Can the CV axles be removed from the van and still drive, or does the front end need to be hooked up to make it drive?

 

There is no 2wd mode in the 4wd Aerostars. The front end needs to be hooked up in order to drive the van. Otherwise, the 4wd computer will constantly try to lock the center diff, which will burn it out.

 

Yes you do need the front end hooked up, otherwise all of the power will go to the front wheels (path of least resistance) sense the transfer case is an open dif basically.

 

That is what I thought, so I will be pulling the axle out of the parts van and putting it into this one.

 

Just a thought I had, and , it may not apply here, but, back in the "old days", you had to add an additive to rear end fluid when using a Posi/Sure-Grip/Track-Lok differential. If this wasnt done, the symptoms here would appear. Do Aero*'s have a "posi" -type unit in the front diff?

 

No, the Aero's front diff is open.

The stuff added to clutch type limited slip differentials is a "friction modifier"; it's designed to make the gear lube more slippery, so that the clutche plates will more easily slide against the steel plates until some high pressure is reached, where they should lock up. It prevents the clutches from chattering when you drive around turns, and lets them live longer.

The same concept may be applied to gear-based limited slip diffs, or gears in an open diff, where you want them to be sliding all the time. But I've never tried it before. It can't hurt the gears, I guess.

 

Thanks, xlt, for setting me straight. It was just a fleeting thought I had.

Cheers!

 

aka the Stinky Stuff. Any ford parts guy worth his salt will know what you are talking about. If you have an LS rear end I would use it there, otherwise you don't use it in the front or transfer case.

 

Definitely not in the transfer case. Those clutches are electrically engaged, and should not be allowed to slip any more than they are designed to. Also, it just occurred to me that the lube in the front diff and transfer case should be ATF, not gear lube, and may not react well to the friction modifier.