Originally Posted By: paulo57509
I don't hate Fords but there are some things I've not liked about them. I've owned a few of their Econolines. The '77 one ton Club Wagon I had was an excellent truck.
I had an 1988 Club Wagon that had an AOD transmission. The shift quadrant went P-R-N-OD-D-L (IIRC). At the time I used to do quite a bit of driving in the mountains. I'd have to gear down for steep grades by shifting into L. The trans would go into 2nd until the van slowed to around 25MPH then it would drop into 1st. And it would stay in 1st and not upshift until you put it back into 3. 3rd was too tall; 2nd would be about right and 1st was too low. Made the van a pain to drive in the hills.
The same van needed a tail light socket (the turn indicators would faintly illuminate when the headlights were on). Ford used to sell a replacement socket with crimp connectors already attached. I went to the dealer to buy one and was told they don't stock it. Weird for something so common. I did get a part number, though. My Dad used to stock them when he owned his own shop.
I go to another dealer and got the same story....don't stock it.
I go to a Ford dealer that specializes in trucks. The guy tells me the socket is $93. [censored]? He goes in the back and brings out this huge box and pulls out part of a wiring harness and a socket attached which is not for an 1157 bulb.
"You need a socket for an 1157?" He goes back and brings out EXACTLY what I was looking for. Ford blue plastic bag with the socket inside. Then he tells me that Ford hasn't used that part since 1986.
Since this van, I have not owned a Ford since.
Dang. I forgot to mention our van pool vehicle. It's a 2012, E350 extended. When we got it a year and a half ago it had around 7k miles on it. It now has close to 48k miles. All freeway miles.
Just a few observations I have:
1. The A/C seems to be low on refrigerant already. It doesn't cool as well when the van is standing still.
2. The brakes are either worn or out of adjustment in the rear; 4-wheel discs. If you step on the brake pedal once and then twice in succession, the pedal on the second pump will have risen noticeably.
3. The front end is kind of whack. Sometimes if you hit a sharp bump and it's transmitted into the steering column, something feels loose. Also when making left turns you can feel something unloading with a thump and it too is transmitted through the steering column.
4. The van gets an average of 16-17 MPG. This is with the A/C on in the afternoon. Not bad.
5. Overall, it's a nice vehicle to commute in. It's a 12 passenger van with 11 of us riding so it feels a it cramped.
We first started out with 9 riders/drivers and we tried an E250. I think it had a smaller engine than the E350 because it seemed to always be downshifting and running in 3rd and not OD to maintain 70MPHhighway speeds with our fat butts in the seats. It also got a few MPG less and the bigger E350.
The important stuff:
I'll have to check the sticker in the windshield next Thursday (my day to drive) but I think the OCI's are 3k miles and 10w-30 Castrol or Havoline (?).
Enterprise owns the van, we just rent it. Enterprise takes care of maintenance and any repairs (it's been trouble-free). We just have to keep it washed and vacuumed.