Windstar with a distributor?

[Ed_Strong]

Is there such a thing as a Windstar with a distributor? My brother went to do a plug and wire replacement on his 2002 and the autoparts guy gave him the usual plug wires with the "clips on the coil end of the wire".

When he went home to replace them and when he pulled wire number one off the engine, he noticed that it had no clips, so he went back to the autoparts store and showed them the plug wire he had pulled of the engine, so the parts guy gave him another set without clips.

The van ran fine for a few days after replacing the plugs and wires, but now it's running rough and feels like its missing. He called me to see if I had any suggestions and when I told him to check the coil for crack he told me that there's no coil in his engine.

We went back and forth arguing and I showed him thru the internet that there's no parts listings for a distributor only coils.

So I'm thinking somebody replaced this engine with a distributor equiped engine, but he says there are no signs of wiring tampering and everything look factory. I wish I could see this for my self but he is a good 1500 miles from me.

Is this a factory one off or a skilled mechanic showing off by keeping things factory OEM when the engine was replaced?

[ctwright]

http://www2.partstrain.com/store/?Nt...2%204294964673

[wiswind]

Well....if there was a distributor.....it would be at the Crankcase Position Sensor location.
But I cannot imagine the engine running correctly with the OBDII PCM system.
The 1995 IS OBDII compliant....even though the requirement did not start with the 1996 model year.

Now....finding the coil pack is difficult.....and it is a "block" instead of the traditional "can" looking thing with a single high voltage connection on it.

So....certainly by 2002, a distributor would not be found on any windstar.....short of someone being "creative".......and it just makes no sense to go back to a distributor.....so much work........for what gain?......and what about emission testing?
It is possible that someone installed a non OEM style coil pack that looks different from the factory original.
In short......if there really is a distributor on there.......all bets are off.
However.....I find it hard to believe that this is the case......

[ricebike]

tell him to take a pic of the engine bay in question

does it look like ctwright's link above?

or does it look like this:



http://www2.partstrain.com/store/?Nt...mit_search.y=0

[Ed_Strong]

Sorry for the conmotion guys, but it a false alarm! He called me today and told me I was right about the coil. I happens that when he did the plugs and wires he didn't change them himself, he had a helper do the dirty work. He didn't remove the cowl and the little room he had to play and see, he thought he was looking at a round distributor cap.

Today he removed the cowl to get a better look and to his amazement he saw what it looked like a square brick with 6 prong looking up at him (aka the COIL).

Good thing is that he replaced it and everything is running good now!

Sorry I jumped the gun and ran here to post, but he sounded so convincing over the phone I just had post here to confirm it~