1997 Ford Windstar - Consumer Discussions

Ford Windstar Engine Problems

• 1997 Ford Windstar 3.8 engine leak

  Written by: dabblerz on Mar 11, 2009 9:15:56 PM

  I have a 1997 Ford Windstar with a rebuilt engine. Because of engine corrosion and gasket problem the engine leaked and failed. I had it rebuilt but the problem has arisen again. The leak is somewhere under the timing cover I think. I tried a silica leak stop solution put in and that solved it for a couple of months. Is there anything that is better for my situation?

Ford Windstar Transmission

• Re: 1997 Ford Windstar [chabot1]

  Written by: boss302j on Dec 13, 2007 9:35:37 PM

  My guess is the splined piece in the converter that drives the pump drive shaft stripped and that is all that happened. The tranny was probably fine, just needed the converter. That is the exact same symptoms mine had when this happened. That is all mine needed. I would hate to think how many trannnys get sold just because of the torque converter failure. From what I understand, the torque converters ... Read More

• Re: 1997 Ford Windstar [mlinde]

  Written by: chabot1 on Nov 13, 2007 5:51:34 AM

  Hi there, I finally took my 2003 Ford Windstar into have it looked at this past Thursday. Sadly I was told that there was a crack in the torque convertor (basically it blew apart) and caused all kinds of damage. Both my husband and I find this odd because when it stopped engaging (at 110 km) there was no sound whatsoever, it just stopped moving forward. There was no clunking sounds ... Read More

• 1997 Ford Windstar

  Written by: mlinde on Nov 12, 2007 1:11:54 PM

  I have a 1997 Ford Windstar with 127,000 miles on it, if that matters. It doesn't want to shift when it is cold out, 60 or below. I have to let it warm up for about half an hour before it will shift right or just drive it and it will eventually kick in. It will only get up to about 20mph then it sounds like I am reving it in ... Read More

Ford Windstar Should I buy one?

• semi-positive experience

  Written by: jeffyscott on Jul 5, 2007 5:59:34 AM

  We have a 1997 with about 105,000 miles. The only really significant problem was leaking engine gaskets (front cover, intake, and head gaskets. This started around 95,000 miles. These are very expensive to replace, as the engine has to be removed from the vehicle. Dealer wanted $2800, other options were maybe $2000. We instead sent it to a tech school for 2 months and only had to pay for parts. Gaskets ... Read More

Ford Windstar Engine Problems

• 97 Windstar stalls when cold

  Written by: dabblerz on Mar 22, 2007 11:11:32 PM

  have a 1997 Ford Windstar that stalls during the morning when I first start up for 5-10 minutes or so. It has a 3.8 L engine. I just had the engine rebuilt and it didn't do this before the rebuild. If I have the radio on there is a click on the radio when it stalls. Sometimes when it stalls, the radio, after a delay, goes out for a 20-60 seconds ... Read More

Ford Windstar Problems

• -

  Written by: good4u on Feb 22, 2006 8:45:51 PM

  We're looking into replacing our 1997 Plymouth Voyager (127K) ---------which has had MANY mechanical problems------- ($8800 worth of work done to it) with a 2001 Ford Windstar with 87K on it. We're not sure if it's the right move, though. It's at a small dealership in town for a very good price, but have you had to have a lot of repairs with your Windstars? Just curious because I don't want ... Read More

• Re: help [marcis]

  Written by: jeffyscott on Dec 19, 2005 12:07:06 PM

  No actually our 1997 was pretty free of significant problems until this. I was a little bothered by some re-welding of the subframe that they had to do just after the warranty expired. That was only about $120 at a body shop. The only other repairs were a couple leaky parts on the transmission...what is it with Ford and gaskets. Oh and I just had to replace the alterntor. I keep ... Read More

• Re: 1997 windstar Can't Remove Fuel Filter, Help!!

  Written by: thoward321 on Dec 15, 2005 11:15:14 AM

  That's one of the problems with my Windstar, but right now it's sitting in the garage because it continues to cut off. It appears that it's not getting enough gas, but when we went to remove the fuel filter there are three pipe lines that are preventing the removal. Does anyone know how to remove and replace a fuel filter on a 1997 Ford Windstar? Thanks in advance!

• Re: does anyone like their windstar? [ilovemyvan]

  Written by: jeffyscott on Jun 18, 2005 6:33:45 AM

  We did until we were told recently that a couple gaskets are leaking and repair cost is about $1500. We will see how long it lasts with the leaks, they do not seem that bad right now. We have 93,000 miles on our 1997. It is becoming a limited use vehicle for us, so we will not be racking up many miles in the future. Of course this forum is for ... Read More

• 98 Windstar Plagued with Multiple Issues

  Written by: malmrose on May 31, 2005 11:00:03 AM

  As the sole owner of my 98 Ford Windstar LX, I assumed replacing the fuel pump three times during warranty was the single engineering flaw with my vehicle. I was very wrong. At about 60,000 miles, the dome lights would not automatically shut off and had to be pulled out permanently to prevent the battery from draining. Around 65,000 miles, the "Service Engine Soon" light remained on permanently. The dealer could ... Read More

• mikejojo

  Written by: laundryguy on Jun 10, 2004 2:58:44 PM

  Agree with earlier posts. When head gasket went - I could get no heat out of the heater, which was the symptom to a $940 repair in 1997. The second time I got no heat, it was the thermostat, which acted irregularly. This was $94 parts and labor to replace. My Windstar clunked to the bitter end of my ownership, even after several tie rods. Live with it, if you value ... Read More

• Looking to buy 98-00 Windstar (Tamu)

  Written by: laundryguy on Feb 27, 2004 4:42:31 PM

  I'll first state that I am a former 95 Windstar owner having parted ways with mine to charity just last night (Yippie!). I spent no less than $2500 in repairs over the last 14 months, mainly from 100k to 120k. Maybe the 1998-2000 are out of the woods regarding many of the Windstar problems, but I know of several still having issues with tie rods and ball joints (don't kid yourself ... Read More

• Windstar Head Gasket Issues

  Written by: ehaven on Oct 13, 2003 9:13:56 AM

  Yet another sad story. I bought my 1997 Windstar used after the dealer assured me that "the old problems with the head gaskets aren't an issue anymore. We fixed that problem." Well, at 82,200 miles, guess what? Blown! This will cost me between $1500-$2000 to have repaired (assuming the whole engine isn't shot)! After reading the testimonies of several hundred other Windstar owners with the same problem, I thought "they're a ... Read More

• 98 Transmission

  Written by: penguin on Mar 14, 2002 2:23:53 PM

  About 6 months ago, I took windstar to dealer because of a strange sound coming from engine. They said I need a new transmission-$2700.00. Since I was not experiencing any drivability problems I figured why not just wait until it dies. Well today I take it in for brakes and they tell me the transmission should be replaced and that they will put in a Ford rebuilt transmission for $500.00. Warranty ... Read More

Ford Windstar

• RE: Head Gaskets

  Written by: crkeehn on Aug 30, 2001 11:49:29 AM

  The book is still open on that one. Certainly the matter has improved with the 1996 and newer vans, critics will argue that they have just not been in service long enough. I had purchased my 96 Windstar in 1997 and at that time there were already a large number of posts about problems with the 1995 engines. Problems arose very quickly, not long out of warrantee. Although there have been ... Read More

Ford Windstar Problems

• Transmission Woes - 1998 Windstar

  Written by: tpg1999 on Apr 9, 2001 10:59:41 AM

  I bought my 1998 Windstar in February, 1997. During the first 12-14 months, the vehicle stalled while accelerating and decelerating 5-10 times. A couple of times, my wife barely avoided an accident due to the loss of power steering. We brought it back to the dealer we bought it from 3-4 times to no avail. I went the Dispute Settlement Board route and they requested one last attempt to have the ... Read More

• Still no problems

  Written by: fullsize on Mar 5, 2001 9:07:31 PM

  By Wholigan: "Can't wait till you have to post here for what the purpose of the topic is - "FORD WINDSTAR PROBLEMS"." Thank you for the well wishes. "That must be one expensive marketing plan for Honda/Toyota/et al... " No, to have low level people, or even high level people, spend a minute or two trashing the competition in a nationally read forum would be an *incredibily inexpensive* marketing plan. By ... Read More

• Another Windstar Transmission Failure

  Written by: scrapit on Feb 9, 2001 7:11:26 PM

  I bought my 1997 Ford Windstar brand new while living in Arkansas and have since moved to Georgia. Last June while driving from Atlanta to Missouri, the transmission went out completely right at 50,000 miles. This left my family and I stranded somewhere between Chattanooga and Nashville at 5:30 am. After discussing the problem with the Manager of the Ford service center where this was towed, I was told that even ... Read More

Ford Windstar

• Windstar deals

  Written by: beatles1969 on Sep 27, 2000 6:04:35 AM

  I leased my 2000 Windstar on August 11. Ford was offering 0.9% financing for up to 36 months, 1.9% for 48 months, and 2.9% for 60 months. We decided to lease the van rather than purchase it. The interest rate for my 36-month lease was 1.5%. Oh yeah, we also got a $1500 rebate. We love the Windstar so far. We also have a 1997 Grand Cherokee Laredo but we needed ... Read More