I actually saw one when I was shopping for an Aero. It had a loud exhaust noise and the sales person said that it needed a new muffler. I looked underneath the passenger side and saw a gapping hole blown out just before the cat. Plus the half used quarts of oil in the storage compartments told me to stay away from that Aero.


Like what has been said, usually something else goes terribly wrong for a while before the cat goes.

 

Thanks for the picture, now what its somewhere behind the alt?. I have a feeling the 94 has a clogged cat and I hav'nt figured out the 96 it may be a clogged fuel filter since it also has hard start..

 

The Schrader valve is at the left front corner of the fuel rail. It is almost immediately below the throttle bell crank. I was able to get to it without removing anything; I reached over the intake snorkel, just past and below the heater pipes. The valve has a black cap on it, so it may be hard to see without a strong light.

 

Well I couldn't find the fuel schrader valve. I found the braided hose that goes to a connector type thing right behind the throttle body but no valve...On the 96 I'm restoring the 2 bank o2 sensor isn't working..Stuck on .375 volts. The idle is about 900 rpm that seems alittle high to me. The IAC looks new...


Dick

 

Sorry about the misdirection; I just checked my car, and the valve is located behind the fuel pressure regulator, which is where that braided hose comes out of. It's on the left side when looking from the front. If you look there carefully, you will see the coil pack; the valve is in front of and below that.

 

the hot neutral idle for 4L is 750>810 rpm
best to measure with scanner TSS value

steady 0.375v reading on bank 2 which is the rear O2 sensor is correct. it does not switch voltage like the front O2 sensor does.

the rear sensor is just a CAT efficiency monitor and does not adjust air/fuel mix. if it fails or CAT fails to reduce emissions, all that happens is it sets a code and the CEL

in fact, one can exchange the rear sensor for a failed front one and still drive on with no engine performance issues.
just will not pass emissions testing, will show up on their tests as fail code for cat check sensor

the FP release valve on the 4L Aero is tough to get at, more feel than see.

will the engine rev to max rpm in neutral. post it's max neutral rpm and max stall speed in drive to forum.
park with nothing in front of rig. set parking brake to max. hold brake pedal down hard. put into drive and monitor rpm while holding gas pedal to floor. do for only 5>10 seconds max to test engine performance and transmission and then let engine cool for 5 minutes at idle.
for 4L should be 2454>2833 rpm
test in each shift position to test all sections of tranny
any tests out of range will indicate engine performance issues or problem in certain section of tranny

 

An update.. Found the schrader valve ,I had to order a adapter to attach to my hose for ford.. So the van definetly is lacking power,the 96. the 94 is perm off the road I will use it for parts. I put tires from the 94 to the 96 brakes looked good..I'm going to put new shocks on the 96 they are whooped. No check eng or abs light ever HMMMM
Codes egr I'll get the number. emerbrake disconnected at front I have to look at it. Need a hitch. Ac compressor is siezed. 94's should fit. Gotta check toe..How to get rear washer out where is it? Seems like alot but not really..

Thanks everyone

Dick

 

Oh yea the tranny goes from rev to d slower than it should its also overfull..


Dick

 

If your transmission is sluggish, I wonder if it's slipping too much? I've always suspected that with mine, as I hear the engine whine up first when I step on the gas, and then the vehicle starts moving, slowly. My other van will move up to speed with the whining noise.

 

Continuous update: Got the 96 registered and took it for a ride. Not bad steered straight, tranny was good, Shocks are gone,I knew that. Engine was fine. No heat so I replaced the thermostat. After the thermo replacement after topping up I shut the engine down 10 mins later it wouldn't start. Seemed like no fuel. Pulled the filter and checked it it was new NP. Pressure blowing all over when I took the line off..So go figure. I pulled the batt term thinking this thing was so used to running cold that it learned to. It starts now but sometimes it kinda limps and then catches..As soon as I get my fuel pressure adapter in the mail I will get to the bottom of this..


Dick

 

Another update
Got the shocks changed.. Got the sliding door replaced, Now to the fuel pressure.. The ford adapter cost $2.45. well worth it. I have pretty sad pressure. 27psi at idle. When you get on it it goes to 20 psi. Filter is fine..I'm thinking pump cause its noisey.


Dick

 

Yea, a noisy pump is usually a sign that it is on it's way out.

 

you've found it 99, explains all the symptoms

check the lines for any crushed points and bent crimp offs, also the neoprene sections for softness and internal breakdown first before all the work of pulling the tank

can also be the fuel pres. reg. sticking open too far and returning too much fuel. simple vacuum controlled spring return valve that breaks down over time.

i see more problems in this area now that the gas has all went to E10 in the last 2 years.
lost power and mileage from the ethanol
fuel pump problems
fuel filter plugs

the guys with the big V10 gas Fords just hate the stuff, lost much of their hill pulling torque.

friend has a Mustang Cobra toy with the 4 cam V8 horsepower monster under the hood. Ford dealer techs can't get it to run right on our garbage fuel. runs fine on Canadian gas.

my Aero mileage has dropped noticible, adds up at $3.50 a gal.
thank you Washington DC

 

Check the vacuum line on the fuel pressure regulator to see if there is any fuel in it. If so, its diaphragm is leaking, and you need to replace the regulator. Try a junkyard special first.

If that doesn't help, then you really do need to replace the fuel pump. Get a new replacement for this.

Dropping the tank wasn't that bad,as I recall. I had to jack up the driver's side of the van to get some room, disconnect the fuel line, and then slowly lower the outside of the tank enough to get at the electrical connectors to separate them. Then it was a simple matter of unscrewing a huge threaded ring that held the mounting plate to the tank. The whole assembly came out pretty easily; I don't remember having to jock the pump through baffle chambers like on my Mustang.

You can also thank the produce lobbyists, specifically those representing corn growers, for the heavy push into ethanol based fuels. Plus, the way they're getting ethanol from corn is much less efficient than it can be, so you get to pay extra in at least 2 ways.

 

Thanks guy's. I ordered a new pump for $36.00 on ebay what a deal..This one is way too loud to keep anyway..I'll check the regulator. Wheres the vac line,on the bottom?
Update: today sun after snowboarding I brought the van into the garage for an oil change. I sprayed the tank bolts with croil and looked at the rear brakes. I had to rip the rear drums off to get the adjusters out to free them up. Now the brakes feel like new..I even got the bleeders free and flushed the fluid. Lotsa anti sieze on everything..by the way the van took us to the mountain to do some shredding and brought us back home..Code 1443 evap I think keeps comming up so I need to look it up...


Dick