I just purchased a 2011 E-350 Van with only 37,000 miles. It had a left drift and so I got it aligned (which corrected that problem). It has new tires, too.
But it seems to me that this van has a lot of play / looseness in the steering. There is about 1.5 inches of steering wheel movement that doesn't change the van's direction. So, as I'm needing to make steering corrections, I am constantly having to "pass thru" that inch and a half of steering wheel motion. Left, right, left, right, left, right, left, right. It is a exhausting, especially on long highway trips. Response time is slow, too, because of the extra needed movement.

Does this sound normal? It is just the way these Econolines drive? I've had it looked at by a couple mechanics, and they say there is nothing wrong.

 

We know the vehicles didn't handle like this when new, so the idea is to determine what has changed.

There is a series of adjustments that need to be done in a certain sequence that most shop are not aware.
Before even suggesting any type correction, a thorough examination of the entire steering linkage needs to be done. Believe it or not this works best if the steering linkage is checked while the vehicle is on the ground and one person moves the steering wheel inside the vehicle while the other looks the system over to look for any looseness or wear in the linkage and system from the steering box to the wheels. If it has power steering the engine should be running.Some tires don't work as well as others in some of these cases This problem is not usually present with rack and pinion steering..

 

I'm having the same issue on my 1993 e-150 short, high top, conversion van (109k miles). I have seen many complaints about sloppy steering with Econolines and it puzzled me because mine seemed fine. Nothing extreme.

Well, I just bought new tires because I'm driving cross country soon. I took it out on the freeway and the wandering was so bad I couldn't stay in my lane. It was all over the place!

Never had that problem with my older tires. No way can I drive it like this. I called the tire dealer and he suggested I fill the tires up to 44 psi and see if that changes anything. And to bring it in on Monday.

The old Hankook Optimo H 724, P235/75R15 radials had a max psi of 50/41 psi cold (it says in my notes). I always kept them under 41 psi because the ride was too stiff and I could feel every bump. I don't recall exactly how much lower. But there was never wandering or sloppy steering.

The new tires are Yokohama 108T G056 All Season Geolanders same size., speed rating etc. Based on the Optimo tires I had before the shop inflate the front at 36 or 38 and rear to 40. (The rear seats are gone but there's a full bed in the back so I figured it was heavier.) I didn't notice the wandering/loose/slop until I took it on the highway at 50-75 mph. It was scary.

Going to try 44 psi. If that doesn't help I'll have to get different tires.
The dealer said I had what was called "Squirm" and it should clear up after 500 miles of driving. I hope that's not the case with all new tires. Because I'm moving to the east coast next week.

Any advise would be welcome in my case also.

 

I have this problem on a 2001 E350 with over 230,000 miles and I am 99% sure that I found the problem. Once the part arrives I'll know for sure but I'm already sure. The good news is that it was quick and easy to find and the part is cheap and should be easy to replace. I've already replaced the steering gear (at the end of the steering wheel shaft) and I just replaced the tie rod ends, no help. Then, being the genius that I am, I finally decided to do the easy part last. I had my son move the steering wheel while I looked under the van. The engine was off. Immediately I could see that the Pitman arm coming from the steering gear would move but where the center/drag link attaches to the Pitman arm there was lots of looseness and the center/drag link wasn't moving a bit. The ball joint on the center/drag link is shot. The center/drag link was about $22 at Rock Auto and with shipping to New Jersey it's under $35 total. Not a bad price to solve such an annoying and potentially dangerous problem. While you're at it, the tie rod ends and sleeves are about $4 each and since the center/drag link threads into the right tie rod end sleeve, if you have any thought of doing the tie rod ends this is a good time to do that.

 

The dealer said I had what was called "Squirm" and it should clear up after 500 miles of driving. I hope that's not the case with all new tires. Because I'm moving to the east coast next week.

.[/QUOTE]

If you're still alive.

I don't buy that line at all.

 

I have owned 3 Econolines, one was bought new. All of them had play in the steering. On the 94 I currently own, I just had all the suspension checked by a mechanic and he could find nothing wrong. It still has some slop in the steering.

 

If you're still alive.

I don't buy that line at all.[/QUOTE]
I don't buy into that either, pure bunk.

 

Different brand tires provide different performance.

If you ask a shop how to adjust a typical Ford steering box, I don't believe they know and therefore don't know what to look for and how to correct it.

There are 2 adjustments and most shops will not be familiar with them.Find a shop that knows what the adjustments are then have them check your vehicle.

 

"The dealer said I had what was called "Squirm" and it should clear up after 500 miles of driving. I hope that's not the case with all new tires. Because I'm moving to the east coast next week."
I would swap a front tire with a rear tire and see if the problem disappears or changes in any way. If it does, the problem is the tire that you moved to the rear. If the problem persists, do the same to the other side.
I would bet that by doing this you will find a bad tire which you can return to the tire shop and have words with the idiot who suggested that you continue to drive on this tire.
If the problem still persists, which I doubt, invest in better tires immediately. It might save your life. And someone else's.
We all know what happened in Texas recently due to, among other factors, a tire failure.

 

That dealer who said that the tires had "squirm" and that it should clear up in about 500 miles really has me concerned that there is someone out there telling people this and putting their lives in danger, And people believe him out of ignorance.
Is this guy suggesting that new tires have a "break in" period?
Scary.