94 Aerostar multifunction switch

[swartwood]

ok...so i think my multifunction switch is bad. nothing on my steering wheel works (CC, horn, wipers are iffy at best). the wipers only work if the brights are on or the turn signal is active. i took it to the dealer and they were talking $550+ to fix it. that seemed a little much. it is an easy fix? can i pick one up at autozone or a similar store? has anyone here done it? if so, i would greatly appreciate the help.

[luckyfix]

My brother-in-law's 1996 Aerostar exhibited the classic multifunction switch failure, with no blinkers and no flashers though the wipers continued to function. After looking online and seeing that the quoted fix was $550 from the dealer, we decided to have a look for ourselves. First we checked all the fuses one more time. All good. Must be the multifunction switch.

The plastic cover on the steering column comes off with about 5 screws. The bottom half will fall away, but the top half can be pulled up to expose the multifunction switch without removing it from the steering column. The switch can be removed from the column by removing two brass screws, then unplugging the two wiring harnesses. The switch can now be pulled free. (We also removed the panel beneath the steering column to get at one tricky screw, but if you had the right size Phillips screwdriver you may be able to skip this.)

There are about 6 small star bit screws holding the switch together. Be careful when you remove these screws, taking note at how the parts interlock together inside the switch. When we separated the two halves of the switch we could see the corroded copper contacts inside. With a little WD-40 and a fine grit sand paper, we were able to clean the contacts. Afterward, we reassembled the switch and when we plugged it in... success! Flashers and blinkers worked great.

This was a pretty easy fix, but I must emphasize, take notes or pictures when you take this thing apart. There are lots of small parts inside that must all fit together in the original place to work correctly. We missed a slot/tab interface on our first go round and had bright lights on at all times. We took the switch apart again and fixed our mistake. We had less than 2 hours invested in the total fix.

I hope this helps.

[Carlito]

Thats great info. thanks.

[endeavor_niche]

Just buy another Aerostar for parts. You can get a whole running van less than $550!!!

[oldbobsvan]

Does the multi function switch addressed in this thread tell my 95 Aerostar that the shift is in the park position - or not? Mine is in my garage while I try to find if there is some interlock switch that will not let it start unless it "thinks" it is in park. I have in the past by lifting the shift lever toward the steering column had it start with no additional problem if it otherwise decided just to click. It has a new battery and starter and runs beautifully - when I can start it. If not the multi function switch or an "in park" problem, is there some other interlock that is not reliable? Maybe in the emergency break which just had its cable replaced?

[darsh39]

I think the plastic cover of staring comes with 5 screws ..The top half can be pulled up ,it have one multifunction switch witch allows it to removing without removing staring ..