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Ford Aerostar

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  • whatever1979whatever1979 Member Posts: 4
    My parents bought this brand new van in 1993 and we just noticed that the Check Engine Light turns on after excessive speeds and then stays on, it doesn't flash. It just recently passed smog, so we don't know what it could be? We changed the spark plugs and wires, the gas and air filter...it drives normal so we don't know what else it could be?
  • slosteveslosteve Member Posts: 1
    Hi Everyone,

    I have a previously owned 1989 Aerostar that someone had rear ended. I want to replace the rear bumper but I'm running into a problem removing the old bumper. There are four bolts (two on each side) at the rear which were no problem. Obviously there are a couple of other bolts inside the rear frame that I can't find a way to access. Has anyone ever replaced a rear bumper on their Aerostar? If so, any ideas or suggestions? Anything would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Steve
  • georgiebeast4ugeorgiebeast4u Member Posts: 1
    i have a 93 ford aerostar 3.0L be smart about it unlike me i have replace the whole cooling system water pump, hoses everything when i finnally took it to a redaitor shop the guy said change the heater core they get gunk on the inside of them such as stop leak and won't heat good. Now the van heat is so good you wear t-shirt and shorts in 0 weather
  • abodaoabodao Member Posts: 1
    I'm glad to hear that other owners having more or less the same experience. We have a 1993, XLT, 4.0, Auto-2WD, We bought new in 93'. We've had various minor problems but have driven for 165,000 miles with no major breakdowns. I still have the original spark plugs in the engine and hope to have them replaced soon. The bottom line is that when I needed this van to really hold together, it did, no problems. Driving 10 people home from the airport in an emergency. Driving on a 2 lane isolated road in Oregon, knowing a breakdown would be the last thing I needed. In the Sierra Nevada mountain passes with chains on my tires just praying to get through 40 miles with no one stopping to help for anyone. We've been lucky to get such a dependable car. And it's nice to see that we weren't the only ones.
  • guidosanguidosan Member Posts: 1
    :D I'm very surprised with my '94 XL Aerostar RWD, it has done no problems, i drive it in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 2 years only the common maintenance, goes everywhere, even in the Sierra with off road rutes, i instlled recently all terrain wheels on its original 14 steel rims and it looks more rude, a/c is ok the engine and the 4 speed tranny are original with 134000 miles, my children are fascinated with the space, these minivans are very good for a low price!!!! :blush: :shades:
  • czgatorczgator Member Posts: 2
    Hi--
    I have a '92 Aerostar which now has 220K miles on it and have only replaced minor things on it, except this weekend, had to put a new air compressor on it (which will have a year warranty and I plan to get full use of it!). This is my second Aerostar and I bought it used. I did change my oil to synthetic last year which it seemed to like! The only problem I am having is finding affordable plastic bumper covers, which in Florida break down in the sun after so long.

    Good luck with yours!
    ;)
  • czgatorczgator Member Posts: 2
    My check engine light kept coming on when it got over 150K miles on it. My mechanic checked it on the computer and nothing major showed up, but later when I had a major tune up done, the part store asked if I wanted to change the oxygen sensor while I was at it. It was a cheap part and easy to change, so I said okay. Presto! The check engine light went out and my gas mileage went up. Apparently you are supposed to change them at 100K, but I did not know that. You might try it; even if it is not what is making your light go on, it might save a little gas!

    :)
  • mgouthromgouthro Member Posts: 1
    I have a problem with my tranny doing the herky-jerky when I accelerate to 40-50- km per hr (25 mph) . The transmission then shifts past that and again the herky-jerky at about 50 mph. Someone said it was the shifter solenoid. Can anyone confirm this?? Does anyone know where online I can find a diagram of this tranny, showing rhe location of this solenoid (or sensor, whatever it is)?
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Have someone adjust the bands (form of automatic transmission clutch), external adjustment shouldn't be costly.
  • jamcjamc Member Posts: 11
    Does any one know if the windstar rims fit the aerostar? I want tu put 15" rims but i feel the ranger's rims are too wide.
  • ableftyablefty Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1992 Aerostar, 275,000km (165,ooo mi.) and when it's cold (0 degrees C., 32 F.) the tranny won't go into drive or reverse until it's warmed up a bit. If you put it into gear and give it a bit of gas it will start to creep VERY slowly and eventually it will kick into gear with a kick. Any ideas???
  • jamcjamc Member Posts: 11
    Have you checked the tranny fluid when it warms up?. I had that same problem and my tranny needed 1 quart of the fluid
  • SurreyHollySurreyHolly Member Posts: 2
    My van surges when idleing in drive and in park. Anybody have this problem or know how to make it stop.
  • garbadeegarbadee Member Posts: 2
    Had same symptoms idling at the stop light. Replaced DPHE (believe this is the right spelling but it is the sensor that tells the EGR how to work) sensor and EGR valve and it is fine. Hope this helps. Ed
  • jamcjamc Member Posts: 11
    Hi everyone, I have a big problem with my shifter. It looks like it broke. I cant make it to go move to park. It goes all the way up, but if I move it front and backwards somehow I can make it to shift to drive, neutral and reverse. Can someone help me. Please
  • ts94aerots94aero Member Posts: 1
    :mad: Anyone know of a different trans I can put in my 94 Aerostar?, as I have a 94 4.0 with the A4LD. Great van, but after 140000 it started eating trans for breakfast. Reman trannys dont seem to last, and forget their so called warrenties. There must be a reliable trans replacement somewhere, any Ideas? Willing to make make major changes if necessary, just don't want to be stranded anymore.
    Thanks
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Replace the engine/transmission control computer.
  • rob140rob140 Member Posts: 13
    We just bought a 1997 4.0 awd Aerostar with 115k miles. When backing out of our driveway, we put it in drive before it stops and it rolls backwards for a second before engaging gear. Our 1995 would engage gear immediately. Is it getting ready to go out or is it just the way the 1997 transmission is supposed to work. It has fluid and it was changed 5k miles ago.
    Help, my wife won't drive anything but an aerostar.

    Rob
  • Ben43Ben43 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 93 Aerostar, it starts back firing when I turn it on in the morning. Everytime I come to a stop then take off
    it seems to be getting to much fine gas, not back firing as much at high speeds - what could it be?. although at high speeds of 45- theres a lot of jerking forward could it be a failing volve? not opening- ppl- at the advanced auto part thought that might be the problem.

    When driving for long periods of time like all day long like doing deliveries it seems to stop back firing.
    Some symptoms...
    When Driving at 45-55 MPH Van jerk forward every few seconds, slower speeds it tried to back fire when I give it gas.

    I never changed the Spark plugs since I brought the van last year in June 08, Will that help stop the Back firing and gas smell.

    :surprise:
  • loosenutloosenut Member Posts: 165
    yes i can!
    what hashappened to your -i'm guessing-colum shift??-93 and up model? is that someone has tried to steal your van by jerking -REAL HARD,hoping to snap the lock pin,but ford designed the shifter so if anyone tried to do that-=it would break some internal parts,but not unlock the transmission..the good part is they didn't get your van(aparently the doge minivans do that-but not our fords ! )
    the bad part is to fix it CORECTLY!,the best thing is to replace the entire steering colum,as i've tried twice to just replace the broken shifter shaft,and twice it broke again..aparently,they torqed my steering colum so hard,they bent where the shaft sits,and keeps breahing the new/used one i tried to replace it with!!
    ---untill you get the money together to fix it right--feel at the bottom of the steering colum,above the break pedal-for a CABLE..it's a square end,with a clip that-if you can pry the clip loose,then pop the cable end off the ball lever-then-i "fished" the cable end out under the steering colum-where there's a soft rubber seal that you can push the end of the cable out!!..to shift it with just the cable can be tricky,but-once you get it in gear,you don't need to move it..park is all the way in,and you have to "count" the clicks past revererse and neutral to hit drive..or,just one click out to back up..what i do is find "neutral",and pull it out one click-then,it's in overdrive..
    --i've been driving mine that way for a few years now,and no troubles!!in fact-if anyone were gonna try to steal it,they still can't steer it-cause i've not seen one yet where they broke the steering pin!,but how many would know to look for a cablke to shift it?"?
    hope this helps!
    windtalkerr@yahoo.com
  • loosenutloosenut Member Posts: 165
    if it's a three liter,with the distributor cap-it's the cap,rotor button, and,more than likely,a crossed wire!
    autozone.com has a ON LINE SERVICE MANUAL!!SEE IF IT COVERS YOUR ENGINE!!
    --I HAD A THREE LITER,AND IT WAS A ROYAL PAIN TO CHANGE THE PLUGS,AND YOU CAN'T JUST THROW A SET OF WIRES ON IT,YOU'VE got TO PUT THEM IN THE CLIPS FORD PUT ON THEM,OR YOUR GONNA BE DOING IT AGAIN,AND REALLY SOON!,SO-TAKE YOUR TIME-DO IT RIGHT- AND IT WILL STAY FIXED FOR QUITE A WHILE!..MINE STILL RAN GOOD TWO YEARS LATER !
    sorry about the caps lock!
    but backfireing usually means either crossed wires-in the wrong place on the cap,or it's jumping acrost old crappy wires..,but i'd bet ya it's crossed wires..
    --the BEST" secret is to take off the passenger side tire,and acess the plugs and wires through the opening between the fenderwell and the frame!!it's impossible from under the hood..a swivel headed ratchet is real handy for those plugs..
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Your '97 R/awd Aerostar has a completely new transmission, extra gear ratio, vs earlier versions.
  • Ben43Ben43 Member Posts: 2
    :surprise: Thanks, I had the car for 8 months had not had any work done to the plugs.
    Just seems to get worse!, I use gas cleaners and tune up in the bottle hope I am not making it worse, btw I stopped using and Gas treament and Tune up in the bottle, no change...Gas treament and Tune up is not cutting it any more!

    Just started 2 month and sometimes the tune up in the bottle causes it to drive a little better when its
    warmed up but after I turn it off for 30 minutes to an hour doing my shopping and turn it on
    and start driving it has no horse power when I give it gas, and at 50 miles better it puffs and back fires
    and jerks a bit stops then jerks like its skipping a spark ts very rare to stop at 50 or better it only stopped once and drove like normal, I have no stalling sounds what would makes it jerk at 50 miles mph at times and back fire the muffler shacks, I can't guess if its the Gas filter sparks plus or that volve that opens at 45 to 50 mph is staying closed or having trouble staying open. Can that volve I forgot the name of the volve the car shop worker told me about. Can that volve flap back and forth causing the back firing. it only went back to normal once until I started it the next day, then it was back at it doing the same thing, the Tune up in the bottle kinda
    helped a bit, but now it just stays the same. I wonder if a tune up will fix the problem.I haven't seem any similar post to my issue here or elsewhere, maybe its a new problem, who knows how many people owned my car before me. What they replaced.
  • jamc128jamc128 Member Posts: 19
    Hi, its me again. I have another problem with the van, it has a front driver side brake problem. I dont know what causes the problem. 8 months earlier I changed de rotor, master cylinder, brake pads and eve the disks. The problem was that same side brake got stuck when using the van in city, and caused engine overheating and smoke coming from the brakes, I changes everything I mentioned and now yesterday the brake stuck again and smoke come from de brake and then over heated to. And I have no clue what it could be and I dont want all those pieces to be changed again, does anyone know what it could be?
  • rob140rob140 Member Posts: 13
    sounds like corrosion in the caliper causing it to stick. this happened on my motor home. the brake fluid absorbs moisture over time and causes corrosion. some manufacturers (bmw) call for fluid change every 2 years.
  • jamc128jamc128 Member Posts: 19
    My mechanic told too that maybe the brake lines needed to be changed since I changed them like 5 years ago. Does anyone know which AC compressor from an other Ford fits the Aerostar, since mine decided to quit a month ago to.
  • ssilljerssilljer Member Posts: 6
    Can anyone tell me where I can find a 1994 aerostar Interior door panels in grey if possible? Or how I can get new ones made.
  • ssilljerssilljer Member Posts: 6
    I have a 1994 aerostar and these transmissions were noted for having problems. That said I have had great success with mine because of routine maintance. I have 250,000 miles on mine and it shifts great. Change the fluid every 50,000 miles or sooner in Hot climates, have it done by a transmisson shop and do the seal and filter. If you don't get good results with the basics call a transmission suppiler and tell him what is happening with your transmission. Trouble shoot it yourself and save huge bucks.
  • ssilljerssilljer Member Posts: 6
    It is the rear seal. I have the same problem and I am looking to get a new seal for mine. I just have not had luck finding the same one. I was just told 2 weeks ago to spray some silcone on it and that would soften up the rubber again. My Napa dealer told me that.
  • jamc128jamc128 Member Posts: 19
    My tranny has a leak, I use around 1 qt of fluid every week. Does any one know what do I need to change? It currently has 220500 miles. Also my rear side windows leak. How can I fix that?
  • spiritgaelspiritgael Member Posts: 1
    Steve - I'm confronting the same challenge. Did you ever get a reply ? How does one remove that sucker ?David at Spiritgael@yahoo.com
  • rickmanrickman Member Posts: 3
    edited May 2010
    I bought a 1996 Aerostar cargo van in February of 1999 when it had 90,000 miles on it. It now has over 175,000 miles on it. Over the 85,000 miles I have driven it and over 11 years I had replaced the transmission just last year and the transmission fluid lines since they had rusted through. Of course the usual things have gone bad over the years, battery, brakes, exhaust, mass air flow sensor, alternator, tie rods, shocks, blower motor, master cylinder, tires, and an oxygen sensor. The cruise control just went out and I am trying to fix it myself if I can.
    The engine which is the 3.0 is MUCH better than my other 2 vehicles. A 1971 Cutlass with a 350 engine and a 2005 Chevy with a 3.4 engine.
    The 3.0 does not burn ANY oil and it does not drop it on the ground either! I have not done anything to the engine but oil changes since I have owned it. I was encouraged to read on this site that an engineer said this engine is designed for 500,000 miles! I believe it. On another website there is a guy from Canada that says he has 355,000 miles with the original engine and transmission. I'm sure he must be VERY faithful with his maintenance.
    As we all know Aerostars like to rust. I FOUND a place www.raybuck.com that sells replacement panels at reasonable prices! I ordered the panel that is on the drivers side between the wheels. I am going to do some of the work and what I cannot handle I will bring it to a body shop. If things work out I may get a few more items from this company and then get the vehicle done by www.krown.com {rust proofing} if I cannot get their product sent here unless I find something better around here.
    A dependable vehicle that has great heat and as far as I know the original air conditioning compressor that throws lots of cold air and it runs and looks good and gets decent gas mileage. It can haul lots of stuff and is cheap to insure. What else do you want? Take care of your Aerostar and it will serve you well and not bring "down the neighborhood".
  • ssilljerssilljer Member Posts: 6
    I really don't know how to remove the rear bumper of the 1989 AeroStar. I took my 1994 AeroStar to the body shop and bought a new bumper and they did it.
  • ssilljerssilljer Member Posts: 6
    Does anyone know where I can buy the interior drivers side arm rest and plastic mouldings? I need it for a 1994 AeroStar in the Gray color if possible.
  • thebigmamutothebigmamuto Member Posts: 2
    do you know were i can buy the ford aerostar eddie bauer seats for my van please_
  • ssilljerssilljer Member Posts: 6
    Looking for 1994 gray drivers side interior door moldings; please help. ssilljer@yahoo.com
  • nj1tsxnj1tsx Member Posts: 1
    Early in August 2010 I had to travel 300 miles on a day that was 107 degrees. It was evening @ 4:00PM. The air conditioning system was on as I started the car. As I attempted to increase the cooling by turning up the fan speed nothing came out. Since I am mechanically oriented I checked the engine compartment. I noticed freon escaping from the top of the compressor. Since I had upgraded a 1991 Acura Integra from R-12 to R134a that I also own I assumed this was just a minor leak. I went on my trip without a/c; I arrived with my clothes sticking to my body. Upon closer examination I noticed a hole on the front side of the compressor. It looked like it was hit with a hammer (ie heavy object). Since there are covers underneath and the compressor sits directly behind the condenser there is no way an object from the road could be projected to that spot. I was able to get the same compressor that came from a parts car. I replaced the compressor with a new serpentine drive belt. Once started there was noise that I could not pinpoint. It sounded worse when it was driven not even 6 miles. The drive belt heated up beyond normal. I was able to make to the Acura dealer where I had purchased it. A seasoned mechanic pointed out this compressor had been in a front end accident and the pulley was cocked. Therefore the drive belt was not in alignment. That's why it was making noise and heating up. Since my car was a 2005 Acura TSX with just turning 75K miles as I left on my trip it was clearly out of warranty.
    I had assumed it was my bad luck and I had to repair it at my expense. I asked the dealer for goodwill assistance. The service manager had a technician put it on the lift to check it out. He determined the clutch was not spinning freely with the a/c off. And since I attempted a repair to replace the compressor, Acura was not interested in assisting me. The repair at the dealer would be @ $4000 plus the cost of flushing the a/c system which the dealer is not equipped to perform. Parts alone would cost @ $2000. Long story short I could not get the pulley off the used compressor. I swapped my clutch/pulley assembly with the used compressor. I had it pressure tested which it failed. I asked the dealer Open Road Acura formerly Wayne Acura for assistance. The service manager Michael Vandenberghe and the DPSM for Acura Parts & Service from Acura Division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc Dustin Townsend who was on-site that day refused me any goodwill assistance. This is only my 2nd new car. The 1st was an Acura Integra, 1991 which has some 227K miles. I replaced only maintenance and wear items only such as brakes, exhaust, tires. And no not even the clutch; it is original. Prior to the TSX I would be a repeat buyer. But after the A/C compressor grenading and the lack of customer service I experienced I will definitely re-think my next car purchase. The grenading is a term I encountered on Acurazine which other fellow TSXer's have experienced. As I opened the compressor it was a mess of ground aluminum pieces. How can I determine if this is simply a defective clutch or a victim of "Black Death" a term which I encountered here at Edmund's? Are the other manufactured a/c parts from a place such as Discount A/C Parts equal to or better than the Kehien OEM parts from Honda?
    Is there any was that I have recourse with Honda? I asked if this was a recall item. The answer from both was there is not enough incident to warrant a recall.
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