Ford EconolineThere's more to the Econoline's staying power than Ford simply sticking with a product that has been the No. 1-selling full-size van since 1980. The Econoline has received only minor changes over the years. The result is a cargo van that looks different, but is still very much the same. For many E-Series customers, that is the best news of all.
First, the vehicle drifts a lot. I have to keep both hands on the wheel and pay close attention or I find myself in the next lane.
Not too uncommon. I find that most people tend to "over correct". I know on my E150 it only takes a very small amount of "input" to get the truck to respond. I think the steering is "over boosted" so that it works well in parking situations.
Get the door adjusted. Keep taking it back until they get it right.
Your E350 will actually ride and handle much better when it has a good load in it. And yes, you are driving around in a big metal box, so accept the noise !
__________________ Peace, it's our only chance
1998 E150 Club Wagon, 4.6L Modular, E4OD
2007 Milan. 3.0L Duratec, Aisin 6 speed AW-F21 others I look out for
2007 Escape 2wd (the mini Pumpkin), 3.0L Duratec, CD4E
2008 Mazda3 5 door, 2.3L, 5 speed manual
Not too uncommon. I find that most people tend to "over correct". I know on my E150 it only takes a very small amount of "input" to get the truck to respond. I think the steering is "over boosted" so that it works well in parking situations.
Get the door adjusted. Keep taking it back until they get it right.
Your E350 will actually ride and handle much better when it has a good load in it. And yes, you are driving around in a big metal box, so accept the noise !
I'm one of those drivers who likes to correct as little as possible, and find that this particular vehicle drifts quite a bit more than expected. I bought it used, and think perhaps someone before me might have hit a curb or deep pothole, since it seems rather extreme. Thanks for the advise about not over-correcting.
I'll stay on top of the door adjustment, thanks!
No big surprise about the van handling and riding better with a load, that makes perfect sense with any 1-ton vehicle.
As for noise...I'm actually very pleasantly surprised that the van is as quiet as it is. I have no copmplaints about the sound level at all.
Thanks again for the quick and informative response.
Take your van to a shop that specializes in front alignment. Tell them your issues. Ask the mechanic what they think about adding an extra 1/2 to 1 degree of positive caster.
__________________ Peace, it's our only chance
1998 E150 Club Wagon, 4.6L Modular, E4OD
2007 Milan. 3.0L Duratec, Aisin 6 speed AW-F21 others I look out for
2007 Escape 2wd (the mini Pumpkin), 3.0L Duratec, CD4E
2008 Mazda3 5 door, 2.3L, 5 speed manual
My avatar is the load tester I talk about from time to time.It is a 3157 bulb and socket wired to use both elements with some aligator clips.This rig pulls 2.6 amps my regular test lamp is .13 amps.I can email the picture to anyone if they want a closer look,just pm me with an email.
Alignment only covered 12 months 12k,without a bad part or tsb.Pm me your vin I can check for tsb
Thanks a ton for offering that assist, I'll send you the VIN in an IM this evening. Vehicle is at just over 11K miles so still covered, and will get it in for a look ASAP.
I have a 08 "E150" supper duty, which means it has the E350 chassis.
It wanders a lot also. I checked the toe in and found it to be 1/4" toe in.
I changed this to 1/8" and it helped some. The caster is positive 1.5 degrees as near as I can tell with my home made equipment. I Haven't checked any spec's yet to see what it is supposed to be but the dealer told me that it is where it is supposed to be and they are not authorized to change it away from factory spec's.
I know that the more positive caster the straighter it will go down the road but also makes it harder to steer around corners. Drag racers use 6 to 9 degrees positive caster to keep them going straight.
I don't know how yet to change caster on a twin I beam like our vans.
so if anyone knows how I would like to add some more positive caster to mine.
thanks
I found a bushing to change the caster on our vans. RockAuto Parts Catalog
When I have time I will order and install a couple of them, and let you know if it helped. By the way I put the van on level ground [some times I put shims under the tire] then turn the wheel all the way to the left and put a angle finder [home depot] on the rim to find the caster angle of the drivers side wheel. then turn it to the right to find the caster of the passenger side.
it is not perfect but it is close. I can also remove the rim and measure it at the ball joints. If anyone has a better plan let me know.
If you wonder why I don't take it to an alignment shop, well I did and they told me there was nothing wrong with it [within factory spec's] and I should accept the wondering. I don't think so.
I have owned ford vans all my life and this problem can be fixed.
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New 08 E350 Owner. Few problems 
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