[phil-l]

tender.one -

You have several different symptoms, which may or may not have a common cause. Let's look at them one at a time.

- Let's start with the "screaming". I assume by this you mean that the van made a loud "screaming"-type sound when it started, and the noise went away a few minutes (or less?) later. When this noise was happening, was anything else unusual going on? What was the engine's speed as shown on the tachometer? Normally, your engine should start and jump up somewhere between 1000 RPM and 2000 RPM. After running for a few moments (perhaps a few minutes, it it's cold), it should idle, indicating somewhere around 750 RPM. Was it doing this when the "screaming" sound was occurring? In my experience, most sounds like this (at least, as I think you're describing it) are somehow related to a belt slipping (your Windstar has only one belt driving all of the engine's accessories; it's commonly known as a serpentine belt). The belt may be worn, or something in the belt's path isn't working correctly. Yes, cold weather can excaberate the symptom. As always, more details about the symptoms you're seeing can help track down the cause.

- Intermittent cruise control can have numerous causes. You imply this problem can be related to temperature; perhaps some water got someplace it shouldn't be. When it freezes, it can cause problems. Since this problem doesn't prevent use of the van (and doesn't have a simple "check this" type of solution), I'll ignore it for the moment.

- Intermittent engine running and sputtering/coughing can also have lots of problems. But many of them are easy to track down. How many miles are on your van? Are all of the normal tune-up items up-to-date? If you don't know for sure, I'd guess there are some things that are out-of-date. For a 2002 van, I'm guessing that spark plugs, spark plug wires, air filter and fuel filter are all due to be changed. Each of these, if bad, can cause the symptoms you've described. If all of the tune-up items are up-to-date and it still sputters, there are some other things that can be checked.

One common item if it seems to have trouble idling (wants to stall) for awhile, but then it goes away when warm: The Idle Air Control (IAC) valve. Like its name implies, it adjusts the air the engine needs when idling. The valves are noted for getting sticky, which causes idle problems. Thankfully, the IAC isn't very expensive or difficult to fix (handy D.I.Y. types can clean it themselves).

- Is the "Check Engine" light on? If it is, that means there's some kind of error code stored in the engine control computer. A well-equipped shop can pull the code out of the processor (for a fee); note that AutoZone will pull the code for free! If decided to get the code pulled, make sure they tell you the actual numeric code, not just a description (i.e., make sure they tell you something like "Code P0123", not just "Your XYZ sensor is bad). Share the code here; we can help.

Well, I've probably written to much. Is any of this helpful?