I am looking at buying a 1997 Aerostar. The owner says he does mechanic work for a living, but I think it's an "out of his garage" business. He says there is a vibration when getting to 45mph and faster. He thinks it's the drive shaft needing balance. Also, the tires are new.

I also have a question about rust repair. There is significant rust on the drivers side just behind the door. Have any of you had this fixed? What amount of cost is involved?

What are your thoughts?

 

Pass it up unless you can live with excessive rust. ALL and I mean ALL the Ford Aerostar vans from 1985 and up rusted out so bad the bodies almost fell off of them. They ran good but rotted away faster than fast. I had one of the first built '85 models and the paint was peeling off in sheets for years, no paint, no metal protection and tons of rust. I had a 92 years later that did the exact same thing. Both vehicle ran forever and I put tons of miles on both of them but again, both had terrible rust and it just got worse and worse every year until I drove the last one into the junkyard because the body was basically gone with gaping holes thruout but it still ran like a champ. I couldn't drive it in the rain or snow without water coming inside thru the walls of the van because of the huge rust holes. I kept a can of that expansion foam spray for houses in the back of the van for when a new hole opened up. BTW, that foam stuff works wonders. If you want a beater van that looks terrible but runs good for work or hauling items around that won't fit in a standard trunk of a car, then go ahead and buy one but don't waste your money trying to fix the rust, because it will just come right back in the same spot or another spot. Every single one of those Aerostars were notorious for rusting away but they ran forever. One of the few vehicles that I had that the engine lasted longer than the body.
Kenny..

 

I think if you lived in the Rust Belt, you can say that for most cars; their bodies rusted away long before the drive train wore out.

But there are members on this forum who have replaced the rocker panels on their vans. It requires some metal shaping and welding skills, so yes, it's work that's beyond your average backyard mechanic to deal with.

 

What about the drive shaft needing balanced? Does that sound like it could be the problem causing the vibration?

 

this is one of those posts why i love this forum so much - better then watching tv - must read it over and over again and can't stop laught..!!!

serious: as far as i know, 97' models have better primer and paint than earlier makes. Mine is a 97' XLT and has no inch of rust. Every past winter we were almost running out of salt, means alot of salt on the roads. Just wash it down every day and keep it outdoor, where it can dry after without building up humidity.

I would examine closely how it looks on other critical spots, like door faults, fenders, wheelwells, underbody.

regards

 

I had this in depth response typed but for some reason it did not load and worst yet disappeared, ugh! In a nutshell my advice is "pass" if the rust concerns you.....


You can say that about many vehicles but not all. Regardless, if there was a list rating vehicles where the drivetrain outlasted the body as a result of rust (rate and severity) the Aerostar would be at the very top.....

 

After several years of owning an Aerostar, it started to rust on the rocker panels about a year ago. And I know why. I don't know which mechanic shop did it, but one of them when hoisting the vehicle, positioned the rear hoist mounts on the rear rocker panels, instead of on the frame. The result was pinched rocker panels where water would gather and do it's evil work of concealed rust espionage. Sooner or later, the entire lower sides of vehicle are ridden with terminal rust cancers.

It's probably going to cost a bundle to repair the rust. I inquired an auto-body shop about a rust repair estimate. They told me the owner does want to do rust repairs. So I will probably do the repairs myself using replacement parts from Rust Repair Panels or something similar.

I have not experienced any vibration problems except those retarded front brake rotors that I bought on eBay. I'm guessing the wheels are not properly balanced, or damaged rims, or a bent and/or unbalanced drive shaft as you have stated, or defective U-Joints.

 

You can but the panels yourself and save some money, and then unless you have access to the equipment, have a shop repaint. If you have all the prep work already done, you can get the paint job for a good deal.

Do NOT weld the panels. I know they were intended to be welded, but a better way is to use a special adhesive. This prevents the primer from buying off on the inside when you weld, which could allow rust to get started again. The inside rocker panel that goes behind and underneath eh van can be done with flat sheet steel, prime it on both sides for a good self etching primer. Drill drainage holes in the rocker panels before you install them, and treat the holes with a couple fresh coats of primer from both sides. When you get the panels bonded in place, spray rust inhibitor (its a waxy substance that coats the parts and has a chemical that reacts with and stabilizes rust) This will make sure that it won't ever rust again.

I have not done this before, but I have the replacement panels, and am hoping I can get to this sometime this spring.

Wheel balance would be my guess for vibration, but don't rule out alignment issues. A driveshaft could be out of balance, but I would consider that unlikely on a '97. If the front driveshaft has rusted up it could vibrate, but only under certain conditions.

Some added advise for treating rust damage, you will need some basic sheet metal working tools, and you will need to cut through the rusted metal. Get a book on the subject of body work before you begin and read through it so you can familiarize yourself with the practices and processes. Haynes publishes a descent book, and others should be great as well.

That site you linked to is a good source for the pre made panels.

For your bonding needs, here is a good product made by 3M. Panel Adhesive This is what you will use to bond the new panels in place. But first, you need to dry fit the parts. The old rusty part must be cut out, then the exposed edges need to be treated with some self etching primer. The edges have to be stepped in a little so that the new panel will sit flush. I can't remember what its called, but there is a tool for this, but you can use a sturdy set of large channel locks to accomplish the same thing, but more patience and practice is required. Make sure you retreat any surfaces with a fresh coat of primer before you bond the panel in place. Once the adhesive is cured, the surfaces need to be blended with body filler. You will have to spread it on, then sand it down, and repeat until it blends nicely. Then treat with sand able primer, and repeat with finer grades of sandpaper until it blends perfectly. Ay imperfections visible in the primer will show up in the finish.

 

I would like to fix the rust so we could do a custom paint job eventually. I have a guy that does this stuff out of his garage but I haven't talked to him yet. Seeing the rust repair panels gives me some hope.

 

Yeah, if you let pros do that, it is quite costly, if you do it yourself its not too bad. Always make sure that shops that touch your car do not lift it or damage the rocker panels. Make sure that if they do, that they are liable for repairs. That is really the only major area that rust forms on these. Some will develop rust in the door area either the door skin, or the area along the bottom of the door frame. This is often a symptom of the rocker panel damage not allowing water to drain out.

 

Hamilton: have you driven the van or are you going by what the seller is saying? If you drove it, where is the vibration coming from? something is out-of-balance, whether it is the driveshaft or the wheels. Any machine shop would be able to balance a drive shaft.
As to the rust in the rocker panels, I second the opinion to let it fly by. Not worth the expense. If rust is visible from the outside, chances are it already consumed the inside.

 

Two of the three Aeros I drove for any length of time had drivetrain vibration.

On my '89, it got much worse above 66 MPH. Since I lived where I rarely needed to go that fast, I took years to try to fix it. It had a 4.10 Trac-Loc diff, so the driveshaft spun faster than usual. I had the driveshaft professionally rebalanced with new joints: little change. I swapped in a spare JY driveshaft: no change.

In retrospect, the diff's nose angle is adjustable on the Aeros, and perhaps someone had screwed with that. It's the upper bushing on the diff housing that has the adjustment, from memory.

My '93 had a driveline vibration above 30 MPH only when decelerating. Even in neutral and engine off. I never fixed that one, either

My '97 doesn't have any driveline vibration, though it's got its own laundry list of things I'm not sure I will ever get around to dealing with.

And then there's the rear suspension bushings squeaks!

 

I just sold my '92 and I'll be looking at a '97 on Monday, my third Aerostar. My '92 had no vibrations but it did have some squeaks that sounded like the springs. i'm tempted to go with an extended 4.0 liter, but the ones I've seen are in terrible shape and all the rear bumpers are cracked in pieces.