Ford Aerostar Oil Pan problems.
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Senior User
Joined: Aug 2003
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From: Huntsville, AL
Ford Aerostar Oil Pan problems.
The timing cover on my '90 3.0 had a hairline crack and leaked so I replaced it. Took the old one to a salvage yard and they matched a used one up. They kept the old one for scrap so I couldnt match them up. Assumed they were the same. I installed the new one and everything matched up fine until I went to bolt the oil pan up. The front mounting bolts on the new timing cover are about 1 inch from where they should be. I replaced the oil pan gasket and it fits the timing cover but not the pan. My question is whether they changed the length of the oil pan throughout the years? I really dont feel like having to pull the pan because I'm sure that it will be difficult but if I have to, I will.
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Joined: Aug 2003
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From: U.S.A.
Ford Aerostar Oil Pan problems.
I took the oil pan off my 92 Aerostar 3.0 liter after my distributor went bad and part of its gear broke off. I needed to get the pieces out of the pan.
It was hard, but not impossible. I followed the Haynes manual, which gets a little vague at the point where it says you might have to lift the engine to get enough clearance.
After trying it without lifting the engine first (after all the manual said "might have to lift") I took off the motor mount nuts, put a 6 inch piece of 2 by 6 board under the oil pan and jacked up the engine. The pan took the lifting just fine since it was only the engine and not the whole vehicle that was being jacked. Plus, my pan is in good condition with no rust.
I lifted the engine high enough to put 2 by 4 blocks under the mounting rubbers, then let the jack down slowly. Everything stayed real stable using this method, be careful , use good jack stands to support your van, and make sure the blocks at the mounts are real stable.
The pan was still hard to get out, but it eventually happened.
One thing that made it easier was removing part of the bellhousing cover. At the front of my transmission (automatic) I had a little cover that was just opposite the starter (which will also need to be removed). It wasn't the whole bellhousing cover, just a little opening. It looked like a place to put a starter if they ever decided to put it on the passenger side. I found that the pan came out easier after taking this little cover off. It had a bolt that was sticking out getting in the way. Believe me everything that can get in the way will!
After cleaning out the pan, I tacked the gasket down on it with little dabs of sealer. And, believe it or not, it went right in easier than it came out. I don't know how, but I think its because I paid close attention to how the oil pump pickup tube would fit through the baffle in the pan. I remember tilting the pan back (toward the rear of the vehicle) and then pushing it straight up and in place without a lot of sideways movement. Keep the rear of the pan right up against the transmission bellhousing cover so it can fit between the oil pump and bellhousing. The gasket stayed on fine for me.
Good Luck, be carefull, and don't swear too much. It will still be kind of hard to do. -Sincerely
P.S. Something to laugh about:
I actually had to take the pan out twice during this job! After struggling so hard to get it out the first time, I was worried I'd never get the thing back in. I put it up to test how I would try to replace it and accidently pushed it right up in place on the first try.
I had to go through the whole trouble of taking it out again!
Again, good luck!
It was hard, but not impossible. I followed the Haynes manual, which gets a little vague at the point where it says you might have to lift the engine to get enough clearance.
After trying it without lifting the engine first (after all the manual said "might have to lift") I took off the motor mount nuts, put a 6 inch piece of 2 by 6 board under the oil pan and jacked up the engine. The pan took the lifting just fine since it was only the engine and not the whole vehicle that was being jacked. Plus, my pan is in good condition with no rust.
I lifted the engine high enough to put 2 by 4 blocks under the mounting rubbers, then let the jack down slowly. Everything stayed real stable using this method, be careful , use good jack stands to support your van, and make sure the blocks at the mounts are real stable.
The pan was still hard to get out, but it eventually happened.
One thing that made it easier was removing part of the bellhousing cover. At the front of my transmission (automatic) I had a little cover that was just opposite the starter (which will also need to be removed). It wasn't the whole bellhousing cover, just a little opening. It looked like a place to put a starter if they ever decided to put it on the passenger side. I found that the pan came out easier after taking this little cover off. It had a bolt that was sticking out getting in the way. Believe me everything that can get in the way will!
After cleaning out the pan, I tacked the gasket down on it with little dabs of sealer. And, believe it or not, it went right in easier than it came out. I don't know how, but I think its because I paid close attention to how the oil pump pickup tube would fit through the baffle in the pan. I remember tilting the pan back (toward the rear of the vehicle) and then pushing it straight up and in place without a lot of sideways movement. Keep the rear of the pan right up against the transmission bellhousing cover so it can fit between the oil pump and bellhousing. The gasket stayed on fine for me.
Good Luck, be carefull, and don't swear too much. It will still be kind of hard to do. -Sincerely
P.S. Something to laugh about:
I actually had to take the pan out twice during this job! After struggling so hard to get it out the first time, I was worried I'd never get the thing back in. I put it up to test how I would try to replace it and accidently pushed it right up in place on the first try.
I had to go through the whole trouble of taking it out again!
Again, good luck!
New User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 16
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From: U.S.A.
Ford Aerostar Oil Pan problems.
It would be much easier if the transmission was out.
There were times when I was wishing it was out. In fact, I was seriously considering taking it out. I'm sure the way I did it is not the recommended way. It was a real struggle! And, the baffle in the pan gets caught on the oil pump tube. Nothing will be easy about taking it off.
There were times when I was wishing it was out. In fact, I was seriously considering taking it out. I'm sure the way I did it is not the recommended way. It was a real struggle! And, the baffle in the pan gets caught on the oil pump tube. Nothing will be easy about taking it off.
New User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: U.S.A.
Ford Aerostar Oil Pan problems.
Hey, I was wondering--if the problem is the timing chain cover not fitting, why not search down another timing chain cover that fits? It would be a lot easier to replace that than to replace the oil pan, a lot less frustrating.
And, by the way, remember how I said the baffle in the pan gets stuck on the oil pump take- up tube? I forgot to mention that I accidently bent the tube a little in the process, not enough to really hurt it, put it back and worked fine, but it buggs me that it happened. Go with a timing cover search if you can.
And, by the way, remember how I said the baffle in the pan gets stuck on the oil pump take- up tube? I forgot to mention that I accidently bent the tube a little in the process, not enough to really hurt it, put it back and worked fine, but it buggs me that it happened. Go with a timing cover search if you can.
