Misfire on cylinder 1

[wiswind]

I spent a LOT of time and money tracking down a slight miss.......before it was enough to light the CEL.....and all it was was dirty fuel injectors....a $3 can of the Berryman's was all I needed in the first place.
Like you.....I do not feel bad......my '96 was then in REALLY good shape with new coil pack...and a few other goodies.

In this economy....a LOT of folks cannot afford to go out and buy another vehilce.
Right now....I could...but prefer to put the money into paying extra on my house......so that it will be paid off long before I retire.
I figure that I have hung around with you folks so much....and researched the Windstar so much....keeping my long ago paid for '96 going......that I will drive her 'till she pops big time.....and go out and get another....as they seem to be pretty cheap.....and when you understand them......pretty cheap to keep going.
And....I AM CHEAP.....

Point being......if you are planning to keep your vehicle (which is the best plan in personal finance)....and particularly when your wife/family is driving it.......you are way ahead of the game to have put the routine parts in that you have.
These are things that should not come up at the least opportune time......when you are short on money......when it is -20 (F) outside....... to bite you in the wallet.

You can feel reasonably good about the vehicle that you have your loved one(s) out on the road in.

One thing that I recommend....for those who do not live in an area that has manditory yearly inspections (like Pennsylvania)......going in once a year to have a "safety check" done is a good idea....so that you catch things before they leave you along the road.

[tomj76]

Good job finding the problem... I didn't suspect the valve spring itself, but I was going to guess there was a valve problem.... (easy to say now that it's been resolved!)

I remember a post here from a year ago where that was the problem.

I'm just curious and I don't know if your mechanic told you, but I'd like to know was the spring broken, or was it just weak? Was the problem the spring or was the valve sticking in the guides?

[dde2]

Originally Posted by tomj76

Good job finding the problem... I didn't suspect the valve spring itself, but I was going to guess there was a valve problem.... (easy to say now that it's been resolved!)

I remember a post here from a year ago where that was the problem.

I'm just curious and I don't know if your mechanic told you, but I'd like to know was the spring broken, or was it just weak? Was the problem the spring or was the valve sticking in the guides?

Hi again,
And once again, sorry for the long delay in posting, I haven't been on here since the problem was resolved.

The valve spring was broken, My Mechanic showed it to me when I picked it up. If anyone needs a good honest mechanic in the Arlignton area of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, send me an email and I'll pass along his contact info.

[Freakzilla69]

Originally Posted by wiswind

Fuel pressure issues can be really tough to track down as the OBDII system on the windstar does not monitor fuel flow or pressure.
On the 2000 model year, fuel pump and PCM relays have been mentioned, as well as the fuel pump.
I would ask your mechanic to check the fuel pressure while it is in......just to be on the safe side.
Sometimes the fuel issue can be intermittent....at which point a good move would be to replace the above mentioned 2 relays, and see if that cures the problem before going to the expense (part and labor) of the fuel pump.

I have been getting a missfire lately, P300 I believe. I also have low vacuum at my manifold which I believe may be due to some clogged or leaky vacuum lines. I plan to replace those this weekend as well as putting on a new set of wires. I was thinking of buying a fuel pressure regulator to check that too and your post got me wondering...

What would indicate the need to replace the PCM, assuming low fuel pressure? That thing is expensive! What other relay were you refering too, is there a multi-purpose relay for the fuel pump? Changing the fuel pump looks like no fun whatsoever, if I find that I have low fuel pressure, I'd like try other possibilities first. Is there anything else besides the fuel pressure regulator and the relays?

I believe it is my destiny to replace every part on this van, one at a time. I'd like to do the easiest ones first.

[Captv2k]

Have you try to flash your computer. I belive I had the same problem b ut it was my number 2 plug that was not firiing up. too many mislead me. untill I took the computer to have it flashed and bingo. It worked just like when I first bought it. It did the work. Let me know, if it worked.

[SpiderMonkey56]

I've got the same CEL code. Have tried Plugs and Coil still no better.
Just signed up and will try the EGR Valve & DPFE Sensor next. I'm praying it is not valve spring broken on mine!

[wiswind]

EGR valve rarely fails on the windstar.....so I would hold off on that.