I am planning on buying a 95 ext. van and am looking for advice on what to watch for and known problems for these vans. The owner said it's the 4.0 liter engine but is there an easy way to check to make sure? THe van has 70k miles on it and is in very good condition we have agreed on a price of $3500.00 if I take it, I think this is a very good price less than Kelly trade in. What do you think??

 

Sounds like a good price for low mileage van. Over the years of ownership, I have found it to be one of the most satisfying and versatile vehicle I've ever owned.
The 4.0 is a good engine and will last a long time with proper maintenance. You can either check the VIN number to confirm 4.0 or look for the serpentine belt routing diagram under the hood which will state what engine the belt routing is for. There is also an engine code letter on the door pillar decal however I cannot recall the letter for the 4.0 engine and have no reference material as I write this.
I would suggest you find out if the vehicle had the major 60,000 maintenance interval performed. This is crucial to long term satisfaction. If you cannot confirm this, go ahead and have it done. It's pricey but necessary. Many of the maintenance procedures you may be able to perform yourself with help from other members of this board.
No van is perfect and when problems arise, you will find lots of valuable advice right here. Welcome, new Aerostar owner.

 

Common problems seem to be water leaking from the rear side windows so look for signs of leakage there. There are other smaller but annoying problems like bad power door lock switches. Another problem is that the shops that charge $300 for a tune up are too lazy to change the number six spark plug (which really isn't that bad if you have a swivel head socket wrench), so even if it has had a recent tune up, it may only really have 5/6ths of one. Original outer tie rod ends were some funky design with some rubber parts (rather than all metal) and did not hold up well. If they haven't been replaced, keep an eye on them after you buy the van even if they look good. Also, check the tires for any unusual wear and ask if the wiring recall (98S02) was done on it. You might also want to check one of the postings titled "List miles and problems" to see what problems others have had.

My van burned an exhaust valve at about 60K miles and when I replaced the heads, I found they were from different years so one of the heads was replaced prior to my purchase. From what I've seen, this is NOT a typical problem with the 4.0, as most people I know get many, many miles (150K+) from them with nothing other than regular maintenance. Moral of the story is: If you are in doubt about the condition, pay a mechanic to run a compression test and a transmission line pressure test. These two tests will give you an idea of the condition of two big ticket items because they're the only way to see what's going on inside. Pretty much everything else you can inspect from the outside.

Good luck. It should serve you well if it was well maintained. And it you have any problems in the future with it, there are plenty of people on this board who can help.

 

I presently own a '95 Ext. Aerostar with a 4.0L and AOD. I got it with just over 60K miles on it and have had little problem with it.
Other than routine maint., It has served me well. $3500 for it is a VERY Good price for it. It needs to be checked by a mechanic though.
Good Luck!!

 

HI,

I'm on my second aerostar now. I simply love my van, though there are some minor things that annoy me about it. It has 170,000+ on it and the seats are wearing out. i've owned my van for about three years now, and have had only minor problems with it. One is that my drivers side rear window leaks, and another is that the front windows seem to not go up properly any more, that happened on both of my aerostars. I don't think it's a major thing, but it can be annoying. I would take it to a mechanic and get it checked out before I bought it, this has saved me quite a few times! That is definately a good price, that's about what I paid for my '92 with 120,000 miles on it, the main thing i was worried about was the mileage, but I had it checked and have had no unusual problems with it for its age, just a water pump and a starter.

Good luck,
Mike D.

 

I've owned a '95 (stolen, alas) and now a 96 4.0 extended with 110,000. Both were superb, and no major problems if maintained as per owner's manual. A new "dryer" on the A/C worked wonders. They're good transportation.

 

I purchased the van today. I had it checked and the only problem's we found where the exhaust is getting old but still fine and the rear heater is blowing cold when the heat is on. I told him I would look into that myself. I put over 100 miles on the van today and every thing seemed fine. The previous owner didn't do a lot of maintanence though just oil and brakes. So I will be changing the trans fluid and filter, fuel filter, pcv, coolant, air filter and so on. I need to pick up a manual, Hows the haynes?? and is ther a good part's source online? I really like the van so far the view up there is great.

 

When changing out the PCV go with Motor Craft/Ford as some of the aftermarket x brand ones can cause heavy oil useage. Also you are due plugs,wires & oxygen sensor around 70 K if they have not been replaced. From past experience have see these go out in that time frame. Welcome to the Aero group.