Hi guys, I'm back cause I finally got another Aerostar and my Windstar is up for sale. Anyway I just bought a beautiful 94 Eddie Bauer 4WD with only 66,000 KM on it for $4900.00 CDN. Everything seems to work fine and its good to have the room again. One problem! if I accelerate normally (half throttle or so), it is fine but if I floor it, it gears down normally, engine revs to 4000 rpm or so but the vehicle maintains the same speed for at least 3 or 4 seconds then finally starts to gain speed. It feels like the brakes are on and then gradually release and allow normal acceleration. It was only driven 4 weeks a year for the last 12 years so I thought maybe bad fuel. I filled it with Shell high test and it idles better and accelerates smoother except at high rpm. So, am I dealing with a transmission issue or a badly needed tune-up. Basically there is nothing above 2500 rpm or so. It has been well maintained since new (one owner) but with such little use is there something I should be looking for? I think its a tranny issue as the engine is reving faster but no acceleration. Also, anything else I should know about the 4WD?
my last one was a 2wd sport model (which is going to donate parts and the air dam and running boards.)
P.S. this could be important, the last time I tried floored acceleration the check engine light came on for a few minutes.
Thanks all
007BRONCO

 

pull codes, intermittent CEL indicates a problem

how is the power on hills?

what is color and odor of ATF in tranny?

what does motor oil look like? clean and fresh or like old thick tar?
Aero V6's love fresh clean oil

may be band/clutch pack slippage problem at high torque loads, ECU not turning off torque converter lockup clutch immediately with WOT kickdown in gear, worn/damaged torque converter

how does it shift and accelerate from a dead stop and WOT to the floor? try shifting manually starting in 1st then make a run with selector in D and let tranny make shifts, any difference?

 

Thanks for reply 96. Hills are far and few here in Alberta so I don't know, I've only had the van for 3 days and no I havent (but should have) checked the ATF yet. Engine oil is clean and full. Will try dead stop acceleration soon, maybe tommorow if possible (have someone coming to test drive the Windstar in AM.). By the way, You and I have been on this forum for some time now so heres a Q. I still have my 92 ext sport 4.0 2WD in my driveway, I have put a new (used) engine in it and I am hallf way done hooking everything up. After the last -35C winter I can work on it again. It has 220,000 KM on it and minor rust starting on drivers side rocker, will need a provincial inspection, was sitting outside all winter, I don't have the tool to remove the fan from the old engine for the new one, and up til now did not have another Aero to look at to remember how it all goes back together. Do I keep it as a parts van or finish it, spend the money for the inspection and sell/keep it? It would probably be worth about $1000.00 around here cause we got oil and everyone has money for newer stuff.
Thanks again
007BRONCO

 

ATF is clean, red and full. Ran code reader and got "trans 2-3 shift error" I don't know. Try adjusting the bands maybe?
007BRONCO

 

can be intermediate servo seal, servo piston seals usually only last abt 10 years especially if tranny fluid is not changed every 60k km or so...acids/oxidation breakdown products in old ATF destroy the synthetic rubber seals.

can try adjusting bands but usually a new tranny/rebuild set and forget adjustment, servo has enough range to lock band....
what code? 618?

can you feel each gear shift 1>2 2>3 3>OD TC lockup?

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/troubleshooting/a/bl_45_at.htm
scratch off #3, no EPC solenoid

run a couple cans of fuel injector cleaner in two tanks of gas....injectors probably paritally plugged and pour fuel spray pattern from old fuel gum....also cleans tulips of intake valves and combustion chambers....Gumout Regane or Chevron Techron Concentrate the best but may be hard to find up north
plug wires probably broken down from old age setting, ozone and air pollution damages even silicon jackets....Aero's notorius for plug wire sparks and leaks, hot closed engine compartment, usually lay on block or hot metal
clean MAF, just after air cleaner box....use fuel injector spray cleaner...fine sensor wire easily damaged....search forum for details and pics.....

keep old Aero....may be using tranny out of it if it's a 4L....most of the AWD's are 4L engines
change the lube in the front differential and transfer case at 100k km with synthetics, Mobil1 ATF in transfer case and 75w90 synthetic Mobil1 , Valvoline etc in front differential....service/repair any AWD fail lights or minor leaks in front diff/transfer case immediately.....will last longer than you want to drive it....

 

Thanks 96. Yes, Mobil 1 fluid changes already bought for the weekend.
I can distinctly feel the 5 shifts of the trans and shifts perfectly normally at half throttle or less ( as long as it doesn't have to gear down). Yes it was a 618 code. I am starting to think that maybe the problem is the engine and just needs to be used a little more with injector cleaner, tuneup etc. I have new plugs (hopefully will fix other problem of pinging on acceleration) and new bosch wire set ready for this weekend as well (my hands will be in multiple bandages by Sunday night!)
Will keep updating.
007BRONCO

 

leather gloves help, so does pain killer > cold half case

 

UPDATE, took most of Saturday afternoon on the van. New Mobil 1 synthetic and filter, new poly sway bar links, new front brake pads, new drivers side 24" wiper blade (it fits), new pcv valve, new Champion copper plus plugs (old ones were original and whitish deposits everywhere and gap was .010 over spec.) started to change plug wires but after a quick resistance check found Ford wires had 3 times less resistance than my expensive Bosch set. Anyway, was all set thinking the plugs were the problem and went off on the test drive (no bleeding and no beers yet at this point) handling and braking vastly better. POWER IS EVEN LESS NOW! It hesitates quite noticeably right at throttle input off idle and throughout driving range if given more than 1/4 throttle?????. Fuel filter? Plugged cats? I gapped the plugs @.054", and I dont recall changing anything else that would affect power other than the PCV valve? Any ideas appreciated guys, I want this van to run as good as it looks. Also, no more check engine light and on another note,I disconnected the battery during all this, after test drive the trip computer registered 10.4 mpg avg (normally I'm 16.4 mpg avg) 007BRONCO

 

You have most likely crossed two spark plug wires. Check again and again. It's really easy to make that mistake. My record was 100% screwup on that count. Crossed wired both my 3.0L and my 4.0L and didn't find out until the 10th time I checked.

On the transmission, if it keeps acting like that, pull the drums and check the rear brakes. With the parking brake off, the tops of both brake shoes (primary and secondary) should contract all the way to rest against the pin on top. If not, your parking brake lever is acting up, and it's a very common problem. If the brakes are OK, I'd have to say your clutch is probably worn out.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

measured plug wire resistance means essentially nothing on a extra high voltage Ford EDIS spark ignition system....the name of the winning game is insulation breakdown voltage which decreases with age, heat and engine compartment nasties...
bet those old wires leak more than a kid's diaper.....old plug wires internally break and insulation breaks down when pulled off with force....especially common on Aero since wires are so difficult to accesss and Ford factory uses next to no silicone antiseize...

old timers on the board have found the Ford FoMoCo, Motorcraft or Autolite plug wires to last the longest and give the least problems.....the ignition coil pack has special connectors which Ford/Motorcraft are the only ones to get it right, they hold

the 4L runs best on FoMoCo/Motorcraft or Autolite double plattinum plugs, easily 100k miles on a set....other brands especially the steel tip even with copper core only last 20-50k miles....heat range is critical in these lean burn ECU/PCM controlled engines

too easy to get plug wire crossed, i only do 1 wire at a time, slow but saves fighting with myself and all the cussing when I lose....use spark plug antiseize silicone in each boot and connector....the boots cook and melt on to the old plugs

set Aero on 4 jack stands and rotate each wheel looking for any brake drag or other excessive turning resistance, you may have sticking rear brake wheel cylinder, front brake caliper sticking piston, front brake caliper slide pins-(did you lube with hi temp brake grease?), transfer case binding, front or rear axle binding?

are you still getting the 618 code?

 

I hate to say it too, as I once pitched a complete set of premium Bosch wires on my Aerostar after 6 months, the last two months after dealing with snail-like, gutless, loaded down with 30 sandbags, 345,857 mile '75 Chevy Vega Wagon-like performance.
Use, MOTORCRAFT cap, rotor, WIRES (especially) and Motorcraft or Autolite plus ONLY. Please heed this advice.

Sometimes, when disconnecting the (-) neg. cable, the computer needs 15-20 miles of driving, to "re-think" it's engine's signals. After, you should be set to go.
Also, make sure your throttle plate is clean (Use the CRC Spray, specifically made for this), and make sure your boots from the air filter, to the throttle plate, are all tight, and not sucking air... Ed

 

Thanks guys, I will try all this. I did change one wire at a time because last time I did cross the two that are mismatched from the coil pack to the corresponding cylinder position. My intake and throttle plate are freshly cleaned. I don't think its a brake problem as it is OK with partial throttle. I will rechange the plugs and maybe put all the bosch wires on. Should be able to do it in 40 minutes flat by now. I will also change the fuel filter.
Thanks very much, will keep you posted
007BRONCO

 

Just noticed ed had problems with bosch wires so I'll try ford ones. Also I will buy Motorcraft platinum plugs on ebay next time $11.50 CDN EACH! OW!
007BRONCO

 

007 Bronco, here's another thing I liked about Motorcraft Plug Wires, and well worth the extra $12-$15, as compared to the Bosch Wires, at least when I was using Bosch wires some years ago. With Bosch wires, I could never seem to get the wire to connect securely, both on the cap, or the spark plug wire, itself. Some were okay, but there was always at least one, maybe two wires, that would ride up on the cap tower, and that bugged me. With Motorcraft wires: 1) Each wire, was the correct length. None a little to long, or a little too short. All wires, (Motorcraft) gave that undisputed, "no doubt in my mind", 'click' sound, as it connected to the distributor cap tower, and the same with connecting to the spark plug. 'Click' on the plug, in which I knew the plug (cylinder) would get full spark to fire the plug. 2) Sometimes I was removing Motorcraft plug wires with 65,000 miles on them, still delivering acceptable engine performance. Then, when running aftermarket plug wires, after 3,000-4,000 miles you start to notice issues, lazy performance, or even a miss, etc. when using all accessories at cold start (headlights, wipers, radio, defrosters, (or heater) ) on a cold, dark, rainy and damp early morning. Never a thought with Motorcraft wires, & plugs. See my point? Then I'd think, those Motorcraft wires gave me 60,000+ miles of service...guess what? I'm slapping another set of Motorcrafts on there, for another 60K of worry-free service, and will gladly pay the less than $20 difference in price, for this "piece of mind". This is my opinion, and my experience with those two products, 007.
The $11.50 Canadian is terrible for MC Plats!!!! (spark plugs) The highest I've seen them are $3.99 a plug, and I thought that was high. I have used Autolite Single Plat. plugs, with excellent results, including passing three CA Smog Tests, with the rear wheels turning on my Aerostar, and a "sniffer" tube crammed up the poor Aerostar's tailpipe! (Smog inspections, are bi-annually, or every other year, for those of you in Rio Linda, CA :>) )
007, your choice of Mobil 1 oil is fine (run 5w30 or 10w30) including a fresh PCV valve, the later, I replace once a year whether it needs one or not/... Ed

PS Important, 007: Don't forget what I said about cleaning your throttle plate. Fords and the generally inferior gasoline available today, = deposits in this area, that will rob overall engine performance on the 3.0 and 4.0 V6's, and slice 1-3 MPG's if neglected.
Keep us posted!!! Ed

 

try ebay canada for Autolites APP765 double plats, manuf. of Motorcraft
approx $5 cdn ea inc shipping out of Ontario