Aerostar keyless entry question.

[DarylJ]

Just yesterday, I purchased a super clean 1997 Aerostar XLT AWD. No rust anywhere, which is shocking since this van has lived in the rust belt its entire life. The only repair it needs is a hole in the exhaust system, giving it that little "rap" sound when accelerating. Otherwise, runs and drives fine. Here is my question: It has power locks, but no keyless entry. What is the best way to add keyless entry, and where do I get the necessary components for it? Or, does this van have the components already installed, and all I would need to add is the remote key fob unit? The original owner told me that the van did not come with keyless entry when new, so it's not that the key fob unit has been lost.

This van is like it came out of a time capsule actually. Rear seats look new and the front seats look barely sat in either. With these vans being kind of rare nowadays, especially unrusted examples, I'm hoping to keep it the same way and maybe add some of the nicer available options if possible, like rear child safety seating, the CD stereo radio, the alloy wheels used on the 97 model, and the keyless entry as already mentioned. Last night I ordered the rear cargo liner from weather tech, to keep the rear clean should anything be put back there.

It's great to be here and thanks for any advice from the experienced members here!

DarylJ

 

[DarylJ]

Aerostar keyless entry

Hi, I am a first time poster with my first question about my newly acquired 1997 Aerostar XLT AWD. I also posted this in the new member section, so I do apologize if I shouldn't be posting here as well. My Aerostar has electric door locks, but the original owner said it did not come with keyless entry when new. Are the actuators present inside of the doors already, or must they be added as well as the key fob unit? If not, what parts do I need to retrofit the van to have the keyless entry feature?

Thanks very much for any advice. It is great to be a new member here!

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! You could get an aftermarket alarm system to connect to the existing power door locks.

 

[Rick]

Welcome to the forum.

I moved your thread to our Aerostar subforum.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Both of your threads were merged together. Post some pictures of your van, and make a build thread with the modifications.

 

[DarylJ]

Adding an aftermarket keyless entry......it would be the first time I've attempted one, is this a do-it-yourself job, or is it best left to a tech with experience?

 

[zenish]

Adding an aftermarket keyless entry......it would be the first time I've attempted one, is this a do-it-yourself job, or is it best left to a tech with experience?

id like to do this too but i haven't found a plug and play kit.afaik aerostars never had keyless entry.another option would be retrofitting the keypad from an exploder[explorer].

 

[BrooklynBay]

Amazon sells several aftermarket keypad systems: http://www.amazon.com/Best-Door-Keypad-Lock-Trucks/dp/B00EVV3KLK

 

[DarylJ]

I found the Autoloc 11124 on Amazon which has built in relay technology, which I assume means that one won't need to order extra relays as would be necessary for some others. Keypad would be nice I suppose, but the key fob activators are fine, too. With this one, I'm assuming all I need to do is run a single wire to each actuator, but the instructions should specific what's needed. Again, another assumption, as sometimes instructions aren't as clear as one would expect, especially when language translations have been done.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Why would you want to run separate wires to each power door lock when you could tap into the wiring in the driver's door to open & close all of the doors simultaneously? Could you post a link for the key fob on Amazon? What do you think about installing door poppers, and shaving the door handles?

 

[DarylJ]

You're right, running wires to each door wouldn't be necessary. Here's the link:http://www.amazon.com/AutoLoc-11124-5-Function-Keyless-B-I-R-T/dp/B00553XR6Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452478779&sr=8-1&keywords=autoloc+11124

Shaving no, as I want to keep it as close to stock original as possible.

 

[BrooklynBay]

When I saw that you mentioned a key fob in the other post, I thought that it was a system where you approach the vehicle, and the doors automatically open without having to press a button on the remote.

 

[DarylJ]

By sticking with the basic key fob activator, I can also keep my original Ford keys to open the doors manually should the battery die on the key fob. The simpler, the better for me.

 

[Josh P]

Like zenish said one could be wired in from another vehicle. Ford used the same parts across many cars so finding a donor would be cheap. At some point I will add it to my van along with the window auto roll down feature.

 

[swshawaii]

http://www.amazon.com/Bulldog-KE1702-Keyless-Entry-System/dp/B000CS9Q6E

http://www.amazon.com/Viper-211HV-1-Way-Keyless-System/dp/B001ANXNIW

http://www.amazon.com/Viper-3105V-Security-Keyless-package/dp/B00C1T8P1O

1996-97 Ford Aerostar Alarm, Remote Starter, Keyless Entry Wiring
http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/alarmdetail/797.html

 

[don-ohio]

Yeah,my 93 Eddie Bauer had keyless entry

id like to do this too but i haven't found a plug and play kit.afaik aerostars never had keyless entry.another option would be retrofitting the keypad from an exploder[explorer].

Yes,they had keyless entry,but on my old van's it just had one button.You pushed it and it locked,and the next time you pushed that same button,it unlocked.I wish my present van had that. don-ohio ^)

 

[DarylJ]

My first thought was to find a vehicle at the local pick n pull to salvage the parts from. But, I realized that I didn't know exactly which or how many components make up the system. Under which interior panels were they found? Depending on the donor vehicle, the answers to my questions would be varied, so I am probably better off buying a new, aftermarket product instead. The cost of new does vary, from super cheap to very expensive. All I want is a system that lock/unlocks the doors, nothing more. No flashing lights, horn chirps, sirens, remote start or other features needed. Just the locks. Finding a simple system with good, clear installation instructions would be all that's needed. Some inexpensive units have excellent reviews, while others have mixed, and some are unknowns without any user feedback/reviews. Picking the one with best reviews, regardless if the purchase price may be a bit more, is probably what I'll do. Nothing worse than buying cheap, spending time to install, then having to do it over again in a year. Looks like Amazon may be the place to buy since I'll do it myself. Lots of reviews to read, so that will help make the final choice easier.

 

[don-ohio]

It's not that important a feature to me.If it were,I'd be trying to install it. don-ohio

 

[BrooklynBay]

I saw some cheap systems in Autozone. You could compare the price to Amazon for the systems that Autozone has in stock.

 

[DarylJ]

I'll check into the Autozone unit. I know the manager of one of their nearby stores, and he would level with me about it's quality and any feedback he may have heard about it. Thanks for the tip.