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Ford Windstar Problems
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Comments
I did a tune-up (based on Haynes and hints from other forumists) and change couple things such as the air filter and / the drivebelt.
While exploring the engine, here is what I discovered:
The coolant had a strange color (dirty?) and seemed contaminated and the engine oil seemed to have lost its viscoity (I changed the oil recently!) and appear black. However, I have not noticed a drop in the level of the coolant tank since I bought the car. What could the problem be?
Someone told me that they might have put a stop leak in the coolant just so that they could sell it and maybe there is this "famous headgasket problem" with the car (I am nervous about this). Does anyone know of the least expensive way to replace them if that is the case? Are there TSB on the 1998? I now know that there was recall on the 1995. I can not find any apparent leak from the exhaust. What could be hap :confuse: pening?
Also the other day, the oil pressure light started flickering but then dissappeared.
Hey I own a 2002 ford windstar lx my power steering moans and whines been replaced, rack pinion replaced strut mount plates replaced power steering pressure switch replaced high pressure power steering line replaced pump pressure checked ran at 1475 lbs. 295 degrees showed to be fine. Power steering still moans especially in cold weather. I have no clue I think it is a defect somewhere probably in the rack,pinion.Oh by the way mine has stiff hard steering especially in cold weather does yours also mine goes from easy steering to stiff steering does yours give me a answer thanks.
Thanks for your help!
Martin Luthor King said it best: "Free at last..free at last...thank God almighty, I'm free at last!!!"
The upper plenum is held on by 14 bolts. The bottom is exposed once that is removed. Then the bottom comes out with 8 bolts. You'll have to remove the throttle body from the bottom plenum as well. The moral of the story is that the intake manifold does not have to come out to replace the plenum.
How did you break the plenum? :confuse:
Regards.
sieg
My yellow engine light comes on and off, but I've been driving like that for almost a year and it is not a cause for alarm.
sieg
Thanks
sieg
As for the CEL check your PVC value, fuel filter, and air filter.
Anything else requires a trip to the shop.
#1 passenger door window will not roll down.
#2 sliding door passenger door doesn't always lock/unlock.
#3 only happens when A/C or heat are on. Engine shutters, almost feels as if you are running over a rumble strip, and it happens about every 30 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes, whether at a stand still or moving.
Any input would be greatly appreciated. HELP!!!
DOES ANYBODY EXPERIENCED THIS BEFORE.
The dilemma is should I replace the head gasket and hope the main bearings don't go in a few thousand miles since coolant was in the crankcase , replace engine with a reman or junk it . Any ideas prices for head gasket fix vs. reman engine installation ?
I guess the way to look at it is not in terms of actual dollars but rather amortization. If you put in a reman engine, and the rest of the van was tip-top, and you drove it for another 5 years, then it makes sense. But if the transmission gives up next month, then you are really in the hole. Risky in that regard.
I'd imagine replacing the head gasket is a lot of work on that van, and isn't going to be cheap, but it would be cheaper than a reman engine certainly. But sometimes there are reman specialists who can do the job pretty quickly.
Right now I'm leaning toward advising you to check out the used van market before you make a decision.
The other "might as well" stuff that has been suggested (water pump, timing set) adds another $150 or so. So if I did everything it would be maybe $1600.
I looked into a reman engine and got a price of $2900 for that. So for now I am just driving it on a very limited basis. Since the difference between engine replacement and repair is not all that much, I don't worry too much about completely wrecking the engine.
Mine has 95,000 miles. Coolant is disappearing on mine, but the oil still looks normal. Ours is an extra vehicle right now too and we really don't need a minivan any more...though it is nice to have it available on occassion.
I assume you meant 5w-30? Why would you not just use what Ford recommends?
Here is information from someone who claims to be an oil expert:
http://www.nordicgroup.us/oil.htm#5W30 versus 10W30
Thanks
Thanks!!! :shades:
The 2003 with 64K on it just stopped in my garage as I was backing it out last night. It has the 4 speed tranny which is now just a 0 speed. My back hurts from pushing it around to get hooked up to the tow truck for the trip to the local Milwaukee Ford Dealership.
It had several of the symptoms you all described.
-That ticking (mini-baseball card sound) as it goes in any direction that gets drowned out by engine noise at speed.
-And the Power Steering pump noise when turning even the slightest. They didn't seem important until it became a 3000lb pull toy.
Surprisingly a 2003 doesn't show up frequently on this forum. My formerly owned 94 taurus with the 3.8L and the blown head gasket at 103,000Mi is all over the place. You have to appreciate the irony of that mileage vs factory self-extended warranty.
In the older Windstars a few have described the transmission having an under designed aluminum piston and an unsupported gasket. Wouldn't this have been taken care of in the last year of the models production before it became the Freestar?
Before I throw down the gauntlet with the "service team" at the dealership I'd appreciate some suggestions on:
-Diagnosis
-Cost
-Probability of recurrence
-Super-secret warranty from Ford on a car at 64K miles
Any help is appreciated by this guy with 2 kids in college who are sucking my wallet dry.
Point of interest was that there was a 100K mile "warranty" extended by Ford for an indeterminate number of years. That was on my Taurus at least. I don't know if it applies to your year or if the time has elapsed. Mine finally died at 103K miles. No warranty, no respect.
Call the Ford local zone office or search Ford somewhere on line for secret warranty information. Better luck to you. It sounds like you found a deal on the regasketing.
We have resigned ourselves to just disabling the anti-theft every time we lock up. (If you lock with the inside door lock button or the button on the key fob, it enables the anti-theft system. If you then use the key to unlock and relock one door, the anti-theft is disabled. That's the only way we've figured out how to lock all the doors without the anti-theft enabled.)
With that work-around, we've decided not to spend the money to get it fixed unless someone comes up with an easy solution.
Long description of diagnosis follows. Go right to the end for the fix.
The clues I was working from were (and to see if your problem has a similar cause to mine):
1) When locking the doors and arming the system with the key fob, sometimes the horn would honk once, sometimes twice (indicating that the system thought all the doors were closed or not) even when all the doors were completely closed.
2) Even when the system thought a door was not secured, the dash did not indicate any door being ajar.
3) My wife reminded me that it seemed to have started when we had the oil changed, which previously I had dismissed as being unrelated.
I'd been guessing that it was related to the door switch on one of the automatic sliding side passenger doors, since the latch had been sticking, but nothing I tried on that door or switch button made any difference (and I wasn't about to open up the door panel to get into anything that deep.)
Turns out it was the engine compartment hood switch which the tech must have leaned on when checking the fluids as part of the oil change. The switch is mounted on a somewhat flexible bracket extending from the back of the engine compartment. The keyword here is "flexible". The bracked was bent down enough so that when the hood was closed, the switch was only partially depressed, with only a slim margin between indicating open or closed. Wind, temperature and who knows what else could easily move it across the tipping point between open and closed.
The fix: Bend the engine compartment door switch bracket back up.
Now with the hood and all doors closed, I only get one beep when locking the doors and arming the anti-theft system with the key fob!
Thanks :mad: :confuse:
I'll take the advice on the ETE and get a quote. Did they replace Aamco? Why would I like them better? I will call to see if there is an advantage because the Heiser dealership on silver spring is waiting me out before even giving me a diagnosis. One day so far.
Frankly I wonder if (although it is running well now) the engine will die of the mysterious head gasket issue at 100K like the Taurus. If the engine would live (we're running synthetic engine oil afterall) as long at the T&C Chrysler I have, 196K, I wouldn't mind putting in a good remanufactured transmission. I LOVE to believe this is an abberation. I hoped / trusted that Ford would have learned and adapted to make better and better products given experience. but I'm now 2 for 2.
I thought the concept of planned obsolesence died with the Ford Pinto in 1979.( and to be fair the Vega) Frankly it sickens me to think they (the manufacturer & factory) don't care.
I frankly don't mind replacing Batteries, starters, water or fuel pumps etc. That is all just friable material in my mind. A couple hundred here and there is expected in my mind. The core that has to keep functioning is the engine and drive train. 3000 dollar repairs drive people away forever or at least until the customer believes the manufacturer has changed.
The latest President of Ford seemed convincing on the TV. I guess he's just out of touch with what he makes. I'd like for him to experience the traitorous feeling that comes when the car just quits. In fact I'd like for him to drive his cars (unprepared for an executive) right off of a showroom floor. Then live with the defects for the first 4 months. I'd feel confident to buy his car again If I saw his dupa sitting shotgun in the tow truck that is hauling his car in for service. If he experienced the emotional letdown of a dead car...Nothing would stand in his way to not have it happen again.
I'm a necktie too, but his order of executive is too isolated to know and grow a company.
Dreams and wishes.
No matter what the mechanic thinks the viscosity is important in that it flows easier the lower the number. With these engines I'd stick to the thinner specified oil with the hope that everything stays lubricated internally.
Synthetic is great stuff. Yes it costs more but the beauty is in the winter the car starts like a dream at 25 below. It is a monomer or at least a controlled mixture of the permutations of the ways a complex carbon based molecule can form. A chemical composition that forms oil can have multiple molecules form out of the same mixture of elements.
Here is an example...(remember sys & trans & Ortho) it has been 25 years since organic chemistry for me but this is the gist of it... Things that do a job (say insulin for a diabetic's use) that are made of carbon based chemical compounds can form "handed" versions of the same formula (think right or left hand) The right hand version does the job well. The left hand version does 'kinda' the same but not as well. That is why we refrigerate insulin. so it doesn't break down into the "other version"
The example is pretty good but oil doesn't change handedness at room temperature like insulin does. We don't refrigerate oil. However at the really high temperatures and engine bearing sees it does degrade and breakdown. The synthetic oils break down better when they do. general oils don't break down as well.
Plus the real thing you want to do is find a new mechanic.
A.He probably doesn't have any 5 Weight oil in his combination garage and bait shop. Plus he should know the next item.
B.You always put in the recomended Oils in a manufacturers car. The brand doesn't matter however the specification on the page of your manual (and on the engine oil cap) will say API certified 5-20 synthetic. If you toast your engine using Jello whipped topping for oil there is no warranty from the manufacturer.
Now if you put Jello whipped topping in your windshield washer reservoir it may freeze or make your windows funny. However if the washer reservoir fails you still get no warranty but you are only out 150$ in repairs. The engine is a bigger repair problem.
Sorry to flame so much but your mechanic is a danger to you.
I had suggested that maybe you want to look into reman transmission from a local company that actually does the remanfacturing and will install their remanfactured engine or transmission. A guy I work with had good luck going this route. But he did end up doing both the engine and the transmission...this was in a Buick.
I have the same thoughts as you though, when I consider installing a reman engine...what if the transmission goes next? On the other hand I think what if I spend $1600 on repairs and the leaks have damaged the engine and it dies in 6 months anyway? I am in a holding pattern because I can't decide what the better option is and this is an extra vehicle for now.
I may buy another Ford, but not with a V-6. Their 4 cyl zetec seems to have been a much better engine than their 6s.
Transmission overhauled for $1500-new torque converter,
epc solenoid, tcc solenoid, etc.
- just prior to tranny failure,developed problem w/pwr steering(grinding/grunting noise,shudder).I was told to check for a pressure relief valve. :confuse:
-also,my ticking, mini-baseball card sound was solved when i removed the center cap/lug nut cover from my rims.I have the 15 in. rims with the slanted "starburst" cover.There are aftermarket covers available on ebay, way cheaper than the dealer.
of the van is Arctic White. Our dealer told us that this is not covered.
Any idea?
My engine light came on today. Auto Zone check it and get a reading P0171, told me it is the oxygen sensor but could not point me in the direction it is
chance4