1999 Windstar - Codes 0171/0443/1401 + Misfires & Tranny

[cratz]

Firstly, thank you to everyone who contributes to the forum on a regular basis. It's because of people like you that people in my position can get help.

My grandfather recently died, and left me his 1999 Ford Windstar. He's had it since it was brand new, and as of today it has 249k miles on it - yea...crazy right?

It hadn't been driven for about a year since he was sick for quite a while. I took it for a 30 mile drive to see what kind of condition it was in. Once I jump started it, the CEL was on. Things I noticed while driving on the city streets:

• Van takes longer than normal to accelerate
• Really loud - I'm wondering if something is up with the muffler

Once I hopped on the highway and hit speeds in excess of 65 MPH, the "O/D OFF" light began flashing. The van wasn't driving any differently than before - at least I didn't notice anything. After another 5 or so minutes, the CEL began flashing. Again, the van wasn't driving any differently than before.

The one thing that was prevalent at this high speed also, was how long it took to accelerate. I really had to floor it to get it to go from 60 to 70.

I took it to the auto zone by my house (which was the plan all along) and pulled the following codes from it:

• P0171
• P0443
• P1401

I wasn't able to get a read on the Tranny codes since they didn't have a scanner for that.

I've been lurking around this forum to try to figure out a place to start. Where should I start?

Here's what I know so far:

-As for the 0171 code, respectable people on this forum say it most likely is due to a Vacuum leak. Any places in particular I should look?

-The 1401 code seems to point to either a bad DPFE Sensor and/or Carbon buildup in the EGR sensor/valve.

-Don't know anything about the 0443 code.

-I didn't get any codes relating to the misfiring that took place on the highway. Not really sure what that means.

I do a big DIY when it comes to doing work on my vehicles. A good tutorial and pics/videos and I'm off to the races. I plan on doing a lot of the work myself, unless it will start to require specialty tools and the like.

I know this post contains a lot of information. Any help the great people on this forum would be willing to give me, I'd appreciate it very much.

Thanks a ton guys (and gals )

Dan

[12Ounce]

If you intend to keep this car, I would heartlily recommend you buy the Ford paper electrical diagram book. Roughly $150, and worth every buck.

All brands have poor quality electrical harnesses ... poorly designed and poorly manufactured ... not designed for the long haul. Ford makes some of the worst, I believe. Once you have the diagram book, I would next recommend removing the entire electrical harness and carry to workbench. Don't be hesitant. You will discover much to repair and when you re-install ... you will have a different vehicle and you will understand much more about your vehicle.

[cratz]

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to reply. I just purchased an electrical diagram book I found online for $45. I'll dig into it.

[12Ounce]

Make sure its the exact one for your vin/model ... Ford does some electrical make-overs from time to time, even in mid-year, that can lead to certain confusion.

[scubacat]

• P0171

That's most likely the usual suspects - the green grommets and/or upper port seals. However, you can spray some carb cleaner around the upper manifold area (front and back) while the engine is running to see if it's elsewhere. You'll hear a noticeable change in the idle when you find the leak that way. If you don't find it, though, pull off the upper cover and change the green grommets. (about $8 from rock auto)

• P0443 P1401

Change DPFE sensor. 99.9% of the time that'll fix it. P1401 actually means the DPFE sensor is faulty. Remember, one trouble code can cause others based on the symptom. A bad DPFE will report bad data from the EGR valve, triggering the other code that the EGR valve is malfunctioning even when that's not the case.



In fact, I'd replace the DPFE sensor FIRST and then see if all 3 codes go away. It's PROBABLY unlikely it'll affect the P0171, but you never know.



For the transmission, assuming it was maintained previously (as in within 3-4 years) replace about 6-7 quarts of fluid and see if that makes any difference. Ours developed a fairly noticeable shudder on 1st gear, especially when cold, and I thought for sure it's days were numbered. However, I replaced 7 quarts of fluid and it completely went away.


Good luck and let us know how things go...

[tomj76]

I just did a bit of reading regarding the P0433 code, and noticed that it can be caused by a defective purge valve that is stuck open. If this is the case, then a lean code can occur as well.

I got a DPFE code on my van that was caused by clogged ports in the exhaust gas pipe (there is a ~1/2" pipe connected to the exhaust manifold that travels back to the intake manifold. The DPFE connects to this pipe at two ~1/8" ports with hoses.) There was a lot of carbon in the pipe. I cleared it by removing? the pipe and applying heat from a propane torch to burn off the carbon. I also used some music wire (old guitar strings) and drill bits to help clear the ports.