I can't start my 1993 Aerostar since it overheated.

Hi all,

I recently purchased this van, first ford i've ever owned so i know very little about them. anyhow, about a week back i broke down on the way to work, turned out to be a sizable gash in my lower radiator hose, after the engine cooled completely i was able to start it up and drive it to a safe spot about a mile away.from there i called and got a ride back into town and bought a new hose which left me broke, returned to van and replaced old hose. was only able to put a couple gallons of water in radiator due to there being no water supply nearby (hadnt expected that) anyhow, i was approx 8 miles from where i needed to be in order to get a tow thru AAA, with only one steep hill about 2 miles in (half mile long) to worry about, downhill the rest of the way. as i neared top of the rise, temp gauge began climbing quickly so i pulled over at top. let engine cool off once again, got a gallon of coolant from generous passerby and added to radiator once cooled down. no leaks present. at this point tried to get van to start but it refused to turn over, so i ended up putting in neutural and coasting the next 6 miles downhill and then pushing van 2/10th mile to get to my AAA 7 mile range. van later towed home. today was my first chance to take a look at it other than trying to start it a couple times with no luck earlier in the week. I was guessing blown head gasket initially, but no water present in oil, topped off radiator, no leaks present, tried to start it but wouldnt turn over, ended up pulling first 2 spark plugs on driver side( only easy ones to get to it appears) both were in good shape but drenched with gasoline. I've never run across this before nor heard of happening, not on an EFI engine anyway.

So here are my questions:
1) is it even possible to flood an EFI engine this badly under normal circumstances?

2) could the fuel regulator be to blame?

3) aside from pulling the rest of the plugs and cleaning, what other things should i consider taking a closer look at being the primary cause?

Ive got a chiltons repair manual for this van but its not very informative whatsoever. Cant afford to take to a shop anytime soon so if anyone out there can point me in the right direction I may be able to make the repairs myself. just not sure what to look for yet.

all suggestions welcome,

thanks,

Welcome to this forum! I don't think that the head gasket is blown. You said that the engine doesn't turn over. Did you check the battery, terminals, and the starter? How old is the starter?

I can't start my 1993 Aerostar since it overheated

Battery is new, cleaned the terminals about a month ago, and starter cranks over with no problems although i have no idea how old it is. I hope to get some time in the next day or so to pull the rest of the sparkplugs, check out their condition, see if they too are drenched with gas. clean them all up and re-install and see what happens. go from there i guess... I'll keep ya'll posted as to my results.

when you turn the ignition switch to start before cranking, do you hear the fuel pump charging for a fraction of a second ? it sounds like: "mmmmmmm-click"

if not, check the IFCS (Inertia Fuel Cutoff Switch) to see if it has tripped. It's just like a residential service panel Breaker, but instead of a up/down switch, it has a push-button.

on rare situations they might tripp. Located on the front passenger side, above and behind kick panel. Test by pushing button down, if you hear it "click", the IDCS was tripped.

You must do a compression test. If the heads got soft when hot, then they need to milled at least, if not replaced.

Did you get it started?

hey all,

sorry i havent updated before now but sufficed to say.....life's a ***** and shes in heat!
so to answer a few questions.... starter is good, terminals and battery good, enertia switch checked-good, pulled all the plugs and discovered all were soaked with gas(?) i'm guessing, anyhow cranked engine over to clear liquid then cleaned and regapped plugs and put them back in. still no start, so checked for sparkat#1cyl and had good spark, seems like its not getting gas to it now so now my question is this... can some one outline a list of steps i'll need take in order to replace the fuel pressure regulator. I'm sure i can muddle my way through if need be, but would much rather have a roadmap if possible. i can see old regulator (sorta) but have no clue how to get at the three allen bolts without tearing half the engine apart, ya know?? thanks in advance for any assistance

I know that the # 1 plug was getting a spark, but did you check the other 5 cables to see if they are providing a spark to the plugs?

Unfortunately no, i didnt bother to check the rest. i figured if one had spark then they all should, granted the fact that theyre a pain to get to may have factored into my decision. I'm taking the day off work tomorrow to dedicate myself to figuring out wtf is up with my van. been procrastinating way too long, mainly due to how difficult this engine is to get to and work on. never ever had an engine this inaccessible, and at nearly 50 yrs old i no longer relish wrenching on cars as i once did. LOL!

Check the cap & rotor. Maybe it's worn down, and the rest of the plugs aren't getting any spark. You have to remove the inner cover in the van to reach this part. It has 3 snaps. The ABS module is under the dashboard in this area, and it might be in the way.

Do you have another update?