Hello from a new member,

I'd like to say that I'm amazed that there is such a following of the Aerostar, and I'm lucky to have found this forum. I own a 1990 Extended Length XLT "wagon" with E4WD that I really like. It is the most useful vehicle I've ever owned.

But there are problems, and I hope I can solve them with the help of members here.

The biggest problem has to be the brakes. The rotors are smaller than the ones that came with my Mustang, which weighs 500 punds less. (And I changed those out for bigger versions because they were inadequate.) I live in very mountainous areas, and may be harder on the brakes than those who live in the flatlands. New brake rotors last about 6 months before they start to warp, and need to be replaced after about a year. I've tried different rotors, and the Ford EOM replacements tend to last the longest, but usually not proportional to their greater cost. So I'm looking for some way to replace the OE design with something bigger. Since the front caliper mount is part of the spindle, and this van has the driven half-shafts going through the spindle, this may be complicated. But I am willing to install new spindles that can accommodate bigger rotors and maybe a dual or 4 piston caliper. (The best setup would be something that will accept the Cobra brake parts I now have on my Mustang, so I have an excuse to get bigger brakes for that car...)

The other problem is that the van handles like baby carriage. The rear springs have sagged enough that there is a definite slope to the whole vehicle. I think there are aftermarket springs still available for the rear, but I don't think I've ever seen replacement springs for the front. I would like to find stiffer springs all around if possible, and matching dampers. I am currently using Monroe Sensatrac, and they feel as wallowy as the stock dampers did. (In fact, I think my rear springs started sagging after I installed them.) I can get bigger wheels and wider tires, as well as the Addco sway bars.

I hope someone has suggestions or leads on what I can do, and I hope that I can contribute to this great forum in the future.

Eugene Chu

 

Warped brake rotors (particularly Ford) are often caused by overtorqued wheel lug nuts - wheels put on with an impact gun.

Many years ago I got in the habit of torquing the lug nuts properly with a torque wrench. Never had a problem until I had new tires installed. Within a couple of weeks the rotors were pulsing. I no longer let anyone with an impact gun near the wheels. I either install the tires on the rims myself, or just take the rims to the tire shop and put them back on the car myself at home.

 

eehoepp has it right on the nose. Had a set of Dean Quasars installed at a tire shop. Brakes started pulsing in less than a week. Pulled all the nuts, had to use a 4-way big enough for a semi to break them loose. Grabbed my 1/2 drive torque wrench and set them to 90lbs. Now I keep the wrench with proper deepwell socket in the van at all times. And a very good hello to you and your Aero. Mine is a shorty '91 XLT.

 

I would agree with the torqued too tight lug nuts. Kind of weird but thats what I have heard from many people. Good luck!

-Matt

 

Thanks for the replies. I will check the lug nuts tomorrow.

I can't recall any correlation between new incidents of warpage with previous services by air wrench wielding gorrillas. But I do see the blue color of metal on the rotors, which leads me to believe that they have overheated.

eugene

 

I caught mine in time. When I pulled the wheels I could actually see the high spots beginning to form, a different color from the rest of the rotors.

 

A follow up.

I finally got around to checking the lug nuts on my wheels. I used a beam type torque wrench to see what torque was needed to loosen them. None of them were overtorqued, but they were unevenly torqued, varying by as much as 20 lb-ft.

I used a click type torque wrench to tighten them to 100 lb-ft, and just to verify the torque, I loosened them again with the beam wrench. They are all now consistent, within 5 lb-ft of 100.

Then I took the van out for a test drive, going down some long steep downhills, and it didn't take long for the warpage to return. Maybe these rotors are too worn from the previous abuse. (lots of blue metal from heating)

So I think I need to get new rotors. Who makes the "best" rotors in your collective opinions? I noticed that the vans made in 1992 and later use different rotors on the left and right, implying that they have directional vent blades. Will those fit on my 1990 model, and will they work better than my current non-directional vent blades? Should I look for specialized rotors, such as those with slots cut into the surface or holes drilled through?

thanks again,
eugene

 

I have the same Aerostar as you only a '91 version and I can attest to having had similar rotor problems. As the years rolled by, I discovered that along with exact lug nut torque, proper caliper maintenance was essential for rotor longevity. The calipers slide on "pins" along a track. If the track and pins bind, you get uneven brake application causing one side of the rotor to heat up more than the other. You can test this by examining your brake pads. If one is worn significantly more than the other, binding is occuring.

I am currently using 'cheapo" generic rotors that have been in place over six years now with nary a sign of warpage. Before that, I was going through them at least every other year.

Spend an afternoon taking the brake calipers down. Use a wire brush to thoroughly clean accumulated road grit, grease and rotor dust from both the pin and the tracks on the caliper mounts. Replace the pins if they show signs of the metal separating from the rubber core. Grease all sliding surfaces lightly with a proper brake lube. Do this everytime you change pads and you will be amazed at the difference - both in brake function as well as rotor longevity.

 

One other thing to consider doing is flushing the brake fluid. There are threads here that you can search for, but here it is in a (big) nutshell.

Brake fluid absorbs water, even past the seals in a "sealed" system. Then the system corrodes from the inside out, and lowers the boiling point of the fluid. Sometimes it gets to the point that it boils during heavy braking and your brakes go away completely.

If your brake fluid is brownish, it's not too bad yet. If it's black it needs attention. The black crud can settle out in the caliper and wheel cylinder bores, causing further corrosion and potential seizing of the calipers/cylinders. If they seize "on", the rotors will overheat & you may see smoke curling out of the wheel well.

You'll need to free up all the bleeder screws. Be careful not to snap them off. Heat helps. Suck all the fluid you can out of the reservoir with a turkey baster or something similar. Wipe the residue out if you can. Fill with clean fluid. Start bleeding at the right rear wheel (furthest from the master cylinder) & keep going until the fluid looks clean, but don't let the reservoir go empty.

Squeezing the pistons into the wheel cylinder (or the piston into the caliper with a gently applied C-clamp will speed the process of stirring up the crud so it gets flushed out. The C-clamp will also force some of the fluid back into the reservoir if the bleeder is closed, so crack open the bleeder and make sure the the reservoir doesn't overflow.

Once the RR is done, snug up the bleeder & repeat the process on the left rear. Then move to the right front & finish at the left front. If you want it really clean, go around the vehicle a second time.

I try to do this about once every two years, and I have never had a seized wheel cylinder or caliper since I started. One car I did this to "fix" a stuck caliper (I was a poor student at the time). It worked and that same caliper went to the wreckers with the car ten years later...

Good luck.

Cheers,
Eric

 

A little some thing I found out about Brake fluid.
Three kinds... DOT3, DOT4, & DOT5

Chemical Base=

DOT3 - Glycol

DOT4 - Glycol

DOT5 - Silcon

Hygroscopic (Absorbs moisture from the air)=

DOT3 - Yes

DOT4 - Yes

DOT5 - No

Compatibility=

DOT3 - Can't mix with or replace DOT4 or DOT5, Boiling point is lower than DOT4

DOT4 - Can mix with or replace DOT3, Boiling point is Higher than DOT3

DOT5 - Can't mix with or replace DOT3 or DOT4.

Precautions=

DOT3 - Harmful to plastic & Painted Surfaces.

DOT4 - Harmful to plastic & Painted Surfaces.

DOT5 - Foams easily, Has additives that counteract the tendency to make seals swell.

Maybe this info will help someone.

 

Thanks for the input on the brake fluids.

I had to change the fluid a few months ago when one of the calipers siezed in the "applied" position while I was driving. I had not been going down a lot of hills that day, just a lot of stop and go. The fluid had indeed turned brown. I was able to reseat the caliper with a large C-clamp, bled the system with fresh fluid, and installed new, cheap pads. The rotors did not look much different between the stuck and non-stuck sides, they were still smooth, so I left them. But they were warping before this event, and maybe they warp much easier now.

I am waiting for some new rotors and pads for the front, and new shoes for the rear. I will check out the behavior of the system with repeated downhill stops before and after installing the new parts, and I will report here on how they behave.

I didn't realize you could not mix DOT 3 with DOT 4 fluids? I've always seen them mentioned in the same breath. I understand that glycol based fluids (DOT 3 and 4) can not be mixed with silicone based fluids (DOT 5).

eugene