Hello all. Long time Ford owner but first time Econoline owner. My kids and I purchased a 1992 E150 Smittys Conversion from a coworkers who's father had passed and his mother no longer wanted it. It does have the 5.0 and about 107,000 miles. A little funky inside, but it is getting cleaned up every day. Some items to address is the AC is not working and we will check the charge first for that before going too far. The parking brake doesn't work and I found the cable to the pedal is loose when pushed down so I am guessing hopefully a replacement cable will fix that. There is an electrical issue that is more pressing that I am trying to figure out before things get too bad. Found that the mirrors didn't work and when I pulled the switch out it was disconnected. Also saw a big hole burnt into the switch housing so I got a short somewhere. We did replace the mirrors and put a new switch in after metering out the wires which all checked out good on first check. When pulling the door panels off noticed the courtesy lights on the doors didn't have any bulbs in there and that there was power to the housings at all time, doors open or close. Found the passenger door switch stuck open and pushed it in with some effort but still have power to the bulb holders. According to the fuse panel layout the courtesy lights and the mirrors are on the same fuse and I am wondering if I have several problems tied back to one issue? The work and troubleshooting will continue but at the very least we buy some manual mirrors if needed and press on. I have been browsing the site for a week or so and really enjoy reading the posts, both good and bad. Will move on to other things as we can and will get as much info as I can from your knowledge and experience. Have a great day all.

 

The rear parking brake cables were known for seizing once applied and not used frequently.
I'm pretty sure you will be able to confirm if the cables are corroded at the rear backing plate where the cables connect to the shoe arm. If you go under the vehicle and pull on those cables , if they are free you will see that right away, if not, many times found it best to just replace them.

The 92s were a good workhorse if maintained properly.

Because the front brakes do most of the work when stopping, suggest you keep a close eye on the front brake pads,,,because there is no warning to let you know it is time to replace the pads. If you don;t watch them, by the time you get any warning of a brake problem the pads will have destroyed the rotors and you can avoid that expense just checking them every so often. good truck.

 

Thanks Hanky. I read that here that the parking brakes aren’t used often on a lot of vehicles so cables tend to seize up. This is not an issue I have with my previous cars because my driveway is steep and I have to have the brake. When I get to level ground I will be sure to pull wheels off and inspect them. Appreciate the feedback. Looking to many years with this thing.

 

The front brakes also have a history of front caliper failure.
I am on my 3rd Econoline and brakes have always been an issue.
Also, if you have electric windows, It is not uncommon for those to develop a short where the wires go through the door frame.

 

Thanks for the reply Rusty. So far I am not having window issues. But I do appreciate the heads up. As to the front brakes, or brakes in general, my history with Ford is their brake engineers suck. I have a 14 Flex and have had to replace all rotors and pads with less than 80k on the clock. Had a rear wheel bearing go out in about the same amount of time which was a bear to change due to corrosion. I will make sure I get the stopping system checked up along with the go system. We knew it was going to be a project and we do appreciate all the info on what to look for as we get further into it. Waiting for the weekend so that I can start to chase the short for the mirrors. Another slow process that I can use as a teaching moment for my son and daughter. Have a good day all. Db

 

We are moving on to building our campervan as more issues pop up. Finding the short that causing my power mirrors to pop a fuse is going to be fixed by using manual mirrors, that problem is solved. We though the cruise control was not working until a longer drive this weekend, and it works. We are having problems with a new stereo and speakers that will be fixed by pulling new speaker wires through the doors and getting rid of a ground problem that is moving around on us. We will have to get the AC looked at when time allows because it is not working. Watched to see if the AC clutch was kicking on when the switch was moved and it is not. Still need to jumper it to see if I can get it kick on and then go from there. Here is my latest and greatest find. We filled up the tank for the first time and drove some. Came home and pulled up in my slanted driveway and gas started leaking out pretty good. When only a partial tank, no leak. With a full tank and nose up, leak. I later backed the van up the driveway and it didn't run out. I have some assumptions on this, one is the filler hose is cracked and leaking from there and the other is the pump housing is leaking out from the top seal. Until I feel like pulling straight up again and getting a camera up there to see we ill either back up the drive or not keep a full tank till we are on the road.

Some observations about this build. Using a Smitty's conversion van shows a low quality build of this interior build. As we pull panels off we are finding a lot of 2" wood screws holding panels on that are less than an inch thick. Putting hands behind panels is risky and there are more places to chafe wires with the exposed screw points. I am replacing these screws as I come on them, but the journey continues and we are enjoying the build. Thanks for everyone's help in this. Even if your just browsing you may see me going through something you have experienced yourself and can jump in with some words. Have a good day all.

 

Found some time to work on the van this weekend and was able to get the carpet pulled and some flooring put down. It is amazing me how many dead mice we have found behind panels and in the roof line. We were slowed a bit when my son was bit by a brown recluse. We think it happened while at the junkyard picking up parts for the van. He spent 4 days in the hospital because his arm blew up and he looked like Popeye, but the worst is hopefully behind us and he is back to helping with the interior refit. Does anyone have a source for a headlamp header panel? The grill has been strapped together and there is some bailing wire holding it in along with a block of wood behind a light. Can not find one on line anywhere and some places say they aren't making them. May have to make a solo trip to the junkyard since my helper is kind of skittish

Have a good week all..

 

Good Day all. Was able to get the van out for a short local camping trip and had a good time "roughing" it alone, or as alone as you can get in a state park. Found on my drive down that the water temp gauge isn't working, or I have a really cool running motor. I will look into the issue as time allows this week. I still haven't had time to look for my fuel leak I get when filling the tank. My best guess is that one of the holes on the top of the tank may need some sealing up around whatever is jammed in it. Just have not gotten the thing up high enough to fit my gut under the thing. Has anyone removed the baffle, cone, in the intake snorkel? Was looking around the engine bay yesterday and noticed a missle looking thing coming out the inlet. Pulled the inlet off and there is a cone looking plastic piece in there that I am guessing may be a restrictor to quiet the intake noise down. Removing it may give me just a little ore noise when I get on it, but it will definitely allow more air flow into the inlet. Having fun wrenching on this thing because the lack of electronics compared to knew vehicles. Still need to get the basic tune up items done, plugs, wires, fluids.

Have a good day all.

 

On some of these, the gas fill pipe leaks where it is connected to the tank. It will usually only be noticeable if you fill the tank too full.

 

Thanks Rusty. Had the same issue with my old escort. Just need to get it up high enough with a full tank to get under there and look or feel. My first time seeing it was after a fill up and pulling into the driveway. It was nose up and gas was dripping down the backside. When I backed in it wasn't leaking. This time I was at the pump and noticed smelling it after shutting off the pump and a little spill near the front of the tank, or middle. I don't think there is any rust holes because there isn't any on the van anywhere. Do t think it was ever driven in the winter around here. We will keep at it though. None of us smoke so we should be good for awhile. Have a good night.