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Old 07-24-2010, 07:59 PM   #46
Knifeblade
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Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

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Originally Posted by 1car3vans View Post
167000 on my 93 Aerostar The only problem is it won't shift into overdrive or 4th gear untill the trans is real warm. In northern Illinois in the winter it could be a while. Any ideas out there?
strongly suggest a trans fluid and filter change, but NOT a flush. Have then drop the pan instead.
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Old 07-26-2010, 04:38 PM   #47
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Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

Mine has 145K on it, it's a "93 XL Sport trim
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Old 01-07-2011, 02:16 PM   #48
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Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

Whoo HOO!!! just bought another one (been a few years since i had my last aerostar) this ones a 95 with the 3.0 and 4 on the column, passenger window busted out, shattered back bumper and taillight but other wise in great shape for $400
When i test drove it the transmission was not even staying in gear, turned out the dipstickwas dry as a bone, guy said the trannyhad never been rebuilt/replaced - its got 180xxx
Who thinks the tranny will last?
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Old 01-08-2011, 12:46 AM   #49
Knifeblade
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Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

Well, that's NOT a good thing. I would think either you caught it just in time to keep the trans from frying, or it's already a time-bomb. In all honesty, I would not take long trips with it.

However, if ya have a buddy to follow you in his ride, take it out for a fairly long drive, see what happens. Better to plan for failure {in this case} than be twiddling your thumbs out in podunk stranded somewhere.

You most likely have the A4LD transmission. Since you say you owned one before, you know that Ford uses MERCON trans. fluid after 1988, not the Dexron II. And, since it was dry, if you have the time or cash, I'd drop the pan, clean the pan out and replace the filter. In a sense, once you added fresh fluid, you disturbed any gunk hanging around in there.
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Old 01-08-2011, 07:35 PM   #50
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Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

Well today I took it around town (we got some good sized hills in this town, like seattle and sanfrancisco) She did good, she sputters a little, I'm sure that plugs and wires in a full tune up will correct this.
she handles the hills fine and all all so familliar the way it runs and drives but when I got bold and floored it at about 35 on a straight away she kicked down to lower gear like its supposed to but when it hit that gear at higher RPM's there was a horible howling and a bump and grind felt throughout the van.
I'm sure that if I'm real nice to her she'll make it toor even past 200xxx in the meantime I got to get that window, taillight and tune up!
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Old 01-09-2011, 09:33 AM   #51
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Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

Yeah, Anthrax, that sound is a harbinger of the trans. damage at higher speeds. Like you said, stay light with it, let the fluid re-lube all the parts, it should be great around town ride easily. Good luck with the rear plugs, they are....well.........This is a family forum .

Flex head socket adapter and/or flexhead ratchet sure help reduce "bad" words,

The bump and grind you related does concern me. I can only go by what you said, but check out those front Ball joints, and the driveshaft U-joints. I think if the trans. was allowed to go dry, so were the greasable components.
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Old 07-03-2011, 07:16 AM   #52
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Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

I have 90 Aerostar XT cargo van that has over 435,000 miles on it. I replaced the trnsmission at 300,000. I have never had the engine out. It has been tuned up 4 times. had 4 rack and pinions on it 2 radiators and a/c has been serviced I own 8 vehicles and this is the best auto I have ever owed. I keep it clean and changew the oil every 3-5000 miles, which with all the driving, is 6 to eight weeks,
It still get s 17-18 MPG ,
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Old 12-11-2011, 12:57 PM   #53
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Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

1993 Aerostar just turned over 345,000 miles on original 3.0 engine and original A4LD transmission. Still get 23 miles per gallon. Only things replaced have been consumables like tires, alternator, oil, gas, spark plugs, and the like. Nothing major.

This is my second Aero. Am currently looking for my 3rd just in case this one decides it is time to die.
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Old 07-01-2012, 01:44 AM   #54
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Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

Update on my 93 Aerostar.

Turned over 358,000 miles yesterday. And at the same time the motor started rattling at idle, so I know it won't last much longer. Still purrs like a kitten above idle and still gets 23mpg city and 26mpg highway. Going to be sorry to see this one go as I was hoping to get a half million miles out of it.

Needless to say, I am looking at Aeros. Around here they are priced $500 to $1000 with 100,000 to 200,000 miles on them and with no major problems. Just a matter of finding exactly the right one to replace this one with. At those prices, I might just buy two so I have a running spare.
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Old 05-19-2013, 02:57 AM   #55
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Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

Hard to believe, but my 93 Aerostar is still going at 374,000 miles. Oil pressure sucks at idle (5 psi), but other than that it just keeps going, and going, and going, and going, and .................................................. ............
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Old 01-30-2014, 11:00 AM   #56
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Thumbs up Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

Wife and I bought our 91 XL for $1600 bucks from a dealer backlot. It was sitting WAY in the back, i guess because it wasnt new or flashy enough. We were looking for a minivan, some kind of newer front drive. We jokingly looked at the Ford, and well, when we test drove it, I looked at her sheepishly, and said "I dont want to like this van, but, It just plain awesome." Its b right red, regular length, 7 passenger 2wd. It had around 150000 when we bought it, and now has 214000. Same tranny, same little reliable 3.0 Vulcan. I have had fun with it by changing out the wheels with a set of mustang rims from some kind of 90s model, and bought a Cobra SVT badge set for it. I get comments all the time about how rare a Cobra Aerostar must be. Duh! Repairs: New muffler and tailpipe, in-tank fuel pump (that sucked), New steering rack (was cheaper than dirt from the internet), brake rotors, ignition switch. I do all my own work, so all in all, maybe $450, not counting tires and whatnot. I will miss this van when it dies. Not worth the labor to swap out transmission or engine.
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Old 07-23-2015, 11:31 AM   #57
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Thumbs up Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

1993 aero xlt 4.0L - have owned it since '93
370,000 miles
only major repair was new tranny at 180,000 miles
always kept it serviced

just recently had a "cranks but won't start issue"

our mechanics replaced fuel pump, etc. which was bad and then it worked ok for a few days. Then the "crank wont start" began - only when it was 'cold' as in sitting overnight ... it is not cold here ever and it is summer time 90 degrees. If it started, after dozens of quick on/off cranks, it chugged miserably for awhile and ran poorly for several minutes, then it would have a big chug/surge-cough-chug and then begin to idle or run normally... too weird.

As long as it ran for a few minutes if cranked up in the middle of the night, it would start in the morning/next day but not 2 days later. Nobody could figure it out ... so I began to search for the out of the box solution ...no luck until I found several forums that had painstaking "cranks, wont start" processes for finding the problem ... most were excellent, but did not show a clear "cold crank wont start" coupled with "warm crank, does start."

but take a look at this thread here:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/t672...when_warm.html look at the 2 posts by 'teakstone' ... he was right then and about our issue 8 years later! pretty cool.

This was what we did ... we replaced the $28 coolant temperature sensor. It worked.... cold or warm. The sound of the pump building fuel pressure stops in about 4-7 seconds when 'cold' and it cranks and starts like the champ it has always been. It did take about 2 or 3 days for it to normalize as our mechanic thought.

So, I registered here to thank the forum publisher and the atmosphere of 'helping others' here. And to thank 'teakstone' for that suggestion of trouble with something that logically to a layman, is not involved in starting a car... fuel/spark/air .. the coolant temperature sensor.

I explained it, I hope, in as thorough a way so that some other poor soul who still has their great aerostar can find the same 'off the wall' answer we found here.

many thanks to all.
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Old 03-15-2016, 09:45 PM   #58
d1legman
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Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

I have Five Aerostars a 1990 Edie Bauer with over 300,000K the wife drives to work everyday. 3L extended
I drive a 93 with over 200,000 miles on it.4L E-AWD runs great a work horse
My Daughter drives my 97 with 3L with 251,000K she hates that she loves it.
The Family Van is another 4L E-AWD with 300,000k we use for hauling the boat.
I have a 96 the my wife over heated and cook I use for parts It had 269,000 the rad blow up the air still works in all of them and I buy everyone I can find Best truck Ford ever made but a bitch to work on.
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Old 01-26-2018, 10:22 PM   #59
mmerlinn
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Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

My second 3.0 Aerostar (93 Green) has been sitting for 18 months. I bought another 3.0 (93 Red) for $300 with a 'bad' transmission and 189,000 miles. Put 7 quarts of tranny oil in it and it is now at 257,000 miles.

Green one (see previous posts about it) has 430,000 miles and still runs even with 5psi oil pressure. Only reason I parked it was because I found the Red one with less than half the miles. If Red one dies, I will start driving the Green one again and maybe get to 500,000 miles.
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Old 12-17-2019, 10:58 PM   #60
speeedtrust
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Re: How Many Miles On Your Aerostar??????

30k mi
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