i'm looking at a 95 aerostar xlt awd, any comments from owners/techs on reliability or known problems?:7

 

I have a 93 with 130 K miles. Besides tires wippers,spark plugs & oil changes with air & fuel filters the spark plug wires, fuel pump, radiator & heater hoses, brake pads & rotors, oxygen sensor, & thermostat have been the major replacement items. I also replaced the shocks when I got it. Great van , my kids rather ride in it than my F150 ext cab, Bronco II or sports cars.Works great in the snow.I and my wife like the AWD better than the part time on the other Fords.I would have the cooling system pressure checked & brake system checked before I bought it. The worst part is working under the hood. A factory shop book is a good idea if you do your on work like I do.If you take into some shops they charge an extra fee because of the cramped area under the hood.

 

thanks avanti, will check it out, van has 120,000 km (75,000 mi.)and appears to be in very good shape. its at a dealership so all they will tell me is how great these vans are compared to dodge!

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 06-Oct-02 AT 05:34 PM (EST)]I have a 94 AWD with over 170,000 miles. Engine and tranny still strong (regular maint.) Normal brake replacement....use good parts and they last. AC,PS etc. all original.

My major problem have been rear end , which was rebuilt @ 110,000 miles or so. One window switch, a few light bulbs, battery, alternator went at 160,000. Belt tensioner(?) replaced at same time. Tie rod end replaced, New radiator @ 160,000 miles. Changed wiper blades, belts,major hoses once. Went through many shocks...just to see what I liked the best. Stock are good as well as KYB, Reflex and Sensa Trax. On second set of spark plugs!!!!

Runs like new, and still looks great(color is white).

Mileage of repairs are approximate..after 150,000 miles I lost the book on the ol' girl. She is holding up better than I am LOL

Good luck!

 

Hi. Have had a couple of these (an '91 and a '96) and really like them. They are comfortable on the highway and get in the low 20's mpg. The 4.0 V6 is a good engine, delivering plenty of power for acceleration and towing. The AWD system actually works better than you'd think... and is excellent in the snow. Most of the issues I've had with Aerostars fall into the "normal maintenance" category.
If I were negotiating to buy one of these, I'd insist that they put in a good set of fresh platinum spark plugs. Another poster mentioned how cramped it is under the hood... you haven't lived until you've tried to change the back plug on the passenger side on a 4.0 Aero. I've seen more than one Aero that didn't run well 6 months after a "tune up" just to find out that the mechanic didn't change the back plug on both sides... so the engine had 4 new plugs and 2 old ones...
Air conditioning on these is weak. A '95 will have R134a refrig in it which isn't the best for cooling. This, combined with big engine/small engine compartment, the dreaded Ford FX-15/FS-10 compressor, and a marginal condensor size result in a system that has a hard time keeping up on hot days. If the van has more than 75K on it, you're probably on your way to what A/C mechanics call "black death" which will require replacing most A/C related stuff under the hood when it eventually fails.
You'll learn to love the famed Aerostar moaning power steering pump... they last a long time, but always noisy.
Bottom line is no vehicle is perfect... but,I'm on my third and wish they still built them...
KenP

 

First, 1995 is a good year. The only major TSB/recall was for some obsure tranmission failure at high speeds (like you should drive one over 85 mph in hot weather anyways).

My 1995 AWD has over 187K on it before the tranmission went. It saw heavy use. 100% happy with it. Just normal stuff like LOFs every 3k and major up keep every 75K (all fluids, filters, plugs, belts, etc.)Most excellent in snow with the AWD and L/S rear end.

>you haven't lived until you've tried to change the back plug
>on the passenger side on a 4.0 Aero.

Do most of them from the wheel wells while the vehicle is lifted so the control arms drop down. Do this plug from underneath the vehicle, it is a clear shot and easy.

> so the engine had 4 new plugs and 2 old ones...

I had the FORD!!! dealer do this to me!

My A/C is cold and works great. I do have dual A/C and factory smoke glass. I dont know if this makes a difference.

>You'll learn to love the famed Aerostar moaning power
>steering pump... they last a long time, but always noisy.

Yea! I can always tell my Fords are coming by the power steering whine

>and wish they still built them...

Me too!

 

I just bought a 1997 awd Aeostar. I'm getting a lot of vibration and noise from the front end. Taking it to the transmission shop on Monday. The shop told me they (Ford) had problems with transfer cases. I believe I'm in for a serious repair. Hope you check out the awd thoroughly.