New to the Aerostar, but not to Fords.

[Zocalo1]

Good evening. I'm really glad I found this forum. I'm having some problem locating the connector to plug the NGS tool into. I bought an NGS tester with my 2001 F350 4x4 Diesel, and it has paid for itself over the years. I have the Ford factory service manual set for my Aerostar, but the connector is NOT to the left of the steering column as it says in the manual. Maybe I have to remove the panel below the column (but usually it is easy to find)? I'm obviously new here, so some history: I recently received a 1995 Aerostar XLT passenger van that was passed back to me after 23 years. It is the "shorter" version with the 3.0 engine, 2WD, with just about every option that the model had at the time. I originally purchased this in '95 for my Father and Mother, who insisted that it was the perfect height to get in and out of for his (shot) knees. They lived some distance away, so I only saw the vehicle during visits or for the major maintenance/tuneup intervals. Dad always took care of the routine maintenance (oil changes, chasis, seal/striker lubrication, air filters and the usual checks. I saw to the dealer servicing the transmission and axle fluid changes, but always did the rest of the items myself with OEM parts. After the first 8-10 years, it was clear that the factory maintenance schedules were NOT going to apply. So we modified them. Why? For 23 years, the vehicle has been garaged at all times when not being driven, in California. Today, it turned 65,000 original miles on the speedo. 6K of that, I put on in the last 6 months since I've had it. It is for all intents and purposes, factory fresh to look at, sit in and drive. But time does strange things to items like tires, wheel bearings, brake pads and the like. Even in the absence of sunlight. Although it has never worn out a set of tires, they have been changed three times over the years to avoid the effects of layer separation and maintain handling. Oil is changed by time, not miles to avoid condensate contamination. Bearings are repacked....just because. Grease is rated by its performance under usage, not by lack of it. Fortunately they kept is started regularly as part of the deal, with the occasional trip and freeway travel to circulate the fluids. Anyway, If anyone can shed some light on why I can't locate this connector where it should be, I'd sure appreciate it. The diagnostics will be limited by the generation of electronics, but the manuals shows some pretty cool things that you can tie into. Other than that, it just feels good to go down the road in this thing. I'm constantly getting compliments on its condition, which is a direct reflection of my Father's devotion to HIS Aerostar (and every vehicle he ever owned). I'm lovin what some of you have done with your Aerostars. and the devotion that show in the projects you take on! In the newest topic about "some dying so others can live", I've gotten a really good appreciation for the construction (or deconstruction as it might be) of the vehicle. Also a reminder of what harsher weather can do to a vehicle. Born and raised in CA, I've never run into things like rust in my automotive projects. Well, nothing like that anyway.
Thank you.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! The connector is under the hood to the side of the power brake booster (the middle of the engine compartment), and not in the cabin. I don't know why the manual would say that it's under the dashboard.

 

[Zocalo1]

Thank you BrooklynBay. I did find that one under the hood (EEC). That one doesn't have enough pins for what I'm looking for. Could be that I'm using the wrong words. I'm looking at the 1995 Aerostar, Ranger, Explorer, Body and Chassis manual on section page18-04A-29 (Generic Electronic Module GEM). The picture of the connector shows a 16-pin block (different shape that EEC) with a tab on each side for screw mounting. However, its also called the Data Link Connector (DLC). Are we thinking of the same thing? My truck has this connector too, located under the dash, but has more active pins.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Your truck which is a 2001 uses a newer system (OBD-II or EEC-V) which is used in the 1996 & later vehicles. The 1995 uses the older EEC-IV system.

 

[92exp4x4]

Welcome! I can imagine the shock value my pictures on that thread must have for you! I'll post some others for your enjoyment. Around here it's nothing to have whole body panels missing, etc. Old original vehicles are extremely rare around here. The extreme humidity and roadsalt during the winter just ravages steel.

I watched a 76 Ford pickup break in half while making a right turn one day. The rusty frame just couldn't handle it any longer and the poor guy made a mess in the intersection, luckily at a very slow speed

We had a 78 blazer growing up. The truck was about 14 years old when a chunk of the floor/ body mount came apart, fell onto the street and skidded down the road. After that the whole doghouse would shift across the frame rails in the turns. We decided it was time to let it go after that! It was 2 years old when one could put fingers through the front fenders.

Anyway, congrats on having a van so well preserved. Not many are left, and much less have owners dedicated to thier preservation. I see them every once in a while here but almost all of them are totally ragged out. Even second gen explorers are getting rare, and they built a ba-zillion of those.

Attached are some typical sights around here. This is the bedside of my 79 F150, and a spring shackle on one of my explorers. The front hanger isn't much better and all the parts are ordered. New hangers, springs, shackles. This truck isn't going anywhere until it's fixed.