need some opinions please
Lead Driver
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 9,303
Likes: 48
From: Lyndonville, Vermont
Saw one sell on ebay a month ago sold for about $5000.00 If thats so my '96 would go for $10,000 easy. Its easily one of the nicest vans remaining out there..I just got back from a 250 mile trip to see our son. I'll get some pic's out someday..
Dick
Dick
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 5,720
Likes: 5
From: Washington state
my AWD is quieter than either of the wife's Honda products.
Honda's are so over rated except for engine reliability. Wiring is garbage and auto trannies are crude. it's a cool $1000 every-time one of her's gets near an auto repair shop door.
the AWD has been totally dependable the past 16 years. only things done are ATF lube changes and tighten the clamshell case bolts, self threaders in cast soft alum with Permanent ThreadLocker, not a Ford Dana better idea. oh, and a couple front half shaft.
the 100% electronic ignition '96 on 4L with the sequential injection is totally reliable with no failures except of course plug wires and plugs. mine was still running great with close to 0.100" gap
Ford would have went bankrupt if they would have continued to produce the Aero with a 3L or 4L OHV engine. 3 would last a lifetime
Honda's are so over rated except for engine reliability. Wiring is garbage and auto trannies are crude. it's a cool $1000 every-time one of her's gets near an auto repair shop door.
the AWD has been totally dependable the past 16 years. only things done are ATF lube changes and tighten the clamshell case bolts, self threaders in cast soft alum with Permanent ThreadLocker, not a Ford Dana better idea. oh, and a couple front half shaft.
the 100% electronic ignition '96 on 4L with the sequential injection is totally reliable with no failures except of course plug wires and plugs. mine was still running great with close to 0.100" gap
Ford would have went bankrupt if they would have continued to produce the Aero with a 3L or 4L OHV engine. 3 would last a lifetime
FTE Community Team
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,839
Likes: 252
From: Oak Harbor, Washington
I've never heard a quiet PS pump in an Aero. None of mine have been, none I've worked on, none in parking lots. Of course, what usually gets my attention in a parking lot in the first place is the PS pump whine!
I put four rebuilt PS pumps in my '89 & '93 Aeros. All different rebuilders. They were all noisy, right from the start. After the fourth one, I called Ford, but found that Ford does not sell new PS pumps at all, only rebuilt. I tried three different PS fluids, two different "quiet your pump" additives. NAPA's PS fluid is what I found was the quietest, I buy it in the gallon jug. I use the larger Mity-Vac evac setup to drain/refill the reservoir on my pump every year.
I tried ATF (AMSOil) but I didn't try real Ford Mercon.
You're the only person I've heard say that their Aero PS pump is quiet. That's good news.
I was so disgusted with the noise of my '93, that I replaced the OEM power steering pump with a Saginaw pump. If I'd only known that I could achieve a quiet PS pump by just buying a Ford rebuilt and running Mercon, I'd sure have done that instead!
I put four rebuilt PS pumps in my '89 & '93 Aeros. All different rebuilders. They were all noisy, right from the start. After the fourth one, I called Ford, but found that Ford does not sell new PS pumps at all, only rebuilt. I tried three different PS fluids, two different "quiet your pump" additives. NAPA's PS fluid is what I found was the quietest, I buy it in the gallon jug. I use the larger Mity-Vac evac setup to drain/refill the reservoir on my pump every year.
I tried ATF (AMSOil) but I didn't try real Ford Mercon.
You're the only person I've heard say that their Aero PS pump is quiet. That's good news.
I was so disgusted with the noise of my '93, that I replaced the OEM power steering pump with a Saginaw pump. If I'd only known that I could achieve a quiet PS pump by just buying a Ford rebuilt and running Mercon, I'd sure have done that instead!
FTE Community Team
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,839
Likes: 252
From: Oak Harbor, Washington
That Saginaw pump conversion was on my '93 with 3.0l . I haven't decided whether to do such a conversion on my '97 with 4.0l .
The old Saginaw is a very durable pump. When they leak, the front shaft seal and reservoir square cross-section o-ring are easy to replace. If you don't run them out of fluid, they last "forever".
The old Saginaw is a very durable pump. When they leak, the front shaft seal and reservoir square cross-section o-ring are easy to replace. If you don't run them out of fluid, they last "forever".
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 7,015
Likes: 208
From: SoCal
I found that type-F ATF quiets down the new generation Ford PS pumps. I accidentally installed type-F one time and was surprised at how quiet it got. But as soon as I found my mistake, I flushed it out and replaced again with Mercon, and the noise returned.
Thread Starter
|
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,460
Likes: 6
From: Florida
nobody ever told me to use Transmission Fluid in the Power Steering Pump, this is the first I hear of it.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
FTE Community Team
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,839
Likes: 252
From: Oak Harbor, Washington
I think my '97 owners manual does state to use Mercon in the PS. I don't think my '93 owners manual said that as a first-line recommendation, only as a backup, but I'm not certain.
Postmaster
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 3,432
Likes: 7
The owners manual on my '94 and on my mom's '92 both said to use Mercon ATF in the power steering, and a later Ford TSB said to use Mercon V in all applications that used Mercon ATF. This includes power steering pumps. If yo use PS fluid, the pump WILL be noisy and WILL wear out prematurely.
Thread Starter
|
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,460
Likes: 6
From: Florida
I've never received or read any Ford TSB. Not in the years I owned my 1986 3.0, which I bought new, and obviously not in the years I owned the 1992 3.0 which I bought used.
whenever I read the Owner's Manual, (past tense) I was looking for fluid specs like engine oil, transmission fluid, filter replacements, light bulb specs, fuse locations, and such, but not Power Steering Fluid because it is ingrained in my brain that one uses Power Steering Fluid in a Power Steering system, not Transmission Fluid.
Now I know what to pour in my next Aerostar's power steering pump.
whenever I read the Owner's Manual, (past tense) I was looking for fluid specs like engine oil, transmission fluid, filter replacements, light bulb specs, fuse locations, and such, but not Power Steering Fluid because it is ingrained in my brain that one uses Power Steering Fluid in a Power Steering system, not Transmission Fluid.
Now I know what to pour in my next Aerostar's power steering pump.
Tuned
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 402
Likes: 16
From a '91 that came with my '89...
FTE Community Team
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,839
Likes: 252
From: Oak Harbor, Washington
Huh. I couldn't find which specs the NAPA 9801 meets online. My jug is 1400 miles west. So, I went down to the local NAPA today and read the label . . . only no specs are on the label. The store's manager found it online, though. Turns out it meets ESW-M2C128-C but not ESW-M2C33-F (Type F). Good thing you nudged me to check that out.
So, I just ordered up some AMSOil PS Fluid "PSF" for my next order. PSF meets (exceeds, I'd say) Ford 9M2C138-CJ, ESW-M2C33-F & ESW-M2C128-C&D.
So, I just ordered up some AMSOil PS Fluid "PSF" for my next order. PSF meets (exceeds, I'd say) Ford 9M2C138-CJ, ESW-M2C33-F & ESW-M2C128-C&D.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
