2001 Windstar issues

Uncle and aunt was on their way from Ohio to Ky and noticed van was overheating some. Dont know how long it before it was noticed. Had to pull off Interstate and we went to help and the power steering pulley had frozen up and stripped or whatever not letting stuff work correctly with the belt. Well got new power steering pump on and everything was fine. Started up good and got back on I75 and may have went 10 mile and noticed smoke coming in thru vents. Van eventually died as they were pulling over and smoke everywhere under hood. Cleared out and found oil everywhere under hood. Mostly concentrated to passenger side of engine compartment. Not tried to clean oil off yet. They are junking it and left it for me to take care of. Oil on dipstick is where it should be but looks like there may be some water in it. Not real sure. Does anyone have a clue on what to check or where the oil may have came from. Please reply soon.

There's a chance the earlier overheating event opened something up ... perhaps even a head gasket. I would pull a sample of the crankcase oil and send to Blackstone Labs for testing. See their website for details.

I would be inclined to rebuild the engine if it is a good car otherwise ... but that's me.

Since you replaced the PS pump, I'm going to take the obvious guess that you didn't quite get it sealed up well enough. Check for a leak at the PS output line or return hose. It was a pain to connect up those lines to the PS pump on my '96 3.8l.

However, I don't see how that would make the van die, so 12Ounce might be right.

BTW, smoke under the hood will put smoke out of the vents, due to fresh air flow.

Thanks for the reply. Been sick and finally felt like going out to mess with it today. Oil is fine on the dipstick. Looks dirty like needing to be changed. No sign of water in the oil that I see. I sprayed the oil or whatever it was off from everywhere that I could under the hood. Sprayed off pretty easy just with old waterhose and cold water. Can not see anything obvious to the eye. The oil if that is what it was was like a dark tannish color. Not to dark and not to light. Should of took pics but oh well. Battery is dead so something was not working somewhere to keep the battery charged. Aunt said it was a odd smell. Not like a burning smell. Dont know though, I was not there. Put it on the ramps in a few days and see what I can see. Suppose to be a heat wave in Kentucky after Saturday for a few days but loads of rain! LOL! Will update on what I find.

Passenger side is the front of the engine. Anything that drips on the belt is going to get sprayed all around. The most likely fluids are power steering fluid (oil), coolant (water pump), and engine oil. Transmission oil is much less likely. Watch for the fluid while you run the engine, turn the steering wheel, etc.

Van will not start. Acts like it wants to fire but not enough to start. Had the same gunk, oil or whatever in the breather tunnel thing. It will be going to the scrap yard soon.

Check the level of the power steering fluid in the reservoir. If it is low....then that is likely the source of the fluid that is all over the place.
As Tom mentioned.....getting those metal lines lined up just right to thread them in is a real pain. I have been there and done that and know just what he is talking about. A small leak right there can make a really big mess.....and get that belt slipping again. Once you get oil/fluid onto the belt.....it is best to replace it with a new one.
Also, do not OVERFILL the power steering fluid.....it should be no higher than the highest line on the fill cap/dipstick. The fluid will expand some when it gets hot. Also, any air in the system can cause the power steering fluid to foam. If you have air in the system....it will make noise. To evacuate air from the power steering system.....verify that the fluid is full up to the proper line in the cap/dipstick..... Start the engine and then turn the steering wheel all the way one way (not pushing against the limit) and then all the way the other way. Then turn the engine OFF and re-check the power steering fluid level. If there are lots of bubbles in the fluid....you may need to wait a while (for the bubbles to rise up out of the fluid) and then repeat the process again. Also, the correct fluid to use for power steering is Transmission Fluid. I would use Mercon or MerconV fluid for this. The vehicle originally called for a Type F fluid, which could be hard to locate. I prefer a synthetic fluid (thus the types I mentioned) as the power steering fluid gets really hot.

If the battery is dead......or low, the vehicle will not start.....even though there may be enough power to turn over the engine....the voltage may be too low to pull in a relay required for ignition.

"Gunk in the breather tube/tunnel thing"......it is NORMAL for some oil to be in the big flex hose that goes from the throttle body to the air filter. I know that is not ideal.....but it is a result of the oil vapors being drawn in from the crankcase. The PCV line connects right at the throttle body....and it is my theory that when the engine is shut off....some of those vapors can settle into the throttle body and run back out into the flex hose. It looks nasty, but does no harm.

One other thing that I had happen......is the Idle Air Control Valve (IAC) can stick.....and the engine will die unless you are pressing (very slightly) on the accelerator pedal.
This valve is what controls the engine speed when your foot is not on the accelerator.