any expiditers on this van forum?? a few questions

[spikey]

i was just wondering if there were any expiditers on this forum so i could get some tips for fuel mileage and maintenace. i put about 100,000 - 110,000 miles a year on my van, so fuel mileage is very important to me.

[sixiron]

yup, you got at least 1...any specific questions?...I am of the school that I replace items B/4 breakdowns and try to keep everything roadworthy so I don't run into any surprises on the road in the middle of the night etc...I'll start this off and I'm sure others will chime in that use their vehicles on the road ...wouldn't hurt to check over in the towing and hauling section:
1. CPS sensor(crankshaft position sensor) buy at IH $80 bucks 10 minute job on the side of the road...crap shoot on when they go bad..I recently replace mine after 125,000 and the van ran better afterwards. Some go bad asa 20,000.
2. serpentine belt
3. fuel filters and extra 5 gal container of diesel
4. run fuel additive every tank
5.check wheel bearings as regular maintance
6.check your coolant with the test strips and add the FW-16 accordingly ...prevent cavitation and your block wont pit out on you 4 yrs from now.
7. search the archives as much as you can and you will learn a lot of info on keeping the diesel alive and well.
8. Cold weather operation is another animal...hope you have engine heater(plug-in)
9. get an SCMT-60/80 hp programer (chip) install and enjoy
10. BTS transmission when you think yours is history...best $ you will spend.
11. open up your exhaust ...get 4" if you can or at least get rid of the cat/conv and/or add a free flow muffler...but get rid of the factory exh...
12. maybe you better ask the q's I think I am spending your money faster than you can make it.
LOL..bd [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Defective]

I was in that game 20 years ago when the big companies didn't have their own planes...

Our average truck ran over 300,000 miles / year.

Maintenance: oil chances about 4 times as often as the manufacturer advised. Tune ups every other month. New tires if the driver complained. Force the drivers to wash the truck/van every day. Force the drivers to check fluids every time the truck hit the depot & recommend they do same at every fill up. Fire anybody that fails to follow these rules.

(of course, some of these don't apply to the owner/operator on a single van...)

Mileage: Exactly TWO tips...

Drive as smoothly as you can. Excessive acceleration is the number one waste of fuel on the planet! If you keep in mind the simple fact that accelerating to highway speed with a light touch on the throttle will get you there no later than tromping the gas, you'll save a whole lot of fuel as well as making your van last longer.

Drive no faster than required. I had one co-driver that consistantly drove 10 mph faster than I did. He used about 12% more fuel too... Drive at the speed limit and take it easy. This will improve your mileage and your temper. If you are consistantly being passed, just picture those passing you as parked in front of a cop...

[spikey]

sixiron

questions...okay, lets start off with:

where do you get test strips for the coolant from?

what is this fuel additive that you speak of??

60/80 hp chip....apart from adding more hp and torque...what else does this do for me?? better mileage??

who sells the exhaust for the vans and how does that effect the performance of the vehicle?

is the factory muffler stainless?? are the aftermarket ones stainless??

sorry for all of the questions ...but i want to ask some that are specific to my situation.

i search the forum and read it for hours...but i seem to get caught up in a whirlwind of info...

..awsome site though..i have been lurking for a while now, but it is now time to ask some questions for i have just retired my old '94 302ci van and picked up what i should have gotten in the first place...a diesel.

oh another question....how often do you do your oil changes/fuel filter changes? seeing that you must do a lot of highway miles.

thanks in advance and for the advice.

[sixiron]

Spikey, B/4 answering ..This is a good place to get info for your PSD...back up to the main page and click on the "content" area, then click on "feature articles" that should give you a lot of reading and especially pull the "my powerstroke won't start" article and keep it with you :
1. coolant strips are available at truck dealer parts dept..IH, KW all have them...DIS (diesel injection service also a sponser) Click on sponsers and give them business
2. I currently run amsoil cetane boost, but power service is also good. it will pay for itself in added fuel milage and lube the injectors to boot.
3. Chip..scmt programmer/ What else did this do for me? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/warmsmile.gif[/img]can't put any numbers on the fuel milage improvement but it sure didn't hurt the milage either, and the power difference is well worth it...well worth it!
4. exhaust...I do not know what vehicle you have but if has a cat/conv. and a muffler you are wasting a lot of power...lose the cat and get a dynamax straight thru muffler(JEGS has them for $36 bucks)www.jegs.com you will now take off without putting your foot halfway to the floor to get it moving!
5. I changed my oil every 3-4,000 miles but you know how this works when you are on a trip and cannot get home so you run over a few miles...never over 5,000...I have gotten lazy in my old age and now run the amsoil by-pass which double filters the oil and I run the syn oil now and all I change is the filters at their prescribed time...cost savings over dino oil and I dont have to change the oil as much.
6. fuel filter changes :see my signature and I run a racor filter ahead of the pump so my fuel is double filtered...racor 10,micron and ford stock filter 2 micron w/heater...change the racor every 10,000 and the stock filter every 30,000...give or take wintertime more frequent changes than warmer weather.
7. You will see a lot of mod stuff ...first and most important is to get a PYRO and trans/temp gauge installed !!!
8.Transmissions are weak, weak...you need a larger cooler than stock, different valve body w/sonnax valve and tricumulator springs , syn trans fluid would also help...you could also start with a shift kit or any mod that will increase your line pressure(my ford dealer installs shift kits and in-line filters as prevent measures)
I have been operating my PSD now for 2 yrs and I still cannot get over how much untapped power is there...every mod I have done has resulted in more power with no drop in milage...that is a direct tribute to the guys , sponsers, and info available on the site...
don't lurk in the background, everyone here has been a genuine help for my stupid questions too! lol bd