Have a '93 Aerostar that had something roll up against inside sliding side door and must have nudged it out of alignment. Broke off outside door handle, took off inside panel and tried prying, pushing, kicking and pulling rods, handle, linkage and anything I could get at. Any way to get it open, so I can re-align the catch mechanism??? I have tried everything I could to "muscle it" open....ANY ideas PLEASE???? Thanx

 

With the inner panel off, locate the rod that runs to the latch at the rear edge of the door. Push that rod toward the latch, while also gently pulling inward. If the door does not open, shine a flashlight in the gap at the edge of the door and try to see how the latch has engaged the post.

I suspect you will find the latch closed with one segment under the nailhead on the post and one over it (check any other door to see how the latches work - they are all similar). If so, no amount of pulling or pushing on the rod will open the door. You will need to cut a hole in the inside sheet metal of the door near the latch big enough to get your hand through (make sure your tetanus shot is up to date & stock up on band-aids).

The rod engages the latch arm at an angle. If the latch is jammed tight, pushing on the rod only bends the arm outward. Bend the arm straight and hold it straight while you pull the inside release handle. It helps if you have two left hands (honest!). With enough force the latch will pop open.

Once the door is open, check the alignment of the latch and post. Worn door rollers can cause misalignment at the latch. The middle roller track is not fastened to the door post where it hooks in (it wasn't on my 95) - it is only screwed on in the straight section. If you slam the door shut to overcome the mis-aligned latch, the middle track can flex enough so the latch hits the very end of the post as described above.

This used to happen to my van way too frequently. I did all of the following to minimize the problem:
- Replaced all the door rollers
- Shimmed the latch rearward on the door
- Screwed the end of the middle track to the door post with a large sheet metal screw (make sure it doesn't interfere with the rollers)
- Adjusted the middle roller so the door sits as far to the rear as possible when closed. The body gap ahead of the door is huge and the gap behind the door is tight, but at least it still opens.
- Got in the habit of using two hands to slide the door closed (from outside): right hand on the handle, left hand pushing the back of the door inward and upward.
- Yelled, screamed, threatened, whined, whimpered, begged until everyone else stopped slamming the d*** door.

Happily, mine has been behaving for the last couple of years now.

Good luck with your door.

Cheers,
Eric

 

Eric--Thanx for all of that!!! Finally some light at the end of the tunnel.....will try this weekend.....will make a huge difference being able to get inside again from the side. Thanx for being so explicit.....will let you know how I make out. :-)

 

I have door off, all worn rollers removed as well as door latch mech. Parts from FORD run $600.00 from all over the country. Is there a place I can get the parts cheaper?
Thanks, Kurt

 

Before you spend $600, take a few hours of time and search the archives on this site about the door rollers. I'm not saying you will save huge amounts of money, but there are some good threads posted about it, even if the info is a decade old.

 

you might try gently kicking the rear area of the door (the area where the latch is engaged, near the rear speaker) at the same time as you hold the inside door Handle towards the rear >>.

another option is to push it IN from the outside to see if the latch "clicks" into place. The place to push is the rear edge of the slider about 1/3 of the way down.

 

I had a problem like this - it turned out to be the fastener at the front end of the center door track. It's hard to see (use a flashlight), only about 3/4" wide and no thicker than the rest of the metal the track is made of. There's only one small screw that attaches it. If you remove the screw, the broken piece will fall out. My door was stuck on the "safety catch" - not quite closed but wouldn't open. I did all the prying, pushing and cussing I could think of to finally get the latch to release so I could open the door. It's like - for want of nail... A very small flaw causing a big problem. Be sure to look at this before replacing a lot of other hardware. Before I noticed the cause, I'd replaced several door latches thinking they were the cause - they weren't. I've got 3 Aerostars and found this broken on two of them so I figure it's a common problem.

Here are some pictures of the front fastener of the center track for the sliding door. It's hard to see this attachment because the door blocks you from viewing it head on and gasket on the rear of door opening helps hide it. To get at the nut for the attachment screw is under the inside molding but close enough to get at easily by pulling the inside covering out just a little.

This shows the original attachment. You can see the cracks starting to form at the point of most stress. In the pictures below this one, the attachment was completely broken. When I removed the screw, the attachment came off with it.


This picture shows my easy fix on my "tool" van - the first one I found after fighting the door stuck on the safety catch.


This picture shows my easy fix on my "needs a paint job" van. The door was acting up when I bought it but until I figured out what the problem was, I fought the door open and closed.


I made the fixes from some pieces of a slotted angle I had laying around. I bent them about 45 degrees and drilled a hole for the screw on one end. Nothing is holding them in place but the screw. They're heavy enough to press the door track back against the body where it needs to be for the door to work properly.

 

Thanks DFord for updating your original post with detailed photos.

Maybe 99% of Aerostars have a dislodged center slider door track.

I still have not fixed mine due to an extremely busy schedule, but your photos speak volumes about what type of parts are required, and how to repair the faulty (or rather silly) engineered (if you want to call it that) contraption.

 

I did a somewhat similar repair in my 1992 when the same section broke off, except I just drilled a hole at the end of the track and screwed a flat but thick screw through it.

this is but one of the hardware flaws in the Aerostar, I fully understand why Ford decided to stop building it.

the REAR Hatch latch is the same part used at the sliding door, (except for the plastic cover found over the latch at the rear hatch).

In an emergency, you can replace the sliding door latch with the rear hatch's latch.

 

Before I got my blue 96 which is my parts van now someone must have had the door not open issue cause they used a crow bar to open it in many places.. What a freakin mess LOL..

 

I've seen undamaged sliding doors at salvage yards for $50.00, so it shouldn't be a problem finding another one.

 

Along the way, they built the Aerostar competitor, the Ford Windstar. LOL.

Due to declining Aerostar sales, against the formidable Chrysler S platform Dodge Caravan, and then there was that most notable and historic event at the 2012 Super Bowl in Chrysler's/Fiat's "Half Time in America" propaganda infomercial with the subtle seemliness of promoting a foreigner by the name of Barry Saturo, prior to which the same corporation received a second huge bailout from the oblivious and intoxicated US taxpayers.

 

Not in my world. They are gone or rusted.

 

Thanks to CARS (Car Allowance Rebate System), there were all headed for the China recycling plants, along with structural steel from the twin towers.


The only thing lacking in an Aerostar is polymer rocker panels.

 

I'll find you a complete door if you want, shipping it is another story. A huge crate has to be constructed, large and thick foam panels added on four sides to protect it from damage, then find someone to pick it up, etc. Just like UPS says: "logistics".