is my problem my engine?
Asked by sunkisses83 Feb 13, 2007 at 05:21 PM about the 2000 Ford Windstar LX
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I have a 2000 ford windstar lx. it use to be a good van. but now it is haveing a problem. a bad one. it all started about a year ago. it was guzzling gas. i was told oxygen sensor. we replaced those. 3 times. and then they told me catilac converter. had that checked and its not that. they then told me that i had a misfire on 2 blocks. that it was firing on 4 cylinders. no one seems to know why. or can pin point it but ford. and they want to charge out the butt to find out just the one answer. what it is and how much to fix it? the van has over 120,000 miles on it. Should I trade it in while i can? or can this be fixed? is it the motor?
5 Answers
Hello, It seems like this van is costing you more money than it is worth. I had a friend who had a Taurus, and the same thing happened to her. She traded hers in for a Camry. Some cars are just problem cars, and it sounds like it might be a good idea to get rid of yours while you still can. Sorry, and I hope it works out! CarGrrl
donpanther answered 13 years ago
i am a 60 year old lifelong mechanic. I doubt that it is the engine, unless you have ran it hot. It sounds to me that it is an electrical problem, coil pac, plugs, wires. With only 120k on it, the engine should not have a problem. I assume that it is a 3.8, I like those engines, I have seen several with over 300k and still not using oil, or having any engine noises. I would guess coil pack. start the engine, set the parking brake, put the shift in drive. You should feel the skip, thud, thud, thud, thud. remove one spark plug wire at a time, to hear if the thud, thud, thud, thud changes pitch. If it dosent change, that cylinder isnt running. If it picks up tempo when you let the spark jump from the coil pac to the wire, it is a bad spark plug. If you have no spark on any wire you take loose and let the spark jump (no spark jump, no change in engine tempo) the coil pack is the problem. It can get worse than this, but thats where I would go first. call me if you need to Don 706-548-4153
I would get rid of it,they were not the best vehicle ford made,doubt it is the motor,agreed with previous poster.
Please try to clean the Mass Air Flow sensor, the cleaner spray only costs 8 dollars. When the Mass Air Flow sensor is dirty, the idle will be poor and also causes poor mileage. If the sensor is bad, the replacement part will cost 100 dollars. I would also check and replace the PCV valve if it is not recent.
