Well after 298k miles my 97 Aerostar fuel pump gave out. It started about 4k before quitting with symptoms of long crank times stumble from take off etc. It quit finally at home. Checked around and got an Airtex pump complete with sender at Autozone and installed it. 1000 miles later the new pump quit (with a full tank of gas). Reading thru forums Airtex pumps seem to have some issues. Anyone with similar stories? I have ordered a Motorcraft replacement from Amazon, and will return the other. I noticed on the Airtex that the fuel pickup is shorter meaning the gauge will read empty with more fuel left in the tank .

 

298,000 miles

can't go wrong with Motorcraft replacement, don't know of a better replacement. as hard as they are to replace, can't go wrong with the best.

how's the engine and tranny doing?

 

I wish I could be sure of that. The fuel pump in my 87 Mustang died after about 7 years/30,000 miles, leaving me stranded on a dark freeway some 40 miles from home (very expensive tow). Of course it had a full tank tank at the start of that trip, so I had to spend a lot of time siphoning out the gas before dropping the tank. The baffle chambers in a Mustang gas tank makes that very difficult. (The Aerostar tank has no baffles as far as I could tell.) I replaced it with an aftermarket higher capacity (110 lph vs the stock 88 lph) pump of a brand that I don't even know. It's been 15 years, and it's still going strong.

I think I now know the tell-tale sign of a pump going bad; the most obvious one is if it starts making more noise, or groans instead of whines. The final signs are the hard starting, stumbling, and sometimes engine knock. Unfortunately, this is not a failure that you can easily prepare for, so it's best to look for the early signs.

 

I had an '88 Cougar that made it to 300K miles that I purchased brand new. The factory fuel pump whined from day one and the replacement pumps whined also. I had to replace the fuel pump twice on the car. The funny thing is that the fuel pump failed on me both times in the exact same spot about 550 miles from home, about 5 years apart. I guess I should've stayed away from that spot.
I've had four Aerostars totaling about one million miles and none of them have failed on me......so far.

 

Replaced original at 100k; got so noisey i could clearly hear it on freeway. Motorcraft replacement fine at 130K.

Like most Aero maintenance, a painful experience but not difficult.

 

Actually, replacing the fuel pump on the Aerostar is not that bad, if you're tank is less than half full. I jacked up the side of the van to get under it, and just lowered one side of the tank enough to get at the mounting plate on top. I was investigating a leak in that area (found to be caused by an improperly installed gasket), but I could have easily replaced the pump at that time. Something that helps the pump live longer is to not let the tank get too low. The pump needs to circulate the gasoline to keep itself cool, and running low enough to have it suck fumes will overheat it very quickly.

When I said "whine", I meant a steady, usually inaudible unless you're right next to the tank, high pitched whine. The one on my Mustang had started to groan unevenly, and should have taken the clue.

 

Airtex ok in my blue 96. Stock unit was screaming at 150k.