In particular the 4.9L I-6 engine. Any info on these things? My mom is looking at buying one to use for hauling stuff around the east coast for her business. It would not be pulling a trailer, just the inside would basically be full. The one she's looking at has over 200K miles..from what I've read so far they seem to last well beyond that though if maintained decently.

Anything in particular I should be looking at on this one?

7/16/2009 8:43:54 AM

umm


OD button on the shifter can give problems

7/16/2009 8:45:44 AM

worked at a rental shop that had one (although with a larger engine). All I know is that it went through some front tires like crazy.

7/16/2009 9:02:39 AM

I've read a few things that say they're a bitch about not staying aligned and they end up eating front tires quick because of that.

7/16/2009 9:07:45 AM

Yeah, a lot of the Ford TTB front ends are absolutely shitty about staying aligned.

I think the 300 straight six is one of the best engines that Ford ever built. Some folks like them better than the 302 (me being one of them).

The overdrive trannies have had a tendency to be problematic. However, this one might have a C6 without overdrive. One place I worked, we had a '94 with the straight six...and it had a C6.

What puzzles me is that in '96, I thought Ford went with the 4.2 V6...the first year for it in the vans. Or was that '97?

7/16/2009 9:27:02 AM

I listed the wrong engine.

It's a diesel engine.. so yea, nvm what I said earlier. I'm trying to figure out which engine it is but the few I've found online with are 96's with diesel engines are 7.3L's turbo diesel's

7/16/2009 9:39:19 AM

yeah, 96 was the 7.3 powerstroke backed by an e4od. before that was the 7.3 idi and before that was the 6.9 idi.

^^94 was the last year that the c6 came in anything iirc.

7/16/2009 9:55:51 AM

any opinion on it?

7/16/2009 10:04:19 AM

How cheap is it?

They crush out at 3K IIRC

7/16/2009 10:24:37 AM

$3500 is the asking price. I haven't really figure out what it was worth.. was more worried about reliability before I even bothered looking at prices

[Edited on July 16, 2009 at 10:42 AM. Reason : asf]

7/16/2009 10:42:08 AM

child molester van

7/16/2009 11:39:32 AM

lol...that's the first thing i thought of when i saw the picture on kbb.com

7/16/2009 11:44:22 AM

not a bad starting point for a diesel depending on overall condition and maintinance/repair history. that's a solid engine, and should easily go 300-400k without much of a fuss. just be warned that most repairs will be a pita, they're crammed tight and don't have as big of a doghouse as other fullsize vans. they had a milder tune and a smaller turbo compared to the truck engines, but still make good power. especially compared to the na 6.9/7.3's.

the e4od transmission is less than stellar in terms of strength/reliability, but it's not terrible and it can be helped a good bit with a few tips/tricks. with that mileage, its condition and whether or not it's ever been rebuilt/replaced (and if so, by WHO) would be my number one concern in determining vehicle value.

the rear axles can have a tendency to burn up pinion bearings due to poor oiling. check for any leaks, the level/condition of the oil, and for any obvious play at the yoke or vibrations at speed. if you do purchase it, fresh fluid/gaskets/seals along with overfilling it a bit would be one of the first things i'd do. especially since it's going to be spending a lot of time on the highway it sounds like.

as already mentioned, the infamous ttb (twin traction beam) front suspension has potential to cause headaches with alignment, tire wear, and quirky handling (bumpsteer). excellent design base for a long travel, independent, smooth, high speed off road suspension, but not so much for a basic street vehicle. it's kind of like all of the bad traits of an ifs and a solid axle put together and none of the good ones. if you do find it needs attention, make sure to pick a reputable alignment shop. very few techs know how to get them right.

7/16/2009 11:49:37 AM

only if it's 4wd

7/16/2009 3:13:56 PM

We have a cutaway with the NA 7.3, its a beast. We had to replace a giant O ring in the transmission to stop a huge leak but other than that it has been great, well over 300k on it. Never could keep any tires on the front, be ready to keep flipping them to the back and put new ones on the front. Dont run it out of fuel. Sometimes the bottoms of the pickup tubes in the tank will break off, causing you to not be able to run it below 1/4 tank. I found that out the hard way right after I bought my truck, ass I bought it from neglected to tell me that.

7/16/2009 6:39:02 PM

I offered him $2,000 cash. He said he needed to think about it so I think he might go for it.

7/16/2009 6:43:57 PM

i offered him $2,001, fucker

7/16/2009 7:24:00 PM

7/16/2009 11:27:48 PM

Oh shit, I like your Price is Right Style 69.

7/16/2009 11:31:21 PM

how much of a bitch move is that? the last person to bid always bids 1 over the closest, i saw one dumbass bid 1 under the highest before, even bob barker dropped the carl face

7/18/2009 8:35:49 PM

$1

7/18/2009 10:19:56 PM

$1.01

7/21/2009 3:33:57 PM