NEWB with a 3.8l V6
 

Working on a 2000 Windstar, vehicle has run for years with only putting in fluids, filters and plugs. Just a grocery getter really but never hesitated to take it out of town with 4ppl & weekend bags and it does great.

It has run rough intermittently for years, every 3rd week or so it would threaten to stall at a stop light. Last winter it would idle rough here and there and threaten to stall most days. Now that the warm weather is here its not improved (not really any worse after running like this for six months though either).

Help! I usually would try some simple stuff (fresh fuel filter, look at the plugs, air filter, etc.) but all that was done end of last summer...

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! If this is off topic (not performance related) is there a forum I missed that could help?


THANKS

UPDATE: Eventually got misfire codes on a single cylinder (scanner did not report that in the previous year of stumbles) and that plug was significantly worse than others (all the same age), replacing the plug helped right away but only for a few drives and then misfires and rough idling would occur several times if you drove for 20 mins. Changed out the wire for a known good wire but no change. Finally guessed it might be a bad injector and ordered one and put it in, that has made it idle smooth and no more misfires for 2 weeks now. Strange that the symptoms were so intermittent with a bad injector, on some days it would drive back and forth to the supermarket without a hiccup...

Almost a year went by, and nobody responded to your initial post. I can only guess that nobody owns a 2000 Freestar anymore. Except for you. As for maintenance, you might want to replace all of those plugs, since Ford MotorCraft plugs are inexpensive. Get a set of new wires. Maybe replace the ignition coil. I've also heard that Techron or Lucas Oil may help with cleaning out all those years of buildup. It's almost 20 years old & still running. Good for you.

I had a 2000 Windstar. The EGR ports are bad for clogging 4-5 of them and leaning out the other cylinder causing a misfire. Also the upper intake gaskets and isolator bolts fail and cause lean codes.

Thanks ppl. All good advice! I had done the upper intake gaskets and bolts per a TSB to see if that was causing me trouble, the ports were black & shiny but not clogged, also did the valve cover & valve/tube that go into it PCV? (can't remember what its called) per another TSB. The plugs look good now (a month or so) and with the new injector it runs as good as before. 17mpg mixed 200mi of driving. I hate to get rid of a car that starts every damn time in all weather and has never left me on the side of the road but as you mention 'It's 20yrs old" hehe.