1997 Aerostar. The steering seems to be unstable.

[old mexican]

I recently purchased a 97 aerostar extended length with the bigger V6 motor. I really like this van. It is solid and was taken care of well by previous owner. Few weeks back we took off on a long road trip. Started off in san diego on good roads and steering seemed a little to sensitive or unstable. I figured I just needed to get used to the vehicle. When we hit Los Angeles where the traffic is pure hell and the roads are beat up from all the traffic it got really hard to handle. When we hit all the dips and bumps the van would bounce and roll and felt like it wanted to veer off to the right or left. It was very scary to control, especially with no room for error because of the heavy traffic going at 75 to 80 mph. Throughout the trip I kept thinking the van probably needed new shocks the way it handled and all. Now I,m wondering about the rack and pinion steering system which is new to me. I,m doing a lot of research to learn more about it before I take it to a mechanic for inspection. If anyone has any prior experience with this or advice I would appreciate it.

 

[xpolice-explorer]

These vans are really hard on both, inner& outer tie rods. Unless you know for sure there is a good chance the entire steer/susp. system is 15 yo. probably wouldn't be a bad idea, if you like the van, and plan on 15 more yrs of service, hit it all: rack, b-jts, outers, struts, hub brngs, controll arm bushings, alignment.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! I've moved your thread into the Aerostar section. Check all of the front end bushings, bearings, tie rods, and ball joints. You will need an alignment if you replace the rack & pinion. Are your tires worn unevenly?