Ford Windstar GL

5W-30 , according to the Owner Guide

The timing is set by the computer. It calculates the advance based on the Crank Position Sensor. There is a TDC indicator. Some are on the flywheel and others on the front crank dampner. The ones on the flywheel usually have the CP Sensor on the top of the bellhousing.

Caution: Always disconnect the negative battery cable before putting you hands into a vehicles engine compartment. Caution: When the engine is hot be very careful not to touch hot engine parts. If your not sure what your doing get help from a pro.

I am not sure what you mean by the A/C running hot? However

First when the engine is cold check the radiator and make sure it is topped off with coolant.This could be caused from a number of reasons and it is helpful to give more information about the car like make model and year. Let me explain there are at least two ways of cooling the radiator. Some cars have an electric fan that is controlled by a thermostatic switch normally located near the bottom of the rad when the car gets to a certain temp the fan will come on and cool the radiator and when cool shut off. Other cars have a fan driven by a belt from the engine in the center of this fan there is a thermostatically controlled clutch which detects the air being drawn thru the rad when the air is to hot the clutch will cause the fan to turn more drawing more cool air thru the rad. When the air coming thru the rad is cool enough the clutch will allow the fan to slip or free wheel. If either type of thermostatically controlled switch goes bad the car will overheat at idle. The car cools down while driving because the cool air is forced thru the rad. Please do not confuse this thermostatic switch with the heater/engines thermostat.

I personally would check or take the car to someone qualified to check for a bad electrically controlled thermostatic type of switch on cars with electric cooling fans. On cars that are driven by a belt I would check the fan belt for slippage and the fan clutch it self when engine is cold for oil leakage or when rocked for excessive bearing play and spin the fan by hand to make sure it turns freely then start the engine and allow it to run until the heater is putting out hot air next turn the engine off and spin the fan again the fan should be harder to turn as if there is a drag on it if not I would replace the fan clutch. Electrically operated fans: Parts to check fuses, electric fan motor or thermostatic switch, or an electrical problem.

Fan Belt Driven fans: bad broken or slipping belts, thermostatically controlled fan clutch, and cracked or broken fan blades. Check both type systems for a blockage in the radiator core such as bugs dirt leaves. Last but not least if the core if self is clogged internally you might need to flush the system and or have the system pressure checked including the cap. , EzForJesus

PS Many people on accident put the heater/engine thermostat in backwards this will cause many problems This thermostat is like a one way valve and must be installed in the correct direction.

Caution: Never put your hands in or near these fans while the battery cable is connected.

On some cars you may have two radiators and two electric fans one is to cool the engine the other is to cool the a/c it is possible that the fan motor or thermostatic fan switch that cools the engine or a/c has gone out. Best way to check these fans is when your car is overheating is to stop somewhere and look under the hood to see if both are working/turning. Also if any fan blades are damaged or missing they need to be replaced. , EzForJesus

I have a Maxima 1998, I did change every thing i.e. radiator ( by agent) thermostate, coolent ... you name it. And still the car overheats and AC cuts off when temp. goes up. Lots of my frined experinced that same problem ( and if you check the web you find it is a common problem). It must be a design problem with the radiator as it might be not having enough cooloing capcity.

IF it is leaking you're not going to have high pressure. Coolant is under pressure so it does not boil, which make bubbles, bubbles do not transfer heat to radiator walls where it can be dissipated into the atmosphere. It's the same reason it takes water less time to boil at high altitudes: because there is less pressure.

Not necessarily, if combustion gas is pushing out water from the cooling system it will over heat at normal speeds even when idling.Check thermostat is opening ,radiator, pipes and waterways for blockage,air flow through radiator,fan/water pump belt tention and get a proper service /check over.To find out if the gasket is leaking air into cooling system, fill up by the radiator cap when cool,fill expandtion tank to line, make sure there are no other leaks,run and check again when cool,if the rad is full to the top and tank is on line your gasket is probably not the problem.

In my case, the combustion chamber could be leaked and filled with coolant water and then it turned out white smoke coming out from the exhaust. The coolant level will be lower in the result of overheating.

Power steering hoses Pump Steering rack

To remove the brake booster on a Chevy Celebrity: about the same for all years

1. Under the hood take off the 2 nuts that hold the master cylinder to the brake booster.

Move the master cylinder out of the way.

2. Detach the vacuum line from the brake booster.

3. Inside the car Remove the under dash panel.

4. Remove the nut that holds the brake rod to the brake pedal, remove the brake rod from the brake pedal.

6. Remove the four nuts that hold the brake booster to the inside firewall. They can be a pain in the neck to get to.

7. Under the hood pull the brake booster out of the firewall. It can be a tight fit by the master cylinder.

Reverse the process to install the replacement brake booster.

If you mean the Emissions Evaporator canister; it is under the vehicle fastened to the frame near the fuel tank. It is a rectangular shaped black plastic box with a few hoses and lines connected to it. The lines are connected with quick connectors, and there are some going to the fuel tank and some going up front to the engine.

I had the same problem.

I am 99% sure that it is your (GEM) Generic Electronic Module.

It is basic Ford system item but they are all programed different for different models and years.

Remove the panel under the steering wheel column.

The module is to your right around the radio area. (Between the radio and the steering wheel).

Easy to find with 2 plugs on it. It will have the numbers (pretty large print) on a sicker directly on the module.

F48F-14B205-AK or F48F-14B205-AG are the numbers you can use. You will have one of these two numbers in your Windstar. I really think the AK or AG will interchange.

Go to U-pull-it salvage yard and pull one for about $10.00.

1995 and 1996 model years only interchange and you can use a AK or AG as long as you don't have air lift suspension.

The GEM controls your interior lights, windows, wipers, washers and the list goes on.

Hey Dude: You can turn your dome light off in your van by turning your headlight switch (or dimmer switch ) all the way to the right. Left turns on your dome light, so go the opposite all the way till it clicks. It will now stay off when your door opens. .

Overdrive affects the transmission and is used only for highway travel speeds AND it effectively reduces the RPM (Revolutions per Minute) by making the transmission use 'higher' gearing and is supposed to increase MPG (eg., motor doesn't have to work as hard as normal setting and therefore reduces the 'load' on the motor) It should not be used for anything except highway travel/speeds as at lower speeds it will actually increase the 'work' the engine has to perform and return slower response and lower MPG. Many auto mfg's build in a RPM limit and the auto will not engage OD if the proper conditions are not reached. This info will be in the users manual or you can ask the dealer service dept mgr.

More than likely you have the directional control set to Defrost. At this setting, the A/C compressor will run continuously. Move the selector to another setting, and see if the compressor stops running.

There are several factors that can cause an engine to overheat, with a plugged radiator being one significant member of the list, but certainly not the only possibility.

1. sticking thermostat. 2. plugged radiator. 3. low coolant level 4. corroded or damaged water pump vanes.

Several possibilities can exist for low coolant level, the water pump, freeze plugs or radiator/heater hoses can leak, or, if the engine has overheated in the past, the head can warp, causing the head gasket to fail resulting in engine combustion pressures being released into the engine cooling jacket. Once that happens, the coolant will be forced out of the cooling circuit and the engine will quickly overheat. If that's the cycle that's going on, you'll never be able to keep coolant in the engine and it will quickly overheat.

That also the rubber hose that go into a metal hose may be blocking the lines because mine rotted from inside the hose and out.

when it wont start or when something sounds funny

On a 1998 Ford Windstar, the block heater plug is typically located near the front of the engine, often on the driver's side. It will be a cord that comes out of the engine block, usually near the oil pan or underneath the intake manifold. Look for a three-pronged plug that is designed to connect to an electrical outlet for heating the engine during cold weather. If you're having trouble locating it, consulting the owner's manual can also provide specific details.

Modern engines no longer have a 'distributor'.

Engine spark/ignition is now controlled by the engine computer (Powertrain Computer Module - PCM), a smarter coilpack, and the camshaft position sensor (CPS).

See "Related Questions" below for more

are you talking about the compressor if so i suggest that you go and buy you a repair manual ( HAYNES) from advance auto parts for about 15.dollars it is a pain in the A** to remove and replace and if it not leaking it is under high pressure and will have to be recovered , and you will need to replace the dryer along with the compressor,and then pull vacum on the system to make sure you all the moisture out of the shstem for it to work right

Front or rear?

I actually did one last night. First disconnect the negative battery terminal. The starter is located at the front of the engine. You will have to lift the front of the car up via a jack or ramps. Then you will have to remove the front cover that is underneath the radiator. It has bolts all of the way around. Once that is done you can get at the starter relatively easily. There are two bolts one is hidden underneath a small pastic cover where the starter meets the flywheel. Remove the starter by removing the two bolts. One is locater in the front and one is located at the back. Disconnect the two wires and Install the new starter. A word to the wise Have starter shims handy you will definitely need them. Take my word for it.. Thanks Good luck....

You don't mention the engine size but it doesn't have a distributor

It is either EDIS ( Electronic Distributorless Ignition System ) or Coil On Plug

( C.O.P. ) ignition system

on the dash there should be three buttons info, setup and reset one of those you press a few times and should show reset oil

First turn the key to the run position (dash lights on and gauges on) you do not have to start the car. Now look for the "info" button. Push the info button until you see "push set for system check". Then push the "set" button After you push "set" you will see the oil life setting. Mine was at 0% life remaining. Now push the "set" button for 5 to 10 seconds until you hear a beep. Then the oil life will show 100%. Start the car and the oil change warning should be off. If not just retry the procedure. Where i made my mistake was in not holding the set button down long enough. Both the info and set button are in the center of the dash near the radio.

On a 1999 Ford Windstar :

The warning light that looks like the shape of an engine is the " check engine "

warning light . That means that something has been detected that is

effecting the emissions of the vehicle

The one that shows " O/D OFF " means that the overdrive has been switched

off or if it is flashing that means that a problem has been detected

There is no carburetor on a 2001 Ford Windstar engine because the engine

is fuel injected

I found this online:

I discovered yesterday that this 3.8l has 2 different intake gasket thickness's 3 or 4mm. I found thru here that intake gasket failure was common on the 3.8l. They saided that they improved the gasket making it thicker.

So I'm gonna go ahead with the 4mm. Let us know how it went for you.

It sounds as if there is a problem with the rear electronics module in the Ford Windstar. This controls the front and rear lights and it is located in the back in the cubby with the jack.