Just put this on my door as well, I too had to grind the head off but once installed the door rolls great. Great find!!

This guy must be thinking..."wow, these bearings are going like hotcakes"

 

The bearing got grease, the door latches and hinges got the WD-40.

 

I won't even buy the stuff anymore..Takes stickers off good..

 

Yeah don't use WD 40 as a lube, it is terrible for that. It is too thick to break rusty bolts free (use PB Blaster instead) and too light to properly lubricate hinges and latches, it just runs off and attracts dirt (use white lithium grease instead).

 

Sorry to revive an old thread, but i need it explained a little clearer. I bought that steel bearing on eBay, and took the aluminum bracket off my van. But the shaft through the existing bearing looks too big to fit through the hole in the bearing? I am not sure, since I also did not succeed yet in getting the old one off.

As I understand from rereading this thread, the end of the shaft is supposed to be bigger. The shaft itself fits, after you knock the whole shaft out of the aluminum bracket from the other end!? Then you remove the old, put on the new, and somehow the old shaft will willingly just go back into the bracket after I convince it by hitting with a sledge hammer?

I can definitely try this, but I would like a confirmation from someone who did it, because once I break the bracket apart, it is a one way trip with no turning back until it is fixed.

Meanwhile I chickened out and put the old one back on with lots of grease on it. I also wasn't even sure that I had the right bearing because while the center looks smaller than the shaft, the outside diameter is clearly much larger than the existing roller wheel. Only now after I reread it did I understand what you meant by 'Riding High.' I guess it still works despite being larger (or even works better!)

 

On further search, this thread shows a picture of the original (no longer available) Ford replacement part:

Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - View Single Post - Sliding Door

In it I can finally understand what you meant. The roller is on a thinner shaft with a fat end on one side, and a knurled whatever you call it on the other side that can be hammered out, and probably back in too!

Will try it tomorrow.

 

Do I really need to heat the bracket to get out the shaft? I don't own a torch, so that could be complicated.

 

No, though heat does help break down the locktite compound. Enough force will pop it right off.

 

Let us know how it works for you..
Dick

 

FYI for anyone who wants to try this - banging alone did not help. It did break off the old bearing and wheel (big deal) but the pin did not budge. I got a torch and what a difference, it started coming out on the first bang already.

Anyway, I successfully changed the wheel and it rolls great again.

Except I got myself into some trouble now. I decided to take the opportunity to adjust the door to close up a rather large gap at the back edge. I was able to see out the crack in the door from my rear-view mirror while driving. So I pulled in the rear lock pin (or whatever you call it.) That worked nicely, except that now the latch is very tight. Both of the handles - inside or out, are hard to pull to release the latch. Then the door jumps out and drops half an inch to it's rolling position. In other words, when engaging the latch, the front edge of the door bounces a half inch up into a locking position.

I tried some other adjustments - like the bottom bracket Up/Down and In/Out, and the top bracket In/Out. What other adjustments are there? And is there a proper procedure?

I have the factory service manual on DVD somewhere, but I can't find it right now.

 

While I love the Aerostar, I still maintain that the sliding door is its Achilles Heel.

The slider on my 96 works great, but I had a lot of difficulty with it on the 95. I adjusted that thing all over the place and replaced all the rollers at one time or another. I even welded an extra bracket to the forward end of the middle track (where it curved into the rear post) to stop it twisting down when the weight of the door was on it because the latch hit the lock post too low. The only time it truly worked well was after I shimmed the latch away from the rear edge of the door with washers, and adjusted the door forward in the opening. This set-up resulted in a large gap at the rear edge of the door and a small gap with the front door. But it worked! Until the rollers wore out again...

In my case function was more important than appearance.

When the door is closed, look in that rear gap & see how the latch is engaging the post. If the latch is hard to release, it may be jamming on the head of the pin: one latch cam plate is on the post under the head of the pin & the other is over the top of the pin, jamming the pin head between the cam plates. Shimming the latch with washers solved that problem for me.

Don't leave the door in this condition - the release rod inside the door pushes the release arm on the latch at an angle. If the latch is jammed tight, the release arm will bend rather than pivot. Then the only way to release the door is to remove the inner panel, cut a hole in the interior sheet metal of the door & reach in (you will bleed - get a tetanus shot) to stabilize the release arm while somebody else pulls the handle. I still have scars.

I also remember putting a penny between the adjustable parts of the lower front roller bracket to create a bit of an upward angle & raise the front edge of the door. That was a long time ago & I don't remember if I left it there or it was just a trial & error thing.

 

I have to agree with you. Have owned enough Aerostars. My mom's '92 we never got the door right, and while nothing ever broke on that one, you had to slam it fairly hard to get it to shut. My brothers had a few issues and broke the track. It got shimmed and repaired, and with the right height adjustments, it works pretty smooth. My van was smooth but required some firmness. The '95 to replace my mom's '92 works perfectly.

 

I moved the van to a more level surface than my driveway, and greased the latch, track, and everything I could imagine. It is working much better now. (Or is that for now?)

 

Can anyone help me with this one? My door is now stuck shut from "hard slides". Right before it locked up,the top cam/claw of the latch would sometimes get knocked into the closed position by the striker post before camming around the post.I could pry it open with a screwdriver and re-slide the door shut,but now the lock is stuck.I mean the slider is closed but not completely locked.I think the bottom claw is locked around the post but the top has rotated 180* and is keeping the door from shutting completely.I can get a slim punch or screwdriver in to it but can't see anything.
Anybody have any ideas that can help me get the latch unlocked?

 

There are two possibilities that I can imagine. Either it is just jammed, or still locked. If jammed, pull the handle and have someone try pushing from the inside at both the front and back edges. If still locked, try pushing, pulling, or lifting the door before pulling the latch to release some of the tension on the latch.

But these are just guesses.