2000 ford windstar more trouble

JeffP1167

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Location
Yucaipa, CA.
OK I know nothing about this van. Problems started about 3 weeks ago with it and scan of the ecm was done.

here are codes that came up

C1145 no dtc definition found
C1103 no dtc definition found
U1262 standard commuication bus malf
B1318 battery voltage low
po302 miss detected #2 cylinder

I replaced the plug which looked heavily fouled and the plug wire and the battery just because it was old.

Now the van check engine light no longer comes on (unless it hasn't been run long enough) however it still cranks longer to start then it used to and engine still misses heavily.

I might have crossed plug wires who knows.

I honestly hope I did the right plug LOL


its a 3.8 V-6 is this the correct cylinder order?

windshield
123
456

And what is correct position of plug wires on the coil pack?
 
Also forgot to add I have a broken abs sensor on my left front wheel so my abs light and traction control light is on.
 
All I can recommend is do what I did, buy a Haines book at your parts house...and read up....15 bux.....done that for all sorts of cars.....

but being a olde tyme ET and hotrodder....my background makes it easier....

best of luck man....

:hissyfit::crap::flash:
 
I also checked fuel pressure and it is at about 39psi

Guess I have to look into the #2 injector or possibly that engine banks cat converter. I will drive it tonight and see if the converter glows or anything.

I found out 2 of the dtc are related to the abs and the U1262 could have reference to and injector problem.
 
I also checked fuel pressure and it is at about 39psi

Guess I have to look into the #2 injector or possibly that engine banks cat converter. I will drive it tonight and see if the converter glows or anything.

I found out 2 of the dtc are related to the abs and the U1262 could have reference to and injector problem.

Since the plug was fouled, you maybe find if that injector is leaking....run the pump with engine still....check the pressure, turn pump off and it should not drop too fast...hold maybe a hour anyway.....

I have had SOME success cleaning injectors with carb cleaner....leave a bunch in the top end of the injector, reassemble, run engine....

:flash:
 
OK ... Tonight I looked under the hood and while the motor is stumbling anywhere the plug wires are close to metal and even though they have no cuts or anything they are all for the most part arcing to the metal. Another strange thing, well strange to me is when it is idling and stumbling 2 of the 3 front plug wires have what looks like a say 1/16 inch streak of light running about 75% the length of the plug wire. the back side plug wires are doing this as well.

However when you say take the motor to say around 2,000rpm the streaks go away however they are still arcing where they are close to metal. And when you reduce the rpm back to idle the streaks come back.

My 97 camaro has distributorless ignition and I have never seen it do this, or I have just never noticed it.

Why would they be doing this?
 
Must be tired wires man....I had a set of plug boots that arced to my headers here, drove me krazy for a while, several months, actually started on winter and it was on a summer afternoon I"m leaning over the driver's fender and that damn #5 snapped at me about 2' from the end of my nose.....Jacobs boots cured that POS.....

:flash:

thing was, I even ran it at night really dark and found no arcing....it was an insidious bitch.....I even shot Windex on it....still saw no arching.....

at least you can SEE your Xmas display.....:hissyfit::flash:
 
Must be tired wires man....I had a set of plug boots that arced to my headers here, drove me krazy for a while, several months, actually started on winter and it was on a summer afternoon I"m leaning over the driver's fender and that damn #5 snapped at me about 2' from the end of my nose.....Jacobs boots cured that POS.....

:flash:

thing was, I even ran it at night really dark and found no arcing....it was an insidious bitch.....I even shot Windex on it....still saw no arching.....

at least you can SEE your Xmas display.....:hissyfit::flash:

why would you see the current through the plug wires though? Not one of these wires is damaged in any way basically this single line runs almost the entire length of some plug wires. but either way they all have this going on.
 
Tried pics with my phone camera but didn't work will try the digital camera maybe it will show what I am talking about.
 
Must be tired wires man....I had a set of plug boots that arced to my headers here, drove me krazy for a while, several months, actually started on winter and it was on a summer afternoon I"m leaning over the driver's fender and that damn #5 snapped at me about 2' from the end of my nose.....Jacobs boots cured that POS.....

:flash:

thing was, I even ran it at night really dark and found no arcing....it was an insidious bitch.....I even shot Windex on it....still saw no arching.....

at least you can SEE your Xmas display.....:hissyfit::flash:

why would you see the current through the plug wires though? Not one of these wires is damaged in any way basically this single line runs almost the entire length of some plug wires. but either way they all have this going on.

Tried pics with my phone camera but didn't work will try the digital camera maybe it will show what I am talking about.

:bonkers::hissyfit:

Like me, You just weird......:flash::yahoo:
 
A trip around the block and it's just now starting to do it a little will let the van run for awhile another thing I noticed over 1/2 throttle it skips and misses considerable less. but the weird flashes from the plug wires goes away at higher rpm. Also when it is hesitating bad the check engine light flashes and when its running smoother it doesn't
 
I tried with digital camera but it would show it. I even touched the plug wires thinking it would shock me and it didn't.
 
I don't know Jeff, is this a Ford EDIS ign.? I recently heard that the coil packs go bad on these, causing weird ign. problems,Bumms me out ,the wife's 02 Focus runs this Ign.,I put one on a 90 Mazda B2200(what happens when ya put a F2T front wheel drive engine in a rear wheel drive chassis) & am currently putting a EDIS 8 in my 77 vette.( 4 coils are better than one,right?:D)
From what you describe I'd put new plug wires,& try a junkyard coil pack.
Gimpy
 
I don't know Jeff, is this a Ford EDIS ign.? I recently heard that the coil packs go bad on these, causing weird ign. problems,Bumms me out ,the wife's 02 Focus runs this Ign.,I put one on a 90 Mazda B2200(what happens when ya put a F2T front wheel drive engine in a rear wheel drive chassis) & am currently putting a EDIS 8 in my 77 vette.( 4 coils are better than one,right?:D)
From what you describe I'd put new plug wires,& try a junkyard coil pack.
Gimpy

Guy across street had a 4 cyl Escort, like my wife's.....coil pack, dead on one cyl....waste spark system too....stuck new pack on, ran like charm....

:hissyfit::bonkers::yahoo:

Oh, edit, when the Escort starts a bit rough running, clean the tbody and all passages....change coil wire/plugs...

settles right down every time.....
 
I bought a spark plug tester that plugs inline with the plug wire. Tested #2 and another plug and the tester basically was dim orange color and flickering on both plug wires. The diagram on the package illustrates a bright flash should be present, any of you use one of these and know how they should flash?
 
I looked on ebay and a coil pack isn't that much and cosidering the weird issue with my plug wires maybe that is the heart of the problem.

Basically was just driving it on the freeway one day and it just started running like crap. Prior to this the van never skipped a beat and isn't it strange for all the plug wires to be doing what they are doing? And does the distributorless ignition act like this when it messes up or do they generally just all together go dead?

I looked under the van after going up a long hill and cats were not glowing or anything. Another thing it has been doing is prolonged cranking periods to start and sometimes feels like it is heavily missfiring during cranking times.

BTW this van has like 80k miles would the injectors be suspected of being bad this early?
 
I looked on ebay and a coil pack isn't that much and cosidering the weird issue with my plug wires maybe that is the heart of the problem.

Basically was just driving it on the freeway one day and it just started running like crap. Prior to this the van never skipped a beat and isn't it strange for all the plug wires to be doing what they are doing? And does the distributorless ignition act like this when it messes up or do they generally just all together go dead?

I looked under the van after going up a long hill and cats were not glowing or anything. Another thing it has been doing is prolonged cranking periods to start and sometimes feels like it is heavily missfiring during cranking times.

BTW this van has like 80k miles would the injectors be suspected of being bad this early?

@ 80k I wouldn't suspect injectors,but with fouled plugs,the ign. would be where I'd start.The EDIS troubles I've heard of are not just dead,but rather weird stuff like you describe,I suppose the coils breaking down after a zillion heat cycles.
Gimpy
 
When I say it heavily seems like it is misfiring during cranking. Best way to describe this is a traditional car that is 180 out on the timing or quite a few teeth off. Even after a new battery it still puts a lot of strain on the starter. I have had misfires detected in my 97 camaro with a similiar coil pack and it never cranked over like this van and acted nothing like what this van does.

This coil pack looks like a nightmare to change so any other thoughts what could being going on are welcomed. This van also flew through smog check a month before this crap, so any help is appreciated.

I've read many ford related topics involving misfire #2 cylinder and there seems to be a few causes but along with that other owners have egr related codes and lean conditions. This van has non of that.
 
Well so far have the coilpack and plug wires out, oddly enough the #1 plug wire is blistered and mushy about 6 inches from the plug boot. I see areas on 1,2,3 & 5 where they have been rubbing. They appear to be original to the van as well. I bought a new coilpack, plug wires, plugs. So we will see if this cures my vans problem.

The easiest way to remove all this, is to remove the stuff at the base of the windshield this give you nice access to everything on the back of the engine and to remove the coilpack.
 
No change, the van runs as crappy as it did before. One thing it does do is a weird tapping hissing kind of a noise in the intake manifold and for a plastic intake this thing sure does get hot
 
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