98 Windstar Intermittent No Start

98 Ford Windstar 3.8L.
At times, the van will crank but not start. It may go months without doing it,but all of a sudden the problem will show up. If I unplug the vacuum hose to the fuel pressure regulator it will start for whatever reason. Are there any common problems associated with this situation?

Hello and welcome to the forum,

I don't know if it is a common problem, never heard of it; let's try a small test to check the condition of the regulator:

When you unplug the vacuum hose do you see any fuel coming out of it? how about if you take the regulator off the engine and turn it upside down, does any fuel comes out of it?.

If it is then the diaphragm inside it is broken and it's no longer working the way it should be.

Best regards,

Oscar.

FIRST thing to check is the battery voltage and connections.
It is possible for a battery to be able to turn the motor over, but the voltage to still be just low enough to be too low to energize a relay (like the fuel pump relay).

A common cause (but not the only possible cause) is the fuel pump not working.
YES, they can become intermittent before they fail solid.
The windstar does not monitor fuel flow or pressure, so there will not be any code stored telling you that it is a fuel pressure or delivery problem.
This can be caused by the pump, fuel pump relay, PCM power relay, or a wiring issue.
Also check the crash interrupt switch that is located in the jack compartment.
Another thing to check is the fuel filter.
A restricted fuel filter causes the fuel pump to work harder.

those 3800 or 3.8 have many problems with those like head gasket and intake. if you really like this car i'd fix it and sale it. i'll tell you why they are junk. they tried to make them as good as G.M.. NEVER WORKED.....

When I unplugged the fuel pressure regulator, fuel did not spray out of it. But I replaced it anyway, that was about two months ago. Since the problem came back, I have not tried unplugging the vacuum hose.
I will try the things yall have said and see what I can come up with.

I see, if you already replaced it forget about what I said and go straight with what wiswind has said.

Best regards,

Oscar.

Ok I looked a littler deeper at the van last night and finally found something wrong with it. This may not even be related to the no start problem. I opened the air filter housing and noticed some oil on the mass air flow housing. Then I unclamped the MAF housing and looked down in the intake boot. The intake boot has oil standing in the bottom of it! I didnt have time to take the throttle body off or investigate any further but that's what's up. The way I figure it, the only way oil could get in the intake boot is from a pcv malfunction if its possible at all. I noticed the forward valve cover does not have a pcv valve, but I assume that's because its fed into the intake before the throttle plate. Does the valve cover nearest the firewall have a pcv valve? I figured it might since the vacuum tube from that side comes in after the throttle plate.

This is actually very common.
You can minimize it by using a genuine Motorcraft brand PCV valve, aftermarket can vary.....some letting too much flow.
I added a catch can on my '96, which reduced it even more, but I STILL got some oil in the flex hose.
I am guessing that it gets there after the vehicle is shut down.....everything still hot...and vapors can drift around before condensing.

You do NOT want to reduce the PCV flow from what is intended, as it is SUPER important to pull that air, and the harmful vapors out of the crankcase.
If these vapors are not removed.....they will cause the motor oil to break down....and you will end up with a sludged motor.

Of course, if oil gets onto the MAF, then it can cause issues there also.
In that case, you would use MAF cleaner, or some other non-residue electronic cleaner......
It does not seem to get actually inside the sensor part of the MAF....but if it does, it can be cleaned very easily.

To clean the MAF......take note of the actual sensor part.......which is inside of a black plastic cross member.....just behind the screen.
You will need to unplug it.....and move it out of the engine compartment.
There is a hole at one end of the cross member facing the air filter.
On the other side.....at the other end of the cross member, is another hole that faces AWAY from the air filter.
The sensors are inside that hollow tube.
You hold the unit so that 1 hole is facing UP toward you.....the tube sloping slightly downward toward the hole facing the other way.
Then you spray the cleaner into the tube facing you......it runs through the tube and out the hole at the other end.....cleaning and flushing any dirt or oil that is on the sensors.

A picture of the MAF from my '96 3.8L

http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/395/1350023782011220610S500x500Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1350023782011220610bXQOkA)

A picture looking in from the side that faces the throttle body

http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/38310/1350025265011220610S500x500Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1350025265011220610GPqZYJ)

it's the fuel pump. My 01 windstar has the same problem, I'm trying to hold off til spring to fix mine, since it's winter now.