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Vans & Minivans Ford Aerostar Ford Aerostar
520 messages, Last post on Nov 16, 2009 at 4:57 PM
You are in the Ford Aerostar Forum. Your Host is Karens
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I purchased this vehicle in 94 with 45,000mi on it,it now has 135,000mi. I can honestly say it has been a good vehicle most of the time, but I have experienced the same problems that are posted on this site. The Overdrive in the transmission went at 129,000 (not bad since I tow a boat) I have a friend who is a Ford transmission mechanic, and he went over it for $700. I also needed to replace the AC compressor, once again, my friend set me up with the AC guy at his dealership, he put a remanufactured compressor in flushed the system etc. for $425, and don't forget the oil leaks, I had oil pouring out of the intake manifold gasket, this along with the valve cover gaskets was $325. I can't imagine what the dealer would have charged for all of this work, maybe $3,000 plus. The one nagging problem I do have is a vibration that nobody can pinpoint, so far I have eliminated the Tires, wheels, driveshaft,front suspension, it is a total mystery, anybody have any ideas? Anyway I do like the van the AWD is great in the snow, but it seems to have big ticket repairs more often than I would like. also I never bring a vehicle to the dealer after the warrenty runs out, way to expensive, also you can get some real hacks at the dealerships, try and find a good (honest) local mechanic and bring it there, and save 40-50% over the dealerships. Example: last week a coworker had a leak in in his heater core ( 93Taurus wagon), He called the dealer they wanted $800, he called a mechanic he knew the price was $425 for the same job, i have had similar experiences. |
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| Got a '97 Aerostar AWD last September. After reading these posts, I'm going to try to sell it! Thought I got a good deal, but have a feeling I'll really get hosed trying to resell. Other than reliability concerns, I've noticed extensive "road rumble"--really loud. It has Michellin XW4's on it (original)--anyone know if I might correct the noise problem with another tire? (assuming we can't sell...) | |
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Reks1, have the wheel bearings been inspected? Differential(s)? Samiam3, a good tire dealer could answer that for you. Many times Michelins have a lot of road noise, I have heard that. You can type "tire" in the search box, and see if anyone can help in the topics about tires. Guitarzan Community Leader/Vans Conference |
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| My wife drives a 96 Aerostar with the 4.0 We bought it with 18k. It now has 144,000 miles. We have only had to fix it twice- once it was overheating and had the thermostat replaced and radiator flushed/cleaned. About 100 dollars. Then at about 90,000 the van would not go forward. I'm thinking expensive fix- the transmission filters were dirty- had to have them replaced and trans flushed- cost just under 200. Not too bad, all in all. I can't stand driving it, it always feels like its going to tip over to me (I drive a 4x4 truck, so it's not because its tall), but my wife loves it. She won't let me replace it, she says since they don't make them anymore when the engine or trans or something goes, we have to fix it. It still looks like new, so I guess it's still cheaper than a new one. It also burns no oil, and gets about 20 mpg on the highway. Personally though, I love the way the Caravans drive. | |
Seems I spent hours looking at all those posts. I came to this site because after retiring from my regular job, I took up doing handyman work. I'm looking for a 2nd vehicle to use in my new business. Was undecided as what vehicle to get. Pickup with cap, full size van, minivan or what. We have an '93 Aerostar that we bought in '95 as a lease return. It had 19k miles then. We've used it as a bus, moving truck, freight hauler, and go to church on Sunday family car! One reoccurring problem we had is with the power steering leak. We had the pump, hoses, and rack replaced, only for another leak to develop about 8k miles later. And seems that whining noise from the pump was constant. While at an auto parts store I saw on the counter a product that was guaranteed to stop power steering leaks. Yeah sure, I thought. But I tried it, and sure enough it worked fine. I went to check the level about a month later. The lighting wasn't so good, and surely by now it needs another gulp I thought. Well I poured in some more of the stuff, and before I realized it , it was overflowing the pump and making a big puddle in the driveway!It really didn't need any more fluid. Another problem was the driver window getting stuck on the way up. I too, fixed it with silicon spray. Had the 30 K service done at the dealers. At 65 K I had them flush cooling system and service the transmission. Right now, she is running fine at 75k miles. Both front door inside panels are cracked from pulling on the handles to shut the door, and the temp gauge tells me the engine is always running very cool, even in summer with a/c on full. I think the gauge is full of soup! Anyway, after reading all the positive comments about this very roomy van, I started thinking, this is the perfect vehicle for my business! With both seat backs laid down I can fit 4x8 sheetrock inside. With the seats out I can roll my full size motorcycle in. With the seats in and up I can haul my Sunday school class! Wonderful car. I'm going to look for another one tomorrow!
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| We had a '93 Aerostar and it died at 73,000 miles. After that we bought a '96 Ford Econoline. Still have it. It has 80,000 miles. Runs great. | |
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I own a 1989 Ford Aerostar. Presently has 190,000 miles and still looks and runs good. It has been in the transmission shop 4weeks of the last 5. Seems not to want to shift into 2nd periodically. The shop is fixing to put another rebuilt trans in as it is under warranty and they can't locate problem to fix it. Any suggestions? Anybody out there exceeded 200,000 miles on this model? |
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MY 93 AEROSTAR HAS A PROBLEM GETTING HEAT ON VERY COLD DAYS. REPAIR SHOP CANNOT SOLVE. THERMOSTAT HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. STILL ONLY TEPID TEMPERATURE. ANYONE WITH SOLUTION?
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There is the possibility of a bad batch of thermostats. How is the condition of the radiator? Can they test the water pump also? Guitarzan Community Leader/Vans Conference |
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I have a 93 AWD model. Bought with 30K and just turned 110k. Some problems, but still reliable. Two examples are pretty important, because what seemed like major problems were solved pretty easily, at least temporarily. 1. At about 60k I had the trans fluid changed, maybe for the first time. The next day the trans started slipping badly. The shop fiddled with it but no success. THEN,after a few months, I took it to one of those places that do a 100% fluid change. It has not slipped again in 40k miles. It is a bit slow shifting in cold weather, but that is a different problem and not a big deal yet. 2. For a couple years we had another problem of front end chatter. I could not find the problem but I knew it was mostly when turning and breaking at the same time. I never did find the problem, but when I needed new tires I thought I would try switching to smaller tires in hopes of helping a real tendency for the engine to ping. It did not help the pinging at all, but the front end has not chattered since (a few thousand miles). 3. I still wish I could solve the pinging problems. I use at least 92 octane and it is okay, but still pings sometimes even on that. Anyone have any luck with solving a pinging problem? Terry |
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