Was wanting to know if anybody out there has rebuild a 3.0
engine while it was still in the van.

I think it can be done but some things might be a little harder to torque.....Like the connecting rods or main bearing caps.
More like the heads.

Looks like my wife's blew a head gasket.

 

Head replacement yes, with extreme time and effort, and possibly some of the rod bearings, etc.

But it isn't advised unless you already have a completely steam cleaned engine outside and no sludge inside.

To do a proper short block rebuild you have to lift the body and drop the engine and tranney, about $700 to $1100 in labor at your local shop.

At a Ford dealership, about $1800 to $2200 just for labor to pull out the old and put in the new.

Most used Aerostars are only worth about $3,000, at best, for the whole van.

 

I can't say that I've done an engine rebuild with it still in the van, but I have done the heads on my 4.0. I can't imagine trying to do a rebuild properly with the engine still installed for several reasons - cleanliness, access, comfort. Just my perspective.

 

Well now, since you have suffered through the "Ford engineering", or lack of it, I'd appreciate your insight into the best way to replace my heads without removing the engine.

I have a blown head gasket on the driver's side that is spewing water into the exhaust system.

I have worked on cars and trucks since I was 15 years old, and just this last summer replaced a bent push rod in my 1996 F-150 4.9 six, which involved disasembling the top half of the engine, intake manifold, etc. just to get the valve cover off.

I bought this 1993 Ford Aerostar with a 3.0L at an auction knowing it had a bad head, but a beautiful body and only 112,000 miles, and figured that it might be a project, but just really did not know just how dumb the Ford engineering was.

In all of the other 19 or 20 cars that I've done major engine work on during my life time, this vehicle is the only one where you have to lift the entire body off of the engine instead of lifting the engine out of the car.

Plus, with the engine in place, its darn near impossible to change the spark plugs, much less both heads.

Now that I've bought two new remanufactured heads, water pump, new alternator and fan clutch, and $157.00 in gaskets, and have already pulled the radiator, fan shroud, alternator, air compressor, etc. etc. I still don't see how you can replace the heads without dropping the engine, much less getting the intake manifold off with only about 4" of clearance between the top of the engine and the compartment.

Am I discouraged too easily, or is there hope that the heads really will come out with the engine bolted in place?

I do have both the Chilton and Haynes manuals for this Ford Aerostar, but based upon my experience, they have sure left out a heck of a lot of basic information and pictures concerning this job.

 

I think you are a little too pessimistic about the task you are about to undertake. I recently helped a friend pull the passenger side head. Looking at the inside of the engine compartment,the job looks impossible. But if you have a day or a little more to dedicate in time, you'll get it done. It all comes apart easy enough. Everything fits just perfect. Some tips:
1. Make sure you have good tools.
2. Try to find a short torque wrench.
3. Make a note of the vacuum diagram, as the one on the underside of the hood is useless.
4. Clean everything twice.
Good luck to you.

 

Last night I removed six spark plugs, five intake manifold bolts, the alternator bracket (four bolts) and the interior rear engine cover. That took me four hours and twenty four minutes.

Since I have been working on every type of vehicle for at least 45 years I do have a very large assortment of tools of very kind, and the majority of them are either Craftsman or S&K, with some KD's thrown in.

With my tools and knowledge I figure I can, by working and grunting four to five hours a day for the next two weeks, get the heads off. Then I have to get it all back together.

My opinion, still, is that the Ford Aerostar engine design is the very worse that I've ran into in those 45 years.

Discouraged? Yes, but I have too much time and money invested now, so I'll tough it out and finish the job.

I do pray that the ones who designed that "piece of work" do rot forever in hell trying to repair pocket watches with crescent wrenches.

 

Don’t feel bad about taking so long to do the heads. It took me about 22 hours to get the heads off, 5-6 of those were spent trying to disconnect the exhaust manifolds from the exhaust system. If I had an impact wrench, I would have just twisted the heads of the bolts off. Instead, I wasted the time trying to salvage the bolts and ended up cutting them with a Dremel.

The heads will come out without removing the engine and getting it back together is much easier. In addition to what you’ve already removed, you’ll have to remove the coil and bracket to get the valve covers off. You’ll need a short torx bit for clearance on the driver side outer, rear most head bolt. I used the one made by Lisle. Get two while you’re at it. Mine broke pretty late in the evening when I was tightening the last head bolt.
You can search the old posts to find more hints on the topic.

 

I bought a Chilton Manual after I had about 18 hours into the heads removal on my 1993 Aerostar 3.0L van using a Haynes manual.

Chilton states "although FORD says that head repair can be done without dropping the engine, Chilton advised to drop it.

I now agree with the Chilton manual, but have them about half way out, and can only battle through at this point

I still consign the Ford engineers who designed that setup to Hell, with their main job being that they have to remove and install 30 Aerostar heads, per month, with the engine in place, or suffer one horrible hour of torture for each hour that they fall behind schedule.

I defy any Ford master mechanic to remove and install a Ford Aerostar head, with the engine in the vehicle, in less than 24 to 30 hours.

 

For the first time since I bought my van, I think I am actually glad that it's a 2.8
R+R the heads wasn't all that bad except for the left rearmost manifold bolt, that was a bummer. The damn fiberglass stuff on the firewall shedding on me all the time was pretty damn annoying too.
My condolences to you 3.o guys.
My Haynes manual has a little note at the beginning of the engine chapter that says something like this: "Due to restricted working room , be sure allow extra time for underhood engine work". Gosh. Really? I never would have guessed.