My mom have a 1998 Windstar and when she tries to make sharp turns the car cuts off and the only way we can get it to start again is to use the remote starter (which she had put on last month). Also we keep hearing a knocking towards the front of the car and the car cuts off at traffic lights too. We are both frustrated and in need of help.
Thanks to all the folks who have commented. Interesting observations. Here is my list of issues with the 1998 Windstar LX 3.8L that I purchased new, with extended warranty driven in snow and salt in the Ottawa rust belt:
• new car had clicking noise from motor. Dealer replaced lifters. Same problem. Dealer replaced car—yes!
• after about 30km the car suddenly decided to down shift to second gear on the highway and would not move into third or final; dealer replaced part in transmission;
• after four years, A/C lost its load when fitting under the driver side passenger seat gave out. Fitting cost $10 but the repair cost $1,000 because all the pipes for the coolant needed to be replaced. Dealer mechanic said to apply lube to the fitting each year to prevent this issue. Just get down on ground, look under car behind drivers door and spray silicone/oil lube in there on the a/c fittings and lines;
• have replaced brakes and rotors three times on front and once on back; replaced front calipers as well when seals broke;
• alarm system went off after driving while parked in driveway—hood sensor was stuck, replaced by dealer;
• tailgate wiper motor failed and burned up the wires—note, this is a common Windstar problem and has caused cars to burn up. Replaced the wiper motor with dealer part;
Recent issues:
• chirping from motor by passenger side—I suspect tension arm for belt…will check;
• loud groaning noise from passenger side when turning at slow speed to the left…will f/up on the engineers comment about the tie rod end grease. Thanks.
• Engine light just came on today after the groaning sounds came from motor…just what I need :)
I have a 2003 Windstar with a rear heat control problem. When I move the aux heat switch in the dash to different fan speeds I can hear the relay making noise, but the fan will not operate on any speed, it also will not operate using the rear controls. The dealer took it in and said that my rear resistor pack had a bad ground and needed to be replaced for a couple hundred dollars, the mechanic did do a quick temporary repair on the wire which gave me 3 months of operation before it failed again.
Does anyone know where the rear resistor pack is located and how to get to it so that I can either fix it or replace it myself? I was told the resistor pack for the front heat was behind the glove box, but I am not sure where the rear one is.
100,000 mile update
OK, I just changed the oil and I have 101,000 miles on my 1998 Ford Windstar. The van is running great, but I need to change the spark plugs soon. It looks like I can reach two of the three rear plugs from underneath the vehicle, but the rear, passenger-side plug is going to be a bear to change. I'll let you know how it goes.
I have a 1998 Windstar GL. My rear blower motor operated only at high setting due to a dysfunctional blower motor resistor pack. It is in the panel below the blower vents in my windstar. Need to remove the plastic panel to get to it. It was a dealer item since other parts stores had only the front blower motor resistor. It is easy to remove and can be identified by the fact has an electrical connector attached to it (of-course).
We have a 98 windstar, and I was looking for some answers to the rear air problem, which I have had for a while now, thanks for the info. I can see that these vehicles have the same problem all the way around.
We had the trans replaced at 72,000 miles, along with the tie rods, and an air sensor.
I have done the brakes several times, but considering that our windstar has 172,000 miles, is not too bad, the motor is making a slight knocking sound that you can only hear from inside the van.
I believe we are having the same problem with the vacuum runners, one bank I believe is not working at all, and when we first bought this van used, it would get about 400 miles on a road trip, but we are lucky to get 200 miles to a tank now. it sometimes has fits when you try to start it, and other times it starts fine, I believe they wanted $250.00 each for the runners on the motor, and the trans is already acting up again, the overdrive light will start blinking, and when you come to a stop, and take off, it will shift real hard into every gear, but you can stop and turn it off, and restart it, then it resets it self for a while and does fine. the tach will over rev sometimes while your driving normal, and other times it won't. but given the miles and info from the other person on the trans being made for a Taurus, this could be wear and tear. if you have any info on any of these problems that have not already been addressed in this forum, I would be grateful. thanks.
I have a 2001 Windstar LX and the right hand sliding door is grinding now. I figure it just needs to be lubricated, how do I do it and what product do I use?
My cars history is here http://www.devwebsphere.com/ford_windstar_owners_blog/
I have a 98 windstar with a passenger window issue. It does not work unless I remove door panel and tap window motor with hammer. It will only work for a short while though. Any ideas?
Please help I bought a 98 windstar last month with 97K. My Vss is also on the fritz my power train warranty told me they won't fix it I told them I will drive it til the engine or tranny blows then will get new ones. They didn't like that. Also front end grinds when I only turn right. I am not applying brakes! Possible Tie rod or greasing someone said? Check light is on, but mechanic says it something in the back of engine not causing problems. At first my passenger window didn't work and I got $200 off the car now it works. Also AC blows wicked cold except in back where under the seat it blows warm and nothing comes out the top vents. Can someone please tell me why I bought another Ford and then can someone help?
I own a 1999 Windstar and have it in the dealership for the 4th time in last 3 weeks. The #16 fuse keeps blowing, which disables the instrument cluster, then when you turn the vehicle off it won't restart, but headlamps and heater fan stays on. Dealership replaced instrument cluster on 3rd trip, but fuse blew next day, this time COMPLETELY disabling car. They now say the 1st inst cluster was "bad" and they have replaced with another. Quite frankly, I'm afraid to get out on the road with it. Can't find any similar problem on the Internet, any ideas?
Have a 2001 Windstar LX with 141K miles. The car has been faithfully maintained since purchase. For the last few months the car turns off while driving. It sometimes gives a warning with rough idling, sometimes not. Have brought it to 3 mechanics; they cannot determine what's wrong.
I suspect water in tank - besides carburetor cleaner & dry gas, am wondering if there is anything else that may help?
If you Windstar suddenly idles roughly and stalls be sure to check the intake manifold runner controls. The bellows may be cracked causing a vacuum leak.
2003 Ford Windstar:
I purchased it when it had 55,000 miles, and it now has 94,000 miles on it.
Since owning it, I have replaced brakes once, tires 3 times due to worn inner tie rods and wheel alignment out.
Got the CV axle replaced and the alignment done; that fixed the wearing on front tires.
Then my car wouldn't start, so I replaced the battery, but later that day after replacing the battery, the car died again. Found out the alternator wasn't charging the battery, so I replaced the alternator.
Was good now, then 2 months later I started hearing weird noises in front of car soon as I started up. Then one morning the car didn't start at all. It would try to start, but couldn't get it to turn over. Thought it was starter so I had it tested and Pep Boys found it was bad, so I replaced it, but the problem was still there.
I noticed the car was trying to crank, but something was resisting it to turn over. I took off serpentine belt and checked all accessories for freedom of rotation, and found the A/C compressor was completely seized and wouldn't allow the engine to turn over. Currently have disconnected the A/C compressor, but had to remove alternator to get to the mount bolts.
Problem now is everything is so tight spaced that I am having problems to clear the compressor to come out through the bottom. Seems I can only pull it out through the top, but I have to remove the alternator mount bracket and pulley to clear it. Got one bolt out, but other alternator mount bracket bolt is rounded and is real tight. Fun, fun, fun... Now I have to spray WD40 on the bolt, let it sit overnight and try to find a good tool to remove that rounded bolt head, so I can get the alternator mount bracket out, so I can get the A/C compressor out of the engine. What a mess.
Once I get this fixed I'm getting rid of this Ford.
I have a 1998 Ford Windstar GL. I'm about to replace the idler pulley. I've heard that the bolt might be a left-handed thread. Does anybody know if this true?
I was reading the comments from everyone on this site and was amazed at how many have the same problems. Reading the first persons comments, I thought it was me speaking. I have 198,500+ miles on my '98 Windstar now and do all of the work on it myself. One thing that I wanted to let everyone know about is the transmission fluid change. When I replace my transmission fluid, every 30,000 miles, I replace the filter and I always add one quart of Lucas Transmission Additive. After doing this, it is amazing how well the transmission shifts. I can tell when it's getting close to the time when it needs to be replaced, because it starts to shift hard and bangs into gears. I've also had a bearing in a steering knuckle seize up. The steering knuckle was destroyed and the only replacement available was from a recycle/junk yard. So far, I haven't had any additional problems with it. I have the problem with the rear A/C not shifting out of heat mode, so from all of the comments, it sounds like I need to replace the dash switch. Just today the front controls wouldn't shift out of the defrost vent position, so I probably have to replace that switch as well, because I checked the vacuum and the vacuum motors and they all appear to be OK. I guess I can't complain too much considering the miles on the vehicle, but it seems Ford would look at the continuing same problems they have on a vehicle and engineer the problems out of it.