I just bought my second Aerostar. It is my first awd model. After driving it about 400 miles the transmission started shuddering between gears. I took it back to the used car dealer for repair under warranty. His mechanic said he changed the fluid and filter. He did say that the fluid looked burnt. I drove it home and the shuddering is diminished, but it seems very noisy up front. I've also noted a rhythmic chirping noise (like a bird chirp) from the front end. I also heard a scraping sound and smelled a hot smell similar to the smell of ironing clothes. I took it back to the dealer a second time. He said the scraping noise is a heat sheild vibration. He said he hasn't been able to duplicate any of the other problems. Is it possible that changing the fluid and filter will solve these problems. Is there a transmission stress test or any diagnostic suggestion any one could make to assure me that I can be confident that my awd drive train will make it on a 2,000 mile round trip to Miami. I've owned a 1990 rwd for 10 years. It has 238,000 actual miles on it. I was apprehensive about the awd van, but I love the design and durability of the rwd version. My 3 dogs love the sliding side windows. I hope there is a repair short of replacing the entire transmission that will quiet this beast. Thanks for any info about my 1997 awd Aerostar. I forgot to mention it has 93,000 miles and seems to be in great shape other than the transmissin.

 

Besides a 92 F 150 & Bronco II I have a 93 AWD Aerostar and the transmission runs great at 130 K miles. I do change the fluid every 25 K . I bought it with 57 K & changed it the day I got home with it. If the tranny fluid is burnt there is a good chance the clutch disks & other non metal items may have been burnt, causing them to harden. They will continue to slip or internally leak fluid and not function as they should. I would definitely have it pulled & checked by a bonified transmission shop that has a good reputation.

 

Thanks for your reply about the awd Aerostar. I have an appointment tomorrow to get a new catalytic converter. This is being repaired by the used car dealer to stop the heat shield noise. When I drove it home today the transmission seemed to work fine. When test driving it with the used car dealer (of course there were no problems with shifting or shuddering) he told me that his transmission service told him that after the fluid change a deposit may have remained in a chamber similar to a maize and until it dislodged itself could have caused the shuddering. Would it make sense to change the fluid and filter again? Or should I wait to see if the shuddering reoccurs? I will take your advice about regular changes of the filter and fluid. I thought that was a hope in hell, but it did make the shuddering go away. Are there any more inside secrets to maintaining this awd drive system? Is it a realiable drive train? As you can probably tell, I don't know much about transmissions and very little about all wheel drive vans. I read the owners manual about the microprocessor that controls the torque 331/3 to the front and 662/3 to the rear. It seems complicated. I just hope it's dependable and servicable. Thanks again for your advice and any future advice you could pass on. I still see Aerostars all over the road. I guess to own them is to love them. I have two.
Thanks,
Donald Purnell

 

Don,
I have a 1995 AWD which has run just fine for 97,000 miles, with the exception of the recall that ford needed to do because of the transfer case problem they had. Fluid was changed then and again at about 94,000. Was dark, but clutch packs were good and bands were fine as well . IF the guy who pulled it apart looked he could tell you. Take it into a "Good" shop as suggested. Tell them what you experienced, and have them pull the pan and cahnge everything again. You only get a little more than half the fluid out of these thengs that have no converter plugs, so it will help in the long run. And if there is something wrong, fixing it before something really fails will save you money and aggrevation in the long haul. They are absolutely wonderful in the snow, just keep on the gas if you feel the back slip out a little. They take a little slip for that CPU to figure out to call the front wheels into play. Change the O2 sensor too, if not done already. They still almost work, but won't work right. Milage goes up from that.