All about the Ford Econoline E350 Superduty 7.3 Powerstroke diesel van. To-the-point videos on every aspect of fixing up and building out these rare and coveted diesel vans into serious adventure vehicles. We cover engine issues, sensors, brakes, body work, mechanical issues, fuel mileage, mods and upgrades, as well as interior build topics like van flooring, building a van bed, dual battery charging systems, custom audio installation, putting on a high top, finishing and insulating, and soundproofing. Please like and subscribe, and leave a comment with any questions or videos you'd like to see!
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While stressful projects like this can suck, I hope you know that you're at least helping some people out. I'm currently on the same journey you went through on my e350. I think my injectors may be on their way out, but I'm going to try the additive method and see if that can help with some of the stiction. I just recently did a turbo rebuild on mine, it wasn't horrible, but I also did a lot of "while I'm in here" maintenance while I had it out. I did the exhaust value delete, and replaced the turbo pedestal with one that doesn't have the oil controlled solenoid. It's a common source for leaks. Also you may look at doing a crankcase breather mod also. Rather than sucking the crank case muck into the turbo you vent it outside. And if you ever find yourself needing to replace the engine harness, you wont find one for the van (that isn't stupid expensive), but you can mod a truck one to work with the vans. Good luck with all your future projects!!!
@@PowerstrokeEconoline I checked all the the torx screws but all nice and snug. Also fixed one of the shift tube bushings. I'm suspecting a possible ignition switch issue. Ive been experiencing some erratic shifts too. I've already changed out the PCM, shift solenoid pack, range sensor, brake switch, interlock solenoid, and key cylinder lol. I heard a bad ingition switch can cause shift issues. I already checked all the grounds and redid the battery negatives... Is there a relay that could be sticking?
Ive gotta campulance and all my lites and sirens are on the doghouse for me to comlpetely remove ive gotta pull out drivers and passenger seats its rough for sure
Good gob man. The previous owners of my van wen through the same thing although the shop that did the job didn’t replace the glow plugs while in there??? They don’t cost that much and the valve covers were already off. I’d like to do mine before next winter
Yeah honestly I think doing injectors, wiring harnesses, glow plugs, wiring pigtails, and CCV vent o rings all at the same time makes the most sense. But doing just the glow plugs isn't too difficult compared to injectors. Just make sure you get legit OEM glow plugs; I've heard horror stories of knock-offs swelling and breaking off inside the head at the tip.
"I am not the greatest mechanic." Says the guy who just put injectors in a 7.3 van on the side of the street in front of his house. Talk about modesty. Hope you are having some fun trips this summer. I am just behind you, should get to have some adventures this fall.
Thanks. Lots of learning for me with this van. And yeah since doing the injectors I took the van for a two week work training in Oregon and a two week paragliding competition in central WA and it was excellent.
Nice. From what I understand the 6.0 can be a fine engine if you fix a few things: oil pump and studs? But I think clearance for injector replacement is harder than on the 7.3.
@@ardenbriggs1190oh interesting. I haven't done a lot of learning on the 6.0. it seemed like the bulletproofing process was outside of my skill level and facilities, so I looked for a 7.3. but a newer body would be nice.
Awesome video thanks for sharing!!! Im going to be doing the same project soon +hpop and lift pump. Why didn't you do your injector cups while you had everything out? Looking forward to the update
I considered doing injector cups and did a ton of reading. Forum posts are split pretty evenly between "do it all now so you don't have to later" and "if it ain't broke don't fix it". I think that doing injector cups would have taken me a lot more time and from what I understand can be really difficult in a van without pulling the engine. So I'm in the "ain't broke" crowd. Hopefully that doesn't come back to bite me!
@@PowerstrokeEconoline riffraff sells/rents a tool to do the injector cups pretty easily with the engine still in, my buddy rented it and said it was a life saver and did the cups in a day. I wasn't going to do mine but unfortunately I have a crack in one of them so I'm just going to replace them all.
@@asalvanoRosewood also has a tool. Did your buddy do cups on a truck or van? The issue I was concerned about is just being able to reach in there to clean out the old adhesive, particularly on #1 and #3. I was on a bit of a time crunch also; if you have time then it would probably be more doable.
@@PowerstrokeEconoline he did it in a van, and to clean out the old adhesive he used an electric ratcheting wrench and connected a wire brush to it. That's what I'm going to do seems like it would be easier than trying to clean it by hand. The only thing I'm concerned about is I don't have a driveway or garage to do it in so I'm going to be doing it on the side of the road.
Here I am all ready with my comment about how I wondered how you were going to handle that passenger bank problem injector, then ask how hard it was to get the solenoid back on correctly, the ask if you thought you could have beaten the firewall enough before you took off the valve cover to clearance the removal. I was also going to compliment you on your camera work.. then then the end came and I could feel your pain. What a bummer. Looking forward to the resolution.
Thanks! Removing the solenoid on #3 really wasn't difficult. Putting the solenoid back on the new one after installation was a little bit of a pain because it was really difficult to hold the torx bit down while wrenching on it. I got it to click on three of the four screws, and the other one felt equally tight but the bit kept popping off before the torque wrench clicked. Hopefully good enough. Spoiler alert, I got the van running again and overall am really happy about the whole project. I'll post the second part with what actually fixed in a couple of days.
Do you have any thoughts on relocating the underhood battery to the frame beside the other battery? I have been thinking about doing this to allow for a new air filter set up on my 7.3L. How would a relocation affect the wiring in your opinion?
I have a buddy who did exactly that. I think it's probably a good move and I have a spare battery box in my junk pile in case I ever decide to do the same. It would make disconnecting the batteries a little more difficult when you're working on electrical systems or welding, which is a con. It also makes the batteries a bit more difficult to replace. It would also change the wiring runs but ultimately I think it would shorten the overall length of cable required, which would be more efficient in terms of voltage drop/resistance.
@@PowerstrokeEconoline Thanks for the reply! Yea agree with the potential cons, i was thinking if I relocated them I would also add a disconnect some where close so hopefully that would solve that bit.
I have a short bus skoolie with 7.3L . My fuel bowl drain valve needs replacement. Theres a ton of videos on replacing the orings in the fuel bowl for F series trucks . Looks like a impossible job temoving the fuel bowl on a van . Anybody had experience rebuilding the fuel bowl in a E series ? Or replacing the drain valve
I removed the fuel bowl on my parts van and it wasn't that difficult.....after I removed the turbo, resonator, alternator, and air intake! I have a reseal kit for mine and was going to do it this spring but ultimately decided to wait. It's really difficult to get at it from the doghouse side without pulling the turbo. I've heard of folks going in from the front but I think it would be equally difficult without removing the alternator. I'm going to rebuild mine at the same time as servicing the turbo. Good luck and lemme know how it works out!
@@PowerstrokeEconoline I wound up getting some coach net towing and got towed to a repair shop . They were in and out in less than 3 hours . Replaced the drain valve thru the doghouse . $454 total for about 3 hours . $63 for the part in California. The rest was labor . I've put about 240 miles on it since being repaired . Thankfully no leaks
Hi Love your videos. I bought my 95 7.3 powerstroke last year, and drove it about 2000km (1243 miles) home. Got an average about 20 mpg. Pretty satisfied with that. Currently doing some maintenance on it. I saw in the comments that some suggested that you swap to a manual gearbox. I have been thinking the same thing. Have seen some videos about it, so it can be done. But I'm not a mechanic, so it looks a little bit over my head. By the way, can you make a video on changing the belt? And the waterpump?
Personally I like driving a manual but I don't think I'll ever go down that line with the van. If I make any major changes to the drivetrain it would be converting to 4x4. As to the belt, that's a pretty simple swap. You just need a breaker bar to lever open the belt tensioner, then it slips right on/off. On some of the trucks there is an upper radiator hose that runs through the belt, but I haven't seen that on any of the 7.3 vans. I'll make a video about the water pump if/when mine fails. Hopefully never!
Thanks for making these videos man, ive got an E450 ambulance project and i need to replace both front speed sensors. Mine also brakes like crap, and those are the codes im getting.
@@PowerstrokeEconoline good to hear anyways. Mine will do good around town but it seems like after driving for a few hours it will almost act like it’s running out of fuel, then run horribly until it or you give up. Pressures all look good.
That doesn't sound like an injector problem to me, but rather a fuel problem. Have you dropped the tank and cleaned the fuel screens? These vans have issues with fuel tank liner delamination and it will clog those filter screens right up.
@@PowerstrokeEconoline yes, I did that recently and replaced with a less restrictive sending unit. It’s an f-250 converted to a 6 door excursion so I’m going to check the wiring next. The canister filters seemed okay.. also going yo check fuel pressure next if I can replicate it
Yeah I would definitely get in there with seam sealer. If you just do rust converter that will stop the problem temporarily but to finish the job you have a few more steps.
Nice . I am also trying to make more videos on this engine. I have it in my school bus. I have one on the fuel filter and oil at moment. Just did the UVHC replacement as well.
Awesome! I've got a stack of raw video to edit: injectors, uvch, glowplugs, steering wheel and clockspring replacement, idm swap, diesel heater installation and dropping the fuel tank....been busy!
I have the same issue with my 2007 e150. After I removed as much rail sealer as I could I use this stuff called right stuff. It converts the rust. But I actually sand it off after I use that right stuff. And it goes all the way back down to the bare bright metal. I do not just convert the rust and leave it. This stuff actually helps remove it.
The heat worked great this winter! And the van runs rough until it is warm, so I don't mind it getting a bit warmer than stock. Otherwise I can't say that I've noticed anything significant. My fuel economy was around 19 mpg highway beforehand and more or less the same after. I just sent some engine oil in for analysis so that will be my first real insight into wear on the engine.
I am not convinced that the OE relay is inadequate in some way. Did you do any tests that prove the glow plugs are drawing more current than the stock unit can provide? If you are having issues with blown relays, then I would suggest that's an indicator your glow plugs are starting to go and should be replaced. Just upgrading a relay could just be a bandaid that covers up the real problem.
Valid points. I think durability is the main reason to upgrade to the Stancor. It is a burlier unit with larger contacts and a stronger build, and should outlast the OEM unit. I don't think current draw is really a concern, it's more with burning out the contacts over time, which will happen as a result of normal wear and tear over years of regular use even if the glow plugs aren't offering increased resistance. As far as tests, I know that my old OEM relay was providing less voltage on the draw side than on the feed side, so there was an issue with the unit itself. Despite buying a van with 300k+ miles, I don't love wrenching around under the doghouse so replacing the OEM GPR with a beefier unit that should outlast the stock replacement for not a lot more cost made sense to me. I couldn't agree more about the bandaid concern, and I will be replacing my glow plugs (and injectors and UVCH) this spring/summer once budget and weather allow. Anytime you have an issue with one component of a 20+ year old system that is subject to wear and heat and dirt and vibration, I think it's pretty likely that if one piece fails the others aren't far behind.
@@TheDogsBox I see that now. I debated the door swap for a while but ultimately I decided that the added visibility both into the blind spot and for passengers is worth the decreased insulation. Considering putting a bench seat back there for passengers. I think that making quilted insulation panels with magnetic attachments gives you the flexibility to have both.
I haven't weighed the van since the top swap, so can't say for sure. I would estimate that the high top weighs between 125lb and 150lb, and that the roof we cut off was around 40lbs. Total guesswork based on my experience lifting kettleballs and 7 gallon water jugs.
Supposedly a good way to deaden a 7.3 is to spray rhino lining on the valve covers. It's such a pain removing them on a van I'll probably never do it, but I have been considering putting something on the firewall and doghouse.
It wouldn't make sense to me as a standalone project, but maybe when replacing UVCH or glow plugs. Thanks for the tip! Surface prep might be a challenge. Lots of degreaser first!!
nice job! how do you think the foam will hold up to the heat under the dog house? I don't see (or expect) any specs on the aliexpress page description.
@brin6449 I don't know. It's hit or miss with stuff from China. It doesn't seem like the foam will resist heat very well but the foil will. I stuck it over top of the original fiberglass foil insulation so if it doesn't work out I can just peel it off. I've driven a couple hundred miles since and there hasn't been any odor or smoke.
Awesome channel. I've been looking at buying a wheelchair van with the same topper to convert. I've been wondering what was between the topper and the headliner! Thanks for showing! Do you think it would be possible to remove the headliner and metal cage from the inside without removing the topper? Thank you! Also, does the entire topper have the wood sandwiched between the glass or just the very top of the roof?
@ckinsleyjav The only way to remove the inner liner and cage without destroying them is to pull the topper. With careful use of cutting tools I think you could remove the liner in pieces, then the same for the cage. The topper has a wood core just in the ceiling. The sides and rear are solid fiberglass.
You did not show details about how you removed the outer shell. I can only presume that you intend to keep that know to yourself in order to have a future business do such removals. The interior bubble with the brackets is possibly for roll over protection? I understand that ambulance high tops are required to have roll over protection. Perhaps those have a welded structure?
@clarkleakins879 Haha definitely not! I didn't film removing the top because my buddy came over and I didn't want to waste his time filming. And the top is relatively heavy. I shoot video with my cell phone so it takes a hand and I had none to spare. To remove the top we pulled all the screws and trim, then lifted the outer shell so we could unbolt the metal cage. From the inside we drilled out the rivets that hold the liner, then we slid the whole mess off the back of the van. (Which was hard.). Then we lifted the outer shell off and put the inner liner and cage back on the old van. Hope this helps!!
Also the inner metal cage might be for roll protection but it wouldn't offer much. It was attached with thin brackets that bent under hand pressure. I can't see it doing anything but crushing down into the interior of the van in a rollover.
@@PowerstrokeEconoline Awesome video. So you and a friend were able to remove the high top yourselves without a forklift/gantry/DIY tree pulley of death, etc?! I am looking to do this and it would save a ton of effort if we could just remove it and away we go!
@ckinsleyjav yeah, we did the whole removal and reinstall without a crane. It was difficult. Removing the top took three people and would have been easier with four. Putting it back on we managed with just two but again it would have been better with three or four, especially if I had mounted more stuff (panels, rack, etc) beforehand.
My air intake is custom from the previous owner. Basically a dual K&N filter setup tied into the old intake with a piece of PVC pipe, some flexible gasket and hose clamps.
So I just replaced my fuel filter, I went through the front, as I have the factory air inlet. Anybody who wants some more info can click on my name to find the video on my channel.
@@PowerstrokeEconoline No, I did have to remove my airbox and unbolt the wiring harness mount to move it around... I just noticed what seems to be blood @2:04. Tight quarters turning wrenches on these things. FYI I just received the billet cap from RiffRaff, and it is pretty chunky. Seems to be thicker than the factory one, so that is something to consider.
@@TheDogsBox Yep, definitely have given my fair share of blood and sweat to this van. The topper project was pretty brutal on the hands. Good info on the billet cap. I'm planning on swapping one in for the next fuel filter change.
You're welcome. I'll keep em coming. Next up is some soundproofing then a bit more interior work on the high top. Anything in particular you'd like to see?
Yeah, it's custom built by the previous owner. He modified the intake with a piece of PVC to accept dual K&N oiled filters. I'm not confident that it's the best option but it is what I have.
I have not. Got a link? I'll check it out. And yeah that is a good topic. I think the original airbox isn't a bad option but on many vans by now it is cracked beyond repair. I've seen a few options but haven't messed with mine other than to clean and oil the filters.
Thanks! The next couple videos will be primarily camper van build stuff. I'll be doing a bunch of 7.3 engine work eventually (notably injectors and glow plugs) but it's gonna take me a while before I can afford those projects.
Not much of the old adhesive remained on the topper; most of it stuck to the van. I scraped what was left off with a knife then sanded down the whole area. It seems like the Raptor adhered well in those areas so I don't think I had much if any residual contamination.
