Hi,

I have a 1996 awd 4 litre with 117,000 kms on it. The manual states I can tow 4200 lbs.

has anyone tried towing a travel trailer (aprox dry weight 3000lbs) any distance?

everytime I talk to a mechanic or parts guy they all say I better get used to picking up tranny parts off the road. none of these guys own a van.

so what the real story? I've had the tranny serviced and the van runs well. I have it since it was 6 months old so i know it is a good unit.

help please! I want to go traveling!!!!

 

hello kurt and welcome to the Aero group



mandatory safety items.
rear overloads or air bags and rear sway bar.

for long tranny and engine life.

largest plate and tube tranny ATF cooler that you can fit in front of the radiator. mine is 12"x12"

synthetic ATF; Mobil 1, Redline D4, Amsoil. 11 quarts.

sway control weight equalizer hitch.

electric brake controller and brakes on all trailer axles.

good brakes on the van

search the Aero forum, lots of good info on towing. been done by many.

keep the speed down. tow in 3rd no OD.

 

You have electronic solenoids on a 4r55E transmission ?. The set-up is good many transmissions live a long healthy life of 300,000 miles or more.
A lot depends how you drive it.
Two enemies are heat & slippage. The gearbox has a lock-up device to help with longevity. You also need to make sure you have the extra plate cooler on the transmission. You can also change over to Mercon synthetic Mercon V, I believe is synthetic ATF. Together with 30-40,000 mile ATF changes & filter change you should be good to go. Dont try to stay in overdrive on grades.

 

You should install another transmission oil cooler like one of these:

http://www.summitracing.com/search/P...d=oil%20cooler

Get the biggest plate type cooler that will fit behind the grill. To make room, you will have to remove the factory cooler loop for the power steering fluid. You can re-route that through the factory transmission cooler loop behind the bumper, since you will be replacing that with the new cooler you will be installing.

Then do a full flush of the transmission (see sticky on main page) and refill with a good synthetic ATF.

 

Welcome!

Merc V is a full synthetic so that would work, and is fully compatible with Merc III systems.

By the sounds of it, when you mention to a mechanic or parts guy that you have a mini-van, their mind goes straight to the weak FWD mini-vans out there (Windstar, Caravan, Venture, ect) which have really weak transmisions and are lucky to survive hauling their butts around, let alone a heavy trailers.

The Aerostar was designed with towing in mind. That is why they made it 1/4 ton RWD TRUCK (and why it is listed here )

So far the bases have been covered, Tranny Cooler, recent fluids/filter, rear suspension upgrade/anti-sway bar, and fresh front brakes.

You could not pick a better van out there for towing!

 

thanks for all the info. I have determined that I have the limited slip rear end, and a factory tranny cooler that I will look into upgrading. Also I'll get he synthetic ATF fluid in there.

so what's the deal with the suspension upgrades. are the rear sway bars easy to find and install? With coil suspension in the rear even with an equalizer hitch do I need to upgrade to heavier shocks?

the tongue weight of the trailer will be under 250lbs...

 

The problem is that the Aeros rear suspension is made for ride comfort. When the trailer gets to swaying, the stock Aero suspension lacks stiffness to arrest it, and it can get into a rhythm. Air rides can add the needed stiffness. An anti-sway bar cuts down on body roll, though the AWD models have a 3 link sway-bar from the factory, not the greatest, but it should be ok. Alternatively, the right shock can go a long way towards helping out. The KYB Gas-A-Just is a light truck type shock. It still allows a nice ride, but it is very good at controlling body roll and bouncing.

I have not hauled that much weight in a trailer before, but I have hauled over a ton. With the KYB shocks, I have not had any shimmying or undue body roll.

 

I'll chime in here and agree fully with what's been said before. I regularly tow a 2000lb tent trailer (when it's loaded down with all of our gear) for 400kms round trip on the toughest mountain roads you can experience. I've done this for 6 years in a row.

Get the biggest transmission cooler you can, in addition to the existing one...mine's rated to 5000lbs. and don't tow in Overdrive unless the road is pool-table flat. ANY incline and you'd better get it out of Overdrive quickly! For cheap insurance, before a big tow excursion, I flush out the transmission fluid yearly. Excessive? Possibly - but far cheaper than a rebuilt tranny!

I towed a utility trailer with about 3000lbs of gravel last year for about 80kms, and thereafter my rear really hung low! I'd "blown" the springs (but keep in mind I have 320,000kms on the originals). So maybe if you want the best towing experience if your rear shocks and springs are originals, factor on eventually replacing them. I put new rear shocks on about 4 years ago and the previous owner had redone the front shocks at 180,000.

I didn't upgrade the shocks or springs, merely replaced them with good-as-new - The van is designed to tow, so to keep a smooth ride while I'm not towing I opted for just replacing with as new parts. It actually has a much better ride than before. I haven't put in a rear sway bar because for the driving I do, it doesn't feel like it needs it. My tongue weight is about the same as yours - a little under 200lbs, and even if I really load the trailer and van down it only squats down just a little. For trailer sway, try accellerating just a little - often tames the "wag".

When replacing my tires, I made sure they were light truck tires, not passenger ones at the recommendation of my mechanic. They just handle weight a little better, he says.

Hope it helps!

 

It all helps. thanks. i'm going to start off with the brake controller and wiring harness. this was quoted at about $300. installed.

I will get the tranny cooler + shocks before I take it out of town. I called about the kby shocks as suggested. they are gonna cost me $240 a pair without installation....ouch

still cheaper than buying a new truck though.

 

only use the GasAdjust KYBs, they are high pressure nitrogen monotubes

our site sponsor RockAuto has a sale on right now for KYB shocks for the Aero.
best prices
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php

or try these guys
http://www.shox.com/appguide/shoxsho...ctsdisplay.php

http://www.kybshocksonline.com/Searc...6&appNotes=2WD

spray the shock mount bolts the day before with PB Blaster to cut the bolt rust and smear the ends with grease.

brake controller is easy to put on the Aero, i like the Prodigy proportional.
smooth safe controlled braking.

 

What kind of shocks cost $240 a pair? Koni? Bilstein?

I just got a set of KYB Gas-A-Just from Rock Auto for something like $30 each during their close-out sale.

You need good shocks (dampers) to damp out the suspension motion, especially if you plan to load up the van. Adding stiffer springs or air bags without additional damping will make for a very bouncy, uncontrolled ride. That would be dangerous under normal circumstances, and more so when hauling a trailer.

I have an Addco rear sway bar to help control body roll around turns. It was pretty easy to install. I do not believe it helps much with trailer towing.

To avoid too much swaying with a trailer, you should first make sure that the rubber bushings in that upper rear suspension link are in good condition. That link is about the only thing that provides lateral location of the rear axle. Actually, a rear sway bar of a certain design can help here (but not any of the ones available for the Aerostar). Then having tires with stiff sidewalls, like those light truck tires, will help.

 

I'm in Canada. I called my local NAPA dealer and that's what they quoted me $240 for two kby gas adjust.

I have to call around more. I will prob just order them online and hope that the customs duty doesn't add a big $$ on top.

 

you can get 2 Aero KYB GasAjust shocks from Rockauto for $103US including international shipping and GST

 

van is all wired up now. job was supposed to cost $140. in labour ended up being $350!! Krikey with the parts that was $600. but still cheaper than a new truck.

with the tranny cooler I am going to just shave off the inside of the grill to gain more room and it should just pop right in. then the shocks and away we go.

 

kurt,
i'm in the wrong business.
$350 labor for a 2 hr max wiring job. even with $Canadian it's still high.
hope you got the Tekosa Prodigy for that $250 parts price tag.

saw your high prices this summer when i had my boat up to the N end of Vanc. Is. ripoff fuel dock and marina owner wanted $2Can per L. for 87 octane at the dock and he got it. 50 mile run over gravel logging road for the fuel tanker but still a rip off.
great fishing trip and great people, you Canucks

glad I loaded up with 150 gallon S. of the border.

have fun on the trip. get a run at the hills to give that 4.0L some rpm and get it up above max torque at 2400 rpm. best hill country rpm driving range is 2,400 to 3,500 rpm. it will run all day at 3,000 rpm but lots of engine noise in the cab.