'99 Windstar Monitors "not ready"

[bustersdad]

I took my 1999 Windstar (3.8L V6) to get a state inspection and it failed for having 5 monitors "not ready". The CEL has not been on and it does light up when you first start the car and immediately goes out, so I know the bulb is okay. I was told that I need to drive the car to complete the monitors. This test was after a long weekend trip the put 800+ miles on the car!
My local mechanic scanned it and the following were not ready: Catalyst, EGR, EVAP, O2 sensor and O2 sensor heat.
I downloaded a copy of the driving procedure to complete the moitors and tried it out several times.
Where I am now is it appears as though the monitors will complete, but when the car is shut down, the status is lost fairly quickly (too quick for the test to pass). I suspect the PCM or a wiring problem. Where is the PCM on this vehicle? What is the voltage level where the PCM will lose memory (they car starts fine, but the battery is down to around 12.0V)?

[12Ounce]

You may be on to something with that voltage observation. Be sure to compare your Winnie's voltage readings to another vehicle ... to make sure your meter is not misleading you. My voltages while running are around 14.3 volts...the battery usually stays at 13+ overnight.

The PCM is under hood, mounted in the firewall in the RH rear of the engine compartment. I doubt if you can even see it without removing the wiper arms and cowling ... not a bad job after the 1st time.

How did the mechanic know what he told you? There must have been some alpha-numeric codes.

[bustersdad]

He ran what was called a readiness test on his Snap-on scanner. It just reports back the status of the emission control monitors and he did not check for error codes.
I just checked and the voltage is 12.14V on the van and 12.55V on my Contour. Both have sat over night.

[bustersdad]

Wow, what a horrible location.

I did tear down the cowling and look at it. I assume it must extend into the dash, as only a very large connector with lots of wires. The attachment bolts are rusted and the whole area apparently has water from the windshield run over it as the wires and connector are covered with road salt.

I checked the voltage to the PCM at the fuse box while the car was started. It drops to 9.8 to 10.5 volts as read on a digital multimeter when the starter is engaged (not the most accurate method of measuring a changing voltage).

[12Ounce]

Your problems may go away with a bit of PCM connector cleaning and lubrication. I think I remember the PCM just sitting in that recess ... there's nothing but that one connector attached to it.

Good luck, there's plenty of folks here to help. I about to be away from the internet for a couple of days.

[12Ounce]

Before I hit the road:

While you are under that cowling, check you harness for chafing ... especially near the ac tubing. Many, not all, '99's and some '00's had the harness, by design, too close to the ac tubing. Mine was one. I took some rather graphic digi photos and gave them to my dealer. He passed them on to Detroit. I think I was the one who alerted Ford to the problem ... got a lot of "thank you's" but nothing in legal tender.

Keep checking all your elect terminals. Low voltage is an issue, but I would be more concerned about missed data through some conductor. I wonder how your engine is running.

[DRW1000]

Hi Bustersdad,

I am sort of butting in partway but I agree with 12ounces advice that the dirty/corroded contact points may have a lot to do with your troubles. Dirty contacts cause a higher than normal resistance that can cause data loss and voltage drops.

It's strange how they will not test the car further. It used to be that way here (Ontario) but the testing was changed. They no longer care if the CEL works or not or if the monitors are ready. They check the gas cap and do the tailpipe reading. The theory is that it either passes emissions or it doesn't. They don't care what the PCM "thinks".

[DRW1000]

12ounce,

To answer your question about how the mechanic knew which monitors were not set:

I have a handheld code reader and it has the monitor icons on the display. If they are on solid it mean that the monitors have run their test. If they flash it mean that the ones flashing have not run their test. The most dificult monitor I found to have set is the EVAP. Apparently the car needs to sit for a minimum or 8 hours and then start from a temperature of ?? and then rise to operating temperature and run at highway speeds within 20 minutes (or something like that). I live near Toronto and in rush hour one cannot get near the highway or get to highway speeds if on the highway in 20 minutes.

No codes are set just the monitors built in reporting system.

[bustersdad]

In case anyone has followed this, I will post the solution. Cleaning the PCM connector did not work.

I ended up taking the car to the dealer and they traced the problem down to a corroded connection under the fuse box. This connection powered the stay alive memory in the PCM, so the monitors would lose there settings when the key was off.