Hey Y'all, if anyone cares - I decided to keep my 1997 Aero which I bought last fall and stick another engine in it. It has oil getting into coolant problem, plus ticking valve train.
I found lots of 4.0 engines available from $300 - $1000+. I'll buy one locally, go thru it to freshen it up, then stick it in there. Prob wont modify it much unless it's inexpensive stuff. I do wanna build it strong enough to take a licking for a long time tho.
I'll get a used engine out of a ranger, explorer or mazda b-4000 which prob don't overheat as easily as the aerostars did. I can see why with 4.0 and All wheel drive the Aero needs more cooling. I'll do the upgrades you guys recommend. Maybe a bigger radiator too. Also my fan clutch is bad and the thermostat isn't too good either with it's cycling from way hot to cool. No wonder the heads began to leak.
Basically I've fallen in love with it, as much as you can with a van. It looks about new and drive so well bone stock. I just got back from having some late night fun in the twisty roads around here. I never did that in my old one even with fixed up Bilstein suspension.
The horsepower just wasn't there in the 3.0 to pull so eagerly and strong out of the corners as this 4.0 5 speed does! The front wheels pulling helps to keep the nose on line better too, without the plowing front end or the uncomfortable mid-corner transitions my modified 2WD had.
My 1st Aero is old and tired, and this new girl has more spunk than the old one ever did, plus the neat 4x4 is great in snow, mud, soft soil, rain, even advantageous in the dry, also great in our sand which is almost everywhere around the Sandhills region of the Carolinas.
I can leave the line a lot more like a rocket with more torque grabbing thru four aggressive tires. The old 3.0 either screamed or moaned, but never ran as good as this one.
They're pretty sweet old vans and I look forward to about ten good years of service from this one.
Even the few miles per gallon I loose are worth the increased ability of the 4.0 AWD. and the additional gas hardly adds up to a significant amount. I'll tune it all up the best I can and use synthetic lubes. So I'll get the most potential it has. I don't think it would be worth it to put in a part time transfer case. The axles and driveshaft would still be turning and that without power would be a drag on the rest of it. Then it wouldn't have the added 4x4 traction the instant I needed it either.
Oh, and I bought some sweet looking Pep Boys Proline Style 139 rims for $125 to go with the nearly new 215/70 r 15 tires I picked up for $50!
Body Modifications:
I'm gonna paint the rear license handle thing black like my other Aero, try to replicate the newer ford ranger black fender 'flares' around the big tires, may even paint the rear hatch corners black where it wraps around into the rear side windows - like some explorers had. May go with a black grille too as it looks more aggressive, or may stay with the charcoal. I painted grill body color on my last one.
This one will look more like a truck as it sits up higher with 4 wheel drive, etc. I'm not gonna remove the "Ford" or "Aerostar" badges on back either as I did on last one. Aerostars are older now and I want people to know who made the sharp looking 4x4 van! I'll prob add a "4X4" badge to the rear somewhere.
I already painted the differential cover silver and covered it with clear coat, so it shines out as I leave traffic in my 'dust'. People know it's a serious real van, not some pansy Windstar type 'mobile. The new exhaust is a little noticeable too, and people turn their heads to see what sounds so good as I drive through towns.
So, I'm loving my fun 'new' Aero even with the leaky cylinder heads!
Your van sounds really great, except for the leaky cylinder heads. Are you sure it's the heads leaking? Are you getting exhaust gases into the coolant and overheating? Oil getting into the coolant usually means leaks in the intake manifold gasket, which is all too common with that engine.
What kind of 5 speed transmission do you have behind the 4 liter v6?
Was the van originally a 4wd? If so, it should have the emblems that say "Electronic 4wd" or something like it on either the sides or the back.
Did you install some kind of suspension lifter?
Finally, what kind of exhaust system did you install?
It's getting oil in coolant. someone here said heads or gaskets. Hmmm.. I've heard of manifold leaks too. I'll look into that..
1997 came with a 5 speed automatic but it needs a little help too.
Yeah is E4WD, but needs something bold on the back "4X4" like jeeps used to have.
The suspension is just a little higher than my 1994 3.0l 2wd Aero. I added air shocks to get the back up level with front. About $70.00 at NAPA.
A 4X4 shop put on a new flex coupling, some kinda Flowmaster muffler, and pipe out the back. It sounds mellow and smooth all times. Never loud or obtrusive. Similar to my old Ford 2.8 V6 Capris did but lower and slower note.
Actually the Aeros with 4.0L engines are not that prone to overheating. They come factory equipped with dual core radiators. However, the factory trans cooler should be replaced with one like this.
Make sure you absolutely never use tap water in the cooling system, that plugs up the radiator and heater core. Use either RO/distilled water, or buy premixed coolant.
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My Rides
1994 Ford Aerostar 4.0L AWD extended
175,000 miles
Fullblown 50 series catback system
590 watt sound system
AFE ProDryS filter
1990 Mazda B2600i
505,000 miles
Custom exhaust with BearCats high flow converter and a straight through muffler
Custom high velocity intake with AFE ProDryS filter
i'm in the Aero club also. only reason it's still in the driveway is it's so tough and dependable. pulls trailer like a brace of Missouri mules headed to the feed barn. guys still walk up to me in parking lots and ask if i want to sell
like a Timex, takes a licking and keeps on ticking. got a 25 year old digital Timex on my dresser that still runs, my mechanic watch. will take anything, impact wrench, hammering
tough cool wheels
how about a picture with the wheels on the Aero?
since your's is a '97, you have to go with an engine with heart-shaped, fast-burn head combustion chambers from rigs below to match the PCM in your rig. pistons different also.
1995-’97 Ranger, Explorer and ’97 Aerostar
When the head was redesigned in ’95 with the heart-shaped, fast-burn chamber, the piston had to be changed to maintain the same compression ratio with the new, smaller chamber, so the dish was noticeably larger (3.10˝ vs 2.40˝) in diameter. This piston was used along with the 95TM and 97TM heads that were found on the ’95 through ’97 Rangers and Explorers. It was also used in the Aerostar engines in ’97, because Ford finally did go ahead and certify a new calibration for the Aerostar with the fast-burn head, even though it ended up being the last year of production for the old RWD van.
make sure the new water pump has a stainless steel impeller, some are plastic and break
use the upgrade 2 piece FelPro lower intake manifold gaskets. major problem with 4L
i like the ROL 4L head gaskets, never had a leaker with them. have to look for them, not commonly avail. but popular with mudder racers
use only new head bolts. one time torque to yield type bolts.
i went back to top grade 5w30 mineral oils, usually Chevron or Havoline on sale. did not see any advantages to expensive syn. motor oil in such an old low value rig. i drive it so few miles now and still only change every 2 years at 5k miles.
do see benefits to syn. ATF and diff oils. use Mobil 1 ATF and Amsoil Extreme Gear 75w90 in diffs in mine
i see 20 mpg freeway at 50>70 mph. above 70 and mpg drops drastically.
used to see 22>24 a number of years ago before the Feds started putting this worthless corn liquor in our gas. corn squeezings are made for drinking not driving.
Thanks Guys. I'm searching the 'net to see about intake leaks as posted above... and REALLY I should first just go have a black light put on my coolant to see if it's engine oil. Think I'll do that today. There's an outside chance it's trans fluid in coolant, but it sure FELT like engine oil. I'd change the intake gaskets if that's all it is.. but mine's an OIL leak, not COOLANT, at least yet..
I'm now searching this forum for "4.0 oil in coolant". Let me know if there are any conclusive tests to determine where leak is. I'll visually inspect engine today. I've been smelling nasty recycled coolant smell lately and suspect an exterior leak has developed.
You can do a pressure test of the cooling system just to rule that out. You can go borrow or rent one of those pumps that attach to the radiator cap and pump the system up to 15 psi and listen for leaks. Or, you can do like I did: install one of those T fittings from the Prestone cooling system flush kits into one of the heater hoses and make an adaptor using a garden hose cap and a bicycle tire valve. Once you have the cap securely sealing to the T fitting, pump it up with your bicycle pump. This also tests the radaitor cap and seal; it should start venting at around 15 psi. But if you have any cooling system leaks, it should start spritzing out before that, and you can take your time looking or listening for it.
But almost all 4.0 liter engines of this age will leak oil from either the intake manifold gasket or the oil pan gasket. If you see oil in the coolant, or coolant in the oil, the intake is the most likely place to look. If you see oil covering the sides of the oil pan, that's the pan gasket.
Mine started leaking from the valve cover gaskets first, but yours probably came with the improved version that should last longer. Some also leak from the rear main seals. If you see oil leaking from the back side of the pan where it meets the transmission, that's the rear main seal.
OK Thanks XLT4WD90, from what you said above it IS possible for a bad intake gasket to allow oil to get into the water. I thought someone else said it was head gaskets, or maybe I decided that.. Duhhh.. I'm a blond... what can I say??? I'm going to inspect the engine now before it gets dark.
tell them what you want to test for and what is the base fluid
they will send you sample bottles
i got lucky with my 4L. mine was coolant in oil. showed up in oil analysis, not visible in oil.
was the lower intake manifold gaskets leaking at the poorly designed rear coolant port seals, common.
they looked awful when i pulled them off, neoprene seal ate thru. if the intake gaskets had been good, i had new head gaskets on hand to pull the heads.
look for eat thru of the lower manifold at the coolant ports also.
if you pull heads, magnaflux for cracks and have valves and heads 3 angle ground and heads measured for warp and straightness
the 4L OHV heads often crack
see lots of rock crawler 4L OHV Rangers and Explorers here that cook and blow original head gaskets from the slow speed hard pulls and climbs. many end up going to an electric blower fan in front plus the belt drive factory sucker and/or a mod fit higher capacity radiator. rangers and explorers have much better engine comp. air flow than an Aero
Yeah, I loved my old '94 3.0 XLT 2WD which served me for ten+ years, but this 'new' girl was a bit of a disappointment when I found it had engine problems. The old one is still running after 256,000+ miles without a hitch. I expected the same from the newer one.
Luckily the engines are plentiful and cheap, and following someone's advice here, I'll buy a good used one, rebuild it and ride happily for the next ten years I hope.
There is coolant or something beginning to seep from under the head on the passenger side.
I chalk it up to cooling problems in the van because I've not heard of Rangers or Explorers having the same issues. At least not with the regularity of Aerostars.
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