These questions are fodder for my ideal Aerostar - A van that I can drive cross-country in for a few months, see the sights, sleep on the ultra-cheap, and then put to work hauling several loads of people & cargo to/from sites all day.


1) As far as I am aware, the EB Ext AWD can carry a driver & 6 passengers from the factory with dual bench seats. Is it possible to replace the short middle bench with a 3 person bench to carry 7 passengers and still keep the ability to fold both seats down into one big (seamless) bed? Seat belts would have to be functional in all seating positions and the larger bench would have to latch onto the factory latches w/o modifications for insurance reasons.

2) How would passenger access to the rear bench be affected with a larger bench in the middle?

3) Regarding the AWD system, I hear that it's great for increasing stability on slick and otherwise questionable roads, but I've also heard references to something called a "Limited Slip Differential", specifically that it's an option on AWD equipped vans that further increases traction and stability. Is that true? If so, how can I tell if a van has that option? Does it come standard with AWD or not?

4) In the course of researching these vans, MSN Autos has led me to believe that the 1994 model has the best mix of reliability and fuel mileage. Are there any significant differences between the 1992 and 1993 models in comparision? MSN Autos lists minor HP & torque differences for 1992 and slightly lower reliability ratings for both. (4 out of 5 vs. 5 out of 5.) 1995-97 has lower mileage, possibly due to the use of OBD II or different transmissions.

5) What is the highest amperage alternator that can be fitted to the 4.0? As far as I can see, the stock alternator puts out 95 amps.

6) Is there room in the engine compartment to add a transmission & power steering fluid cooler? Those two overheated on my 3.0 during a cross country trip, and I'd like to head off that possibility.

7) I understand that some 4.0 Fords with the A4LD got more durable parts in the transmission from the factory. Is the transmission is this trim set up that way already?

8) Assuming that the van was lightly loaded with a driver and 1 or 2 passengers, how, much weight can the van tow with a proper hitch?

9) For increased visibility during inclement weather, how hard is it to swap out all external lights (except for the headlights) for LEDs?

10) What are my options for better headlights?

11) The sliding door of my dearly departed '93 3.0 didn't handle heavy handed frequent use very well - The handle got stuck in the pulled out position - Is there a way to beef up the door and handle to handle rough & frequent usage? Perhaps the handle could be shaved off & replaced with an electronic remote latch? Or would that be unreliable in frequent usage or when the door got slammed shut?

12) The Aero rides on 14" rubber, which seems a bit small to me. I understand that larger tires & rims are an option. What is the recommended setup for increased handling?

13) Is there anything that I've missed for ways to increase inclement weather predictability & trip/towing reliability?

Thanks!

 

1) Yes, I have done it.

2) Kids must climb over the 2nd row to get to 3rd row.

3) Jack up the rear wheels, put shift lever in N, turn one wheel by hand. If the other wheel turns in the opposite direction, you have a regular differential. If the other wheel turns in the same direction, you have a limited slip differential.

4) Very little difference between 92-95 models.

5) 130 amp from Ford Explorer. I have done this too.

6) There is room for both in front of the condenser. However, I suggest putting in only a big one to replace the stock transmission cooler. Then use the stock cooler for the power steering.

7) I have heard the same, but I have no idea when it was done.

8) What happened to the kids?

9) Don't bother with LEDs. They don't work and are more trouble than they are worth.

10) Convert it back to the old style (80's) sealed beam?

11) That would be kind of hard. I'd just leave the doors alone.

12) Some on this forum have done it. I'm too timid and too cheap, however.

13) Add a rear sway bar?

 

BearCub,

As Copper mentioned, the wide bench for the third row should just snap right into the second row position. The seat belts may be a little tircky, depending on what years car/bench you get, as the later models had shoulder belts for the outer seats.

The Traction-Lok rear end helps tremendously with rear traction over an open rear end. I didn't realize it was only available to AWD models, or that it was optional for the AWD. With AWD and LSD, the van is almost unstoppable in the rain and snow.

You should check the door sticker or your owner's manual for the loading/towing capacity of your van. This topic came up recently, so you should be able to eaisly find it.

There was also a recent discussion about replacing the marker light bulbs with LED retrofits. Don't waste your money, as they do not work very well. Newer cars that were originally designed with LED panels for the marker and signal lights take advantage of their better illumination, longer life, and lower power usage. The only reason to convert over to LEDs on an old car is if their original lights burn out too often, and they're really hard to get at, like on some cars. Even then, you should redesign the system to provide proper illumination with the LEDs. This is a matter of safety.

As Copper mentioned, you can remove the hazy plastic headlight housing assemblies and replace them with the buckets used with standard 200mm rectangular glass sealed beam halogen lights. Then get a pair of Sylvania XtraVision sealed beam bulbs for much better seeing ability. I would also strongly advise installing relays to switch at least the high beams, or your headlight switch might overheat.

For better handling you can move up to 15"*7" wheels from Ranger or Explorer, and run 245/60/15 tires. I hear that the 17"*8" wheels from the Fox4 Cobras will fit as well, but you will need 245/50/17 tires to get close to the correct diameter. A rear sway bar should help handling as well.

 

6) Presumably there would be no problems with flushing out the transmission fluid from the radiator so that it doesn't contaminate the power steering fluid? Or is that un-needed? I have heard that P/S fluid is just standard ATF in some cases.

8) I think you mis-understood slightly. This van would be used to move workers and equipment to & from several job sites daily, with me as a (well) paid driver. I'd of course work with an upholstery shop to get suitable protective coverings for the entire exposed area of the van, as workers can be brutal on the interior with nasty boots/clothes, food & drink, etc.

11) Maybe I could just print up a sign and stick it on the inside of the sliding door. "For your safety, this door does not open from inside. Driver will open door from outside when needed." I might be able to also remove the inside plastic door handle and set the child-safety lock so that it only opens from outside. That way, at least I can control how much abuse the door takes.

Thanks for the informative answers.

 

3) You can check what kind of rear end you have by looking at the door sticker as well. Different codes can be found here:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/4...ight=axle+code

 

I am installing LEDs in my van. You can go with either white LEDs or get seperate colored ones. They are easily found on eBay so long as you have the correct part#s of the original bulbs.

 

Since the vans interior will be subjected to more abuse than normal, I recommend replaceing the carpet with bedliner. It is durable, quiet (not as quiet as carpet however), available in various colors, and when the van needs to be cleaned, you can spray or mop it out.

 

Regarding the rear Traction-Lok, that does offer an improvement over the open diff, but keep in mind that Traction-Lok differentials have relatively short life spans, at least in terms on effectiveness. If the van has better then 100K miles on it, you can bet that the LSD's usefulness is, um, compromised. However, it can be rebuilt or replaced easy enough. Ford still sells them for the 7.5" axle through the Racing catalog. Personally, I'd find an 8.8" axle from an Aerostar and swap that in (a shame that the AWD models didn't have them). That would open your choices up for available LSDs and locker substantially. I would then suggest you install a Torsen or Tru-Trac helical gear type LSD. Beyond that, making sure that the AWD lock-up clutch in the transfer case is functioning properly is important. Without it, you just have an open center diff. Between the properly functioning AWD system, a (good) rear LSD, and appropriate tires, the AWD Aerostar is as close to unstoppable as you can get without low range and big tires...

About the 3-row bench, it easily does snap into the 2nd row position. However, it will not fold out into a fully flat bed like you're looking for. For Ford's camper seating option, the 2-person second row bench not only folded out flat, but also slid forward slightly so that the laid-out back would just come up flush with the 3rd row seat cushion. The third row seat, however, only folded out flat. So basically, if you used two third row benches, the seat back of the forward one would sit on top of the seat bottom cushion of the rearward one instead of laying down flat next to it. That would make for a pretty big bump in the bed. In order for the bed function to work properly, you need both the 2-person 2nd row and the 3-person 3rd row seats together. BTW, with that seating configuration, you have 2 + 2 + 3 = 7 seats, not 6. Having two 3-person benches would give you 8 seats.

Lastly, improving the headlights. What I'd suggest is converting the flush-mount "aero" headlights to the earlier sealed beam type lamp. Then replace the actual sealed beam lamp units with E-code H4 bulb holder lamps, like the ones Hella makes (www.rallylights.com/hella/200mm.asp). I did this with the van I had and can tell you that it was well worth the effort. Also, take the opportunity to rewire the headlight circuit with a relay near the front of the engine bay and heavier-gauge wires to feed the power to the bulbs. Doing that will allow you to run 55w/100w low/hi beams or even 80/100w bulbs. The extra wattage on high beam would be a great bonus, since you're now using lamps with well-designed reflectors that can actually make use of the extra output. Anyway, I did write-up about the conversion process a while back, you can read it here:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/436450-headlight-swap-lengthy-how-to.html?highlight=hella+conversion

 

Regarding the rear Traction-Lok, that does offer an improvement over the open diff, but keep in mind that Traction-Lok differentials have relatively short life spans, at least in terms on effectiveness. If the van has better then 100K miles on it, you can bet that the LSD's usefulness is, um, compromised. However, it can be rebuilt or replaced easy enough. Ford still sells them for the 7.5" axle through the Racing catalog. Personally, I'd find an 8.8" axle from an Aerostar and swap that in (a shame that the AWD models didn't have them). That would open your choices up for available LSDs and locker substantially. I would then suggest you install a Torsen or Tru-Trac helical gear type LSD. Beyond that, making sure that the AWD lock-up clutch in the transfer case is functioning properly is important. Without it, you just have an open center diff. Between the properly functioning AWD system, a (good) rear LSD, and appropriate tires, the AWD Aerostar is as close to unstoppable as you can get without low range and big tires..

About the 3-row bench, it easily does snap into the 2nd row position. However, it will not fold out into a fully flat bed like you're looking for. For Ford's camper seating option, the 2-person second row bench not only folded out flat, but also slid forward slightly so that the laid-out back would just come up flush with the 3rd row seat cushion. The third row seat, however, only folded out flat. So basically, if you used two third row benches, the seat back of the forward one would sit on top of the seat bottom cushion of the rearward one instead of laying down flat next to it. That would make for a pretty big bump in the bed. In order for the bed function to work properly, you need both the 2-person 2nd row and the 3-person 3rd row seats together. BTW, with that seating configuration, you have 2 + 2 + 3 = 7 seats, not 6. Having two 3-person benches would give you 8 seats.

Lastly, improving the headlights. What I'd suggest is converting the flush-mount "aero" headlights to the earlier sealed beam type lamp. Then replace the actual sealed beam lamp units with E-code H4 bulb holder lamps, like the ones Hella makes (www.rallylights.com/hella/200mm.asp). I did this with the van I had and can tell you that it was well worth the effort. Also, take the opportunity to rewire the headlight circuit with a relay near the front of the engine bay and heavier-gauge wires to feed the power to the bulbs. Doing that will allow you to run 55w/100w low/hi beams or even 80/100w bulbs. The extra wattage on high beam would be a great bonus, since you're now using lamps with well-designed reflectors that can actually make use of the extra output. Anyway, I did write-up about the conversion process a while back.

 

The headlamp conversion upgrade is here:
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/43...lla+conversion

 

Here is a picture of my tailights which use colored LEDs. I just thought I would try something different.

<img src='http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-3/972976/IMG_0393.JPG' width=640 height=480 >

This picture was taken in broad daylight and is actually about the same brightness as the colored lenses were.

 

Khanty....I have been wondering about the LEDs and a clear taillight lens myself. Is there a red film on the inside? or how did you get it clear? In regards to the LEDs....what about the resistance? are they compensated for the resistance that a normal bulb would have? If not there could be a problem with the cruise, couldn't there?

Klaus Cook
Houston, Texas

 

many of the online auto LED retailers sell 10w resistors that load the brake lamp circuit for correct current draw for cruise and other cirucits...only one needed on circuit...put in location of good air flow for cooling

believe some years of aeros came with clear tail/brake light lens

 

I purchased the clear lenses on eBay. They are manufactured by APC. The plastic casting is not as good as OEM, but very little is. The LEDs are not loaded, which does cause rapid blinking. I do not know about the its affect on the cruise, because my cruise doesn't work at the moment anyway. Clockspring I suspect. The LEDs are clear, but they light up in color. You can also buy conventional bulbs that have a colored film on them. You can also buy them with a chrome film that makes them white, but they still light up in color.

 

high power clear multi LED in a single brake light bulb base are also avail. online

say the new H. Accord with the multi LED combined brake/tail light....uses high V. on brake and lower voltage on tail L......burns the eyeballs on Brake but would be great thru the fog, snow and hvy rain...a life saver

i wired up 30 hi intensity clear LEDs on perf board and sealed in epoxy for my overhead center brake after the cheap sockets corroded and broke...works well...can see twice as far....attention getter