I inherited this vehicle, got it in July 2014. Drove from NJ to NC. By April spent $2000 on it. Still not right, especially the engine with the jerking and misfiring codes. Once it starts there's nothing to stop it. Better off getting rid of it, if you can. Once someone test drive it, they're going to tell something is wrong. Ford didn't make good quality vehicles back in '96. Don't waste your money. It's one thing after another.
Well, tore off the entire top half of the engine replaced all the gaskets, the 2 imrc control modules, replaced all 6 injectors, plugs wires, mass air flow sensor, fuel pump & filter, fuel regulator, egr valve 3 of the 5 vacuum solenoids, all the vacuum lines, air filter, had exhaust fixed from catalytic converters back, and idle air control valve and the issue still exists. have discovered more exhaust leaks just before converters but i am tired of chasing my tail and losing money cause not even the pro's are able to diagnosis it.
Ford had a voluntary recall on many 3.8L V-6 cars and vans between the years of 1983 and 1995. There is a defect in the head gasket and needs to be replaced. Usual cost is over $1000. I had a 1996 and was angry when I was told about this and that there haven't been enough problems reported to warrent a voluntary repair of the 1996 Winstar. I found this out when I had the mechanic look for water in the cylinders when the engine was cool.
I HAVE HAD THIS WINDSTAR NOW FOR 5 YEARS.... FIRST DAY OFF THE LOT, USED, THE TRANSMISSION WAS BAD DUE TO THE CAR LOT NOT FILLING THE TRANNY FLUID.... WE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THE VAN.... CYLINDER 1 MISFIRE.... ENGINE LIGHT.... STALLING OR SPUTTERING....
I DO HAVE A MINOR SOLUTION FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE THE STALLING PROBLEM.... WE HAVE DISCOVERED IT WAS DUE TO A LITTLE HOSE ABOUT 3IN LONG ALONG THE FIREWALL RIGHT UNDER THE COWL IN THE MIDDLE.... ITS AN AIR HOSE.... IT MELTS A LOT AND MAKES A HOLE IN THE HOSE.... REPLACE THAT HOSE THEN DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND WAIT FOR A MIN OR 2 THEN CONNECT IT.... THE ENGINE LIGHT WILL BE OFF FOR NOW, BUT MAY COME BACK ON, BUT IT SHOULDN'T STALL.... IT SHOULD HELP TO STOP THE STALLING.... SINCE I REPLACED THAT LITTLE HOSE, MY CAR HAS NOT STALLED AGAIN....
SO FAR IN THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF ALONE, I HAVE SPENT OVER $1000.00 TO TRY TO FIX THE MISFIRE AND NOT A SINGLE PERSON SEEMS TO KNOW WHY THE LIGHT WONT EVEN GO OFF.... SO NOW I JUST DEAL WITH IT ON....
PLEASE EMAIL ME AT EBYDRE12402@AOL.COM TO LET ME KNOW IF ANY OF THIS HAS HELPED YOU.... PLEASE DO.... THANK YOU FOR READING....
while i was driving i had a sudden misfire and flashing check engine light. I took it to the mechanic where he did a complete tune up and replaced one oxygen sensor. He told me that there was no misfire. Later i had a misfire on cylinder 3 and he replaced the injector and i was on my way. two days later i had a misfire on cylinder 1. After telling me that it would cost another thousand to fix i decided i was going to donate the car. Since i was getting rid of it i had decided to do a procedure that i had seen on the net for a 98 windstar. As soon as i removed the intake plenum i saw that the only egr port that was clear was cyl 1. That is why i got the misfire code since no. 1 was doing all of the work. After clearing all of the jets and replacing the injector on cyl 1 i have not gotten the code again. Two things i realized that one the mechanic never checked the ports like i had told him to and two that it only cost me about 75 dollars and a couple of days of my time to fix. I took my time since this was the first time i have had to do such work on a vehicle. If a person like me can do it i am sure that anybody that is mechanically inclined can do it to.
engine light stays on due to engine cyl 3 misfire, new plugs and plug wires have been replaced and fuel injectors have been cleaned but none of this has helped...Please Help
Engine coughs / sputters occasionally - like a misfire - which started 6 mos ago; is not influenced under load or acceleration (does it idling and at all driving speeds); had the one plug replaced (due to computer code indicating that cylinder had misfired), full ignition harness was replaced & PCV/Plenum vacuum line replaced with no fix. Problem is unpredictable - more significant on some trips and non-existent on other trips.
For about a year now, one of the cylinders has been misfiring. I have tried new plugs, wires, and filters. Nothing has worked. Does anybody know what I can do?
Have had this vehicle to serveral responsible auto shops and each time it codes something different. Therefore, each time I get charged for work they think should fix it according to the code they get. Within a day the problem returns. "Check Engine" light stays on (sort of like a night lite now that I'm used to it) all the time. Within a few minutes of driving, it begins to flash and the car misfires and stutters. Then it flashes for about 2 minutes, stops misfiring, and goes back to being on solid. No one seems to be able to fix, due to different codes.
We have a 96 windstar and cylinder 6 is misfiring. We have replaced plugs, wires, coil pack. Now running out of patience and money. Any help out there???
I've had this misfire on cylinder #1 for a couple of months now. Because of the mileage on the car I thought that a major tune-up was in order anyway, so I replaced the plugs, wires, and the filters. No change. Still getting the misfire and a "Check Engine Light" indicating the misfiring cylinder. I replaced the Coil pack / Ignition module and still no change. I removed the EGR valve and ran a wire through the passage. No change ! If I pull the injector connector off while the engine is running, I get a expected RPM drop, indicating that the injector is working. I'm running out of ideas and money! Any Suggestions ? ? ?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I inherited this vehicle, got it in July 2014. Drove from NJ to NC. By April spent $2000 on it. Still not right, especially the engine with the jerking and misfiring codes. Once it starts there's nothing to stop it. Better off getting rid of it, if you can. Once someone test drive it, they're going to tell something is wrong. Ford didn't make good quality vehicles back in '96. Don't waste your money. It's one thing after another.
- James B., Burlington, NC, US