We think we'll keep it... but need some advice

[dwest]

SBGrimm:
Check out Action Van In Ca for a lift kit
Super to work with and very helpful staff.
I put a 4” kit on my “Church Van” adventure build and went with ARB for the rear locker.
Nice thing about the ARB is the ability to have air.
Smooth riding on backroads, driving in soft sand or airing up beach floaties. Also useful in emergency when your V10 blows a plug out 30 miles from the nearest town!
Speaking of spare parts to carry: NAPA kit to install new spark plug in the event of ( air useful to blow out debris from said failure - cause it’ll be the cylinder that is only reachable whilst working in the diving position)
Pic of van to see the lift height...
Best, Dave

[eddyturn]

Brad, you and Susie can come over to my house and buy my van. Turn Key already to go day one. Less than new...

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by sbgrimm

After seeing all the great new SMB's at Overland Expo costing north of $140k, we've decided to keep our current van. It's well loved and has no known issues other than having 193,000 miles on it. We're thinking if we put a little money into it we can have improved functionality and hopefully make it last for another 100,000 miles.

I'm hoping to get some advice from the forum on what preventative maintenance I can do to make this high mileage van continue to run reliably and not leave us stranded on some dirt road in the middle of Baja.

Here are the van details:
2005 Ford E-250, 5.4L V8, 2WD, not lifted, RB-50 with propane and solar, 193k miles
We run Mobil 1 synthetic, changed regularly, and deal with problems as they come up (new ball joints this month), but other than have our mechanic check it yearly we haven't done anything else.

Is there such a thing as bulletproofing a 5.4L gasser similar to what people do to the 6.0 diesel?

Finally, I'd like to do a mild lift for improved clearance and to run larger tires. And while I'd love to have 4WD I think our needs would be met for a lot less money if I just switch the differential to a limited slip like the TrueTrac. I'd welcome any thoughts on the wisdom of making these changes on a high mileage van.

I would buy extra belts,radiator hoses and clamps(make sure what the guy hands you at parts counter actually looks like what’s under hood),lead acid battery or(wet) batteries can suddenly fail and leave you stranded as they are not designed for a lot of offroad vibrations,I upgraded to an agm odyssey battery.i would also flush the radiator and install new coolant.if your brake and power steering fluid is original might be a good idea to change as well.an overlooked item is front wheel bearings being inspected and repacked.if your going to install a limited slip truetrac you should wait to see what kind of lift and wheel/tire size you end up with first so you can pick the right gearing! Otherwise you can have transmission problems from always downshifting and or “lugging the gears”.Transmission fluid/filter.the spark plugs on 5.4 are long and the old ones were a bad design and can break off,if you take it to the dealership and they break one they have specialty tools and will be responsible to get you back on the road labor is about $200.00 and worth every penny and they have a procedure in place to begin with that keeps most from breaking.keep a clean air filter and change your oil more often if driving in dusty conditions,soft sand,steep hills,towing,high rpm lower gears offroad.extra coil pack and fuel filter.

[Zappo]

I would do truetrac before airlocker,truetrac is “automagical” don’t have to worry about compressor issues or air lines coming loose.if you don’t truetrac or change gears at least change dif oil.change out recovery boards,quality jack and a few plywood boards so it doesn’t sink,wheel choc,jumper cables long,truck claws and a quality tow strap.also a portable “quality” air compressor(that will reach all tires!verify) so you can air down your tires to offroad and for soft sand etc and van rides so much smoother and keeps it from ratttling apart at the seams.like a horse if you treat it good ready to work,if you don’t guaranteed kick to head...

[Pacman]

Buy a new van with 30,000 miles and take everything out of you can and I stall it into a newer van

[sbgrimm]

Originally Posted by eddyturn

Brad, you and Susie can come over to my house and buy my van. Turn Key already to go day one. Less than new...

Thanks Bob, we would love to give Bigly a good home, but... our HOA won't allow it. It's got to look stealthy, like a soccer mom van, to pass muster with our HOA. Besides, you need a van as much as we do. Being vanless is not an option!