96 Windstar Code 301

WORKING ON 1996 WINDSTAR 100,000 MI. 3.8 LITER WITH CODE 301.HAVE CHANGED PLUGS, WIRES , PULLED INTAKE PLENUM AND CLEANED EGR. PORTS, LOOKING FOR NEXT STEP TO GET RID OF THIS CODE.ANY HELP WILL BE GREATLY APPREACIATED. THANX. :banghead:

Hi

My '96 had intermittent misfire on 3 and 5. I did most of what you did, plus ran seafoam through the fuel tank. On this forum, Berryman's chemtool is more highly touted however for in tank additives. You might give that a try. Perhaps the #1 injector is fouled somewhat.

Crud in fuel injectors is a common issue with the windstar.
I cleared the issue up once by removing the injector for the cylinder that was acting up and spraying carb cleaner up inside the cap over the spray end.
It had a LOT of crud built up in there.....
I found crud up in all the injectors, but that one must have been the worst.

I recommend the Berryman's Chemtool B-12 as it worked for me on a subsequent (4 years later) misfire code......
It was recommeded to me by a mechanic.....who told me that most fuel system cleaners are detergent based....which are great for maintenance....
The B-12 is solvent based....which is good for cleaning tough crud that is already there.
The B-12 would NOT be good for using in nearly every tank as a maintenance dose....but is good for clearing up a problem such as you have.

I would try that first.....and it may take as many as 3 tanks (1 metal can of B-12 each tank) to clear it up.

The next step would be the removal and spray method......which would require removal of the upper intake manifold......(not a fun January project).

Cylinder #1 (P0301 misfire code) is the passenger side, rear (firewall side) of the engine.

Could be a coil pack problem. Check at night in the dark or garage. Look for arching between 2 wire connections. Look for a carbon trail on the coil itself. (a black line like pencil mark between terminals or the case.) I read a post on here about other tests. Maybe Wiswin? or Lesabre. Either way its a cheap fix. Wouldnt hurt to do anyways. With the cowl removed and the air cleaner removed its not hard to get at. Check this site out. Not what I was looking for but it might help.http://autorepair.about.com/cs/troubleshooting/l/aa062902f.htm