Price of gasoline!

     Man the price of diesel is still going through the roof!!! it's creaping into the $3.70 range in Paducah, KY which is one of the cheaper places in the country outside missouri and tennessee. I'm trying to calm myself down but the projections are said to be $5.00 a gallon for gasoline add 40 cents for some strange reason (as after 9/11 diesel stopped being cheaper then gas for some reason???!) and you got $5.409 a gallon for diesel fuel. I wonder if at that price range if dino alternatives will hit the market? What do you guys think?
     Truck ran good today, the temperature has gone back to near freezing which means I'm not going to get as good of mileage as I did last week, which is always a bummer when your driving a 10,000 lbs vehicle. I need to get to an air compressor and get the tires all topped back off at 80psi to try and lower the rolling resistance a touch.  With the current price of fuel it's a tough time to be driving bus around as a daily driver let me tell you!!!!

Powerstroke is performing well

     Truck is performing well, we drove all of 10 miles today. Straight piped 7.3Liter Powerstroke turbo diesel was loving the 60 degree weather. I'm  thinking road salting season is over now, I need to get the truck washed.
     I've been sick all winter! and haven't gotten a great deal of anything knocked off my list, but I'm starting to feel better and the outside temps are improving I need to get a couple of 4" muffler hangers fabricated soon, as I have the tailpipe temporarily hanging with bailing wire LOL.
     The TS 6 position chip is producing some decent MPG's right now on tow, I just have one reservation. the first shift from 1st to 2nd gear the factory shift pattern has to appear to time out in order for the chipped pattern to take over. Anyone have any thoughts about this shift issue?

Price of diesel fuel

    Truck is running great, not sure how long I can stand to listen to the straight piped V8 turbo diesel. May have to slap a straight through muffler on it later on to make it quieter

     We are trying to not drive as much as possible right now. We fire the truck up and it gets used everyday still, we have trimmed our driving to about 10 miles total a day at the moment.  Diesel fuel just keeps going up it was $3.739 a gallon the other day when I looked. I rushed and got the tank topped off at $3.499. Anyone know where diesel will top out this time? I've heard 5 bucks a gallon...

Powerstroke MPG calculation

Well my data is in on this last tank of fuel.  We did 12.55MPG with mixed city/hwy driving. This is the best this truck has ever done in mixed driving! I have hopes now that we can actually hit my original 15mpg projections when I originally purchased this truck 2 years ago.

A picture of our machine at Walt Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom Parking lot

photo of hitch install

This is our hitch getting installed, bumper off for easier access. Notice hitch bolted to structural angle and structural angle bolted up inside frame to keep hitch as high off the ground as possible. Bottom of hitch is even with bottom of exhaust. The factory exhaust pipe seen here has since been replaced with turbo back 4" straight pipe.

Our 2000 Ford Powerstroke E350 Goshen Coach

February 21st 2010

February 21^st 2010

1. Replaced starter a couple of weeks ago, solenoid was intermittent on old starter.
   1. Have since come to the realisation that I had been babying that starter for a long time, and it was costing me serious money. I did a rough estimation that I had been idling the truck 8 hours every week! At about 0.6 gallons per hour (see previous date) idling fuel consumption that comes to 4.8 gallons per week. This situation happened just after installing new injectors and other mods. And until now I was at a loss as my hand calculations had shown that my mileage had gone down. Well I think I'm well on the way to atleast 13 maybe 14 mpg out of this tank. But you can't fully estimate with 1 tank.
2. Went to Hick's trucks where I originally purchased this rig and got a replacement glass bus door out of one of my trucks sisters that they have back in the woods. Our door was massively messed up. Paducah Area Transit had broken our door sometime in the past and had welded a round bolt for the upper pin, originally pin was hexagonal which makes the door very secure. New door is perfect and for the first time I finally have the bus door totally working as new! Previously in late September of 2009 had Parker machine shop rebuild gear mechanism which was also broken when we received it.
3. Need to change the oil as oil was last changed in august at 126,820 miles it's around 131,000 now. Wasn't able to secure the synthetic valvoline so will use Delo LE 400 15w40 for this change as I previously purchased that oil on sale. After much thought and the problem with my old injectors developing stiction I'm going to switch back to rotella next change.
4. Previously replaced hydraulic cylinder on our Braun Millenium wheelchair lift that was leaking. Cost $367.00 from braun dealer in evansville, IN ohhh installed myself price is for the cylinder only. This cylinder lifts the stop gate at the end of the lift.
5. Todo list:
   1. install belly toolbox
   2. relocate batteries
   3. reseal fiberglass cap.
   4. Beef up supports under wheelchair lift.
   5. Change oil
   6. change rear end fluid, and axle seals.
   7. And unfortunately a large group of items on the July 11^th 2009 list still need to be done... lol

November 22nd 2010

November 22^nd 2010

1. replaced drivers side door latch. Old latch gave up and wouldn't latch anymore. Ford part 7C2Z15219A65BA $87.27 tax included.

November 17th 2010

November 17^th 2010 odometer 129381

1. Billy Robbins @ Veaches installed
   1. 8 remanufactured stage 1 single shot Bean's Diesel Performance fuel injectors
   2. 1 Bean's Diesel Performance modified Injector Driver Module
   3. 1 TS 6 position chip w/ Bean's custom tunes for life
   4. 8 Motorcraft F4TZ12A342BA Glow plugs
   5. 2 Motorcraft F81Z6584AA Valve Cover Gaskets
   6. 2 Motorcraft F81Z9D930AB Under Valve Cover Wiring Harness
   7. 2 Motorcraft 2C3Z14A163AB Valve Cover Harness retainer clips
   8. 1 A piller gauge pod 3 instrument cluster; trans temp, boost, pyrometer

November 1st 2010

November 1^st 2010

1. Ordered ford oem valve cover gaskets, under valve cover wiring harnesses, 8 glow plugs and 2 wiring harness clips from tousley ford in minnesota
2. Ordered Stage 1 single shot remanufactured injectors from Bean Diesel Performance in Tennessee, also ordered 6 position tc chip with custom tunes, and updated IDM computer
3. Looking forward to getting these parts in and getting the truck all tuned up, am looking forward to the fuel economy improvements this is going to bring if I can keep my foot out of the gas as this is going to give the truck over 140hp boost. Its going to be the wickedest 7.3 in Metropolis. Truck should have about 400hp and 600ftlbs of torque when done. And be the baddest engine I've ever owned.

September 24th 2010

September 24^th 2010 Odometer?

1. Received my radiator test strips the other day tested existing antifreeze
   1. ph 7.0 freeze point -34 50/50 sca's 1200 ideal
   2. I had assumed the existing antifreeze was sca deficient so that's good news that the truck has been protected all this time.

September 17th 2010

September 17^th 2010 odometer 127,785

1. Ordered 4” Diamond eye exhaust turbo back muffler delete from http://www.dieselpowerproducts.com on the 15^th for $329.00 shipped and a 5” ss tip off ebay
2. starter wouldn't fire this morning took it off tested good, cleaned connections on starter seems faster then before, ground was loose as lower starter bolt was installed backwards short side holding the starter long side holding the ground. I'm guessing the only ground on the motor is on the starter, may need to attach a couple grounding frame straps, truck seems sensitive to ground.
3. Ignition is still not cycling to run every time, and still won't cycle start on damp mornings, I replaced the switch, ,which means there is a connection issue downstream.
4. Need to pull doghouse, and get some measurements for plenum/turbo boots, they sell kits, but I can get the same stuff cheaper if I know the sizes I need.
5. I believe transmission shudder at 40ish when cold is not transmission, but is injectors, I think I have some dying injectors, and if I replace them, not only will truck drive better cold, but mileage will definitely improve, ,payoff should be quick! I'm interested in taking truck to http://beansdieselperformance.com in TN to get this repaired, I haven't talked price tho... also he is a custom tuner, so I can get a custom tuned chip. Matt with Bean diesel also suggested an IDM mod to boost the voltage to the injectors. I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel on my MPG woes!

September 8th 2010

September 8^th 2010 odometer 127,473

1. Replaced ignition switch
   1. old switch was intermittent if it would engage run or not, lucky for wait to start light to show if ignition was turned on or not.
   2. Purchased Autozone Duralast switch, installed it, when key was turned to start switch shorted to ground on P2 pin That one took awhile to figure out, and a few 60 amp maxi fuses under hood.
   3. Installed Napa switch KS6568 $19.49
2. notes
   1. I am going to change oil to Valvoline Premium Blue® Extreme Engine Oil 5W40 8,500 mile drain interval without testing.
   2. Change rear end fluid to sythetic to try and coax some rolling resistance down
   3. I am going to install a 4” turbo downpipe and remove the muffler. Diamond eye or Jones exhaust only 2 companies that seem to make 4” van exhaust

August 11th 2010

August 11^th 2010 odometer 126,820

1. Alternator seized up last night, and I mean really seized up! Shaft at rear bearing was offset ½” from center.
   1. Replaced alternator with 130amp remanufactured unit from napa. There were no markings on destroyed alternator, to show what amp it was, but I believe it was 100 amp model. I'm hoping old alternator had been dragging on engine for awhile and MPG will improve.
2. Changed oil/filter Motorcraft FL-1995 filter 14 quarts of delo 400 15/40. Odometer 126,820
3. Changed air Filters

August 3rd, 2010

August 3^rd, 2010 odometer 126,664

1. going to replace air filter/box with what's called a Tymar Mod. Air box has a broken clip, can't just repair air box, new box is astronomically expensive, plus, going to relocate batteries so front battery location will be perfect for this well known air filter mod to open up the truck to more air and a better filtration media.
   1. Basically remove air box and tie filter below to air intake with a section of 4” pipe and hose clamps. Intake will be solidly filtered, no dust sneaking by filters.
   2. Filter cross reference:
      1. NAPA 6637 alternate number 2790?
      2. WIX 46637 alternate number 42790?
      3. FRAM CA6818
      4. FLEETGUARD – AH19037
      5. DONALDSON – B105006
      6. AFE – 20-40044
      7. BALDWIN – PA2820
      8. HASTINGS – AF1012
      9. UNI – 908
      10. CARQUEST – 87790
      11. JOHN DEERE – PMAH19037
      12. BIG A – 93790
      13. CATERPILLER – 3I0005
      14. FLEETRITE – AHR819037
      15. LUBER-LINER – LAF2531
   3. After looking at compartment, there is no way to stuff a filter into passenger side battery location, looking in fenders for room next
2. The cooling system on any diesel has special concerns. It's possible for the coolant to cavitate --produce tiny bubbles--that can with time cause pinholes through the cylinder walls from the water jackets. For this there is an additive; Ford P/N FW-15 or FW-16, Fleetguard P/N DCA4; that needs to be maintained in the coolant. Generally this means installing 8 to 10 oz of the additive to the cooling system every 15000 miles. Another method is to monitor the cooling system with Fleetguard's DCA4 test kit P/N CC2602 or CC2602A. This measures the level of DCA4 in the system, and then you add the amount as required. The cooling system should be drained (and flushed if you live in an area with especially alkaline water) and refilled with a fresh 50/50 mix of coolant/water and one pint of the additive for every two gallons of coolant/water at 30,000 miles. Use only a low-silicate ethylene glycol-based coolant. Ford does not recommend using propylene glycol coolants in any of their vehicles.
   1. · Ford or Motorcraft Premium Antifreeze · Motorcraft Premium Gold Antifreeze (does not require SCA/DCA)
   2. · Texaco Antifreeze/Coolant
   3. · Texaco Antifreeze/Coolant Pre-diluted 50/50
   4. · Zerex 5/100 (white bottle) Antifreeze/Coolant
   5. · Zerex Ready To Use Antifreeze/Coolant (premixed 50/50 with de-mineralized water)
   6. · Zerex Heavy Duty Pre-charged Formula
   7. · Shellzone Premium Quality Antifreeze
   8. · Fleetguard Complete EG--pre-charged at 1.5 units/gallon DCA4
   9. Also available premixed 50/50 with water with the same DCA4 level · Pyroil Heavy-Duty Antifreeze/Coolant--Low Silicate
   10. · Fleet Charge Antifreeze/Coolant--pre-charged with Pencool
3. I am going to go with this antifreeze Zerex ZXED1 H/D extended life cat ec-1 cert antifreeze, system should hold 8 gallons of fluid stock, I'm leaning towards 10 with rear heat, so need 5 gallons of concentrate.

July 15, 2010

July 15, 2010 odometer 125818

1. had truck aligned Paducah Tire. Replaced passenger side Upper and Lower Ball joints aswell. Total cost of this service: $322.24
2. checked odometer reading against interstate mile markers

• Odometer mile marker
• 10.55 15
• 19.0 24
• 21.8 27
• 22.75 28
• 24.70 30

1. 1.06 Correction factor to be multiplied to odometer readings for accurate mileage ie: 323 odo reading = 342.4 actual

July 13, 2010

July 13, 2010 odometer 125434

1. had 6 new tires (Firestone Transforce HT) installed at Paducah Tire 235/85R16E replacing the original 225/75R16E. I went to a larger tire to effectively change the final gear ratio in the hopes of increasing MPG. Speedometer reading of 60 MPH on new tires roughly equal to 65 MPH in reality. Odometer correction factor: reading*1.06=actual distance. New tires cost $844.80 installed complete.

June 30, 2010

June 30, 2010 odometer 124980

1. fixed rear air. If freon leaks out it is coming from connection from line to top of sight glass, it started leaking as pressure came up, I tightened it more, it seemed to stop, now I cross my fingers cause it's tight up there and I couldn't get any more torque on the connection to tighten more.
   1. replaced filter/drier on liquid line back of condensor just below sight glass.
      1. Carrier transicold filter drier AC101-312
   2. replaced expansion valve mounted on rear evaporator
      1. Carrier - 14-00301-03 – aka as - AC101-107 -thermal expansion valve r134a, 3-ton system. Number on back of old valve: 040138-123-1889 Parker Hannifin Corp.

May 15, 2010

May 15, 2010 odometer 123,127

1. repacked front drivers side wheel bearings after noticing earlier in the week that the dust cap was missing. Bearings appeared fine. Installed Dorman 13974 dustcap. Installed SKF 24017 Oil Seal upc 0085311290180 aka HMA9 R, this seal appeared higher quality then the original. Passenger side was not repacked.
2. Previous repairs not dated
   1. replaced relay in truck fuse box that gives 12v switched to the ignition to the factory trailer package, which is what feeds the bus electrical box controls. Ignition switched powered items were intermittently working, ie: power door, rear a/c etc. Relay is identical to the Bosch/Tyco cabin relays but doesn't have the mounting tab, Napa Echlin AR272 V09240.
   2. replaced auto reset circuit breaker in cabin electrical box that feeds power to a/c and switches on console, ie power doors etc. Breaker was weak and was cycling on/off possibly the cause of lost a/c compressor spring 09, but was definitely going to cause the loss of new a/c compressor if I hadn't of known what was going on.

May 3, 2010

May 3, 2010 odometer 122,169

1. Transmission was flushed and treated with some JB transmission conditioner at expresslube in Paducah.

January 10, 2010

January 10, 2010 odometer 120209

1. installed BWD (borg warner) gpr07 glow plug relay purchased at O'Reilly for $20.99. We had 10 consecutive days below freezing tying #3 record and ofcourse discovered that the glow plugs weren't working. Sucks that ford doesn't have any kind of actual feedback to show if the glow plugs are actually energised. Truck ofcourse calls for GPR11 which for some damn reason everyone wants $75.00 for, GPR07 has the same ohm reading on the coil is the same physical size only difference is the connections are clocked 90 degrees clockwise off from 11. I installed this same relay on my 96 pickup it appears to last approximately the same time as 11 atleast with a price of $20.99 a $55.00 savings.
2. Again I believe my 2000 van was built late in the year because the shop manual shows a different electrical connection using a solid strap off the gpr to the gp connectors, the truck has standard wiring with ring terminals. Leading me to believe that my truck has model year 2001 motor in it (it takes 2001 serpentine belt, which took me a while to figure out)
3. Unfortunately I had to pull the alternator twice to get to the relay because I originally accidently got a ford starting relay from oreilly and when I installed it and started the truck the relay never deenergised and after the battery went down I barely was able to get the alternator to put out enough power to get the truck home. Glow plugs seem to pull somewhere from 100-140 amps. I'm leaning towards 100, as 140 probably would have shut the truck down. Upon inspection nothing was damaged other than the starting relay's coil was open, so all the damage was inside the case of the relay. External lugs and wiring looked no different then before.

1. Changed oil and filter 14 quarts Delo 400 15W40 and motorcraft FL1995 filter

October 9, 2009

October 9, 2009 odometer 118,792

1. we stayed onboard truck for 4 nights on our Orlando, Fl trip had to run the motor for heat or air 3 of those nights. Engine burns just slightly over ½ gallon of fuel an hour at normal idle. A generator wouldn't do any better, but would probably draw less attention. Sure would be sweet to have and electric heat/air and maybe a generator in the future, I'm sure I don't want to deal with propane heat.

September 19, 2009

September 19, 2009 odometer 116,956

1. A/C Compressor locked up on the 9/06/09 on the way home from Destin, FL
   1. Replaced A/C Compressor (Napa 254215)
   2. Replaced A/C Accumulator (Napa 408574)
   3. Replaced Front Orifice (Napa 207317)
   4. Filled with approx 10-12 fl oz of refrigerant oil and R134 (following instructions on pouring it into compressor before installation was wrong as you can't install it into both inlet and outlet and no matter which way you rotate compressor it only pumps from inlet to outlet, so it makes a mess which is doubly problematic as refrigerant oil is extremely slick and hard to clean up. Which is why I don't have the exact amount of refrigerant oil installed as some was lost)
   5. Front air is very cold, as before, rear air is luke cold, has to be an obstruction or open orifice on the rear, possibly a solenoid.
   6. Before next air service will need to aquire the following parts:
      1. CARRIER TRANSICOLD FILTER DRIER AC101-312 (filter mounted at condensor under drivers side of truck
      2. orifice for rear air
      3. diagnose any possible solenoid problems to rear air

September 2, 2009

September 2, 2009 odometer 115,428

1. replaced fuel filter with integral cap with Racor PFF4596 and Wix fuel filter cap 24232. Fuel leaks appear to be completely gone
2. replaced exhaust back pressure sensor and and line.
3. added 2 quarts of Delo 400 15/40 oil to top off truck, truck does burn some oil this was the first top off on this oil change so not too bad.

June 13, 2009

June 13, 2009 odometer 113,971

1. refuel: ending mileage 113,971 ran 371.4 miles. St Louis trip up and back on the same tank all interstate probably ½ hour of idling which is probably typical for all tanks of fuel 55 mph
2. Also of note ending fuel gauge reading was right at ¼ tank, tank supposedly holds 37 gallons meaning there was 7.3 gallons left in the tank, assuming 2 gallons is unusable there is a 5 gallon reserve at the ¼ tank mark which should yield conservatively 60 miles of drive time. I refuel to the top of filler neck which may give slightly more drive time but hopefully I will never have to find out. Total tank range is therefor: 431 miles
3. 29.679 gallons @ $2.519 = $74.76
4. 12.51 MPG

June 11, 2009

June 11, 2009 odometer 113,600

1. refuel: 113,600 ending mileage ran 199.0 miles. Pushed the truck harder running 65-70 mph on the highway, normally run 55 mph. Definitely is a distinct drop in mileage above 55 mph
2. 18.526 gallons @ $2.449 = $45.37
3. 10.74 MPG
4. To do list in no particular order:

1. flush and fill coolant
2. change fuel filter, to hopefully stop any leak that may still exist from the lousy napa integral filter cap.
3. Diagnose and repair starter circuit, so that I don't have to manually start truck anymore
4. apply epoxy patches to backside of fiberglass where there are cracks in order to strengthen panels
5. install XM satellite kit
6. remove and reinstall trim band exterior behind drivers door that wraps up and over and down the other side of body.
7. Reafix front bumper cover.
8. Find a means to store oils and additives on the exterior of vehicle and out of the cabin.
9. decide on insulation for interior and install it
10. reinstall front interior cosmetics
11. create circuit diagram of bus electrical system, truck is known from book, bus body is unknown. Bus lighting is picked up from factory trailer light kit under rear of truck.
12. Install trailer hitch
13. diagnose and repair cruise control
14. intermittent wipers work most of the time but sometimes they don't, normal mode works all the time.
15. Parking brake
16. exhaust back pressure sensor and line is clogged, sensor is surely bad
17. order code reader diagnostic tool, I'm sure there is 1-2 MPG available easily.

June 10, 2009

June 10, 2009 odometer 113,401

1. Back to work on the bus. Mileage at time of work: 113,401
2. filled air conditioner with 6 – 12 oz cans of R134a refrigerant, now it's cold!
3. Replaced bushings on front stabilizer bar, 4 bushings 2 to frame and 2 to I-Beam. I-Beam bushings are pressed in and gave me some serious grief, concocted a bushing press out of some all thread 2 Ridgid conduit couplings a unistrut tee some washers and nuts, and a guy wire ferrel, found everything but ended up having to go buy 2 big grade 8 washers that were the exact size of the bushing to pull it through the I-Beam. Moved around pieces on fabricated tool to press new bushing in with same setup. Front sway bar is 1” in diameter (7/8” were put on some models). Used NAPA 265-2158 & 265-2254 bushings, 2 packs each one is the frame bushings, other is bar end bushings, don't recall which was which.
4. Removed transmission pan, and replaced filter, the pan magnet looked furry from the metal dust stuck to it, a couple of small aluminum shavings in pan, old filter appeared to have metal dust trapped in the media. Hopefully transmission will be ok. Refilled with Valvoline MaxLife supposedly good for 75,000 but not with some remaining old fluid, Mercon V which is the replacement for Mercon that the Van specifies. Transmission ended up taking 7 ¼ quarts of mercon V, but in reality probably would have held 6 ¾ quarts as I siphoned some back out as I thought I had overfilled it the dipstick takes some time to learn how to read properly. Couldn't remove 1 bolt from flywheel inspection cover, bolt is up above starter, so was unable to drain torque converter, nor have the tools to flush anything further. Old oil wasn't the best but was still reddish. Napa 1-7968 Filter Kit, transmission has reusable gasket kit is for E40D 2WD but it apparently shares the same filter as the 4R100 which is in the bus.

May 29, 2009

May 29, 2009 odometer 113,401

1. refuel: 113,401 ending mileage ran 231.2 miles
2. 19.936 gallons @ $2.269 = $45.23
3. 11.60 MPG

May 10, 2009

May 10, 2009 odometer 113,169

1. refuel: 113,169 ending mileage ran 259.7 miles
2. 22.237 gallons @ $2.059 = $45.79
3. 11.68 MPG

April 15, 2009

April 15, 2009 odometer 112,901

1. refuel: 112,901 ending mileage ran 267.5 miles
2. 22.555 gallons @ $2.099 = $47.34
3. 11.86 MPG

Mar 30, 2009

Mar 30, 2009

1. refueled truck almost entirely highway miles 189.2 miles using 16 gallons of #2 @ $2.099/gal 11.83 mpg

Mar 28, 2009

Mar 28, 2009

1. Installed new wiper blades and refills, old ones were some cheap ass plastic with one refill slipping out the bottom.

Mar 26, 2009

Mar 26, 2009

1. Drove the bus for a few miles listening for rattles I only heard:
   1. 2 interior:
      1. Entry door left hand grab bar, not quite sure of the exact spot yet
      2. Braun lift (this noise is probably unstoppable)
   2. 1 exterior
      1. weather strip that joins the cab section to the bus section that wraps up the drivers side across the roof and down the passenger side, it’s loose and floppy on the drivers side.
2. Fuel up at Cheers exit 3 paducah:
   1. Took on 10.051 gallons of #2 @ $2.099 / gal over 108.6 mile distance
   2. 108.6/10.051= 10.80 MPG

Mar 25, 2009

Mar 25, 2009

1. Installed new front shocks and steering stabilizer strut (NAPA SC2955)
2. lower mounting stud for front shocks are worn out, passenger one is not square anymore, drivers side one has the steel bushing rusting away.
3. front anti-roll bar has worn out bushings where it connects to the I-Beams. Next project will be to rebush the bar.

Mar 23, 2009

Mar 23, 2009

1. lubed up front frontend on bus front passenger shock is missing it’s lower bushings this is why wheel has been hopping, ordered front shocks and steering stabilizer strut. For reference steering stabilizer is not gas charged so it doesn’t extend on it’s own, which is how I can tell if a shock is bad.
2. took off every trim on interior front bus roof and headliner from where econoline body ends (directly above rear of drivers seat) forward, searching for broken welds and rattles. Found about 8 broken welds which Mark welded up for me with his mig welder, front bus rattles are now gone! Probably take 8 hours to properly reinstall interior pieces…

Mar 18, 2009

Mar 18, 2009

1. fueled up 21.000 gallons of #2 diesel @ $1.779/gal = $37.36
2. ran 208.6 miles on 21 gallons = 9.933 mpg
3. that run was half highway half town, still have a slight fuel leak on the fuel filter, this is I’m sure negligible though and shouldn’t effect mpg. I am still under the impression that the EBP sensor fix will improve mpg, at $150+ with replacement tube it’s a tough call though.
4. purchased new wix fuel filter cap 24232 at OReilley’s auto parts for $18.99 because I stupidly threw away the old cap when I changed the fuel filter. Lesson learned.
5. Ordered started solenoid as I am currently starting van by jumping solenoid with a wrench. Should be in Friday Mar 20 am.
6. Going to order a racor PFF4596

Mar 11, 2009

Mar 11, 2009

1. replaced the 3 orings in the fuel bowl fuel/water drain valve with flourosilicone o rings for dieselorings.com After inspecting it all I believe that the problem with the leaking drain was that the drain actuator cable is not wanting to stay in the closed position which partially opened the valve, am going to secure the actuator cable handle in the closed position to prevent that problem from reoccurring....
2. Tried to replace serpentine belt but belt for 2000 by the book is about 2 inches too long, my motor takes a 2001 E350 belt which is a Gates K081207. Next time check out Gates K081207HD I tougher belt and I believe cheaper from napa.
3. Exhaust back pressure tube is pretty well completely restricted with soot as well as the exhaust back pressure sensor; I believe the sensor to be bad, damaged by soot. Sensor is removed with a 1” deep well socket
   1. Sensor: 1807330 C19263B
   2. Possible good sensor numbers: ford 4c3z-9j460-a Alliant power AP63403 Cross Reference: 490 4C3Z9J460A, 655 1850353C1 Motorcraft DPFE-3 they also have the sensor tube ford 1C3Z-9D477-AA Alliant AP63404
4. most annoyingly the the lousy napa fuel filter bowl cap is seeping fuel off the rear edge, this filter is junk with it’s square o ring instead of tapered one… replace at next oil change!!

Mar 6, 2009

Mar 6, 2009

1. fueled up with 28.004 gallons of diesel after 258.3 miles for $1.779/gal at cheers Paducah. 9.22 miles per gallon down from the 14 mpg we got the week before.

Mar 3, 2009

Mar 3, 2009

1. Took to Paducah Ford
   1. Replaced the Cam position sensor (recall item #07S57), replaced at no cost, old one appeared to still be working
   2. Had them print out fault codes:
      1. PO113 IAT sensor circuit high
         1. this is the intake air temperature sensor it works by decreasing resistance as temp increases and subtracting that from 5V control so it’s either the sensor is bad or the wiring is bad corroded.
      2. PO470 EBP Sensor
         1. Exhaust Back Pressure sensor this is a $120.00 part, it has a steel line that connects it to the exhaust pipe or manifold which may be dirty clogged, this will cause poor fuel economy/possibly bad shifting
         2. Clean the tube and sensor. The tube comes out of the passenger's side manifold and leads to the front of the engine where the EBP sensor sits. Unbolt the sensor and use a long wire brush to clean out the soot. http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/565393-exhaust-backpressure-code-affecting-tranny-shifts.html
         3. Remove the sensor (be careful not to apply lateral force it can break the sensor) and spray with Braklean then take some 0.95 square weedeater line or similar and scrape the inner sides on the bottom of the sensor (Dont go to deep it can damage the sensor diapram inside). The remove the tube below the sensor mount (A crowfoot wrench comes in handy here) the other end is on the pass side exhaust manifold. Spray with braklean and let soak for a bit. then take about 2.5 feet of the weedeater line and run it down the tube and work it back and forth do this 3 or 4 times and it usually clean it up. Appears to be mounted right in front of the HPOP
         4. P0470 code is a bit different. You might be able to clean it and fix the problem. But more than likely the sensor itself is bad and needs to be replaced. Or is unplugged or wiring damaged
      3. PO603
         1. Internal control module KAM (Keep Alive Memory) error. This is caused when the battery is disconnected and the PCM loses it’s memory. Nothing to worry about.
      4. PO478
         1. EPR - Exhaust pressure control valve high input
            Causes: Plugged sensor line, stuck butterfly, restricted exhaust. This is totally related to the PO470 code and means the instructions for it up there are totally relevant it’s clogged or defective http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/f24/codes-po470-po478-91530/
   3. Also they verified that fuel filter bowl water drain valve leak had returned.
      1. Drain is attached to a steel line which works its way to near the bottom of the front passenger side of the engine, dumping fuel onto the crossmember. I think I’m going to attach a short rubber line to it to extend it down to just below the crossmember
      2. Ordered O ring replacement set from http://www.dieselorings.com
      3. Currently this leak seems to only manifest at shutdown draining the fuel bowl down after the pressure drops. but if it’s really the o rings it could let loose at any time and leak fuel under pressure

Feb 27, 2009

Feb 27, 2009

1. added about 1 quart of Aeroshell 4 mill spec 5606A to Braun Millenium lift. In the future would prefer aeroshell 41 mil spec 5606H as it’s a slightly higher grade hydraulic fluid. Hydraulic fluid cleanup off of rubber floor is easily facilitated using rubbing alcohol in a trigger squirt bottle (found that generic bathroom tile cleaner trigger will screw directly onto a rubbing alcohol bottle). Just spray the entire contaminated area down with it then wipe up with heavy paper towels.
2. preventative maintenance left to do:
   1. grease underside
   2. check rear axle fluid level
   3. flush/replace coolant
   4. diagnose transmission shutter in OD at 45 mph when cold. I believe this is a torque converter lock up problem, most likely computer induced, possibly EBP sensor problem
   5. check for pre fuel filter on frame pre fuel pump (replace if it exists)

Feb 24, 2009

Feb 24, 2009

1. Fuel filter was bleeding off fuel after shutdown, replaced fuel filter with NAPA filter with integral cap (future reference, do not use this filter again, as filter and cap assembly are too large to easily rangle into the filter assembly on this van, plus I have reservations about the filtering ability of this filter due to the mounting of cap penetrating into the top of filter). Air Filters housing and rubber air intake hose have to be removed to get to filter. Water drain is accessed using a pull handle that was originally mounted in between oil and transmission dipstick but is now floating back behind them. Take out filter could of passed for original, but I doubt it could of lasted that long. Open water drain, unscrew lid to filter remove filter and lid, replace with new wetting o rings with fuel for lube and close drain valve, cycle ignition through glow plug wait a couple of times to allow fuel pump to refill fuel filter assembly and go.
2. after taking off doghouse to get to back of motor, fuel line to passenger side head was leaking. Tightened connector solved problem
3. Discovered air resonator that tees off the air intake hose prior to turbo was broken and half missing. Removed remainder of pieces and capped off hole with 2” PVC cap. Resonators original purpose was to reduce engine noise, has no real purpose other than creature comforts.
4. Installed missing lugnut $9.50 from Ford a piece and torqued all lugnuts on truck to 140 ft lbs as per markings on nut
5. Ordered 2000 owners manual off of an ebay seller for $9.24 with shipping.

Feb 24, 2009

Feb 24, 2009: odometer 112,000

1. Replaced 2 tires, rear insides at Paducah Tire which had 2 good used tires $25 a piece mounted and balanced LT225/75R16
2. Changed oil and filter 14 quarts Delo 400 15W40 and motorcraft FL1995 filter (odo approx 112000 try to write down odometer reading next oil change)
3. Licensed and registered truck ($281.00 sales tax, $153.00 license & registration)

Ubiquitous first post

I'm intending on continually updating this site with my adventures with driving a 2000 Goshen Coach ex-municiple wheelchair bus. The next few posts will be catching up with what has happened since we purchased this Ford E350 powerstroke machine that sometimes I call my baby, and othertimes it has a lot of 4 letter words that I won't put in print here.