won't be doing anyway. Swapping diesel injectors or plugs in a gasser is a pain. The egr on a 6.0 diesel is a real ball buster . I know you won't be doing that. I cringe every time I see one of those at the mechanic. If you buy a van, find the shop that works on shuttle vans. They've seen and done everything and are more reasonably priced. Just check around and make sure they are honest. Sorry for my rambling post, I just woke up from a nap.
 
96Delica

96Delica

Adventurer
Just so you know, if your heart isn't set on a full size, you guys can get '87 Delicas now! Who doesn't want a 4x4 small diesel van?? :ylsmoke:
 
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