96 Windstar died suddenly

Hi all,

My 96 windstar (176,000 miles) died at an intersection a couple of days ago.

We jump-started it and drove it to the mechanic's. The mechanic said that the battery was dead. He was able to recharge the battery and at that point the battery seemed to hold charge OK. The alternator seemed OK also. He was unable to find what had caused it to die so suddenly. Anyway he gave us the van back. But now I am worried that it will die suddenly again. Does anyone have a clue as to what might have caused this and what can be done to prevent it from happening again? I think this might be tough to diagnose, it's an intermittent problem. But maybe someone else has had this problem before?

Thanks for any help,

-Lou

Hey Lou-

From what you've said it sounds as though you have a problem in the charging system. While I have not had this specific problem - I have had some pretty unusual stuff occur as a result of a bad - or going bad voltage regulator. On my "99 the regulator is sealed inside the alternator. On a '96 you may have some options because the voltage regulator is a seperste module attached to the back of the alternator. Maybe a good call would be to your local auto/electric shop and see what alternatives they may offer.
Given what you've said - if it were me - I'd probably just go ahead and replace the entire alternator with a rebuilt.

Good Luck !!
Glenn

Also clean your battery cables.

I will echo what you have already been told.

Also, not likely the problem now, but if you have an electrical problem involving the alternator and / or battery, take note that the alternator has a fuse on the 1996 model year.
May or may not be present on other years, but on the 1996, it is fuse 'T' in the power distribution box (in the engine compartment, next to the battery).

Also, if the battery is 5 or more years old, you might go ahead and replace it.......so that you are doing it on your schedule.
I realize that this seems more critical here in the soon to come Wisconsin winter than in Beverly Hills, but it still is better to do on your schedule than at some inoportune tome that it decides to go bad.
There are some very good batteries available for not a lot of money.
I have the AutoZone Duralast Gold.

I would highly recommend that you follow Taillight's advice and clean (or have cleaned) the battery terminals.
This would include removing the cables and cleaning them and the battery terminals.
They sell little brushes at the auto part stores for just this task.
I have had cable / terminal connections that were tight.....very clean looking cause problems.......and solved the problem by cleaning as I describe.
Take note that there is lead in the battery terminals, so wash your hands right away after cleaning the terminals, before rubbing your eyes or eating, etc so that you don't ingest lead....as well as battery acid.

One thing that lead me to my battery terminal to cable connection issue (different vehicle, but could be any vehicle) was that, when I turned the ignition key to "START", everything in the vehicle died.
Even the dome light would not light.
That pointed me away from a faulty ignition switch, or bad starter solenoid......and to the power to the whole vehicle.
That is something you could try if the problem happens again.
Turn on the dome light (even hold a door partly open), does it come on?.....and does it go OFF when you turn the key to the START position?
This will help you to get to the root cause, should this happen again.

Thanks for the replies! All seem to be excellent suggestions.

So the update... Well, I went ahead and had the van checked out by a second mechanic who I trust (my wife is a friend of his wife's) and his opinion is that the van is nearing the end of its useful life. It has engine trouble ("knocking") that will need to be addressed soon. Also I already know that the van has a coolant leak (have to pour in coolant regularly) and a leaking A/C system (had to have it charged up at the beginning of summer) and the transmission is also a bit shaky (the van actually shakes quite a bit when shifting between certain gears). That is besides this latest electrical issue.

So...all this suggests that it's time to retire the beloved (well, sometimes) windstar....

-Lou

That coolant leak is most likely serious.......as you don't mention any puddles under the vehicle....it is most likely getting into the engine oil which creates an expensive repair if not addressed in short order.

If you have a Carmax near you.....give their website a visit.
That will give you an idea on prices....and they will help you decide on what fits your needs and price range.

Thanks - my mechanic said $700 to fix the coolant leak. I am hitting the point of diminishing returns with this car. Time to move on. I appreciate all the replies - thanks.

-Lou