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[Mal Brown]

I have  2006 Econoline cut away with a Grumman 16’ box.  Ex budget rent a truck...

Been looking about the net for the PSW of ex rental truck owners.  So far not much pops up.

I’d like to do some audio mods, get the cab to box interface resealed, add cruise control and maybe a few other things... 

I would also like to know some basic maintenance items beyond the motor, tranny and brakes.  I have a great mechanic for that stuff.  I’m wondering if there is stuff I should be doing on the box to keep it tight ?


Anyone got a lead ?

[Jeff Bankston]

what engine is in it ?

[Craig Hauber]

I have  2006 Econoline cut away with a Grumman 16’ box.  Ex budget rent a truck...

Been looking about the net for the PSW of ex rental truck owners.  So far not much pops up.

I’d like to do some audio mods, get the cab to box interface resealed, add cruise control and maybe a few other things... 

I would also like to know some basic maintenance items beyond the motor, tranny and brakes.  I have a great mechanic for that stuff.  I’m wondering if there is stuff I should be doing on the box to keep it tight ?


Anyone got a lead ?

I would seek out the factory service manual for this model year.  It may be a PDF or disc-only for this year or newer, (not sure as I don't own anything this "new")  I do most of my own wrenching and I feel blind without one.  They cover all engine types and options.
Also fordtrucks.com have forums similar to this one dedicated to all aspects of Ford trucks current and classic and I do believe they have a fullsize econoline subforum.  Most discussions dealing with E-350 can apply also to cutaways.

[Mal Brown]

what engine is in it ?

The dreaded 5.4 V8.  Famous for difficulties with spark plugs... but that is what my mechanic is for...

[Mal Brown]

New member over at ford-trucks.com.. we’ll see how helpful that crowd is... 

Thanks for the lead Craig!

[Jeff Bankston]

The dreaded 5.4 V8.  Famous for difficulties with spark plugs... but that is what my mechanic is for...

actually thats a way more reliable engine than the 6.0 diesel. I have a 6.0. I had a 5.4 and it never broke down.

[Tim Hite]

. . .

I would also like to know some basic maintenance items beyond the motor, tranny and brakes.  I have a great mechanic for that stuff.  I’m wondering if there is stuff I should be doing on the box to keep it tight ?


Anyone got a lead ?

Don't know about box truck specific forums. Other than what's been covered so far, regular inspection of the door and ramp and some adjustments will make your life easier. If you have a lift gate get the service manual and be religious about servicing the damn thing.

Also, if you have a lift gate go get a Magliner ramp for the thing, as well. Nothing's as nice as being able to back up and load up a ramp onto a stage.

[Mal Brown]

actually thats a way more reliable engine than the 6.0 diesel. I have a 6.0. I had a 5.4 and it never broke down.

The 5.4 is infamous due to the spark plug design.  Easy to snap them off in the head and it is surgery to get the remains out without leaving debris.   Changed at every 100k.  I’m at 175 or so and put on 1000 to 1500 a year.  I’ll sell it and retire before 20 k ;-)

No lift gate standard long ramp which works well for me in my rural life...

[lindsay Dean]

My brother had that same engine in his Ford truck.
 Went to have a standard spark plug change done, cost him over $2,000 because the spark plugs had seized in the head.
 The mechanic stated that if Ford would have put anti seize on the threads this would never have happened to so many engines.
 yay Ford👎
                        Go Toyota

[Mal Brown]

Well yeah, I’d love an Isuzu NPR ... just can’t afford it ;-)

[Adam Kane]

My brother had that same engine in his Ford truck.
 Went to have a standard spark plug change done, cost him over $2,000 because the spark plugs had seized in the head.
 The mechanic stated that if Ford would have put anti seize on the threads this would never have happened to so many engines.
 yay Ford👎
                        Go Toyota

He got ripped off if they charged him $2000. They have a fairly inexpensive tool that extracts broken plugs from those exact heads. I did it myself on four stuck plugs. Each one took me about 20-minutes and two of those were the hardest to reach cylinders.

That said, the 5.4 is a solid engine. I've owned many and all had well over 200k miles when I sold them. Lots of torque down low where it counts. My personal vehicle has one with 258 on it. I checked compression when I changed plugs last time at 230k and all cylinders were nearly perfect. Taken care of, they should give you very few problems. A Ford mechanic friend of mine says he's opened them up to rebuild after 300k and the cylinder walls still have near-perfect cross-hatch patterns still visable.

One trick: if you have a 3-valve version (yours should be), use 5-30 full synthetic. The factory spec of 5-20 was to satisfy CAFE/mpg standards, but the cam phasers are much happier/quieter/perform better with 5-30.

[Mal Brown]

Will have to ask Andy, my mechanic.  And make that suggestion.

[Paul G. OBrien]

if you have a 3-valve version

3V motor was never installed in these vans... won't fit.

[Adam Kane]

3V motor was never installed in these vans... won't fit.

You are correct...forgot about that.

On the 2v 5.4's the plug issue was primarily blow-outs. Most of the time, it was after a plug change and someone over-tightened them which destroyed the very few threads in the head (bad design). 15 lb-ft is plenty...any more than that and you damage the threads. A small dab of anti-sieze prevents thread damage the next time they're removed.

[Chris Hindle]

You are correct...forgot about that.

On the 2v 5.4's the plug issue was primarily blow-outs. Most of the time, it was after a plug change and someone over-tightened them which destroyed the very few threads in the head (bad design). 15 lb-ft is plenty...any more than that and you damage the threads. A small dab of anti-sieze prevents thread damage the next time they're removed.

Heli-Coils are your friend... and a LOT of grease on the tool......
Chris
(Never had this one, but GM had plenty of "adventures" with questionable engineering.)

[Mal Brown]

Heli-Coils are your friend... and a LOT of grease on the tool......
Chris
(Never had this one, but GM had plenty of "adventures" with questionable engineering.)

Yes, well for our personal vehicles it is Subaru Outback and Toyota Highlander AWD.  We do live in the middle of the Cascade Mtn range so snow is a thing here...  my last vehicles before the Highlander were all outbacks.

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