1995 E-350 flashing OD light, few other quirks

I just picked up my bosses 1995 E-350 3 ton cube van and brought it home to
take up to the job site in the morning. I've never driven a vehicle this
size and I don't really know a heck of a lot about them. I know that it is
a turbo-diesel with automatic and overdrive. Before I picked it up, the van
had been safety inspected and I noticed a few parts were repaired by looking
at the MVI inspection paper. It had brake work, electrical work (related to
tailights) and exhaust work. It also has a lot of miles on it, close to
350,000, and it has been sitting for about 2 years unused. The first thing
I noticed when I started it up at the office, was the Check Engine light
stayed on. When I put it in gear and drove down the street a few miles, the
second thing I noticed was harsh shifting (which may be typical for this
size vehicle, not sure). I then glanced at the gearshift and saw the OD
light flashing, as if it were signalling to me there was a code stored in
the ECM. Lastly, I noticed excessive pulsating in the brake pedal, although
they seemed to stop the van well. I'm not sure if this is a problem or not,
but I know my wifes 1997 Cavalier did the same thing when it had warped
rotors, although not nearly as bad as this. Like I said earlier though,
there was brake work done, but I don't know to what extent.

So first off, when I got home, which is about a 15 minute drive, including a
5 minute drive on the highway, I checked the gas cap to see if it was loose.
Sure enough, took it off and put it back on, Check Engine light was gone.
BTW, it had stayed on the whole trip home. So I thought, OK, one problem
solved. But, and this is the one that worried me. When I came up to a
pretty steep hill on my road, the transmission seemed to be slipping and I
had to shift down to Low 2 to get the van moving again. This happened with
the overdrive button off, so it was not in OD. Now, I don't know if this
was just a random occurence, or if this van plans on leaving me on the side
of the highway tommorrow morning. I did the usual fluid check, set the park
brake, level ground, left it idling in Park, checked the transmission fluid
and it was right up to the mark and the fluid looked good, not discolored or
burned.

Now, whether or not the transmission plans on self destruction tommorrow at
5:30 in the morning, I don't know. It only has to make the one 60 km trip
and then it will probably sit for a week or two. However, I do not want to
damage the transmission if the light is indicating there is a problem. From
doing a quick search on the internet, I've come to the conclusion that this
seems to be a typical problem with this model of light duty truck. I wanted
to post on here and find out a little more info before I head out in the
morning. I don't think it is a wiring problem, as some people have
suggested in other posts, because the OD light flashes as if it is blinking
out a code. But, if either problem could be related to the fact that this
van has sat for the last two years, that would be nice to know.

Any information regarding the flashing OD or brake symptoms would be greatly
appreciated. I'd like to feel a little bit reassured that I'm not going to
be stranded on the side of the highway tommorrow morning.

Sharky

My OD kept coming on and going off over a 2-3 day period...a few hundred
miles later the trans went. 2001 F350 7.3PS Dually Crew

Sharky wrote:
> I just picked up my bosses 1995 E-350 3 ton cube van and brought it home to
> take up to the job site in the morning. I've never driven a vehicle this
> size and I don't really know a heck of a lot about them. I know that it is
> a turbo-diesel with automatic and overdrive. Before I picked it up, the van
> had been safety inspected and I noticed a few parts were repaired by looking
> at the MVI inspection paper. It had brake work, electrical work (related to
> tailights) and exhaust work. It also has a lot of miles on it, close to
> 350,000, and it has been sitting for about 2 years unused. The first thing
> I noticed when I started it up at the office, was the Check Engine light
> stayed on. When I put it in gear and drove down the street a few miles, the
> second thing I noticed was harsh shifting (which may be typical for this
> size vehicle, not sure). I then glanced at the gearshift and saw the OD
> light flashing, as if it were signalling to me there was a code stored in
> the ECM. Lastly, I noticed excessive pulsating in the brake pedal, although
> they seemed to stop the van well. I'm not sure if this is a problem or not,
> but I know my wifes 1997 Cavalier did the same thing when it had warped
> rotors, although not nearly as bad as this. Like I said earlier though,
> there was brake work done, but I don't know to what extent.
>
> So first off, when I got home, which is about a 15 minute drive, including a
> 5 minute drive on the highway, I checked the gas cap to see if it was loose.
> Sure enough, took it off and put it back on, Check Engine light was gone.
> BTW, it had stayed on the whole trip home. So I thought, OK, one problem
> solved. But, and this is the one that worried me. When I came up to a
> pretty steep hill on my road, the transmission seemed to be slipping and I
> had to shift down to Low 2 to get the van moving again. This happened with
> the overdrive button off, so it was not in OD. Now, I don't know if this
> was just a random occurence, or if this van plans on leaving me on the side
> of the highway tommorrow morning. I did the usual fluid check, set the park
> brake, level ground, left it idling in Park, checked the transmission fluid
> and it was right up to the mark and the fluid looked good, not discolored or
> burned.
>
> Now, whether or not the transmission plans on self destruction tommorrow at
> 5:30 in the morning, I don't know. It only has to make the one 60 km trip
> and then it will probably sit for a week or two. However, I do not want to
> damage the transmission if the light is indicating there is a problem. From
> doing a quick search on the internet, I've come to the conclusion that this
> seems to be a typical problem with this model of light duty truck. I wanted
> to post on here and find out a little more info before I head out in the
> morning. I don't think it is a wiring problem, as some people have
> suggested in other posts, because the OD light flashes as if it is blinking
> out a code. But, if either problem could be related to the fact that this
> van has sat for the last two years, that would be nice to know.
>
> Any information regarding the flashing OD or brake symptoms would be greatly
> appreciated. I'd like to feel a little bit reassured that I'm not going to
> be stranded on the side of the highway tommorrow morning.
>
> Sharky
>
>