Hi Jose, I put the pieces back so pardon the cramped pictures. Is this box in these pictures?

 

 

yes, the white box I'm not sure about, the bigger blue/green box is the one

you can disconnect one at a time and see if the alarm stops.

great pictures.

 

That white box is your buzzer/chimer that you are holding.

Also for the Air Bag light, the flashing is morse code for what is wrong. It will be a two digit code, you have to count how many times it flashes, it was pause for a couple seconds and then flash the second number (which you will have to count) this will direct us better on to what is wrong.

It could be as simple as an unconnected wire like what you found on your Master Cylinder.

 

The AIR BAG flash is 1 pause 2 .

Any idea what this is?

Austin

 

code=low battery voltage

Points towards the clock-spring here:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...-bag-lite.html

and here:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-aerostar.html

 

Omg. Read a few posts on clockspring issue in the past few days and was hoping this was not where I was heading...

This is remove steering wheel ...Right ? Contacts might be worn down ...

add in plus my Cruise Control is in-operative too.........

Any suggestions where to start for removing steering wheel and checking c-spring..?

Thanks! Austin

 

Is it the white box or the green box? Conflicting responses ...

 

The white box is the chime box, That is what the engineering # on the white box says.

 

to remove steering wheel, Park the van level with the front tires in the straight ahead position;

remove two screws on the back of the steering wheel (actually maybe 4 screws, two on each side), then carefully pull the horn pad and disconnect the AIR BAG connector, you are dealing with an explosive item, so be extra gentle and don't let it slip from your hands.

lay the air bag on a safe spot face down.

then you need a 3/4" ratchet, 3" extension attached to it, and a Torx socket, I forget which size, but it might be a T50.

Remove the center Torx bolt. Observe the position of the steering wheel in relation to an imaginary line, or scribe a mark from the shaft edge to the steering wheel so it goes back exactly where it was. Disconnect the Cruise Control connectors.

if the steering wheel does not come of the splined shaft easily, you will need a puller, so have one ahead of time. Some wheels come off easily, others don't.

I replaced my original steering wheel with an Expedition wheel, a lot thicker grip and leather, and lighted cruise control switches.

 

You need to unhook the battery. First.

 

Hi Jose,

I like the idea of an Expedition steering wheel so I have a larger horn as well instead of the 2 tiny buttons on the Aero.

I may practice first at the U pull it to get to know the procedure and pull a replacement. There are supposedly 5 Aero's nearby to me. I am guessing I will still need a newer / better condition clock spring from an Aerostar donor or find a new one like a Dorman prior to installing the replacement wheel.

What year Expedition donor did you use, and do you know what years are going to fit directly?
Are Explorer steering wheels also the right fit?

Are the cruise control connections direct fits or did you have to modify the wiring ?

Thanks for the tips all around...

Austin

 

Hi Jose,

I found a low miles Aero sport in West Palm yard. So I want to get back there for the clock spring. I am reading the 4 bolts on the back side of our steering wheel are 10mm. I have tried 10mm socket and nothing grasps back there.

Is it a deep socket or do I need a different size or tool? ( was there only 1 type of wheel or can I have different bolts? ) It is impossible to fully see behind the wheel but what I can see is best described as not a bolt but a long screw that maybe has the 10mm bolt screwed on to it....

Then if I do get past this the center wheel lug is a 5/8th socket. Correct?

Any other suggestions on what to bring with me to the u pull it are appreciated alot...

Thanks, Austin

 

hello Austin, I'm trying to remember.

On the back of the original steering wheel, there are 2 or 4 screws that hold the Horn Pad / Air bag pad in place. I think they are phillips screws, if not, they are 8mm, if not they are Torx. You can find out by removing the plastic cap/cover behind the steering wheel, then use a mirror and flashlight to see the type of screw there. I did not take any pictures of the original steering wheel disassembly, I wanted to get rid of it quickly because the grip is so thin and it interfered with my seeing the turn signal flasher indicators left and right of the dash. So I just removed it and bye bye...

**in the Expedition steering wheel Horn/Air bag pad there are only two 8mm bolts at an angle from behind. Those are easy. (see Expedition horn/air bag pad picture after removal, you can see the two bolts left and right).

the center Bolt in both the Aerostar and Expedition is a large Torx bolt, T50 if I recall.
you will need a set of Torx bits, the kind that come inside sockets, and 1/4" > 3/8" > 1/2" adapters/reducers when you go to pull-a-part, as well as 7mm, 8mm, and up sockets, Ford uses strange sizes.

you will need a pick to pry off the screw covers on the back of the wheels. Do not work with your face in front of the air bag pads, work from the side only, you never know if those things decide to go off.