99 windstar still chugging really bad.. Help please

[Mom2boyzz]

12Ounce... Thank you thank you thank you!!

Yes, that was the problem.. duh to me.

He got the readings.. the one was a dirty fuel injector.. and another code saying too much gas... I don't know the exact code, as I'm at work.. but I will post the codes as soon as I get home.

He did the test of the coil pack with a meter..and said 2 of the ports were reading less than 1ohm.

So, he ripped out the coil pack, and is replacing that, then working on trying to clean the fuel injectors.

I'll know more when I get home, and will post with updates..

Fingers crossed we may actually have the problem!!

[FordGuy81]

Originally Posted by Mom2boyzz

12Ounce... Thank you thank you thank you!!

Yes, that was the problem.. duh to me.

He got the readings.. the one was a dirty fuel injector.. and another code saying too much gas... I don't know the exact code, as I'm at work.. but I will post the codes as soon as I get home.

He did the test of the coil pack with a meter..and said 2 of the ports were reading less than 1ohm.

So, he ripped out the coil pack, and is replacing that, then working on trying to clean the fuel injectors.

I'll know more when I get home, and will post with updates..

Fingers crossed we may actually have the problem!!

If your husband is cleaning out the fuel injectors by removing them from the engine, he can check the lower intake manifold gaskets at the same time. The upper intake manifold is the black plastic top (2) peices. The lower intake manifold is aluminum. If you have a coolant leak, it could possibly be there where the sides of the lower intake meet the back sides of the cylinder head. It may readily apparent that they are leaking when you take off the upper intake and fuel rail.

Tell your husband to lubricate the o-rings on the fuel injectors with a small amount of new engine oil. This will let the injectors slide back into the head/intake easily.

Remember to release the fuel pressure at the valve located at the front of the fuel rail, facing the front of the car. Use an old rag to soak up the fuel as it comes out.

Also, the P0201 code in the truck is for fuel injector 1 circuit fault. It could be a bad injector leaking fuel into the engine, are there any misfire codes? The issue could also be a problem with the circuit being grounded or open to voltage. Check the ohms value on the number one injector. You can also do a continuity test between the injector and a ground point. There should be no continuity between the two. You can possibly check for an open circuit by back probing the injector (connector still attached) and turn the key to the on position. measure the value between the two wires. One wire is for the 5 volt reference, the other is the signal return wire. Check the relay also.

If it is a straight six engine, number 1 is the first cylinder closest to the radiator.

If it is a V8, the cylinders are numbered like this:

4 8
3 7
2 6
1 5
v
Front of engine



Bill

[FordGuy81]

Mom2boyzz,

What codes were given by the computer? Did you get your van running again?

[Mom2boyzz]

Hi Guys!!

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I've been working like a madwoman the past week.
Anyway, the van is Fixed!!!

Turns out, it was the coil pack! Once that thing was pulled out, and taking a look at it.. my god.. it looks like it was hit repeatedly with a hammer! Cracks all over it, and really bashed in! I don't know how / why it looked that way.. but obviously it's not supposed to! I'll try to post a picture of it.

The codes we got were:
P0202
P0301

Cleaning the fuel injectors & changing the coil pack completely fixed our problem, and it's running like its brand new!!

Thank you all again for all your help, there is NO way we would have been able to fix it ourselves without your advice & instructions!
I wish I could buy you all a beer!

[FordGuy81]

Glad to hear everything is running well now with your van.

Good work!

[LeSabre97mint]

Mom

Glad to help. It's kinda hard working from a distance.....but with all of the guys that jumped in so we had input from many helpful minds.

I'm glad that you didn't give up on it and that it's running like new. I thought for a bit that you were ready to throw in the towel.

Keep the trouble threads coming. (this isn't wishing trouble on you but I like to see people get their vehicals fixed!)

Dan

[doozer]

Originally Posted by Mom2boyzz

Hi guys,

I'm starting a new thread, trying to get some additional help!

My 99 windstar was misfiring, and it started all of a sudden on the highway.
Thankfully, many of you wonderful people have given me many suggestions.

SO, we've followed your advice so far... we (well...my husband doing the work, me being the beautiful assistant of course )

He has..
Changed spark plugs, done an oil change (using a bottle of that engine flush stuff), new fuel filter, cleaned egr ports, and put STP extra strength fuel system cleaner in the gas tank. (We couldn't find the Berrymans.. do they not sell it in Canada? (We're in southwestern Ontario) We couldn't find it anywhere) He checked all the vacuum lines and all ok.
He's planning to change the spark plug wires as well, but we have to wait til Tuesday til they're in stock.

The van is still running like crap . When doing the oil change, it was really sludgy (admittedly though, it was well overdue for an oil change, and we recently found out the place we've been taking it to for the last 3 or 4 oil changes uses recycled oil, not new).

I don't know what else to do.. we've sunk quite a bit of money & time into the van now, and it's still not running well... Plus I need to do my etest within the next week or so to renew my plates.... and running like this I'm not confident it will pass.

The engine light is off... no longer comes on while driving, and no longer flashes.. but it's chugging. Really chugging. Accelerates ok, it doesn't stall out at all, but really chugs both at idle & acceleration.

The gas additive was just put in today, so we're hoping maybe if I take it for a good spin tomorrow, it might work its way through and clean it up a bit..

Can anyone help me as to what to do next, or what else could be the problem? I don't want to keep sinking money into this thing when nothing is working.

BTW.. the EGR ports were REALLY gucky.
One of my hubbys buddys were over, and said he thinks my head gasket is gone when looking at the oil with the sludgey stuff. That gave me a mini-panic attack.. is this a possibility? The van has NEVER overheated, and never does the temp guage go over the 1/2 way mark. No white smoke, no "sweet smell" type symptoms I've found online.

Please help.. I'm not sure what else to do other than trash it, but it's not even paid off yet.

Thanks again to everyone who can help.

please check your coil pack,thats what mine was ,the haynes ford windstar manual bought at can tire is very helpful, i got a used one through our gov't salvage but other wreckers would do about half price from new 80 as opposed to 140 new,hope this helps

[Tercat]

Just wanted to say that we have a 2002 Ford Windstar van that has been chugging and we've replaced the fuel filter, changed the oil, put fuel cleaner in the gas tank, and had the manifold gasget and air filter replaced. Engine light has gone off but it still chugs. My husband was looking for a different vehicle to replace this one, but we really can't afford that. After reading this forum, we're going to try replacing the coil pack and cleaning the fuel injector and hope that solves the problem like it did for mom2boyzz. Our son wants to get his drivers license, but can't use the van when it's acting like it is. So frustrating. Thanks so much for all your help! Terese