Hi,
New poster/member.

We just bought an 87 Aerostar XLT (really really REALLY cheap)
it has been sitting for about 2 years, the previous owner said they started it last year sometime, and the only problem they had with it previously was that it would stall if under 1/3 tank of gas , or on long road trips. (i was thinking it is the tfi module) But haven't gotten that far yet, i have very LITTLE auto knowledge. so be gentle.
I had to jump start it and brought some starter fluid and 5 gal or 89 octane fuel, as long as i give it intermittent shots from the starter fluid it runs and or idles, the longer i kept tinkering with it the better it seemed to get, just keeping it running with the fluid. after a couple of hours, it woul even start on its own , and stay running as long as i fan the gas pedal. but without the starter fluid it wont exceed 2-3000 rpm's out of gear, doesnt have enough power to drive more than a couple feet, and will eventually die if left at an idle (mind you, you have to fan the gas pedal to accomplish any of this.) in keeping with the K.I.S.S. method, where do i start?

thank you in advance for any help.
P.S. i do not have acess to a repair manual or any diag tools
dont have the money right now or i would take it to a mechanic.

 

Hi Vittorioo1:

Welcome to our FTE forum

The first thing I would do is clean the Idle Air Control Valve and the MAF to see where that goes.

Then I'd look into changing oil, tranny fluid, plugs and wires, etc... all the fun stuff

Enjoy and again welcome to the group.

 

You might want to think about draining the gas tank and cleaning it out. The strainer on the fuel pump might be gummed up, and you know the fuel filter needs to be changed ASAP.

 

As copper and Aero said, do the obvious stuff first, plugs (properly gapped), wires, cap and rotor, ALL filters. Next, get your codes read for free. We have Auto Zone here in California. Sounds to me like you have an ignition pick-up that needs replacing.

 

Cooper! There is no MAF under the hood of '87 aero! MAP only!

So, Vittorio, clean IAC, add new gas, ore drain old and add new, replace all the spark plugs (difficult to do it first time, so read all the other threads about it, and the best for you way to replace them depends on lenth and thickness of your hands...), air and oil filters, fuel filter (and one inside the tank), lubricate everething (especially u-joints)... And try to start and drive!

ANd dont forget to maintain auto...

Have fun to drive it....

 

Cleaned most of the sensors i could see on the throttle body. replaced the fuel filter. put in clean fuel. kept stalling out after about 30 min. replaced ignition module(tfi) and in the process found an ungodly amount of corrosion/rust/build up on the coil. gonna have to wait and do that and the plugs and distributor stuff till next paycheck. but since replacing the ignition module it quit stalling. can drive it. still sputters and loses power if you accelerate too fast, cant get her over 70mph but gonna wait and see what the tune up stuff does before i go gettin all paranoid. it is definitley worth the 150 bucks i paid for it. needs alot of other stuff done to it so i am sure i will be back here.

Thanks for your help guys, my last vehicle was/is a 1974 truck, HUGE difference. I was really clueless on this thing.

 

With bad sparks aero runs bad with puer MPG... Do plugs before drive... Gas is too expencive

 

Ohh and P.S. where the heck is the MAF? i know what it looks like (i think) just not where to look.

 

THERE IS NO MAF in '87 aero! Air flow is calculeted with air temperature sensor and manifold absolute pressure sensor (MAP). MAF is smarter, but MAP + IAT is more reliable...

 

Grr sorry. Meant to say MAP.

 

Don't know if the 87 has a SPOUT connector, but if it does make sure the jumper plug is installed. Without it you are not going to get any timing advance at all. The SPOUT connector is located (looking into the engine compartment) at the top edge where the big bundle of wires is, just off to the drivers side. It is a small rectangular connector with a plug in it (approx 3/4" square).