# what the heck is wrong with my van?



## jessman (Oct 24, 2006)

So for a few weeks now, my van has had trouble shifting gears. It is a 92 Ford aerostar with auto transmission.


I put a quart of transmission fluid in last week (took an hour to put it in, cause the dumbass who designed the aerostar decided to have a completly horizontal trans fluid tube, so no gravity pushes the liquid down.)

The van ran good for a day, and then went back to hardly being able to shift gears. here is what happens:


When I start thje van up to go somewhere and put it into reverse, I have to slam on the gas, until finally it kicks in, and lurches backwards. Then I get to the highway or traffic light and have to stop, and when I need to go again, I have to hit the gas for about 15 seconds before it kicks into gear and lurches forward

If I am stopped at a light, and am on a downhill slope, my van will jsut die, and I have to turn it off and back on again.


While I am driving down the road, if it has to shift into 3rd, 4th, etc gear, the engine will just rev loudly for a bit, then finally shift into gear. 

This problem is very bad, because if I am at a red traffic light going uphill, as soon as it turns green, and I need to go, my van will start rolling backwards, since if won't go into 1st gear immediatly!! Luckily no one has been that close behind me that I have slid into them, but who knows how long that luck will last.


----------



## screen317 (Mar 23, 2006)

My father had a '92 Aerostar for quite a while. Unfortunately, the transmission was horrible on it after 8+ years of use. He often complained about the horizontal transmission fluid tube.

Unfortunately, I can't really help you with regards to your shifting problem, but at red lights going up hill, I would suggest keeping one foot on the brakes until you hear the van finally shifting into first; hopefully that would prevent any crashes with cars behind you.

1992 was a horrible year for Ford in general. Best of luck with your car.


Hopefully someone else can offer more assistance than me.


----------



## qldit (Mar 26, 2007)

Good Afternoon jessman, I am not familiar with that particular vehicle but your description is inline with a transmission that is past it's "useby date".

There are however a couple of things you could try, firsly you need to ensure that transmission is correctly filled, to check this it is generally done after ensuring the torque converter and all the clutchpaks are properly filled with oil, to do this it simply means selecting each gear and ensuring they engage and load the engine, then shut the engine off and at the "speed of light" pull the dipstick and check it properly. (wipe and recheck) Top up as needed.

Smell the fluid on the stick for any burning smell.

Now the problem you describe is generally caused (assuming the fluid oil level is correct) by worn clutches and other components including seal leakage in those components. Most of these seals are "O" ring type seals and suffer from surface hardening with age.
There is a substance obtainable from motor supermarkets called "Auto Transmission Conditioner" or a similar name, which is a petroeum product that has the ability to soften seals and helps to overcome these kinds of problems.
It is added to the system and may take a week or so before it has any effect.

In many cases it is quite helpful.

The auto transmission contains a hydraulic pump that provides pressure oil to all these components, leakage is magnified with the desctibed circumstances and is most likely your problem.

In the meantime I would suggest ensuring your handbrake is fully functional and begin re-learning to use it, it could otherwise be more expensive for you that obtaining a new transmission.

Best of luck old chap,

Others will have different ideas.

Cheers, qldit.


----------



## jessman (Oct 24, 2006)

how much are w looking at to fix this the way you descrtibed? Do I need to take it into a mechainc?


Like I said this just started happening about a month ago, and at the time I waited about a week, and then put a quart of transmission fluid in. Everything went fine after that, for about a week, then the troubles started again. I put another quart of fluid in, and it ran fine for awhile, and now it's back to sqaure one.

It's weird that after adding transmission fluid it started working fine again, cause in my last car I had for 2 years, I never once had to put transmission fluid in. Just seems odd that this van could go through a whole quart in a week, and a 94 Buick could last 2 years


----------



## qldit (Mar 26, 2007)

Good Evening jessman, you need to identify what is happening to that oil, it may be gasket leakage or the oil cooling loop to the radiator leaking, either way it should not be using oil.

Low oil level (transmission fluid) can cause the problem you describe by itself, but it is not good to run with low level because overheating and burning can happen, apart from erratic operation.

So that needs investigation before doing anything further.

others will have different ideas.

Cheers, qldit.


----------



## kilombiano (Jan 29, 2008)

Qldt is right,however theres one thing you can try to recondition the seal and gaskets of the tranny. You can go to the autoshop and pick up a bottle of LUCAS for transmissions.It basicaly is a think blend of fluid that mixes with any trans fluid out there, and helps to recondition seals and gasket in the tranny.It is only a temp fix though eventually you are gonna have to take the the trans for repair or so.


----------



## AnthonyStargate (Dec 4, 2007)

*1992 Ford Aerostar van, automatic transmission problem*

It sounds like your problem may be a transmission fluid leak. With an automatic transmission, the fluid actually transfers power from the engine to the axle. If the transmission fluid gets too low, the car simply will not move. Your Ford van has a transmission fluid leak; the old Buick did not have a leak. There’s nothing mysterious there.

On Car Talk, Tom and Ray have said several times that those engine and transmission additives that are supposed to make the seals swell up rarely, if ever, work. 

In all good conscience, you can not drive this van as it is. Whatever it costs to get this transmission problem fixed, it will be money well spent. Otherwise you could have a serious accident. You could be injured along with a car full of people.

Last Saturday night, I was sitting at a stop light in my old Geo. The light turned green, my car stalled. I was starting my car, then bam! The guy behind me had stepped on his gas pedal and read ended me! My car hadn’t moved, but he stepped on the gas pedal anyway. He was driving a 2007 Dodge van. His front bumper cover was cracked and a few pieces had fallen away. I have to get a muffler hanger brazed back on, which he will pay for.

If you keep driving this van as it is, you almost certainly will have an accident and it will be your fault, and rightly so because you knowingly drove a vehicle with such a serious transmission problem. I know this sounds preachy, but you were still driving this van even though it was taking up to 15 seconds to get going. This is something you need to fix right now.

If you have to replace the transmission, you could buy a new transmission, a rebuilt transmission or look for one in a junk yard. If you buy one from a junk yard, you don’t know what problems it may have. A rebuilt transmission is the most balanced way to go. It’s been taken apart and repaired by someone who knows what he’s doing. New transmissions are beau coup expensive.

On the other hand, it’s a 1992 van, so it’s quite old, and it’s a 1992 Ford, not a machine known for its wonderful reliability. Personally, if I were in that position, rather than throw good money after bad, I would sell it for parts or just junk it and buy a Toyota Corolla. In 1998 Toyota started using timing chains instead of timing belts. And Toyotas are well known for their reliability.


----------



## jessman (Oct 24, 2006)

hmm, I see what your saying. I guess I will start borwsing the apper for some cheap cars.

I doubt I will be able to get more than $200 for this van though  The muffler broke off 2 months ago while I was driving down the highway, and last week, the entire tail pipe came off, and was draggin on the road, so I just pulled the whole pipeline out from under the van, which was easy cause it was just draped over a bar, not bolted, screwed, nailed, or secured in any way to the underbelly of the van.


Also, there are massive rust holes all over, and no interior lining at all on the inside. Had to convince the guy that sold it to me, for him to weld a backseat inside, and he charged me $40 for that! And the backseat has no seatbelts at all! Also, the back cargo door will not open, as the handle is broken.


----------



## BUDFAN8 (Apr 11, 2007)

sounds like your van has seen better days. i would try checking the fluid and filling first. 

pulling the transmission and replaceing pumps, seals, or the entire tranny is going be expensive. if you are not willing to sink alot of money into the van my advise is get rid of it.

when you get ready to dispose of the van drive it to your local scrap metal yard you should get more than 200 for it. the price of metal is up.


----------

