http://home.inreach.com/jthill/aerostar/


Hope this helps you all.

 

Great, now you tell me, just as I sold my 89 Aerostar 3.0 L. J/K! Anyways, good info! By the way, that gold can thing is your gas filter. Unless you were kidding! LOL!

-Matt

 

Beast12:

As I was writing it down I remembered I unhooked the gas lines from something Gold. Was going to say Gas Filter but it seemed that the filter was smaller when I changed it. Was going to go and relook at it but haven't yet.
The web page is a work in progress............

 

LOL! So many parts, so many names. I just found it funny that you called it a gold can thing. HEHE! Good job though. You have more initiative than I do. I would NEVER want to pull one of those engines out! Good job!

-Matt

 

Beast12:

Had no choice......Wife's Aerostar.

Mine is next. Tested my 89 and found exhaust fumes in the radiator. It will also get pulled and a rebuild.

Maybe I'll change it to the Gold Can Fuel Filter Thing............

 

You're a brave man. And you're going back for more. Maybe it's time to seek the help of a therapist.

I dread the thought of having to do that to mine. But your info will be helpful if I ever decide to do something so crazy.

 

That's all there is to it??? Just kidding, you are to be highly commened for taking the time and effort to document all this so thoroughly. You are now the resident master mechanic for engine removal.

Keep us posted on the rebuild as well. This will be greatly appreciated for future reference.

Great work!

 

i'm sorry, i still dont get it....from the picture it still appears there's not enough room...with the end of the cherry picker under the section between the hood and the windshield...and the air intake thingy still there...help me understand...did you pull the motor forward as far as it would come, then tilt the front down and the rear up and pull it out that way ?

 

YingxYang:

I bought a longer bolt and two 4ft pieces of chain. I laid the chain over the arm and put the bolt through the chain. I had 4 ends hanging down.

I laid the arm of the cherry picker right down tight on the top of the engine and pulled the chain down as tight as I could then bolted it to the engine.

I lifted the engine as much as I could then I pulled it foreward and lifted at the same time. I only had to pull the engine foreward about 6-8 inches before the arm cleared the body.

Actually you have to tip the engine back slighty when lifting it past the bumper. It would be better to remove the Upper Intake Manifold before you pull the engine.

But I will leave the upper intake manifold off when I put the Engine back in.

 

aerocolorado:

Well if you want the truth............I'm just Cheap!!

Being the Son-of-a-Okie that I am.....I was taught that you work hard for your Money, so don't give it away easier then the work you did to get it.

That's why I also rebuilt the A4LD before the Engine went.
$300.00 and I know what was done to it. Compared to $800.00+ and not knowing what would of been done to it.

 

I also commend you on doing this, since the shops kept telling me it had to be removed from underneath, which I dreaded since I have put just over $2k into the suspension(rack, tie rods, alignments, etc) to fix my alignment problems. Damn shops hire kids that are ASE certified to install a radio and then think they can do everything. About how long did it take you to do all of this? I am planning to buy a used 3L fuel injected to take the place of my 2.8 carb. I am going to rebuild the 3.0 but I also need to know if is going to take a lot of retro-fitting or if it will just be a clean swap. Otherwise I can get another 2.8 to rebuild, but Iwould like to get the swapping done in short time or will have no choice but to pay out to some self-proclaimed mechanic. I have swapped engines in vehicles before, mostly 350's and 455's, which took only 2-3 hours to do. Thanks for the info, time is money, and I have neither, so doing this myself would be great.

 

pmac57:

Since this was the 1st engine from an Aerostar that I pulled, I took my time doing it. I took about 3 days making sure. Wanted to make sure I had everything marked so I can plug everything back into it's place. Now that I did it it would take me a day to do it. If I started at 8am I would have it out before 8pm. Now if I have someone that can also work alone we could do it in half that time. I can drop the Transmission in less than a hour.

Most of the time is marking the hoses and dismantling the front.

 

This is great news indeed...i bought a parts car with full intention of pulling moter and taking my time rebuilding...man i tore everything off the front of this thing and still couldn't see it coming out the front...its been in the back yard for almost a year now....so the motor comes out of that little slot face forward.......i'll have to go back and look again
You, my friend, have renewed hope for this shade-tree mechanic.
Thanks !

PS: any pictures to post on the transmission rebuild ?..lol

 

JTHill24,
We all are or should be, "cheap" at heart. I think it is the entire reason these forums exist - to help others find economical solutions to automotive problems. People like yourself who know how to scavenge for parts, keep things running with bailing wire and twine and can think 'outside-the-box' when it comes to repair problems, have my utmost respect.

You father taught you well and you darn well better be proud to be an 'Okie'.

 

YingxYang:

Nope didn't take any pictures.....But I guess I could take some pictures of the parts I replaced and post them. Also write down what I did.

Pretty easy to do if you take the time to keep everything in order as you take it out and double check that everything fits together right when your putting it back together.