'97 Aerostar
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Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 39
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From: Fort Lauderdale, FLORIDA
'97 Aerostar
I just bought a '97 Aerostar as a second vehicle. I got this car, with 97k miles and 3.0 engine for $3k- pretty good deal, considering that it is in fine condition with one or two flaws in paint and interior, but nothing serious. I have a few questions:
1. First of all, I live in Orlando, Florida. It is HOT here! I was reading the owners manual and I noticed that it recommends 5W-30 oil! Is this what you folks use? In my other car, a 1985 Porsche 928S2, I use Castrol 20W-50 year round, and this is the weight recommended by Porsche. I have to think that the thicker oil would be better for an engine in Central Florida, including this pushrod V6.
2. There is a panel below the stereo and in front of the cup holder that obviously leads to the engine compartment. I found three latches and tried to remove it, just to see what was accessible there. I couldn't get this to come loose- it appears jammed up by some sort of black box immediately under the dashboard. How does one remove this inspection panel?
3. How hard is it to remove/replace the front interior door panels? Both are torn, and the passenger side is missing its arm-rest and is in bad shape in general.
4. The Porsche mechanic that I took the Aerostar to for a pre-purchase inspection told me that the reason that the "Check Engine" light is on is because the O2 sensor is bad. Is this part available at most auto parts stores, or do I have to go to the dealer?
5. The headlights have some sort of plastic covers, and these appear to have "crazed" or become frosted. I've been told to take some tartar-control toothpaste and buff the plastic lenses with this- does anyone have any other method of cleaning up the "frost"?
6. Does 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway [the last at 80 mph/ac on] sound about right? I managed to get the car to 90 or so at one point, and it had a little left I guess.
[I know, it's not my 928, which can cruise 100 mph at less than 1/4 throttle, but I want to get an idea of the condition of the engine. This Aerostar starts and seems to run well]
7. The sliding door is grinding away at the rubber door sill cover near the front. Is the door adjustable and how does one do it?
Any help would be appreciated!
Normy!
'97 3.0 auto
1. First of all, I live in Orlando, Florida. It is HOT here! I was reading the owners manual and I noticed that it recommends 5W-30 oil! Is this what you folks use? In my other car, a 1985 Porsche 928S2, I use Castrol 20W-50 year round, and this is the weight recommended by Porsche. I have to think that the thicker oil would be better for an engine in Central Florida, including this pushrod V6.
2. There is a panel below the stereo and in front of the cup holder that obviously leads to the engine compartment. I found three latches and tried to remove it, just to see what was accessible there. I couldn't get this to come loose- it appears jammed up by some sort of black box immediately under the dashboard. How does one remove this inspection panel?
3. How hard is it to remove/replace the front interior door panels? Both are torn, and the passenger side is missing its arm-rest and is in bad shape in general.
4. The Porsche mechanic that I took the Aerostar to for a pre-purchase inspection told me that the reason that the "Check Engine" light is on is because the O2 sensor is bad. Is this part available at most auto parts stores, or do I have to go to the dealer?
5. The headlights have some sort of plastic covers, and these appear to have "crazed" or become frosted. I've been told to take some tartar-control toothpaste and buff the plastic lenses with this- does anyone have any other method of cleaning up the "frost"?
6. Does 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway [the last at 80 mph/ac on] sound about right? I managed to get the car to 90 or so at one point, and it had a little left I guess.
[I know, it's not my 928, which can cruise 100 mph at less than 1/4 throttle, but I want to get an idea of the condition of the engine. This Aerostar starts and seems to run well]
7. The sliding door is grinding away at the rubber door sill cover near the front. Is the door adjustable and how does one do it?
Any help would be appreciated!
Normy!
'97 3.0 auto
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
From: North of Pittsburgh
The O2 sensor is available at Advance Auto parts for $51.00. It is a Bosch brand sensor. You cannot easily change it unless you take inside engine cover off. This is not an inspection cover. Some of the plugs, wiring, PCV valve, etc. are accessed from there. The O2 sensor plugs in there. The O2 sensor is located on top of the exhaust just in front of the catalytic converter. The mileage will definitely increase if a faulty O2 sensor is replaced.
You can use 20W50, 10W40, etc oil in this engine, however the mileage will suffer slightly. With a 3.0 in Florida I would run 10W30 all the time if I was you. I would probably drain it all out and use synthetic oil.
The door panels are easily removed. Before you do that get some of the plastic plugs for Ford upholstery panels. You will undoubtedly break some of them when removing panels. I think one screw has to be removed as well. Becareful also removing door lock switch panels. The plastic stems on underside of panel are easy to shear off. A screw holds the power window switch panel. Use a flat piece of wood as a prying tool to remove door panels.
The mileage you are getting is normal. You can only go up from there.
You can use 20W50, 10W40, etc oil in this engine, however the mileage will suffer slightly. With a 3.0 in Florida I would run 10W30 all the time if I was you. I would probably drain it all out and use synthetic oil.
The door panels are easily removed. Before you do that get some of the plastic plugs for Ford upholstery panels. You will undoubtedly break some of them when removing panels. I think one screw has to be removed as well. Becareful also removing door lock switch panels. The plastic stems on underside of panel are easy to shear off. A screw holds the power window switch panel. Use a flat piece of wood as a prying tool to remove door panels.
The mileage you are getting is normal. You can only go up from there.
Elder User
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 500
Likes: 0
From: laurel springs NJ
As far as the Oil inquiry goes:
Just did an oil change and used Pennzoil 10W30 For high mileage vehicles. I think its a new product. Anywho, that annoying little tap when the wife first starts in the morning doesn't seem to be there anymore. Maybe coincidence, I'm not sure.
I think its formulated to help with seals and other internal parts. Gotta check website to be sure.
my .02 cents
reever
Just did an oil change and used Pennzoil 10W30 For high mileage vehicles. I think its a new product. Anywho, that annoying little tap when the wife first starts in the morning doesn't seem to be there anymore. Maybe coincidence, I'm not sure.
I think its formulated to help with seals and other internal parts. Gotta check website to be sure.
my .02 cents
reever
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 7,013
Likes: 205
From: SoCal
The way I remove the access panel is to undo all the clamps, lift up the rear end, and pull backwards. I have a floor mounted shifter, so I have to put it all the way back in "1" to get it out of the way. (Of cousre, stow the cup holders first.)
You can get a door panel removal tool from most auto parts stores. It helps you remove the panel without damaging it by popping the plastic studs out of their holes. If you don't care about your old panel, you can of course destroy it during removal. But the tool will help you remove the panel in the future.
The headlights are of the flush mount design, with a polycarbonate lens glued to a plastic reflector housing. The flush mount design was a good idea, but the plastic parts were not. The lenses come from the factory with a coating to protect it against UV, but it only lasts a couple years. Then the plastic starts to deteriorate, as you can clearly see. You might be able to resurrect it temporarily by polishing it with toothpaste, or a plastic polishing compound designed specifically for it. But it will get hazy again very quickly. If it's starting to craze, it won't be long before it starts to crack. Does it take on water when it rains? This can cause the light capsule inside to explode.
The real quick fix is to replace the lens and housing assembly. You should be able to get these at your local Ford parts counter, at a price. They will look great for a couple of years, and the problems will start over.
I have a bit of obsession with lights, so the following may be more information than you need.
You can swap out the headlight bezels for bezels and buckets from an older Aerostar that uses the more traditional rectangular glass sealed beam headlights. Because they are made of glass, they will never fade before the filaments burn out or something strikes them and they break, and replacements don't cost much more than the light capsules used in the flush mount lights. To take it a step further, you can get European spec H4 type head lights that provide much better illumination than any US DOT spec lights. Check out my lighting page to see what I did with my Mustang:
geocities.com/eycchu
(turn off javascript so you don't get thos annoying pop-up ads)
You don't have to go as far as I did with the HID conversions. The H4 conversion should give you better illumination than your Porsche. That's what I plan to do when the headlights I currently have on my Aerostar burn out.
You can get a door panel removal tool from most auto parts stores. It helps you remove the panel without damaging it by popping the plastic studs out of their holes. If you don't care about your old panel, you can of course destroy it during removal. But the tool will help you remove the panel in the future.
The headlights are of the flush mount design, with a polycarbonate lens glued to a plastic reflector housing. The flush mount design was a good idea, but the plastic parts were not. The lenses come from the factory with a coating to protect it against UV, but it only lasts a couple years. Then the plastic starts to deteriorate, as you can clearly see. You might be able to resurrect it temporarily by polishing it with toothpaste, or a plastic polishing compound designed specifically for it. But it will get hazy again very quickly. If it's starting to craze, it won't be long before it starts to crack. Does it take on water when it rains? This can cause the light capsule inside to explode.
The real quick fix is to replace the lens and housing assembly. You should be able to get these at your local Ford parts counter, at a price. They will look great for a couple of years, and the problems will start over.
I have a bit of obsession with lights, so the following may be more information than you need.
You can swap out the headlight bezels for bezels and buckets from an older Aerostar that uses the more traditional rectangular glass sealed beam headlights. Because they are made of glass, they will never fade before the filaments burn out or something strikes them and they break, and replacements don't cost much more than the light capsules used in the flush mount lights. To take it a step further, you can get European spec H4 type head lights that provide much better illumination than any US DOT spec lights. Check out my lighting page to see what I did with my Mustang:
geocities.com/eycchu
(turn off javascript so you don't get thos annoying pop-up ads)
You don't have to go as far as I did with the HID conversions. The H4 conversion should give you better illumination than your Porsche. That's what I plan to do when the headlights I currently have on my Aerostar burn out.
Thread Starter
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Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 39
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From: Fort Lauderdale, FLORIDA
MANY thanx all!
The European H4 headlight work appeals to me mightily- my 928S2 [a gray market car with lights that make the landing lights on the 747 that I fly professionally look weak] has the H4's, so I'd love to convert my new Aerostar.
But my main reason for posting this has to do with the engine oil. Right now, my Aerostar has a typical oil pressure that registers on the gauge just to the right of center. Since I fly airplanes for a living, I've noted that most gauge designers set up their wares so that the needle should point in the middle when everything is right. I just bought the car, and though I've driven it about 500 miles total, I am going to be away from it for the next 10 days. I want to change the oil in the sump when I get back and I'm nervous about 5W-30. If others have used this light weight oil in their 3.0 Vulcan engines for 200K miles without problems...I'd like to know.
N!
The European H4 headlight work appeals to me mightily- my 928S2 [a gray market car with lights that make the landing lights on the 747 that I fly professionally look weak] has the H4's, so I'd love to convert my new Aerostar.
But my main reason for posting this has to do with the engine oil. Right now, my Aerostar has a typical oil pressure that registers on the gauge just to the right of center. Since I fly airplanes for a living, I've noted that most gauge designers set up their wares so that the needle should point in the middle when everything is right. I just bought the car, and though I've driven it about 500 miles total, I am going to be away from it for the next 10 days. I want to change the oil in the sump when I get back and I'm nervous about 5W-30. If others have used this light weight oil in their 3.0 Vulcan engines for 200K miles without problems...I'd like to know.
N!
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 7,013
Likes: 205
From: SoCal
I think the oils pressure gauge in the Aerostars uses a pressure switch and a resistor instead of an actual pressure sensor. So as long as there is "enough" pressure, the switch will close, making your guage read right in the middle of its range. You can change this as well. You will need to replace the pressure switch with a real pressure sensor, and bypass the resistor in the instrument panel. I've never done this myself, but I've read a description someone wrote after they did it.
