I'd guess 2 years or 20K miles. You may find they say longer, but it's not worth chancing.
Don't know what age your van is, but the older diesel ford engine cambelts were not too hard to DIY, though as with most things 'ford' you need some 'special tools' - I seem to recall a small piece of angle-iron (about 4 inches long, 1 inch angle) to prevent the camshaft from turning once the pulley is removed, and a threaded 'pin' (bolt) which goes in a hole (blanking bolt removed) somewhere down by the alternator - which was a pain to find, but once located is easy enough to do...this is to prevent the crankshaft from turning ...I think. Sorry it's a while since I did this and your engine may be different anyway. Try looking on Ebay for a manual - I think Haynes do one specific to the Ford Diesel engine - and these often tell you how to make the 'tools' so that saves you plenty- but make sure it's got your van's year in it.
J, January 2005
