VRAY 2006 E450 - Ambulance Cummins Diesel Swap
This is a split off of my initial YAger RV build up thread. This one will focus on the 5.9 cummins diesel engine swap.
The other thread will stay focused on the 'RV' aspects including conversion, upfitting, wiring, insulation and interior stuff.
E450 Ambulance VRAY (YAger RV)
While the other thread may become less awesome, I think this one will have a lot of traffic from the discussion and general interest as 'we' work through the swap and all the issues that will arise.
So brief overview on how things ended up here:
Decided to upgrade current 2004 1ton Chevy van to something with more room for camping, longer more comfortable, trips. Evaluated several options, MDT trucks, expoditer rigs, step vans, box trucks, cab overs etc.. Kept being steering into an ambulance by Gavan. He is an EMT and essentially lives in one, and knows a lot about them good and bad.. I resisted at first, but eventually the draw was to much and I started looking specifically for a 'bus'.
Located many, all over the US, and all over the price scale. Called on several local, but was never able to get folks to return calls or commit to times etc.. Full craigslist search one day showed a rig outside Dallas, Tx. This gem was a 2006 E450 14' box more/less standard issue rig. It had the dreaded 6.0 Powerstroke diesel but with only 102k on it. I did my homework understood the issues with them and what would be expected and required to make it a good engine etc.. I figured even if the motor needed to be fully rebuilt or swapped out it would still be a good project. The low mileage and being from Texas was also key factors. The frame still has a shine to it!!
So I called Gavan how happens to live in Houston and who also talked me into getting a damn ambulance and asked if he could 'help' out with a possible acquisition. He agreed it was a great idea and I bought it sight unseen. I saw enough pics to know the interior had been picked over and the outside lights removed etc.. But it was mostly intact and more/less in good overall mechanical condition, minus some small issues, like broken A/C, cruddy interior etc..
Gavan hauled it back to his house which in hind sight turned out to be a great decision. After he got it, he started sizing it up and giving it a once over. I had some lights shipped down and after he wired them in, started actually driving it.. I had already may plans to fly down to drive it back home to NC, when I got a call 2 day prior saying the dreaded EGR cooler had let loose and it was blowing coolant out the exhaust. Oh no !
I have to give props to Rudy's Diesel Rudy's Diesel Performance located in Durham, NC I had already purchased a full 'fix kit' from them to fix and correct all the possible issues with the motor, including the EGR delete. I didn't have the van so i didn't take anything home with me... so I called em up and said I need to grab some of the kit, they sent me home with the parts, gaskets I might need during the repair process.
I flew to Tx now on a repair mission and IF we got it fixed and running ok, drive it 1200 miles back home... Both of us are clearly in the enough knowledge to be dangerous category, but neither had ever touched a 6.0 in a van no less.. So with a basic understanding of our goal we thrashed for 16 hours Friday and 4 more on Saturday. We were joined my Pic_John friday evening who happened to have clean hands and his own tool supply.. Making up for Gavan's tool deficiency at just the right time... We stopped shortly after doing the repair and I flopped the turbo back on the motor and we bolted it down.. The next day we finished reassembly, and it fired up... Ran for 30 seconds, loped and died... WTF !! No restart... We had some issue with loosing fuel line prime after the filter changes, but we fixed that with a rag and air hose in the take trick.. Fired back up ran great...
We drove around Houston gathering supplies for my return trip and seeing how well it ran and drove.. My comfort level was just high enough for me to make the trip.. I figured with fresh coolant, synthetic oil, new filters and a running rig, what could happen ??? Goal was to drive at least 1/2 way home, where I had a few offers to retrieve me if I made it that far... I logged 16 hours driving Sunday before I stopped in Spartenburg, SC I didn't shut the truck down until I was 14 hours in. I let it run while pumping and the few quick pit stops for a sub or fuel. It was running fine but was loosing coolant out the overfill tank, it was being pushed out not leaking..
Made it home, while researching 6.0 repairs, parts, new heads, and the long list of possible and/or inevitable problems to expect (again) the mention of a cummins swap came up... What ?? Could it happen? Wow that would be so cool... Hell I'd instantly be cool.. (wait i am cool !!!) Then reality set in and the usual thought about it just not fitting in there came up.. I literally ran outside pulled the dog house and measured it up.. It would be a tight fit but hell so is the current engine. It takes up almost every square inch or usable space and then some...
I started researching transmission adapter I really like the 5 speed on the drive home, worked great with the 6.0L... But man !!! The adapter, flex plate, and trans controller alone was almost what I paid for the whole bus !! About that time Gavan said he had a lead on a cummins motor and possibly an entire truck... I continued to follow up on some leads and investigate trans options etc.. as well as see what would be needed to make a 47RH hold up... Very doable with some proper parts... AND with this setup I'd get a t-case.... That puts me closer to the 4wd RV that I had simply put off as 'not happening now' thoughts...
This is a split off of my initial YAger RV build up thread. This one will focus on the 5.9 cummins diesel engine swap.
The other thread will stay focused on the 'RV' aspects including conversion, upfitting, wiring, insulation and interior stuff.
E450 Ambulance VRAY (YAger RV)
While the other thread may become less awesome, I think this one will have a lot of traffic from the discussion and general interest as 'we' work through the swap and all the issues that will arise.
So brief overview on how things ended up here:
Decided to upgrade current 2004 1ton Chevy van to something with more room for camping, longer more comfortable, trips. Evaluated several options, MDT trucks, expoditer rigs, step vans, box trucks, cab overs etc.. Kept being steering into an ambulance by Gavan. He is an EMT and essentially lives in one, and knows a lot about them good and bad.. I resisted at first, but eventually the draw was to much and I started looking specifically for a 'bus'.
Located many, all over the US, and all over the price scale. Called on several local, but was never able to get folks to return calls or commit to times etc.. Full craigslist search one day showed a rig outside Dallas, Tx. This gem was a 2006 E450 14' box more/less standard issue rig. It had the dreaded 6.0 Powerstroke diesel but with only 102k on it. I did my homework understood the issues with them and what would be expected and required to make it a good engine etc.. I figured even if the motor needed to be fully rebuilt or swapped out it would still be a good project. The low mileage and being from Texas was also key factors. The frame still has a shine to it!!
So I called Gavan how happens to live in Houston and who also talked me into getting a damn ambulance and asked if he could 'help' out with a possible acquisition. He agreed it was a great idea and I bought it sight unseen. I saw enough pics to know the interior had been picked over and the outside lights removed etc.. But it was mostly intact and more/less in good overall mechanical condition, minus some small issues, like broken A/C, cruddy interior etc..
Gavan hauled it back to his house which in hind sight turned out to be a great decision. After he got it, he started sizing it up and giving it a once over. I had some lights shipped down and after he wired them in, started actually driving it.. I had already may plans to fly down to drive it back home to NC, when I got a call 2 day prior saying the dreaded EGR cooler had let loose and it was blowing coolant out the exhaust. Oh no !
I have to give props to Rudy's Diesel Rudy's Diesel Performance located in Durham, NC I had already purchased a full 'fix kit' from them to fix and correct all the possible issues with the motor, including the EGR delete. I didn't have the van so i didn't take anything home with me... so I called em up and said I need to grab some of the kit, they sent me home with the parts, gaskets I might need during the repair process.
I flew to Tx now on a repair mission and IF we got it fixed and running ok, drive it 1200 miles back home... Both of us are clearly in the enough knowledge to be dangerous category, but neither had ever touched a 6.0 in a van no less.. So with a basic understanding of our goal we thrashed for 16 hours Friday and 4 more on Saturday. We were joined my Pic_John friday evening who happened to have clean hands and his own tool supply.. Making up for Gavan's tool deficiency at just the right time... We stopped shortly after doing the repair and I flopped the turbo back on the motor and we bolted it down.. The next day we finished reassembly, and it fired up... Ran for 30 seconds, loped and died... WTF !! No restart... We had some issue with loosing fuel line prime after the filter changes, but we fixed that with a rag and air hose in the take trick.. Fired back up ran great...
We drove around Houston gathering supplies for my return trip and seeing how well it ran and drove.. My comfort level was just high enough for me to make the trip.. I figured with fresh coolant, synthetic oil, new filters and a running rig, what could happen ??? Goal was to drive at least 1/2 way home, where I had a few offers to retrieve me if I made it that far... I logged 16 hours driving Sunday before I stopped in Spartenburg, SC I didn't shut the truck down until I was 14 hours in. I let it run while pumping and the few quick pit stops for a sub or fuel. It was running fine but was loosing coolant out the overfill tank, it was being pushed out not leaking..
Made it home, while researching 6.0 repairs, parts, new heads, and the long list of possible and/or inevitable problems to expect (again) the mention of a cummins swap came up... What ?? Could it happen? Wow that would be so cool... Hell I'd instantly be cool.. (wait i am cool !!!) Then reality set in and the usual thought about it just not fitting in there came up.. I literally ran outside pulled the dog house and measured it up.. It would be a tight fit but hell so is the current engine. It takes up almost every square inch or usable space and then some...
I started researching transmission adapter I really like the 5 speed on the drive home, worked great with the 6.0L... But man !!! The adapter, flex plate, and trans controller alone was almost what I paid for the whole bus !! About that time Gavan said he had a lead on a cummins motor and possibly an entire truck... I continued to follow up on some leads and investigate trans options etc.. as well as see what would be needed to make a 47RH hold up... Very doable with some proper parts... AND with this setup I'd get a t-case.... That puts me closer to the 4wd RV that I had simply put off as 'not happening now' thoughts...