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One more question. I just bought a 92 areostar 3 litre with only 90,000 K on it. It is like brand new. I have had a 91 for three years now and it has 276000 K on it. My question is the newer van seems to run a little warmer than the older one. I don't know how much you can trust the heat gauges but the older one seems to stay at about the O in normal while the newer one sets between the R and the M. It does not seem to heat up when climbing hills or idling though. Is this NORMAL?
Or maybe there is a winter thermostat or something happening there.
time for new fan viscious clutch....check the water pump bearing and seal for any roughness and leaks at same time...check fan belts and radiator hoses also
when was last time that coolant system was totally flushed?
an overheated Aero V6 is a DEAD Aero V6 engine, thin wall casting do not take any overheating, they warp and crack
Sorry guys after you wrote I went and checked again and compared the fans from my two aerostars. They were the same. I think I was expecting the resistance to be greater than what I found but now I can feel some. I give the fans a push and it only turns a little. Man this site is a really learning experience. I am not sure when it was last flushed as I have only had it one week. I know it was sitting for a while unused but has been regularly serviced. I should also mention that when the temperature gauge get to M in normal it then begins to drop and then bounces back and forth from the N to the M. I guess that means the thermostat is working. Maybe it is not really running too hot at all. I just know it is hotter than the older van. No leaks anywhere.
You are in the normal range so don't worry about it. As a maintenance issue, you should drain and refill with a 50/50 mix so you have a good baseline for scheduled service.
I have a 92 aero 3L with 261000 Km on it. It started to run hot 3 years ago. I flushed it and refilled it. Still sat at the m. I then took off the front grill and found the whole thing covered with bugs, leaves and debre. I powerwashed it off and the temp sat at the o. last year I put in a new rad and now it sits between the n and the o.
Good advice from all, also recheck the fan, like 96 said, a hot Aero, is a dead Aero. change the Temp Sending Unit, not sure if yours has a Engine Control Temp sensor, heard those go bad and make the Aero run rich or something (while you have system cracked open), use Motorcraft parts on those and refill with 50/50. Mine seemed to run cool then changed the temp sending unit and it moves slightly side to side in the middle. My sending unit was like 15 bucks or something, cant remember, it was cheap and I think the temp control sensor is like 30 bucks. If the thermostat has never been changed, change that with a good stainless steel one or Motorcraft.
with that much temp gauge fluctuation, I would suspect a failing thermostat, change now 195d F only....or air in the cooling system...flush including overflow tank, change and purge the air...park with front uphill...radiator cap off...let run for 20 minutes...cycle heat controls...rev engine....put cap on to first turn click...run another 10-20 minutes...close cap....
still having heat problems...measure coolant temp return side of radiator while hot 145-155d F min. or measure steel radiator hose outflow nipple on block, 190-200d F min....
No need to worry about the overheating now as the van was rear ended by a guy doing 50mph and has been pronounced totalled. Thankfully eveyone is okay as my wife and three children were all in the van. Sorry to see it go though as it was just like new. We replaced it with a Chevy Venture 2000. The insurance gave us twice what we had bought the Aerostar for! Imagine that. I am sure someone will fix it up. I thought about it until I got a good deal on the Venture. Thanks for all your advice. I still have a 91 Aerostar which is always needing work.
glad to hear the family came thru the crash well and that the Aero frame absorbed such a hard rear end impact
sounds like you now have a parts rig for the '91
the insurance company paid you off quickly and twice the value to get you to sign the medical release so they weren't legally liable any longer for any long term medical problems.....they have the heart of a dead vulture
Yeah it was interesting what i found when i went to look at the van. The car that hit it was a mazda sports type car and it nose had ridden under the back bumper of the van and pushed the spare tire up over the back axle. I had a hard time getting it out of there so it seemed that the spare tire actually took lots of the impact. We just settled for the van the medical stuff will be the real fight. We are calling a lawyer tomorrow. Thanks for your concern for the family. We almost bought a Dodge Caravan but now glad we didn't as i don't think it would have taken that impact as well. They tell us we can't buy the van back. Only dealers are allowed to do that.
I'm glad the Aerostar took care of you. As for the Venture, not to be the bearer of bad news, but the Chevy Venture is the worst minivan ever made. Good thing the insurance paid for it. On a happy note, I'm sure they can be ok, but they will require more maintenace, and you will not get as many miles out of them.