so we just bought an '88 today - $650 100K miles. It seems to be in good condition and had just had new battery, tires, and A/C service. We don't plan on using the van too much, a little during the week for odd jobs and maybe a short trip once a month. The question I'd like to hear responses to is this - with about $500 to spare what would be the first diy work you would do for this van. (and also what should i look into first to make that decision.) i have read some of the posts on this board already and am impressed with the tone and content. i look forward to hearing what you all think. thanks. jimmy and jojo

 

Welcome to the forum. As an original owner of a 1988 Aerostar with 69,000 miles, the only weak area that I've found is the A/C. It is very leak **** at the spring lock connections. If your's has been converted to R134A from R12 then the problem may have been taken care of already. You did indicate that the A/C was recently serviced. Hopefully that didn't mean just a charge of R12 freon to make up for leaks. A way to check is to look for refrigerant oil around the five spring lock connections and at the compressor shaft seal.

Also, if you don't have records of the last A/T fluid and filter change, you should probably do that to be safe if yours is an automatic and not a 5 spd manual. Also it wouldn't hurt to change the differential oil and brake fluid and manual trans oil if it's not an automatic.
Other then that, the '88 3.0L is built like a truck. Mine has towed over 5000lbs of trailer for several thousand miles without any problems. I'm a nut on maintenance and I'm sure that helps.
I hate to see good running '88 Aerostars selling for $650 bucks though. Yeow! The reality of depreciation! Good luck.

-Mark

 

thanks for the response MarkP. I think the price had something to do with the fact that it was a gift to the person i got it from and he really didn't want or need it so it was a good situation for us all.

if leaks show at the connectors does that mean it was upgraded or not?

i will do all the fluid and filter changes first. thanks for the advice.

 

>"if leaks show at the connectors does that mean it was
upgraded or not?"

No. Leaks are leaks. R134A retrofitted or not. If it has been retrofitted for R134A from R12 then lables should have been placed on system by the charging port on the accumulator/receiver stating so. The fittings for the low pressure and high pressure ports would have been replaced with R134A adapters which allow for R134A gage connections. If it's still R12, most likely at some point the o-ring seals in the spring lock connectors have been replaced with improved ones. It is very unlikely that it's an original R12 system that has never leaked. Not just Aerostars, but many Ford factory a/c systems used these connectors and have the same problem. The factory eventually improved the o-ring seals and begain installing a anti vibration/rotation clips on these connectors that more or less solved the problem.

Mark

 

> The question I'd like to hear responses to is this
> - with about $500 to spare what would be the first
> diy work you would do for this van.

Boy, Mark P. mentioned all the things that I would have: make certain that all the A/C springlok connectors have the plastic aftermarket anti-vibration covers installed over them (they're cheap, and easy to install yourself) which will tend to keep the R12 *inside* the pipes. If an Automatic transmission, do a transmission service (drop pan, replace filter, replace fluid) because the A4LD in these years are grenades (opinions on this vary, but a little searching on the internet will tell you a lot, and just try to buy a guaranteed A4LD from a junkyard -- they'll laugh at you, but still take $6-800 for a non-guaranteed one). For non-ABS, I like DOT 5 Silicone brake fluid, as it's non-hygroscopic (does not attract moisture, tends to keep your wheel cylinders and calipers from seizing).

I, too, am sorry to see the resale value of the pre-90 Aerostars falling so quickly -- I've put about $6k into mine in the last two years, and I guess I'll have to own it until the next Presidential election!

Regards,
Al S.

 

thanks for your advice Mark and Al. I am going to start a tuneup today and see what happens. I appreciate your suggestions.

 

Hi,
I have had my 88 aerostar for 5 years now. I love it. I will never get a Plymouth
again.

We have only replace originally parts, that came with the van. Everything we took off,
and replace still had the ford sign on it.

160.000 miles on van.

Until recently, I was getting 272 miles to a tank of gas. But now, I don't get much over
a 100 miles. But I do have one problem. My transmission is going out. We just parked
it this weekend, and looking for a transmission for the van.

I bought the van used, for 2500.00 dollars 5 years ago.
By, the way these vans are only worth a little over a thousand dollars now. I keep up
on the blue book on both of our cars.

We have replace:
Alternator
power-stearing pump
sway bar
brakes and rotors
fuel pump (in tank)
Filters
heater core
spark plugs and wires
water pump
hoses
all and one brake line, burst on me once. ( I can say that is not fun, when you are living
in the mountains, and driving down a hill)

We do need to replace the heater switch on the dash, and one power window switch.

Other then that, that is all we have ever had wrong with it.
My husband, said: for the price we pay for it, and the miles it has on it. The parts he
has put in it, is not much. He has not mind working on this van.

We are thinking about buying a new van next year, and already looking into another
aerostar.

I have owned a plymouth van, before this van. I will never get another one of those,
they were nothing but trouble. We now own this 88 aerostar, and also a Subaru station
wagon 4x4.

These vans are great on a long trip.

Good Luck with yours

 

hey nitly- thanks for your response and good wishes. If we run into trouble doing work on the van i think we will ask your advice as you seem to have dealt well with a lot of stuff with the aerostar. it seems to me that this van is still original parts too - i guess that is good and bad. So you will probably hear from us again. thanks
jimmy