98 Windstar starting problems

[Fordina]

On cold mornings (40 degrees F or so), our 98 Windstar dies when idling after a couple of minutes or so. Is this normal or reflective of a problem-in-the making? Also, today when we were out, we came back to a van that wouldn't start at all. We jumped it, and it revved up fine. My husband just went out to check it -- several hours later -- and it's starting okay again. Don't know if we left something on or if this has something to do with the van dying after idling for a while on cold mornings or what. Anyone out there with any ideas? What are all of the possible causes of coming back to a dead battery -- just simply leaving something on or is there something else that can cuase this? For anyone who is kind enough to respond, please "dumb down" your reply as much as possible. I know just a little bit about auto mechanics, but want to learn more....

[wiswind]

A few things can cause your problem.
If the battery is over 4 years old, it might be worth buying a new one.
I bought the Autozone "Duralast Gold" this fall.

Another thing to try is cleaning / lubricating the Idle Air Control ( IAC ).
The IAC is located on top of the upper intake manifold, near the throttle body.
It is held in place by 2 little bolts, and has an electrical connection.
When you remove it, and look inside, you will see what looks like threads of a screw. You want to spray some Sea Foam "Deep Creep" or WD-40 in there to clean and lubricate those threads. The threaded shaft has a little flapper on inside...which opens and closes as the little motor drives the threaded portion. The engine computer drives the motor to open and close this flap to permit more or less air into the engine. This is what controls the engine idle speed when your foot is not on the accellerator.
The IAC can stick (worse when cold), so the cleaning is worth a try.

I have pictures of where things are located on my '96, and the IAC is located the same on your '98. Those with '99 and newer, they made major changes in the '99 model year....so things will be different for '99 and newer.

http://community.webshots.com/album/201931518cScpNK

[Fordina]

Wiswind...thanks a bunch for the reply and pictures. You've helped us solve a previous problem with our Windstar on this website, and we so appreciate it. We'll look at cleaning/lubricating the IAC this week and see if that improves the situation. If not, we'll go for the new battery like you suggested....