Windstar won't start today...

[hocky88]

Greetings all- I haven't posted in awhile as I have not been working on the Windstar lately. Was waiting for the weather to break here in Philly before replacing my valve stem seals. You can read up in my other post from about a month ago. Anyway, my wife has the van today and it has been running fine with the exception of some pinging caused by my malfunctioning IMRC system (another topic for a different day - clips and rods in place, motor appears to moving but bad performance, pinging, etc!). It has been starting great with no indications of any sort of loss of battery etc. So my wife calls to tell me she used the van first thing in the morning, no problems. Then upon trying to leave for work 30 minutes later, nothing, won't turn over. Now she is no mechanic and I am only slightly better , but I ask her to describe and she says" no sounds, no clicks, nothing. I asked her to make sure it was in park and she moved it around to confirm. I then asked her to turn the key and see if she could make anything work -lights, radio, etc. Again, nothing. So I am at work just wondering what will be the culprit. I began to ask her to check the battery cables but she did not feel comfortable, so that is my story for the day...I have been removing the neg battery cable a lot recently, but I would be surprised if any cable is loose and again I did not notice any signs the day before. Is there possibly a fuse or something else wierd going on besides the battery? Thanks for the suggestions and talk with you guys later tonight after I get a chance to take a look.
Cheers!

[phil-l]

When trying to remotely diagnose a "no start, no noise" situation - with someone who isn't comfortable under the hood - here's one quick item to check:

Does the horn work? Does it sound as loud and strong as it usually does?

If there's no horn, you almost certainly have a fundamental battery connection or state-of-charge problem.

If the horn sounds fine - but there's still no start or other signs of life on the dashboard, it's time to dig more deeply into the electrical system.

[hocky88]

Ok thanks for that tip...Sure hope it is not starter related because after reading here so much it seems that it will be difficult to find one as good as the original without going to the dealer. Of course that is very premature - I am hopeful it will be a simple fix.

[phil-l]

One quick note regarding starters and other OEM parts: Don't presume that the price of the real Ford part is that much different than the aftermarket.

Example: A starter for my Windstar from a national chain (Autozone, as it turns out, but do your own research) runs from $99 to $149.99 (all prices do not include core charge), depending on the quality level. Note that I wouldn't be surprised if the lower-priced unit isn't in stock were I to stop by.

Meanwhile, I can get a real Ford starter for $113.25 (OK - I'm not including shipping charges) through an on-line Ford parts provider (Team Ford Parts for this example; as always, do your own research). Of course, I'd expect to pay more at my local dealer's parts counter. However, if you ask for a "do it yourself" discount, you might get a price break.

If you believe a Ford OEM part would offer advantages in your situation (my starter is still fine, so I can't comment on this specific situation), check around before presuming that the Ford part is too pricey.

Some Ford parts seem to be noticeably better than the aftermarket. For example, I went through two aftermarket DPFE sensors in a fairly short period of time before paying for a Ford part - which is still working fine.

[olopezm]

You mention to have been removing the negative cable lately, there is a big chance it wasn't making proper contact and this can cause the terminal to isolate itself, it happened to me today. So make sure the terminals are tight and clean.

Best regards,

Oscar.