96 windstar transmission

My 1996 windstar has been pretty good. With 113,000 miles it has started to idle rough. I'm told this is probably a transmission problem, but a transmission mechanic said it is a misfire, which seemed more likely. But now the transmission IS acting funny. Anyone have any advice, experience with this?
Should I sink $2,000 into this car?

Adam.

My 1996 windstar has been pretty good. With 113,000 miles it has started to idle rough. I'm told this is probably a transmission problem, but a transmission mechanic said it is a misfire, which seemed more likely. But now the transmission IS acting funny. Anyone have any advice, experience with this?
Should I sink $2,000 into this car?

Adam.wouldn't the transmission act up if the engine was not running properly.i would try to solve the misfire first.i have a '96 windstar.i do not have as many miles as you do but the two times i have had problem with a rough running engine i solved both.there is the rubber elbow on top of the intake that collapses and is very easy to correct and the other time i removed the intake plenum and cleaned all the carbon off of the 6 throttle plates inside,see wiswinds photos on his site.there is no expense there if you are a do it yourselfer,only solvent and scraping.

Welcome to AF

quote]now the transmission IS acting funny[/quote]

Can you clarify? Is the shifting occurring at normal points? Does it engage reverse and drive normally? Any more information would be helpful.

The vehicle is now 10 years old......so LOTS of possibilities.

Are the plug wires in good shape?
How are the spark plugs?.....use DOUBLE platinumn plugs, Motorcraft or Autolite brands. Bosch +2 and +4 are NOT Double Plantinumn and are NOT good for this application.

Also, you might try putting a can of Berryman's B-12 Chemtool cleaner (metal can) in the fuel tank.
It is a solvent based cleaner that will clean things up....might need to do 2 consecutive tanks (2 cans).
Then, after a couple tanks of fuel, change the fuel filter.

If the EGR ports have not been cleaned, they most likely need to be cleaned.
A misfire on cylinder's 1 (P0301) and / or 4 (P0304) are classic signs of clogged EGR ports in the lower intake manifold.
The EGR ports normally clog the most at the ports closest to the EGR valve first, and the last 2 cylinders left open are 1 and 4.
The, when the EGR valve opens, those cylinders get all the EGR flow, causing the misfire.

You can have the Check Engine Light (CEL) codes read for free at Autozone and many other auto part stores.
Make SURE to get the actual numeric code from them, not just the description.
Also, if you have P0171 and / or P0174, they are most likely caused by a vaccum leak NOT a defective oxygen sensor.