DO THE AEROSTAR HAVE RUST PROBLEMS

I have a 89 and a 87 and the body are shot. here in Milwaukee i notice that 75%that i see on the road have some form of rust. except the 96 or the 97, but only time will tell with them. i have a little over 100000 miles on each of them and they both run great.but the rust is bad.i had the break lines for the rear on the 87 blow out cause of the rust. they rust out more than other vans i see out there for their age. and i wonder how those winstars are holding out.i like to go down south and get one with no rust. any way that's my rant for the day

 

My 88 has a little rust on the bottom of the sliding door. I live in PA, so it has seen alot of salt and winter weather. 113K.

I 94,
Did you get your break problem resolved??

 

92 with 115K in Oregon. No rust at all, no coatings. Due to little use of road salt, it does not seem to be much of a problem. Lots of rain though....

 

on the breaks, i think it the porp valve so thats next for me to remove. i hear its a dealer item

 

i have a 91 with 173 thou. miles on it here in cincinnati. i have replaced the rocker panels and the driver side door sill on mine. seems to be from rust and incorrect lifting techniques from the previous owner or garages. they crushed the metal on the underside when lifting it, not using the lift points on the frame. this gave water a great place to collect, and the rest is history. i'm going to do the passengger side this summer. rick

 

It says 160,000 kms, but I don't believe it. It's an 86, with the original 2.8, although it's pretty tired.

The rust has sort of crept up on me, there are a couple spots where it goes right through, as I found going at it with an awl the other day. The paint has bubbled off all along the back left 1/4 panel.

The important thing is, I love this van, and a little welding and a fresh paint job isn't too much for it.

 

I wish i had just a little rust! I have no rocker panels,the bottem of the doors are gone,break lines had to be replaced,there are holes in the middle of the doors and body.the ac lines to the rear air are rusted,too bad they didnt use alluminum(?) like the heater lines.the 87 is worse than the 89.ford should have used more fiberglass than just the hood and rear hatch

 

i have a 94 with 104,000 miles and it has only a little rust. i live in nw pa. and the winters are bad. they use a lot of salt.

 

Ive got a 93 with 140,000 on it and I have trouble over the rear driver side wheel area...other than that no major problems. Live in WV with lots of salt though I drive my truck when the snow is deep.

 

Sacramento, California 132K Aerostar XLT garaged nightly and when not in use. Solid, no rust, can still see signs of original chassis factory markings when new, warning decals still readable on the fuel filter regarding warnings of the pressurized fuel system. I still flush the undercarriage when washing the van, and lubricate suspension bushings, transmission mounts etc., usually in the spring or summer...

 

This may too late to help, but several years ago I was stunned at how much road dirt, sand and even pea sized gravel was trapped among the frame members and within the rocker panels. An hour's worth of work with scrapers to dislodge the impactions along with blowing compressed air and water up through the drain/access holes removed enough dirt to fill a large coffee can - from each side. This was all prompted by finding a quarter sized paint blister on the right rear rocker panel. After the initial cleaning and annual maintenance, the spot has remained the same and the rest of the panels are clean and solid.