At 68,450 miles, several issues occurred: 1) oil pressure switch blew out of the housing, 2) oil was visible in coolant, 3) oil was leaking from engine, 4) idle vacillated up and down w/o any action on part of the user. Took van to dealer, who claimed to have repaired these items. Inspection of the "repaired vehicle" revealed oil still dripping off engine onto ground. Was told that this was "normal" and would disappear. However, this did not happen. Engine has continued to leak and oil continues to mix with coolant fluid, even after flushing system twice since repair. Despite numerous calls to dealer, problem has not been fixed. Engine has less than 13k additional miles on it since "repair" and oil is still leaking. Leak continues to get worse with time. I believe this is a manufacturer's defect and since the engine has far less than 100k miles on it, should be repaired as a warranty item. Mixing of oil and coolant is a safety hazard and needs to be programmatically addressed by ford.
2004 Ford E-350 engine problems
13 complaints (28% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 49,600.
- owner complaints
- 13
- of this car's complaints
- 28%
- typical mileage
- 49,600
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Engine: diesel2
- Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe1
- Exhaust system: emission control: gas recirculation valve (EGR valve)1
- Exhaust system: emission control: catalytic convertor1
- Exhaust system1
- Engine1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Ford E-350 engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2004 Ford E-350 engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain vans, the air filter element material process resulted in an air filter paper element that can smolder or burn. This change in filter paper composition combined with the configuration of the air induction system, may allow hot carbon particles to contact the air filter element during certain driving conditions that create hot particles.
- Risk
- These hot particles may ignite the air filter element with the potential for air induction system damage or underhood fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the air filter element. The recall began september 27, 2004. Owners should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673. Also ford is extending the limited warranty (for a one time replacement) of the ABS module for a total of 10 years or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date, whichever occurs first. If your vehicle has already accumulated more than 150,000 miles, this coverage will last until september 30, 2005.
Recall number 04V445000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it is possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect is very low.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition is denied.
DP05005
What 2004 Ford E-350 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford e-350. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled and was towed to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the fuel injector, fuel tank, fuel pump, and the engine needed to be replaced. The technician also stated that the silver coating in the fuel tank was from one of the damaged parts. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 52,000. Updated 04/07/15*lj updated 11/3/15
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford e-350. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, he noticed smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. Both technicians advised the contact that the egr cooler and the head gasket would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.
Vehicle cuts out during driving .
I have a ford e-350 super duty van that has had drivable problems since it was new. After many trips to dealerships I was told that there was no fix at this time and ford should come out with a fix in the future. The engine dies when hot at times causing hard braking and loss of steering. At 100699 miles, just 699 miles out of warranty the engine quite running when hot. If it sits for 6 or more hours it will restart and run for only 20 minutes. Ford told me it was no longer under warranty and would provide no assistance.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the engine stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted after 20 minutes, and was taken to a service dealer where the problem was unable to be determined. There was a the federal safety agency recall # 05v270000, which pertains to the wiring. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.
2004 ford e-450 ambulance 5/31/06 crew stated the engine was surging, egr valve replaced by dealership. 5/31/06 crew stated A/C quit blowing and grinding noise heard larger fuse installed by dealership. Dealership stated all other A/C test checked out ok. Dealership added booster replaced to diesel fuel also replaced filter, drained water separator. 9/1/06 engine oil leaking, crew also had A/C concerns again dealership replaced geo rotor oil pump cover gasket and seal wear sleeve and reassemble post road. Dealership found compressor shaft broke replaced A/C compressor and clutch assemble accumulator and front orifice tube. Dealership also replaced fuel injector control module harness, and exhaust pressure sensor secondary to recall. 10/12/05 crew complains that engine sound like it is "sucking air" dealership stated nothing wrong, later that week crew members found air leak at turbo bracket contacted dealership they advised that nothing was wrong and that was the way it should sound. We still have this extreme surging sound in the cab on acceleration, the sound is so loud that we can not hear the communication radio. This truck is a 2004 ambulance with only 24,964 miles on it and is housed inside a climate controlled station. We are again making an appointment to have turbo check because of air leak.
Oil leaking from 2004 f-350 6.0l diesel engine. Egr failure causing truck to shut off on road.
2004 ford wagon e350 with floor lowered by vantage mobility int. For handicap people. During stop and go driving like traffic jams while pulling a trailer the floor between front seats gets more than hot enough to burn your foot. Sliding door opener has broken 6 times leaving the door free to slide open and shut. I keep a bungy cord to tie it up but interior lights come on and off when using bungy cord. The original latch by ford was removed to install the door opener. Split drive shaft installed to make room for under vehicle lift by braun corp has a low roar to it. Bicycle type chain for the sliding door opener at wheelchair lift drags across part of door jamb.(no pulley or sprocket). Paid $48,000 for this new 2004 model in april, 2005 I'm asking for my money back. Please help us.
Dt: the contact owns a 2004 ford e 350 a conversion van which will not start. The van has a power stroke diesel engine. The van was towed twelve or more times to multiple dealerships to locate the problem. The contact stated that no dealer could figure out what the problem was. A diagnostics test was performed on the vehicle about fifteen times. The contact has talked to ford numerous times. He invested $96,000 in the vehicle and would like to be able to drive it. This I happened at all times of the day. The contact was living out of the vehicle and was having thousands of dollars in towing expenses. Also, there were rental car and medical expenses as a result of the failure.
Questions about the 2004 Ford E-350 engine
Does the 2004 Ford E-350 have engine problems?
Owners have filed 13 complaints about the engine of the 2004 Ford E-350, 28% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2004 Ford E-350 engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 49,600 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Ford E-350 engine?
Yes, 1 recall: 04V445000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Ford E-350 have bad engine?
The Ford E-350 model years with the most engine complaints are 2005 (21 complaints), 2002 (20 complaints) and 2001 (17 complaints).
Other 2004 Ford E-350 problems
Fuel system 18Electrical 5Transmission 5Tires 4Body 3Seat belts 3Acceleration 2Airbags 2Steering 2Locks 1Suspension 1Visibility 1Wheels 1
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