windstar won't start - sometimes

[rhe8542]

This is a great site and I've turned to it often when I need help, but I have looked for a post with problems similar to mine and have found none.
I have a 2001 LX WINDSTAR and normally the van runs great, but sometimes it won't start, It could be just 5mins. after I shut it off or the next morning. It has gone several weeks without showing any signs of the problem. Things I've noticed when not starting: all lights on dash show as normal, when the key is moved to the run position and I can't hear the fuel pump run I know the engine will not turn over when the key is moved to the start position (can be heard in quite areas) When I do hear the fuel pump begin to run fully I know the car will start. Moving the gear level up and down does nothing. Sometimes I hear the fuel pump start to run but only for a sec. which when key is moved to the start position the engine will bump but not turn over. Sometimes I can try the key back and forth (off position and start position)a couple of times and car will start, other times I have to try for 30 to 45 mins. before it will start. I have not been stranded yet thank GOD. Could this be a key going bad,I only have one, a neutral safety switch, or maybe even the fuel pump circuit? Any help is always appreciated and thanks in advance.

[wiswind]

I am not up on the 2001 year......and the security chip that is in some of those keys......how it works.

When you say it won't turn over.......I am taking this to mean that the starter does not even crank the engine......you turn the key and get nothing............if so.....it does move me toward the chip in the key......but I understand that those are expensive to replace.

Maybe someone who has some experience with the keys in the newer windstars (with the security chip) can help out here.....
Is the security chip needed in order to turn the key?
I guess one way to find out is to have a key made at the local hardware store (not expensive) and see if the symptom is the same.
The up side is that you will have a spare door key for your windstar.....just won't start the engine.

The other thing that could impact the starter and the fuel pump would be battery voltage......sometimes a battery can fail in a strange way.
If the battery voltage is even slightly low....it could prevent the fuel pump relay from pulling in......but I would STILL expect the starter to make some sound of trying to crank the engine....which is what leads me back to the key (or some other security device that may be on the vehicle).
A simple dirty connection should cause the interior lights to dim significantly when the key is moved to the START position.
Just a dirty connection for the starter should not impact the fuel pump before you move the key from the RUN to the START position.

[hammond]

i have 1994 windstar...will not start just click...click...click

[mundy5]

I've seen this website offering windstar keys with chips in them. i believe you need both original keys to program it or something like that:

http://www.howardkeys.com/pdf/AutomotiveKeys/Ford.pdf

here are the instructions I saved from an earlier thread:

Here is the procedure for programming a new key if you already have 2 programmed keys:
1. Place first already programmed key in ignition and turn from off to on (run) for at least 1 second then switch to OFF.
2. Within 5 seconds, insert the second already programmed key into ignition and repeat first step.
3. Within 10 seconds, insert the new key and repeat step 1.
The theft indicator light should go on for 3 seconds, after which the new key should be programmed to strt the vehicle.

hope this helps.

[perrytime]

how about tapping on fuel pump relay when this happens, or just replace it.

[qwerasdfptc]

Same....... Same...... Same.......ditoooo.....problem with my ford windstar 1999 .
won't start sometimes. when it does that i cannot hear fuelpump noise at all with ignition key in on position. i can able to crank the engine. i swap fuel pump relay with horn relay both time horn did work, but NO LUCK for starting the engine. it did like that five or six times so far..One time on high way i stoped at rest area and after 15 minutes did't start, checked all fuses-shake wires -shacked all switches including gear shifter and o/d switch-but no luck..after waited for 20 minutes and starts all of sudden.. and doing after that every 15-20 days after...
Today my wife took it at job in morning, came out at evening won't start , she called me and i went there, i tried a lot but no luck even after 30-40 minutes try...
So, i will go tomorrow and see what happens.?????
Any help will be appriciated...AND yaa thanks in advance....

[bigem]

This is a very strange problem. My 2000 windstar SE has had this problem of not wanting to start after short trips and it seems to be on hot days.(southern ca.) Same deal, when trying to start after a drive the van will start but run as if it is starving for fuel. pressing the accelerator produces very little change in rpm. van stalls out after about20 seconds in this condition. Waiting about 20 mins and cranking engine again it fires right up and runs fine. This has happened a few times and I noticed the last two times the fuel level was under a quarter of a tank. Today the wife took the van nearly on empty to go spend money we don't have and the problem struck again. No time to wait for the van to fix itself I picked her up and figured I would pick it up later. Eight hours later I try to start the van and it cranks but no ignition. It was to loud to hear if the pump actually cycled or not. Towed van home and now it sits in the driveway. At least now I have a hard fault to troubleshoot instead of an intermittent one.

[kgbrown72]

I am having the same problem as rhe8542 and qwerasdfptc with my 2002 Windstar. Is there anyone that can give me any info? Anything would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[12Ounce]

I'm quite a "broken record" on this subject ... and have replaced more relays on my '99 than any six of you (perhaps). There is some "root cause" for the non-starting that I have not yet discovered ... whatever it is, the relays seem to take the brunt of it.

Occassionally I get the no-start problem ... I just fix the symptoms ... I take a new relay and swap out, one-by-one, three relays until the problem is temporarily resolved. ... PCM power relay, fuel pump relay, "no-start" relay ... (they are two different sizes IIRC). Each "event" costs me one new relay.

Hasn't failed me yet ... but it may not do a thing for you.

[mundy5]

I tend to agree with 12ounce that this sounds like a classic relay situation. the question is which one and is it repairable without purchasing a new one? For civics, this has been well documented that the solder joints crack and stop functioning especially at high temps and/or fully warmed status. So take a look at the 3 relays and see if you can see cracked solder joints.

[kgbrown72]

Thank you to everyone so far! I am desperate, so I am going to try all.

[serge_saati]

Originally Posted by rhe8542

Sometimes I hear the fuel pump start to run but only for a sec. which when key is moved to the start position the engine will bump but not turn over.

On second thought, I think it's a bad ground connection. Cause you've trouble with the fuel pump AND the starting circuit which require a lot of power. But not with the dashboard light. Check if the wipers operate at high speed for 30sec. If it operates slowly, it'll confirm the diagnosis. Wash the windshield before.

[12Ounce]

Originally Posted by rhe8542

..... Sometimes I hear the fuel pump start to run but only for a sec. which when key is moved to the start position ....

Actually it is normal for the pump to run, on its "own", only for a brief period when the key is moved to the "run" or "start/crank" position. I don't know the exact period, but it is brief ... a few seconds at most. Its a safety thing ... the idea is to get just enough fuel pressure to fire the engine a revolution or two ... then if the crank and cam are "sensed" to be moving, the pump is restarted ... as it is assumed the engine is now running.

[serge_saati]

Yes, that is normal. But it's not normal that sometime fuel pump don't run at all or engine doesn't crank completely.

[12Ounce]

Of course ... just didn't want anyone thinking: because the pump turns off in a few seconds ... that that is proof that the pump itself is THE problem.