Windstar minivan intermittent problems

HareRazor · May 31, 2008

I am going to pickup a new(to me) 99 Windstar minivan and sell my 96 Windstar. So I need to get this problem fixed before it goes. When driving sometimes the check engine light starts blinking and the engine starts misfiring. I bought a check engine light tester a few weeks ago and ran the codes and got 1 4 5 after driving it like this for several months. I have been watching it closely and I have only gotten cylinder 1 misfire to come back to date. Sometimes it seems like the check engine light is actually blinking before it starts running rough. I have checked for and repaired vacuum leaks and replaced the PCV valve. Spark plugs, plug wires were also changed to eliminate them as a cause. I also put the pressure tester on the coolant system and it did not leak. Also I think my VSS is bad as my cruise control doesn't work. Would that have any effect on the way it is running? My exhaust doesn't smell like antifreeze either nor is there any milkshake in the oil.

rboyer · Jun 6, 2008

The 99 and up Windstar was known for throwing "system too lean" codes due to a vacuum leak inside the intake plenum. In a nutshell here's what happens. In 99 they moved the PCV valve from the rear to the front and didn't properly shield it inside of the valve cover so a pretty decent amount of oil can pass through. This oil gets sucked into your intake and does two things which are very bad. The first is that it clogs your EGR ports and the second is that it will deteriorate the rubber on the intake grommet bolts which leads to a vacuum leak. In order to completely fix this problem you would need the new revised valve cover, a new set of grommet bolts, and gaskets. Oh and also your MAF can get contaminated with oil, so you may want to start by cleaning that first if it looks dirty. The best thing would to be to pull the rubber boot off of your throttle body and see how ugly it looks inside and take it from there.

HareRazor · Jun 7, 2008

I am working on the 96. Since my last post the only thing I have accomplished was change out the coilpack with another one I had lying around and it still throws the cylinder 1 misfire.

rboyer · Jun 8, 2008

You did try another plug wire on cylinder 1, right? Even if it looks good cosmetically it could still be bad. Another thing to consider would be a stuck injector. It could be filling the cylinder up with more fuel than it needs and causing it not to detonate when it needs to. You should atleast pull the plug on cylinder 1 and see what it looks like and consider getting a set of wires if you haven't replaced them before.

aggoodin · Jun 8, 2008

I had that code and symptoms on my 03 Taurus too (Had 180k + on it). I found that it only happened after a few consecutive short trips where I turned the car on and off. I changed everything (wires, that coil pack thing, plugs) with known good parts and nothing fixed it. Sold the car earlier this year. I'm just posting to subscribe and see if anyone else can fix your issue.

rockin86ranger · Jun 8, 2008

i don't know if its the same but on my 96 windstar when we turned a corner the engine would studder and sometimes die and that was a vacum leak\

hope this helps

Southern3.0 · Jun 9, 2008

On a '96 shouldn't you get an OBD 2 code like a P0145 or P1145?

Windstar minivan intermittent problems

HareRazor

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