1998 Windstar rough idle

[kitch]

Yes I sprayed carb cleaner around but did nothing. I have also changed the coil pack. When I touch something around the evr valve the engine revs up like it is firing on all 6 then when I let go it drops down. I am going to take apart the upper intake and take a look at the evr and vacuum lines and connection will post tomorrow about progress.

[fdunford]

EGR is not scheduled at idle, so the EVR shouldn't be causing a rough idle unless it's failed on, or your plugging a vacuum leak on what your touching.

On mine I seem to remember another solenoid back there. I think it also has electrical/vacuum lines also. I think it may be the purge valve? I think purge is scheduled at idle but again,it may be electrical/vacuum lines.

I'd suggest checking the connectors and pins on each solenoid as well as the vacuum lines. You did clean the IAC already, right?

[kitch]

Well 4 hours later and still the same I checked the evr resistance 33 ohms in the ball park of 30 to 70. Key on, it has battery voltage and also the dpfe. I tried all the vacuum lines they seem alright. Put everything back together except the air intake. I sprayed air intake cleaner in. This also left lots of room to get around in behind the intake close to fire. I sprayed around back there and the engine almost died. Now I know there is a vacuum leak but where. I think I will buy all new vacuum lines and fittings and try that.

[98er]

I still have spark knock I see there is a tsb for 99 and 00. Is there one for 98.

With that kind of mileage and spark knock, have you decarboned the engine? The 3.8 is notorious for this. Mom's Mustang (72 year old driving a convertible) knocked like crazy - very rough acceleration. I raised the idle with warm engine, fed 1 bottle of Seafoam into it through an intake vacuum hose. You can slow the feed to be safe by sucking the bottle clean through a basketball inflator. The engine will cough and choke but keep it feeding. As soon as empty. kill the engine and let it sit. You've probably already made a huge black cloud. After 15 minutes, start it and run a can of water, yes water through it. Make sure of the slow rate so you don't hydro-lock and kill the engine for good. Take it down the road and stomp on it to clean it out.
I did this twice and the second time, much less smoke and she runs great. Sometimes, you can foul your plugs so a plug change is recommended.
Marc/Douglasville GA
98 Windstar
97 SHO

[kitch]

I hear of this seafoam but we can not get this in Canada. Two of my brothers live in Minni. I will have to get them to get me some and ship it up so I can try it. Thanks

[kitch]

I ran into something very strange today. I bought oil stabilizer fuel treatment. I put all that in and when I got home I tried something. When the cel started to flash I played around with #5 and #6 fuel injector connectors. I took #6 off no difference then took #5 off engine drop a little. Then I put #6 on #5 no difference. Then I put #6 back on and was playing with it with #5 off. All of a sudden #6 started to fire after about 30 sec. Then I put #5 on the engine would run on all 6 for 15 sec then die off again. #6 missfiring again. Has anyone had this problem if so what was it.

[98er]

It sounds like you're trying to isolate a bad injector or wire. #6 is intermittent. Do you have an ohmmeter? It's time to buy one. A good diagnostician would attach a scope to the lead to look for a signal. I'd expect a square wave of some sort. A DC Voltmeter would register a voltage value that you can compare to a known good cylinder. You'd at least know that it's not the wiring.

[kitch]

Yes I have an ohm meter. I will have to check that. I am just reading the chapter on fuel and injectors. I will try some stuff this week sometime when I have time. But why would #6 start firing when #5 is unplugged? Then stop when #5 was plugged back in.

[kitch]

I check a few things this weekend and the injectors are fine and they are being feed the same as #4 cylinder. I took #4 off and left #5 and #6 on the engine dropped rpm. Then after about 15 to 20 sec the engine rpm climbed back up. I am guessing but the computer is adjusting to me taking #4 off. I kind of figured out that I have a vacuum like. I can hear a faint high-pitched whistle sound from the drive seat when I give the pedal a quick pulse. I have sprayed everything under the sun around in there but can't make engine rev up or down. Does anyone have any Ideas about where it could be if your hearing it inside, driver side, but not under the hood????

[baumbr]

If you're hearing a vacuum leak inside the vehicle you will want to check your heater/AC control vacuum circuits (hoses). Seems like every modern vehicular system (HVAC, transmission, brakes, etc.) have a vacuum control system and computers and engines are very sensitive to a vacuum loss in any of them. Yet another reason why I prefer to work on my 1980 Bronco, everything is mechanical.

[kitch]

Would anyone know if a lean condition on bank #1 would cause a misfire on #6 cylinder, or are they two separate things?

[kitch]

Well update time, I just finished the lower intake gasket on the 3.8L windstar. It ran excellent firing on all 6 cylinders for about 3 min from cold start. Then it started to misfire on #6 again. I could here a high pitched whistle but could not find it. I was pretty tired so I got pissed off and left it over night and started it again in the morning. Same thing happened but this time I listened for the whistle at the start and it was not there as soon as the whistle came the engine started to act up. I kind of pinpointed the sound to driver side just inside the wheel well. You can really here it from the wheel well but you really have to strain to hear it from the top. I looked all over and sprayed everything to see if I could make engine do something but nothing. I think it is a gasket because the engine runs great until it warms up a bit but where I do not know. Does anyone have an idea. I replaced IAC gasket, egr valve gasket, throttle body gasket, lower/upper intake manifold gaskets, valve cover gaskets, and replaced the fuel pressure regulator.

[12Ounce]

Could your vacuum leak be in the brake booster? Try disconnecting and plugging the supply hose to the booster.

[kitch]

I should have said everything I did but this is also the rest that I did when I heard the whistle. I plugged the pcv at the upper intake, every line off the fire wall side of the upper intake. This includes the brake booster. This is why I do not under stand what is causing it that would effect the engine this way.