[Tribunius]

Does anyone know what will happen come next year?

I have heard all sorts of things.

• There will be no diesel engine next year because ford hasn't got a compliant one ready and seem to be in no rush to get one ready.
• The e series is going to be replaced by a redesigned transit from europe. (no not the transit connect)

 

[Cat320]

Does anyone know what will happen come next year?

I have heard all sorts of things.

• There will be no diesel engine next year because ford hasn't got a compliant one ready and seem to be in no rush to get one ready.
• The e series is going to be replaced by a redesigned transit from europe. (no not the transit connect)

well those transite things may work good there but i like a full size van for work. ford and gm are the only ones left i don't consider the dodge a full size van .

 

[yaric008]

Well I'd say from public sentiment and because of all the trouble they have trying to make these diesels compliant they should just scrap the diesel from the van. It's sad but it makes no sense to spend all that extra money getting one in there for only like.. .01% of people to buy diesel vans and then you have double the amount of parts you have to support and no mechanic likes working on vans and the diesel just makes it harder. It basically makes zero sense to have one in a van right now.

 

[van_350sd]

Chevy will not drop the full size vans, they have so many Gov. Contracts for special-ops vehicles. Ford kinda ruled the Ambulance division, who knows what will happen now.

I don't see how they can drop the diesel.

For 2009 you cannot order the Ford RV Prep package with a diesel. You must order Commercial Van with the XLT Trim options etc. to have Quigley or an RV Company install the interiors. So instead of having the one disposable drivers seat for the RV Prep, they will ship with a full set of seats, quality ones at that. So the Conversion Companies can sell the two XLT seats for extra profits. You will be seeing many of them on ebay soon.

I'M going to maintain my van and run it into the ground.

In Florida there is no vehicle inspections. Nothing. No emissions, brake checks, exhaust checks, nothing.

We see many crazy Donk Cars, the old chevy's with the 44" tires and smoke pouring out the tailpipes.

My 2000 7.3L van shipped with no CAT Converter. So I don't think I will ever need to install one.?

 

[505live]

Ford kinda ruled the Ambulance division, who knows what will happen now.

My brother is a paramedic, all the new rigs they've been getting are F-series chassis. The paramedics and the drivers don't much like them, I guess the ride is pretty horrible. When they first got them it was too soft in the back, thing would bottom out on big bumps. So, company had them stiffened up and now they ride like they've got no suspension. Picture somebody trying to start an IV on you in the back of something like that...

 

[Tribunius]

The Ford ambulance prep package for next year includes a gas engine. Part of the reason I'm wondering about a diesel engine for next year.

 

[SuperVan7.3]

I can see there not being an option for a diesel engine, but getting rid of the econoline... I doubt it. In my area there are a lot of vans, and about 75% of them are econolines. And not just old ones... i've seen a lot of new models around. It would be dumb to get rid of such a great vehicle.

 

[beaker]

Ford had mandated a diesel engine with the ambulance package since 1998. For 2010, it's the 6.8L V-10. The 6.0 won't meet emissions standards. There was a 4.5L V-8 diesel that was supposed to go into E-series, F-150s and Expeditions, but that engine has been put on indefinite hold.

Dodge went the other way, dropping the availability of the gasoline engine in the Sprinter for 2009.

 

[Mark Kovalsky]

There was a 4.5L V-8 diesel that was supposed to go into E-series, F-150s and Expeditions, but that engine has been put on indefinite hold.

It was a 4.5L V6, not V8, and it's been canceled, not put on hold. It is available today in the Ford medium duty LCF.

Rumor has it that Ford is working on a 4.4L V8 diesel, maybe that's what you were thinking of.

 

[beaker]

You're right; it was a 4.4L not a 4.5.

Autoblog

Ford and Chrysler shelved/postponed their light duty diesels. GM announced their small Duramax is on indefinite hold this week.

 

[Yardbrew]

Interesting blog. The part where the poster said that diesel was $4.50 a gallon and not headed down anytime soon................ was quite interesting.

I wonder if the remainder of the blog has as much credibility as that statement.

Sadly, it doesn't look like the EPA is going to relax the emission standards for the diesel engines anytime soon......at least as long as the Obama administration has anything to say about it.

If they try really hard, they can legislate the diesel engine right out of existence. Doesn't matter that it is the most efficient internal combustion engine that exists right now.

The Europeans are going great guns with the small Daimler/Benz diesel that we have regulated out of our country.

Until we neutralize the politicians and lawyers, we will not recover.

Yardbrew.

PS "neutralize" has a special meaning for all of us who are former military grunts.:info-smilie:

Yardbrew