Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

Has anyone pulled the 4.0 from a 93 AWD Aerostar? I am comtimplating doing that in the next year. I have pulled & swapped many engines so this is not a first. I have the Ford factory book and it tells how to remove the front bumper and all the other items and use an engine lift. The questions I have are even with the everthing removed enlcuding the intake how to you fit an engine lift in there and have enough room for the arm to lift? Another way is to let Ford do it. Has anyone had their engine pulled and rebuilt by Ford? Any problems and what was the cost? Are there any new 4.0 engines available for my van? Rather than rebuilding and what is their cost?

Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

Hi, on my 89 which looks the same they tell you to drop the frame out from under the truck then you have all kinds of room. they said to jack it up unbolt the subframe and lower it to the ground roll it out from under the body replace the engine and reinstall. (SOLD MINE) JOHN (FATFORTY)


P.S. it will NOT fit thru the front of the truck!!!!

Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

The engine comes out the front- I pulled mine last year. I worked on these things as a Ford tech, so it was no big deal. At work, we used a good engine lift and put the front of the van up on jackstands to help with the engine lift arm angle. At home I used a tractor loader with a steel beam (about 2"x3"x6foot) bolted to the bucket. Mine is a 1990.

Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

Thanks for the reply on the engine. About how many hours did it take to pull and replace? The main reason I'm thinking about pulling and rebuilting is it has 116000 miles and the intake manifold gasket is leaking causing no. 5 plug to burn oil ( A quart every 500 miles). If I am going to go thru the hassle of pulling the intake(which looks tough because of the space restrictions)I should go ahead and pull the engine. How tough is it pulling the lower intake manifold in the van? Do you recommend the Ford OEM gasket? Avanti

Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

I just got done pulling out the fuel injectors on my Aerostar last week, and pulling the intake shouldn't be that much more difficult. I would say that it wasn't that hard although it did take me quite a while. It took me about 3 hours to get the injectors out and another three hours to put them back in. I took my time, had I taken shortcuts and tried to hurry more, I'm sure I could have done it in less time.

Anyway, getting the manifold out and back in shouldn't be much worse but the manual says you'll need to remove the valve covers (not a better idea from Ford if true). Personally, I wouldn't remove the engine and rebuild it unless there are signs of major trouble. The 4.0 engine will go 200K+ miles with good maintenance.

Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

I don't understand how a leaking intake manifold gasket cold cause #5 plug (or any plug) to burn oil. As far as I know there is no oil passage into the intake manifold. Your only leak should be air. If #5 and only #5 is burning oil maybe you should diagnose to see if it is a valve guide seal which should be easier to replace than the manifold.

Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

Well I hope you are right and I am wrong. I read some info on the board where the 4.0's sometimes have intake gaskets that fail and Ford has a new one out. This topic was under the Explorer area. One individual said his # 5 plug was burning oil and he tightened the lower intake and fixed the oil useage problem. Maybe he was all wet. My # 5 plug was not black sooty but packed with white carbon. All my others were like new. Van runs great but uses some oil. No smoke & very little leakage. I guess I need to run the old compression check? I have done valve seals replacements on V8s before but I had plenty of room. Any ideas? Thanks

Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

Avanti: I very well could be wrong. Can you test for leak? Usu starting fluid sprayed along crevices will cause surge in idle if there is a vacuum leak (but getting back in there is the problem). Can you try like the one individual and just tighten the lower intake? If #5 is burning the oil wouldn't the plug be blackened, not whitened? Usually a repair manual will have charts to diagnose the spark plug coloration/wear patterns. Forget the valve stem seal. "Van runs great but uses some oil. No smoke & very little leakage." Sounds like your engine is in fairly good shape. How much oil does it use? My wife's 3.0 Aerostar goes through a quart every 1,500 miles, but does not foul plugs and it runs fine. It always has used this much oil.

Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

It uses a quart every 600 to 700 miles.I bought it with 57000 miles on it in 97 and mainly put highway miles. I change the oil every 2000-3000 miles or 2 to 3 months. When I got it it was using a quart every 1200 miles. I looked at the spark plug color code and it does not look like oil being burned based on the colors in the shop books. I do have a few drops of oil beneath the car under the rear seal. Even with rear seals leaking in a 400 cu inch Ford v8 I got better oil mileage. Well it is either burning or leaking.I guess the best thing is run a comprssion check this spring. Thank You.

Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

It's gotta be a bear to test compression on that engine. I heard that if it runs smoothly, then all cylinders likely are close to each other in compression. If the compression were too low it would be lacking noticably in power. I suppose one cyl could be off quite a bit and not show up in the above seat-of-the-pants test. Your oil consumption is rather excessive, but may be a combination between what the engine may be using (like my wife's Aerostar, though how I don't know) and what is leaking out the rear seal. Any way to test rear seal? May leak more under load. Is oil all blown back along the bottom of the truck from the rear seal area? If so, replacing the rear seal (which I understand there is a trick to do it without removing the crankshaft) may show a marked decrease in oil consumption. If it were mine I'd have it over to my mechanic, but that only works if you have a good mechanic. Hope to hear the final fix when you get that far.

Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

if you havn't looked into it already, that you make sure the PCV valve and system is fuctioning correctly and that the crankcase isn't being pressureized by cylinder blow-by causing the rear seal to leak. You may get lucky.

-Mark Paar


>It uses a quart every 600
>to 700 miles.I bought it
>with 57000 miles on it
>in 97 and mainly put
>highway miles. I change the
>oil every 2000-3000 miles or
>2 to 3 months. When
>I got it it was
>using a quart every 1200
>miles. I looked at the
>spark plug color code and
>it does not look like
>oil being burned based on
>the colors in the shop
>books. I do have a
>few drops of oil beneath
>the car under the rear
>seal. Even with rear seals
>leaking in a 400 cu
>inch Ford v8 I got
>better oil mileage. Well it
>is either burning or leaking.I
>guess the best thing is
>run a comprssion check this
>spring. Thank You.

Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

Thanks will check out the PVC system. I did put in a new PVC valve last summer. I guess I should check for plugged or restricted hoses. Thanks for the idea. To change the rear seal I have the pull the transmission as it as the o ring seal like the 2.9 V6 & 302 V8.

Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I think you're on the right track with the intake gasket. I wouldn't pull the engine unless I really had to. A big job. I'd do the intake gasket in the van first.

Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

Have you puled the engine? I have a 93 4.0 that Got hot to the point of warping a head prety bad. Now the engine has to come out. By the way, I found out the hard way that if the coolant drops below the temp sensor the sensor will read ambient. It never really got hot that I saw, just finally dropped a couple of cylinders. I talked to the Areostar guy at the local dealer, he said that they used to take the engines out the bottom, but they now take them out the front. He said it's a lot easier. I'd be interested if anyone has done this and how difficult it really is. I've changed engines before, but usually I can at least see what I'm working on. Ford tells me I can get a remanufactured long block from them for $2300. Local shop tells me $1600 to do my engine. They say that Ford no longer sells the 4.0 new crate motor. any comments?

Aerostar 4.0 engine removal
 

Are you going to pull the engine or have someone els do it? Any idea what that cost is? The local repair shop price sounds about right as does the Ford. If you find any crate engine let me know.Gettting in their looks like a bear. I guess you have to pull the upper intake before pulling the engine. Is your van an AWD? Thanks for the info.