How to execute efficiency mods for 2001 FORD E350 with 7.3L diesel?
 

To start off I have a basic knowledge on hypermiling and ecomods, know all the cheapest and most effective efficiency mods, including aerodynamics & driving style. I am in this purely to improve my financial environment. If I am going to be enslaved to the oil monopoly, I need to minimize the cost of the slavery in both money and time.

I am looking primarily at aero mods, low rolling resistance tires, and fluid additives to reduce friction in the drivetrain.

Looking for thick, knobby low rolling resistance tires as I plan to be on bad dirt roads and don't want tires blowing. I believe if one is using city tires to save fuel, and has to replace them because they blew on dirt; the cost to replace city tires will wipe out any and all fuel savings. My dream tires are a set of four solid rubber tires, but if they have too high an upfront cost or cost about the same per year as conventional air-filled tires; then I'll get 10-ply tough tires used by country folk and fill them with rubber cement as a reasonable compromise.

Aerodynamics I am interested in as it has the biggest gain for the lowest cost, especially for a high-top van like this. I need to know how to see the vans wind envelope so I can work on minimizing drag and streamlining the front, bottom, top and sides.

I hear higher fuel economy can be had by changing to lower viscosity oil, and thinking about changing to 5w30 from 10w30 as I don't plan to spend too much time in the Canadian winter. Should I change to 5w30 from 10w-30 before I travel thousands of miles this summer? Will the fuel savings pay for switching early, and if so how many miles to break even? When I change the oil I am planning on using full synthetic and want to know what the best full synthetic oil is? Currently have 4 ounces of a product called NMF Ionic Friction Reducer in the engine oil, has anybody else used this fluid additive?

Anything I can do with the OBD to increase fuel economy through the vans software? Isn't efficiency why modern cars have computers and sensors?

How about fuel additives? Any diesel additive that saves more fuel than the cost of the additive to save the fuel? What about different flavors of diesel?

For fluid additives I am looking at any friction reducer/efficiency fluid that can be applied in the engine, transmission, differential, wheel bearings, suspension, etc.

Letting everybody know right now & to make it clear: I am NOT going to swelter and travel/live miserably in this endeavor. I know not running the A/C saves some fuel, however when it's 100+ F outside and I am in the van you bet icebergs I will use the A/C!

All mods have to pay for themselves in fuel savings and be net positive within 20,000 miles, as I am not one to do efficiency mods just for show. They have to save me money, by reducing the biggest expense for my dream life: fuel.

Additives are a waste of money.
Emissions are the main reason why engines have sensors and computers. A programer can increase fuel economy by several MPG but they cost hundreds upon hundreds of dollars and the payback time is likely 100,000 miles or so.
Run high way tires with snow chains for off road. Solid tire weight could destroy the suspension.
Very few mods have a pay back of less than 20,000 miles.
Going from 10w-40 or 15w-40 to 5w-30 only saves about 1% on fuel economy but wears out the valve train something like 20% faster.
The 7.3 has that funky hybrid motor oil driven injection system. Use what ever oil ford recommends, a new set of injectors for that engine will run like $5,000.

Agreed on additives - generally, they're all snake oil.

I remember doing research and coming to the conclusion that Mobile One was the best synthetic, but that was a number of years ago. I would think that whatever is cheapest will probably offer the best ROI. Don't change it until it needs it.

Tires are the most important suspension component. If you fill you tires, you'll rattle your teeth out and tear up the rest of your suspension.

I'd still go with LRR street tires, personally. For on-road use, you want high pressure to minimize rolling resistance. For offroad use, I'd lower the pressure and take it easier to minimize the risk of a blowout. Also, sometimes more expensive tires give better return if they last a lot longer.

For a diesel, cold air intake.

Rear wheel skirts.

At the rear of the roof, partial kamm back.

Partial grille block when the weather is cooler, keep an eye on temps.

MOST IMPORTANT of all is a fuel economy gauge. Your van is new enough that you could use an OBD II gauge, like an Ultragauge or Scangauge. One of these will give you instant feedback that will allow you to modify your driving, and will pay for itself in short order.

If it's legal, you can remove a mirror or two, or downsize them. Don't compromise safety though.

Smooth wheel covers - pizza pans work great.

Air dam. Just made one for my Civic out of lawn edging.

Air deflectors in front of the rear wheels - these are standard on all cars now, but a 2004 probably didn't have them.

If you can "borrow" electricity sometimes, a block heater can pay for itself.

Here are pics of the van: E350 by muff-n-stuff | Photobucket

P.S.: Right before the previous owner sold this van, he has the transmission rebuilt and major engine service done with a tune up, which means oil and trans fluid was changed very recently. Seller said the engine and trans should be good for 150,000 miles before needing major service, plenty of time to save the thousand$ needed for that service.

I agree that most additives are a waste of money, but there has to be some that actually do what they claim and lower running costs. I have used PRI-G fuel stabilizer, which is a gas preserver and has friction modifiers, the active ingredient in the fuel additives. Also have used NMF Ionic Friction Reducer in the DODGE and FORD engine and noticed less vibrations and noise in both engines. Also used Lucas Oil Stabilizer in the DODGE engine for one oil change because I experienced the demonstration for it in the auto parts store.

Computers and sensors for "emissions", Oh Really?
What is a programmer device? Is it a device that "learns" driving style to optimize MPG? Or runs the engine in "eco mode" like they have the computers do in the newest cars. Could a programmer be bought used for less, as if such a device improves MPG considerably it could pay for itself in 20,000 miles. This all depends on the price and quality of the programmer.

"can increase fuel economy by several MPG" This van gets 18 MPG running on diesel so a few MPG increase adds up quickly.

I hear FORD has their own OBD extension which means more sensors and control over the drivetrain.
Tires are expensive, and suspension repairs are even more expensive. Perhaps partially fill the tires with rubber cement, being sure that is equally applied with centrifugal force?
That's good to know.
Where did you get 10w40 and 15w40 from? Will changing to lower viscosity oil in the 7.3L diesel engine lower running costs?

P.S.S.: This is where I read about improving fuel economy by running with lower viscosity oil: http://m.dodgeforum.com/forum/showth...9541&styleid=9

Curious about the transmission as well, will changing the trans fluid to a full synthetic lower running costs?

Do friction modifiers like NMF Ionic Friction Reducer reduce friction and thus reduce the engine wear rate and improve fuel economy? Can friction modifiers help an engine out? Is there a friction modifier with the same function as NMF Ionic Friction Reducer but a fraction of the price (NMF is pretty expensive, even in bulk).

I really want an unbiased opinion, which brand and blend of full synthetic oil is the best? Which will give me best bang for the buck, and most importantly lower running costs?

I read What is the best synthetic motor oil? and can't trust it because the site is an authrized distributor of AmsOil, and they show AmsOil as being the best in this comparison article.
Yeah that will increase running costs, if tires don't blow at the expense of wearing out the suspension faster it ends up costing about the same or even more. Now if the wear rate on the suspension is on par with the wear rate of the tires then it could reduce running costs.
I heard the extra cost of Low Rolling Resistance tires pays for itself in fuel savings? Wont higher pressures prematurely wear out the tire and wipe out fuel savings? If airless tires were available to the consumer at a reasonable price I would consider those, as airless tires won't go flat. If one saves 5% on fuel but spends 10% more on tires over 1000 miles than one has not saved anything and in fact increased their running costs by 5% for fuel and tires. That is the way I think.

Perhaps switch to Low Rolling Resistance extra thick & knobby tire? Or tough Low Rolling Resistance city tires? What is the measurement they use to rate rolling resistance (it's a letter grade I know that)?
Is this on top of the air intake that is already built in?
Looked at Scangauges and Ultragauges, what model do you recommend for a newbie in the OBD world? Looking at ScanGaugeII : Linear Logic - Home of the ScanGauge as it does much more than read fuel economy, looks like it's all-in-one.
I live in California and the van is registered in California with California plates. Let me know if removing mirrors are legal in California.
Great to know. Look at the van pics and see the high top and roof rack, how to make that aerodynamic? I AM NOT removing the roof rack, so don't even go there.
Great plan, keep that engine warm so it runs efficiently. Can somebody link to a block heater for this engine which has decent quality with a great price?

Alright, so I looked at your pictures, here are my suggestions in the form of most payback for least money/effort spent:

EDIT: I read your post above, sounds like you want to keep the rack. Still consider my suggestion of integrating it (solar panel) into the roof though. As for what model scangauge to get, check to make sure your car has an OBD-2 port instead of one of those diesel truck ports. If it does have an OBD-2 port, I say go for the Scangauge II.


Remove roof rack (free): It looks like you have a solar panel up there, but trust me, that ain't worth the increased aero drag the roof rack is causing. Maybe try to integrate the panel into the roof?

Weight reduction, bro (free): From your pictures, I would say that most of the weight you put in your van if fulfilling some useful purpose, but in case some isn't, take that crap out! :)

Air dam ($5): Looks like you already have an air dam, but it can be improved, maybe lengthened. If it was flush with the outer edge of the bumper instead of recessed that would be best for aero.

Grill block/bumper sealing ($5): seal up that huge gap in between the bumper and grill, and start blocking the grill. Make sure to watch transmission temperatures. From what I have read on my accord forum, the bottom part of the radiator cools the transmission fluid, so try to trace the lines and find out if your radiator cools the transmission. Then block the area that doesn't.

Rear wheel side skirts ($5): Cover up the wheel wells with coroplast, consider leaving a gap at the back to let air out instead of parachuting.

Mirror delete or replace with smaller mirrors ($0-20): Depending on what you do, this could be free, or just cost a little bit. Those mirrors aren't too big, but they are bigger than most car mirrors.

Undertray ($40): Depending on how much you want to cover up, this could take a lot of time and money, or very little. My suggestion if you don't want to do a full undertray is just make a front and rear undertray. Those give the most fuel economy benefit along with stability improvements as well.

Remove the step side skirts (free): Those skirts are acting as mud flaps and catching air, however, at the back it does have a deflector for the rear wheel. I don't know how much this would really improve gas mileage, but it could. If you do remove these, make sure to add a deflector back for the rear wheels.

Delete external antennae (free): Free, but least benefit for the work involved.

I have owned my 2000 F350 daily driven 7.3 diesel for about 80,000 miles.

You already have a block heater, all 7.3s do. It is located right above the oil filter and the plug is stuffed into the bumper on pickups, you'll have to follow the wire to find yours. It's just under 1000 watts and works.

The engine oil of choice for this engine is shell rotella t6 full synthetic 5w-40 from walmart. It works very well in all temperatures, factory recommendation is 15w-40 and since 5w-40 is wider but inclusive of 15-40 it is always better. 3.5 gallons per oil change. The OEM motorcraft oil filter is also sold at walmart for under 10$.

The 4r100 transmission is very expensive. Nobody uses synthetic. Instead keep the trans fluid up to level and flushed with standard at the recommended interval.

I use 2stroke oil, 0.5 to 1 oz per gallon of diesel. It made an immediate difference in rattle but no fuel savings. It's to keep the injectors happy. walmart supertech TSO.

For mileage, keep RPM under 2000. Keep cruise speeds low.

The computers and sensors on this engine run the engine. It is not your grandpa's diesel. Everything is computer controlled from fuel injection to throttle position. High voltage solenoids and high oil pressure oil fires the injectors, not an injection pump.

I added a performance chip. They are only a 2-300$. Huge improvements in transmission behavior and power but mpg was not changed.

18 mpg for the van is already pretty good. She's working well. I can only get 20 or so with my pickup and bed cover.

The biggest 7.3 failure that causes a drop is mpg is exhaust leaks around the stupid uppipe exhaust connection between the exhaust manifolds and the turbo. Leaks here cause a loss of drive pressure for the turbo and dropped efficiency. Easy to change on a van.

Diesel engines normally use 10w-40 or 15w-40. 5w-40 is also good.
Better use what ford recommends for oil or you will find out how much repairs for one of these engines can be.
Friction modifiers are already in oil in the correct amount.
The Lucas oil demonstration in the store is pretty pointless for a real engine, because unfortunately your engine oil does not operate at room temperature and at hand cranking speed. Then if it actually did work as demonstrated it would cause more oil to cling to surfaces, increasing windage, increasing oil temperature and foaming.
The 7.3 intakes for certain years are restrictive costing power and fuel economy, one of the best things to do with it is rip it out and replace it with an after market one.
You are not going to find a highway approved airless tire or a LRR mud tire. So don't waste too much time on that one.

It will be near impossible to modify your vehicle to perform safely and reliably on dirt roads AND get efficiency comparable to a street vehicle.

Having run over more than my fair share of nature's spearheads on back roads, I would recommend that you concentrate on the most survivable tire. Street tires just aren't going to have the same protection as an off-road rated tire. There are off-road tires that have tread designed to run relatively quiet on pavement. Perhaps quieter tread equates to (slightly) lower rolling resistance? Oh yes, no matter what tire you get, make sure you have a couple of spares with you, and a patch kit.

Chains limit speed. I can see how they may help in mud, but on a long desert track that can easily (perhaps not safely) be driven at speeds above 60 mph, the restricted speed is a serious impediment.

Solid or max. pressure tires, after 100 miles or so of washboard, will shake your vehicle (and you) apart. My ex-brother-in-law had mining claims in the desert of Western Utah. He would go through a truck about every 3 years because the body welds would start to break.

Get a reliable air compressor so you can adjust tire pressure to match road conditions (and fill tires after repair). I have not had particularly good luck with those little compressors sold at parts stores. They burn out quickly, if used regularly.

The easiest and cheapest way to squeeze more miles out of a tank is to drive your diesel like a diesel and keep it well maintained.

If you are driving mostly on dirt, get an air intake snorkel and a pre-cleaner to keep your filter from clogging quickly and reduce risk of grit in your turbo and engine.

A full skid plate guards against undercarriage damage from high centering and tire-thrown rocks and debris. If designed properly, it can also act as an aerodynamic belly-pan. Then you don't have to worry about an air dam and approach angle issues. Losing the side skirts will also help with clearance. Save them. For some reason, vehicles have higher resale value with them on.

Remember that any aeromods you make will be subjected to extreme abuse, so design and fabricate accordingly.

For highway efficiency, losing the rack would be the first thing I would do. It is a large van, you ought to be able to fit everything inside, unless you have a lot of passengers, and even then, a trailer would probably be a better option. Am I right in assuming that the solar panels do not allow the rack to be used to carry anything? There must to be a better solution for the solar panels.

By 2002, actually anything after early 1999, the 7.3 was at the top of its game. The intake after the turbo is fine. Ford put out a nice intake filter system (the AIS) for the pickups but not for the van as space is very limited. Just be sure the filter is fresh and installed properly. This 444 CI forced inuction engine has no throttle plate, it's wide open throttle all the time so LOTS of air.

With pure dumb luck I discovered the perfect kind of solar panel and how to attach it to a vehicle back in 2010 when I found some broken portable taxi way lights and harvested the solar panels out of them.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...d-33015-2.html

Also read and adhere to all warnings about adding solar panels to a vehicle electrical system here.
http://ecomodder.com/wiki/index.php/Solar_12v_assist

If it's not going to be done correctly save your self a lot of time and money and don't do it at all.

Is there a fuel economy gauge $50 or less you recommend?
 

Cool story bro, remember that not everyone is capable of reclaiming solar panels from specialty lighting, then using them as a substitute for an alternator.


People say to remove the roof rack, which has the solar panel on it; saying the solar isn't worth the increased aero drag. What other ways are there to keep the house batteries charged without a solar panel? Alternator while running, generator, or plug into the grid. Those other options cost more while on the road, can't imagine a net gain from going without the 220 watt solar panel.

If there is some low-cost way to mount the solar panel directly onto the roof to not need the roof rack I'll consider it. I know there are flexible panels one can directly stick onto the roof however I imaging they'll never pay for themselves in fuel savings.

Also, you realize the antenna is like 1% of the frontal surface area on a van this size? I am open to downsizing rear-view mirrors if it pays for itself in fuel savings within a reasonable timeframe. The name of the game is to minimize running costs (money and time costs) until I am not enslaved to the oil monopoly anymore.


Is there a fuel economy gauge costing $50 or less you recommend? I would just search for it however I like having recommendations from fellow ecomodders. I am unsure of what type of OBD this FORD van has.

A reminder, it has to pay for itself in lower running costs within 20,000 miles.

If I was for fuel savings at any and all costs I would have a regular-top van (or minivan or PRIUS) freezing in the dark, sweating in the heat and sipping gas on a sore and miserable ass.

Driving a diesel you are enslaved by the oil monopoly. That is all there is to it.

The largest flex panels I found were 100w.
Do not attach standard panels to the roof rack.
The aluminum frame is very thin and not designed to take that kind of wind load and the aero penalty won't be worth the power you get.
With panels laying flat only expect 50% to 70% of rated power.

This is why I glued them to the roof, virtually no aero penalty. I only found 4 panels that were 5 or 6 watts each in those portable taxiway lights. I have 180 watts installed now. I bought all the panels I use now with money, so if I did it anyone can.
Those taxiway lights were how I discovered that particular type of panel.

What are you planning to use for a charge controller?

A 220w solar panel on a roof rack will probably cause more load on the van's engine from drag when driving than it saves by generating power, as counter-intuitive as that sounds, though it really depends on the speed you're driving at. Remember that 220w is only about a third of a horsepower, and you might need as much as maybe 30-40HP when cruising on the highway. This means that, if you're getting 20mpg, the solar panel might save you 0.5% in reduced electricity load, which equates to about 1/10 of a mile per gallon. If you lose half a mile per gallon due to extra drag (which is reasonable and realistic), the panel is costing you 5x as much as it's saving. The added drag might even be more than that.

However, if you use it when the van is parked to run things, and the alternative is finding an electrical grid to hook up to, it may be worth leaving there anyway, despite it costing you money while driving around. Is it worth your time and effort to stash the panel inside, or to make it flush with the roof? Up to you.

Your van is almost certain OBD II, which became standard around 1995 and is still used. It's very remotely possible that it's J1939 or J1708 instead, but I doubt it. A Scangauge II runs about $125, and an Ultragauge is around $70:

UltraGauge OBDII Scan tool & Information Center

You could also use an OBDuino, which is cheaper but not plug-and-play. You need to splice into an injector ground and into the vehicle speed sensor line for this, and then it will require you to calibrate it over several takes of gas, keeping a close long on fuel consumption.

Most of my route this summer is freeway so think 55-85 MPH.

Sounds like I should take the roof rack and panel off, if the fuel savings is more than the additional cost to run a generator due to going without solar. How can I calculate this so I don't spend dollars to save pennies?
I am using a HONDA eu2000i to run things inside that can't run from the batteries. My dream life has me moving everyday.
Not worth the time to take the rack off everytime I desire to go somewhere.

What about biodiesel? Yes I know the free grease party is long over but there are multitude of substances that can be burned in a diesel engine and can be collected for at time and fuel cost.

What substances can I burn in this fuel injected engine without any modifications to the fuel system? What would basic filtering equipment cost to filter out any impurities in the burnable substances, as clogging the fuel injectors and/or damaging the fuel system wipes out any and all fuel savings? I can't afford to take a chance, I have to be certain the van can run on it without damage.

There is an MPPT controller in the van. Don't know the brand and model number.

Do not run pure bio diesel, any waste oil, vegetable oil or any other nonsense in that 7.3L unless you don't mind replacing a $5,000 set of injectors.
With the 7.3L you picked the absolute worse kind of diesel fuel injection system to experiment with alternative fuels on.
The only other thing besides diesel that can be burned in the 7.3 is jet fuel.

Plus the methanol and lye used to make bio diesel all come from the petrochemical industry, and the 7.3 still needs oil changes and grease.

As long as the solar panel has some kind of working charge controller that is all that matters.

Really? So even micro-filtered waste or veggie oil will clog the injectors? If so, guess I can't run on them.

I know what your saying. Biodiesel needs oil to be made. And Oil Changes and grease need oil. Unlike diesel there is no need to change the oil or lubricate the drivetrain every 400 miles.

Thick fuel will ruin that type of injector system. Doesn't matter how clean it is.
The powerstroke.com guy knows everything about what causes and prevents all kinds of problems the 7.3 and 6.0l engines.
Newer common rail also can take the thicker fuel.

What the people who run waste vegetable oils won't tell you is how that sends thousands of diesels to the junk yard every year. The only injection systems that can handle vegetable oils are rotory injection and medium pressure plunger type and unit injectors like found on old Detroits. All of which are mechanical diesel injection systems.

Wow I didn't know that about fuel injection.

Can I burn anything other than diesel from the gas station or jet fuel without damage or modification?

I'm not speaking from a place of experience here, but I'd guess that you can probably burn various clean waste solvents, so long as it's mixed with and still mostly diesel. Cutting your fuel a bit is probably still achievable.

A modern engine generally trades versatility for efficiency and economy. Even if you have to run gas station diesel, you're almost certainly going to come out ahead financially.

What substances should I look for? And how should I filter them to not damage the fuel $ystem and/or clog those gold-encrusted fuel injector$? I can't afford to get this wrong, as having to replace clogged fuel injectors wipes out any and all savings and increases running costs.

I will come out ahead if I don't clog injector$ or damage the fuel $ystem, something that costs thou$$$$ands to fix.

Another way to lower running costs is to stock up when fuel is at the lowest cost. Buy a few 55 gallon drums and fill them up while it's still under $3.50 a gallon! Then burn that fuel when gas and diesel are over $4 a gallon again!

Also, don't go across town to save 50 cents on one can of soup.

Lastly, don't waste your time or time will waste you.

How can I figure out the vans aerodynamic profile without access to a wind tunnel or follow car on the highway as I spray colored mist from a jerry-rigged pump sprayer on the front bumper? This way I have data to focus my aero mod efforts most effectively?

Depends on what you're driving. I can drive for 2 hours on the highway for about $2. If I need to go 15 miles out of my way to get something, the break-even point is around 30 cents.

I agree that this is generally good advice though. The best way to save fuel is to drive as little as possible.

Aero mods are going to help, just gotta start throwing things on there. Take a look at the template if you haven't already:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ate-33673.html

Building out the body with a boat tail or something is going to take a lot of time and effort and probably money. But, as others have already mentioned, there's some low-hanging fruit in the rear wheel wells, just cover those up with coroplast. Next easiest thing would be coroplast under-body panels, or maybe building a better air dam on the front.

I don't think anyone mentioned moon disks for the wheels themselves. Basically anything in here is what you want to do to the tires. It can be done with coroplast or with sheet metal, or often times actual pizza trays if you can get some on the cheap.

Moon discs? Looks great, what is the best way to install them? Like the idea of an air dam on the front and belly pans.

I've seen people use shade cloth to aero mod the undercarriage, is this a good material to use?
So the savings has to be 30 cents to break even?

I filled up a 55 gallon oil barrel with diesel in 2007 and didn't use it all till 2011, you can do that. Diesel stays good for a very long time.

For aero on a big vehicle like that go with air dam and smoother wheel covers.

If you wanted to put something in that engine besides diesel or jet fuel it would have to be the consistency of charcoal lighter fluid, tiki torch fuel, kerosene, off road diesel.
Your typical waste fuels like vegetable oil (new or used), motor oil, transmission fluid and even high amounts of bio diesel at cold temperatures are too thick for the injection system.

I don't have $150 for the Scangauge right now, what is the cheapest MPG reader on the market that you would recommend?

torque app, and ELM bluetooth dongle. that is if you already have a phone.
if not I would recommend an ultra-gauge.

http://www.lady-natalya.info/insight/aero-03.png

The white stuff is called coroplast, it's a corrugated plastic material used primarily for temporary signs -- political signs usually, but also sale signs and stuff. It's smooth and more rigid than shade cloth so it probably has better aerodynamic perfomance. A big election is coming up in November, there should be plenty of free coroplast signs all over the place once the election is over. But in the mean time maybe call a local sign store and ask if you can come get any scraps, or you can buy a whole sheet (4' x 8') at home depot or probably lowe's has it too.

Moonies can be made out of whatever, you could probably affix them with zip ties if you want to go super cheap, just leave some kind of opening for the valve stem, or like use a box cutter and cut a H shape into the coroplast or aluminum moon disks above where the valve stem is located so you can bend it open if you have to.

I bet if you had some good cardboard and lots of duct tape you could make moonies out of the cardboard and just seal them from the weather with the duct tape, then zip tie them to the rims. It would be super crispy and look like garbage, but you wouldn't spend anything to make them.

Also, use cardboard to prototype designs for coroplast panels. Like when you do the wheel wells, make one out of cardboard first just to make sure you get the design right, then use it as a template for the coroplast.

######

People mentioned lose the roof rack and running boards, have you removed any of that yet? Running boards def. need to go, almost as badly as the roof rack, you'll save lots of weight too. Are your tires at max PSI?

I skimmed the article but I hope someone stated the fact of how easy it is to swap gears in the Ford axles! Stock the E350 I wanna say runs 3.73s? And you can go to 2.73s and drop how rpm's a ton!

Okay. This van has overdrive, which means the wheels are spinning faster than the engine at freeway speeds right? Wouldn't lowering the RPMs further cause more strain on the engine & transmission, strain that they weren't really designed for?
Coroplast is only free after election seasons, which luckily were in right now; keep that in mind.
I have to let everyone know that I don't own the van and I am not allowed to make major modifications to it, including removing running boards and roof rack. I can probably get away with moon caps and a inconspicuous air-dam but I am not counting on it. Since I plan to have this van for at least the next 10 years, these mods are great to know when the van is transferred to my name after paying it off.

I just ordered https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A6EABJE/ and will set it up with a spare ANDROID phone I have, so it stays in the van full-time like the ScanGauge. This should pay for itself really quick.

I am concerned since the data is streamed over bluetooth that I am making myself susceptible to car thieves who can hack into the van via this OBD dongle, or the government who will take control of the van through the device and have me crash and die like Micheal Hastings.

Really depends but for the most part no. Steady throttle at 70mph takes like 25-30hp to maintain. So the more you can undergear the car, the better gas mileage you can get since it takes not much power to maintain.

You may be increasing the throttle percentage by gearing it taller, but be aware that the engine will also turning more slowly, so the pistons will wear against the sides of the cylinders fewer times. Overall, taller gearing improves economy and lengthens the life of the engine.

Regarding the Bluetooth dongle, the range is only a few feet, and it doesn't work when the van is off. Plus, most of the data from the computer is read -only, so the dongle came make any changes. The vehicles that were highjacked also had cellphone connections to the internet, which your van definitely does not.

How many hwy rpm's are you turning currently. My closest example are muscle cars: GT500 and the Corvette with their big motors only turn 1600rpm to go 70mph. Most chevy LS cars are double overdrive. So 4th is 1:1, 5th is something like .86, the 6th is 0.5. So everything i've seen rpm is a heavy factor. Even the 50mpg civic CX only spins 2200rpm @ 70mph while my car with the same motor but different FD gear i'm spinning right under 3000 and barely getting 40mpg.
But yeah Ford gears are the same in just about everything so you can get 2.73 3.15. 3.33 3.55 3.73 3.90 4.10 4.30 4.56. Tons of choices lol

What is throttle percentage?

My concern with taller overdrive is the strain put on the engine and transmission with the opposite of torque. It's like riding a bicycle in 3rd gear, going uphill.

Like the idea of reducing engine wear, as it will prolong the life of the engine; thus lower running costs. However; if running at super overdrive strains and wears the transmission faster, resulting in needing a rebuild in 100,000 miles; that kind of increases running costs if the transmission rebuild is more than the fuel savings.

I'll keep that in mind when the van is in my name.


Well I received the bluetooth OBD2 dongle today, and eager to try it out. I see the Torque application costs $5, which brings the total cost to under $20. I can't wait to see what the most efficient speed and RPM is on the open road.

I am going to live and travel in the posh van that is a microapartment inside, including but not limited to A/C, roof vent (yes I know this will cause some drag), PC desk, kitchenette, microwave, real mattress, blacked out windows, and portable toilet with detachable holding tank (yes I know these weigh alot).

I am also going to hit the road THIS summer for my first road trip of distance, with over 1000 miles one way. I plan to take it slow and take the scenic route as I hate having to run down the interstate. Yes I know taking direct routes saves fuel, and I know not detouring saves fuel, and I know not going up and down the Moki Dugway twice saves fuel; this is what is in the itinerary for a fulfilling trip full of beautiful experiences.

Seeing my relatives in Alberta Canada during the beautiful Canadian Summer is two years overdue, sure I can save $1500 not going anywhere but is that a fulfilling life?

Traveling, living miserably, treating the van like a steel tent with minimal stuff, freezing in the dark, sweating in the heat is NOT a part of my dream life and these details are non-negotiable.

I bought the Torque application, and want to make the most of it; especially when it comes to fuel economy.

One of the fields to calculate fuel economy is the max RPM displayed on the gauge, which 7000 is pasted in (as an example). What is the max RPM the 7.3L diesel engine on the 2001 FORD e350 is rated for, I tried searching for it and found no answer?

Any advice, tips, tricks & warnings for a newbie to this setup?

When I say throttle percentage, I refer (in brief) to how much you have the gas pedal pressed. Throttle works differently in gas and diesel engines:

In a gas engine, when you press the pedal down, a butterfly valve opens wider to let in more air. The computer then adds the proper amount of fuel to burn with the air you're letting in, keeping the air:fuel ratio the same.

Most diesel engines don't have a butterfly valve for throttle, because they don't need a constant air:fuel ratio. Instead, they simply take as much air in as they can, and when you press the pedal down, it adds more or less fuel.

This is how you control how much power your engine makes - by controlling the amount of air and fuel that get mixed and combusted. More air and fuel = a more powerful combustion event. As RPM goes up, you have these combustion events more often. You can increase the total power produced (and thus fuel burned) by either making each individual combustion event bigger, or raising the RPM.

Higher RPM causes more wear on the engine than adding more fuel to the cylinder.

My truck is the poster child for gearing-derived MPG.

With my (now unavailable) 3.08 gears, GV overdrive, and manual overdrive, I limit my RPM to 1325 @ 70MPH.

Result: A 8,000 lb truck that gets 24 MPG with an open bed (my tonneau blew off on a strong side wind) in mixed driving, all done at the posted limit. Low RPM saves energy by minimizing engine frictional HP. Like aero drag, EF HP goes up with the cube of RPM. You really don't want to rev a 444 over 2,000 RPM under any circumstance.

What about the wear on the transmission with super overdrive? Big Dave, Has the transmission needed more service since raising the gearing?

That might happen in an automatic, if you're frequently out of torque converter lockup, but it shouldn't make any difference to a manual.