Powerstroke E350 questions.

[DirtyWood]

I'm a landscaper and have an opportunity to purchase an E350 with a 7.3 Powerstroke and only 38k miles. I've never owned a van or a Powerstroke before. How much of a PITA are diesel vans to work on? Generally reliable? Any quirks I should know about? Although the mileage is low the van is still almost 30 years old--what sort of age related repairs might be on the horizon?

 

[Black dawg]

They are more difficult to work on some things, and much easier for others since you can get right at the back of the engine. Really the only thing than can be really difficult is right bank injectors.

 

[u2slow]

Dealing with the fuel system on top of the engine is the biggest pain.

Mine had high miles and hours (ex-bus); had chronic starting problems, which improved slightly after a better-used hpop and a new ipr.

I fear age is also a strong enemy on these engines. Lots of o-ring seals to break down causing internal systems to lose pressure. Also possible electrical problems from weathering.

 

[jonny3412]

I'm a landscaper and have an opportunity to purchase an E350 with a 7.3 Powerstroke and only 38k miles. I've never owned a van or a Powerstroke before. How much of a PITA are diesel vans to work on? Generally reliable? Any quirks I should know about? Although the mileage is low the van is still almost 30 years old--what sort of age related repairs might be on the horizon?

Those old E350 7.3s are solid when the miles are that low, but age-related seals and rubber are usually the real worry. I’ve dealt with similar crankcase venting issues on newer trucks and ended up running the EngineGo 6.7 Cummins CCV Reroute Kit on mine - cleaned up a lot of the oil mist problems without much drama. Not a direct swap for the van, but the principle is the same if you ever run into excessive blow-by down the road.