Fred the Van. The More We Explore's Adventure Van Build Thread

jjohnny350

Adventurer
Yeah Fred is pretty sweet, glad you guys are happy with the decision, I think thats one of the best vehicles out there, eb 7.3, ujor. Mmmmmmm, thats a dang hard combo to beat. With that high top, its almost perfect, and to think you were thinking of selling it. Good you didnt. I love following along and seeing what you guys are up to. How long are you guys going to be in moab? I'll be down there for jeep safari, but im guessing youll be gone by then. Either way the van looks great man, good to see its getting some good use and you guys are liking it.
 

sixstringsteve

Explorer
Ok... so I'm wanting to swap to the 5x7 sealed beam headlights. Does that require a grill change? I bought the little trim pieces that go around the rectangle lights, but they don't just screw in to my existing grill. Any ideas what's needed to do that?
 

QuadsBC

Adventurer
The grill can remain the same, you will need to purchase the headlight buckets. The part behind the headlights (what the headlight mounts to). Once you have thoes the 5x7 and trim mount just fine.
 
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mk216v

Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
I'm pretty sure I want LEDs, but if I go the HID route I'll definitely check him out. Thanks.

Just be cautious with LED's; if not much engineering effort was put into beam pattern design, the lamps may be brighter than current halogen, but light onto the road may not be ideal. I've heard OEM's had struggled with this early on.
 

Bbasso

Expedition Leader
Trucklite 5X7 LED headlights have made me happy for more than a year.
And DOT approved which means they have some R&D...
 

sixstringsteve

Explorer
I've been having some major electrical issues lately. Some of them I have a good idea how to fix, others have me completely stumped .

1. Back in the day I replaced the plastic mechanism in the ignition switch. When I did that, I believe I damaged the clockspring . Now my horn and cruise control don't work. I'm going to replace the clockspring and see if that fixes them.

2. Door locks used to be intermittent, now they don't even pulse anymore. I replaced all lock actuators and that didn't help.

3. When engaging high beams, the entire dash goes dark (instrument panel , hvac, etc) the high beams work. Weird.

4. The "your lights are left on" chime randomly starts chiming after about an hour of driving. It eventually goes off, but it's super annoying.

5. The previous owner installed a momentary switch to bypass the automatic glow plug relay (in an effort to prolong glow plug life). The idea is not to have them heat up in the summer when it's already hot. This switch has been getting increasingly worse. It now works about 5% of the time. Unsure if the issue is the switch itself or the glow plug relay or something entirely different. The gpr is not east to get to? Though I do have a replacement with me on the road.

6. I just noticed this one last week. My drivers rear tail light isn't working with the parking lights (or the regular headlights for that matter). I've replaced the bulb. No dice. I've swapped the connector/bulb receptacle with the pass side. That didn't fix it. Weirdly enough, when I connect my airstream, the airstream's trailer lights don't turn on when I put the parking lights on (they used to), but they do turn on when I fully turn the lights on.

Most of these happened in the past month. This leads me to believe that there is a common ground wire coming loose. I'm no electrical genius, and finding info on these vans is tricky. I've replaced the ground strap between the frame and body (It's been cut since I bought the van. No difference with the new one). Ill double-check the connection between the ground to the battery and the body.

Are there any other grounds I should check ? I don't easily see any others. I wonder if I have a fried circuit board/ecu somewhere. Some quick troubleshooting tips or simiar experiences would be great.


... I miss my tototas... too bad they never made a 1 ton van...
 
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DzlToy

Explorer
Are tgere any other grounds I should check ? I don't easily see any others. I wonder if I have a fried circuit board/ecu somewhere. Smy wuick troubleshooting tips or simiar experiences would be great.

You into the sauce this morning, man? :D

I hate electrical troubleshooting just as much as the next guy, but I have found a helper (your lovely wife is a good candidate) and Chilton or Haynes manual will go a long way to solving your problems. If you can put your hands on a factory Service manual, even better, but I only have one for an 85 4Runner, so that is no help.

Good luck.
 

wadewaydo

New member
Two years ago I lost my dash lights in my Econoline, and it was diagnosed that one of the park lamps in the front had a burnt socket. I couldn't believe that they were related, but electrical gremlins are real. Check your front lights.

My Ford Escape has a short in the multi function switch, when I have my high beams on and use the signal, it kicks back to low beams. Maybe there is an issue in the switch.

Your horn and cruise sure seem like it could be in the clock spring. The clock spring is a common wear item.

The door chime is usually a switch in with the ignition switch, another common wear item.

Sometimes it may not be worth the aggravation.... take it to your mechanic.

Good luck

Wade
 

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