ok now i see what your up too
it would help with the towing and extra load. i never did like the extended van for this reason they kept the same rear end componets as the shortie. i have a shortie and its not so bad stock but i can see your problem with towing and extra load. good luck.
keep us posted.

 

TED:

It seems that alot of you are saying that the CLUNK problem when moving the shifter from OD to D at highways speeds is a design issue with all the Aerostar vans. So it continues to reinforce the idea that I should live with it until a better idea comes along.

Thanks,
Rob

 

I don't know. I have a '93 3.0L short version with 160,000 miles. It has never done a thunk like that when I change from OD to D. Maybe it's just the way I drive, like an old man. Come to think of it, I AM an old man

 

copper_90680, I hear you. So not all the vans do it. My 1994 Aerostar has done it ever since I bought it from the ford dealer a few years ago. Of course they never told me it had the problem. I didn't notice it for quite a while in fact. It sure bugs me.

 

mine does not alway do it but to make sure i do not have a problem i always let off the gas peddle downshift and give it gas again and never have a problem. works for me.

 

To Describe The 'problem' Exactly: It Is A Severe Drivetrain Jolt/shock That Feels & Sounds Like It Could Break Transmission & Driveline Parts And Occurs In The Following Condition: You Are Under Power At Hiway Speed After The Torque Converter Has Locked Up In Overdrive Gear. You Find You Haven't Enough Power To Keep Up Desired Speed For Some Reason Such As Trying To Keep Speed Up With Traffic, On A Hill, Or Merging... You Push Harder & Harder On The Gas But The Engine Is Locked In Too High A Gear To Be Able To Pull Well And The Transmission Won't Downshift As It Needs To. On Mine I Can Hear Intake Moaning Sound (K&N AIR FILTER!) Showing I'm Asking Nearly Full Power From Engine. After No Or Weak Response From Drive Train You Decide You Can Do It Better Yourself & You Grab The Shifted & Pull It Down To Third Gear ("D") And You Get A Full Power Jolt That You & Passengers Can Hear & Feel & I'm Surprised Nothing Has Broken Yet By Doing That! It's About Like Shifting A Manual Transmission Under Power @ Hiway Speeds W/o Using The Clutch Except A Manual Tranny Would Grind Alot & Wouldn't Stand Up To That Very Long. The Torque Converter Lockup Actually Occurs A Little Too Early For All Driving Situations. Some Cars Have An 'overdrive' Button On The Shifter That Allows You To Disengage The Overdrive Or Lockup When You're Driving In City, Etc. It Wouldn't Be Hard To Put One On Aero & I Almost Did When 1st Bought It. I'm Not Aware Of Other Automatic Cars That Jolt So Badly When Manually Downshifting Under Power. Most Unlock Torque Converter And/or Downshift Themselves When Pushed So Hard... The Easiest Cure Is To Take A Second & Remove That Heavy Boot From The Gas Pedal Before Downhifting. But That's So Inconvenient When You're In A Hurry Jockeying For Lane Space With Some Dude In A Mitsu Eclipse Or Something!!! ("I Plead Guilty Your Honor." You Know!! Ha Ha Ha!) Sometimes I Still Forget To Remove Said Heavy Foot.

A FAIRLY EASY SOLUTION WOULD BE TO PUT A SWITCH IN THE CICUIT TO THE TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH. IF DONE RIGHT IT WOULDN'T INTERFERE WITH THE COMPUTER. PUT IT CLOSE TO SHIFTER, IF NOT ON IT, SO IT'D BE IN EASY REACH FOR THOSE IMPROMPTU AUTO RACES THAT OCCUR IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. I'D PROB LEAVE MINE OFF EXCEPT FOR HIWAY CRUISING OR LOW STRESS SITUATIONS. IT'S EASY BUT I'VE TOO MANY MORE DEMANDING THINGS TO DO TO MY 195,000 MILE '94 3.0 XLT EXT LIKE THE RAD HOSE THAT BROKE YESTERDAY... (SEEMS LIKE I JUST REPLACED THEM ALL... THAT WAS FIVE YEARS AGO NOW!) SEE YA'LL LATER, HAVE A GOOD ONE ! - TED -

 

TED, this idea of a switch in the circuit to the torque converter clutch sounds like an interesting experiment. I would like to investigate this further next week when my van comes back from camping "without me" boo hoo . It sounds like you are saying that the clutch is activated by one of the wires from the computer. I guess I just have to figure out which one and put a switch in near the shifter. Thanks, Rob.

 

Ted,
very good write up on the transmisson problem. i kinda of knew what you were saying just could not put it to words like you did. thank you