MidSummer Nights Van Problems Diagnosis

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Pennsylenvy

Gym climber

A dingy corner in your refrigerator

Jul 23, 2018 - 07:01pm PT

Happie,

good on ya, Not afraid of the patriarchal internet keyboard tuff 'guys'! Living life outside of the norm. We all don't get dealt the same cards in the game, and it's the way you play them. Happie could have settled for some NYC cubicle like tons of folks whom have enough money to buy the brand new sprinter. Instead, she lives according to her inner voice. Probably a lot more creative than her accusers.

Juan Maderita

Trad climber

"OBcean" San Diego, CA

Jul 23, 2018 - 07:12pm PT

Happie,
Btw, thanks for making it easier for us by including info,
"1990 Ford Van, E-150 Econoline with 5.8L engine." That helps minimize the confusion and misguided responses. You might add "EFI" (electronic fuel injection) to the specs, as some folks assume you have a carburetor.

jonnyrig

climber

Jul 23, 2018 - 07:15pm PT

You should offer a prize to whoever guesses the issue correctly. Me? I'm voting spark plugs/wires and a loose belt/failing pulley.

Winemaker

Sport climber

Yakima, WA

Jul 23, 2018 - 07:58pm PT

Hey jonnyrig, that picture of the dude with the truck supported by the beams..... Brought back a memory; I was working at BP Advanced Materials in Kent, came in one Monday and learned one of the production people had died over the weekend. He was removing a transmission from underneath a van using brute strength. When it came free he couldn't support it so is ended up on his chest. He couldn't breathe and died. Left three kids and a wife.

jonnyrig

climber

Jul 23, 2018 - 08:09pm PT

I've done a fair number of transmissions that way. It sucks. You try to use your legs more than your arms for that very reason. Inevitably, cuts and bruises at least. I've also done a fair number on floor jacks... you have to balance those by hand; but you stay the f*#k out of the way in case you lose it and they drop. Not the best way to do things; but in the driveway when you're broke you make it work. Some people just lose the odds game... like climbers.

neebee

Social climber

calif/texas

Jul 23, 2018 - 09:39pm PT

hey there say, johnnyrig... wow, would be neat if a great paint job,
would make all 'vans go' ... ;)

awww... speaking of transmissions, johnnyrig--
you reminded me of a good time in my life:
'nano' was the best 'fixer' of 'em, in south texas...

*he near ruined his elbows, from it all, and had
surgery on both of them...

my ex and his dad (nano) (nico) could fix every car, that came
their way, and
they were the best, :)

don't know about vans, though, but he kept his running, :)
even though it kind of embarressed by kids, as they got older
and friends, 'actually' SAW them get out of it... ;)

love them 'home town mechanics' that we had, back then,
in south texas...

briham89

Big Wall climber

santa cruz, ca

Jul 23, 2018 - 10:07pm PT

Regarding the chirping sound #2, does your van have AC (air conditioning)? Try running with the AC off and see if the chirp goes away. Sometimes when the AC belt is worn and or loose it can chirp. And it happens intermittently because your AC compressor clutch isn't always engaged, but when it does the chirp happens. So try to turn your AC off and see if it still makes the noise.

jonnyrig

climber

Jul 23, 2018 - 11:43pm PT

There's a lot of people out there without two bucks to rub together, and just as many more that couldn't change a tire in a Snapon warehouse even with a smartphone and the google.

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

Jul 24, 2018 - 12:21am PT

Johnnnnny! I flat spotted all four at 80 the other day when the passing lane disappeared and the mean semi driver wouldn’t back off. Which tire should I change first? 🤡

i'm gumby dammit

Sport climber

da ow

Jul 24, 2018 - 12:31am PT

fwiw, my experience after owning a 90 aerostar is that almost everything emanates and goes back to the vacuum octopus. and it was very easy to diagnose. just make sure all the ports are covered and there is no scuking noise or other. The chirping does sound like the belt or a pulley but can also be the whistling noise from a vacuum port (maybe)

JLP

Social climber

The internet

Jul 24, 2018 - 05:46am PT

The state of California at some point decided these pos american cars - so easy to fix, so easy to fail - were polluting the air. The evolution of CARB and OBD has made things infinitely more reliable and also more difficult and expensive to diagnose and repair when they do finally fail. You need a lot more skill and specialized tools now. Happie’s van and the shade tree mechanic are the end of an era. Cars used to be “old” at like 60k miles. If you owned one over 100k you were probably pretty handy and worked on it at least a few times per year, if not monthly - maybe even weekly - cheap pile of parts from the parts store, simple tools, a few hours - not much of that any more.

jonnyrig

climber

Jul 24, 2018 - 11:39am PT

Reilly... try the loose nut behind the wheel first. hahaha

As for ease of diagnosis, I'll take OBDII over the late 80's/early 90's thank you very much. Many of those systems were piles of sh#t. With OBDII at least you get a relatively standardized system accessible to any scan tool that meets the protocol. After that comes basic diagnosis with... you guessed it... a multi-meter. And/or mechanical failures. The only thing that's really more complicated about it is that there's more electronics and electrical systems (which a lot of people don't understand) and some type of primary data-link communication system (CAN, J1939, etc) that's even worse for people to understand than electrical troubleshooting.

Either way, do-it-yourselfers tend to generate more revenue for me than those that start out at a reputable shop first.

Happiegrrrl2

Trad climber

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 24, 2018 - 02:31pm PT

I think I pinned down the chirp at the front of the alternator. Not inside it, and not the belt, but the wheel-like thing the belt runs around. Will find out tomorrow.

The serpentine belt has a sheen on the inside, but looks to be in good shape from my inexperienced eye. Doesn't seem dry, the texture pattern is crisp and even.

For the suggestion to run without AC - I never run the AC. Someone told me that using the heater at least once a month(on cold in summer) will maintain the system in the way needed instead of running AC), but in any case, that's that.

The other thing is probably going to be more evasive to diagnose. Of course it didn't have any inkling of the symptom when I started it up just now.

And yes - Cosmic's "nut behind the wheel" was funny, although my initial reaction wasn't finding the humor of it. I am going to assume he was just cracking a joke, and not being mean. But if HE ever posts about a car issue, he's probably going to get "nut behind the wheel" suggestions like I get the multimeter ones.

Winemaker

Sport climber

Yakima, WA

Jul 24, 2018 - 05:02pm PT

but the wheel-like thing the belt runs around

That's the pulley. If the sound is coming from it and not inside the alternator it's the belt. Try the WD-40 or belt dressing trick while it's running and making the noise; just a little squirt on the pulley where the belt touches. If it stops replace your belt.

JLP

Social climber

The internet

Jul 24, 2018 - 05:24pm PT

Don’t wd-40 your belts. Even water is better if you’re just testing for a change in the noise. You can buy a belt dressing spray as well. If that doesn’t pan out, it’s probably your alternator bearings. Most mechanics will say alternator bearings either way and sell you the belt too. Have fun with that.

OBD-II was okay up until mid 2000’s, even then it varied a lot by model and manufactuer. Many modern systems that can fail are not tied to OBD and require specialized and usually very expensive scan tools to access. A modern car will have pretty much everything on the CAN bus - door locks, lights, hvac - all non accessable with a standard OBD scanner - all proprietary messaging so even top dollar aftermaket scanners like snap-on will have limited coverage. So you end up on Ali Baba looking for some Chinese hack of the factroy-dealer tool...

Crazy Bat

Sport climber

Birmingham, AL & Seweanee, TN

Jul 24, 2018 - 08:18pm PT

That whole hesitation thing made me think of a 70s era car that was given to me. It had a hesitationand would periodically buck and snort and go dead it also drank transmission fluid. I was told the transmission was bad. I took it in for an oil change. I asked a fuel filter change. The guy cam back and told me the sending unit was bad. What does that do I asked. I still don't know, but it caused the transmission fluid to be sucked out of the transmission and caused the hesitation too, something to do with vacuums hoses too. I drove a sports car out of that oil change. The bucking and snorting was from a clogged fuel filter and was a chronic problem until the gas tank was removed and cleaned.

Short version check vacuums hoses.

I enjoy your road questions. I too have taken off across country with a questionable vehicle. I don't have set times to be where I am going and having work done on the road has led to some of my best adventures. So much so I save minor stuff for trips. I am on a grip now and look forward t9 taking the mounting brackets off that used to hold a bug guard. LOL

JLP

Social climber

The internet

Jul 24, 2018 - 09:03pm PT

That’s a transmission modulator valve - senses load through vacuum and helps determine shift point. It has a diaphram that can leak, which can provide a path for trans fluid to get into combustion chamber and smoke like crazy, it’s also a huge vacuum leak. Entire drivelines have been replaced, cars junked out, over that $20 valve. Ancient 70’s technology. Your fuel filter was probably fine.

Moof

Big Wall climber

Orygun

Jul 24, 2018 - 09:26pm PT

On our 04 Focus I tried the MAF, cleaned and then replaced. Still had hesitation issues between 1200-2000 RPM when warmed up. Replaced the ingnition coils (your van probably has something rather different), and that cleared it up. Spent $140 total on parts and a can of cleqning spray.

It also had a nasty growl, that cost about $35 for new motor mounts, a couple hundred for a rattle wrench, sockets, jack stands, etc. Also cost about a day and a half of labor on my part. Runs like butta’ now.

YMMV.

Personal note: Happygirl is good people, ease up on her. She is dirt bagging far better than most of you combined. If I was still on the road I’d hang out with her again any time.

rottingjohnny

Sport climber

Sands Motel , Las Vegas

Jul 24, 2018 - 09:37pm PT

I remember those modulating valves on 70's auto transmissions...Can't remember if it was chevy's or fords but there was an aluminum line from the block and a short vacumn hose to the modulating valve which was similar to a choke pull off valve on a carburator....as i recall the tranny was slow to shift if the valve diaphgram was punctured or the vacumn hose was cracked...don't remember this causing tranny fluid to be suctioned into the engine cylinder...?