Ford Windstar GL

I was looking at the ( 1996 ) Ford Windstar Owner Guide and it shows :

In the Power Distribution Box ( which is " live " ) located in the engine

compartment near the battery

( " M " is a 60 amp fuse for the Heated Backlight , that's what Ford calls their rear defrost )

The 1998 AX4S transaxle has a total of five (5) solenoids located in different locations

within the transaxle itself. There are three shift solenoids, 1st , 2nd, 3rd. Also there

is a torque converter clutch (tcc) solenoid and an electronic pressure control (epc) solenoid.

All of these solenoids are output devices, placed in an on-off position by the vehicles powertrain control module (computer) at different times.

The powertrain control module (pcm) also receives input from four (4) sensors, the transmission range (tr) sensor, the turbine shaft speed (tss) sensor, vehicle speed (vss) sensor, and the transmission fluid temprature (tft) sensor.

From the information received from these sensors, (input devices),the computer actually controls every thing the transmission does by the solenoids, (output devices).

As far as the actual placement of the solenoids, I would highly recommend a manual!

On my 96 Windstar I removed the air cleaner and tube to the fuel injectors and the Battery and the case..you can then see the valve cover pan on the end of the Transaxle..this cover has to be removed to access the 'shift' solenoids. there are three. the pan can be removed only after you remove the the bar suporting the back of the transmission and it's rubber mount..this will give you enough room to remove pan-cover over the valve body..the three shift solenoids are stacked in a row, white in color,brown if burnt or bad..disconnect wire to each and twist to the left to remove, best to replace all three..p.s. you will need a jack to support the back of transaxle to remove the rear support.....

The blend door actuator is located behind the glove box, and a sign of failure is an audible "clicking" sound when you adjust your climate controls. The most common issue with heat or A/C in the late model Ford windstar is a broken blend door. A broken blend door actuator is almost as common as a broken blend door itself. Typically, the fix requires disassembling the entire dash and replacing the whole plenum box, which can be a costly repair.This details the best DIY option on how to replace a broken blend door or actuator, accessing the plenum box by removing the glove box rather than the entire dash.

It is in the alternator.

The voltage regulator will be inside the alternator. Replace the alternator, or take it to a place that rebuilds/fixes them.

It requires metric sockets, internal torques sockets, a soldering iron, a small flat screwdriver and some thin wires or drill bits.

There is a plastic cover on the alternator over the connections for the voltage regulator, these need to be taken apart with the soldering iron and flat screwdriver to be able to take the alternator apart. Then remove the housing bolts (pay attention to how the two halves line up with each other) using the internal torques sockets. After separating the two halves of the alternator look at the brushes to see if they are too worn, also check the bushings for play. If the bushings are bad replace the alternator, or have it rebuilt. If the brushes are worn, they can be replaced, but try not to lose the springs. If I remember correctly the voltage regulator is held in with 2 small screws, removed with a metric socket.

Putting it back together, bolt in the new regulator. push brushes into the slots and hold with wire or drill bits. Put two halves together exactly as they were before, re-solder it, remove wires or drill bits and replace the plastic cover.

Also, when you have it apart, is a good time to tighten the hot wire stud if it is loose.

I did this on one of mine and the $5 voltage regulator gave me another year of use out of the alternator before I had to replace it.

a do it your self will cost about $45 to do it right. a garage will charge between $750-$1200

I had the same problem on my 98 Windstar. I found out that the white vacuum line runs up to the rear ac/heat switch in the climate control in the dash. In the "Blue" area, the vacuum is supplied to the damper switch to make the air blow out the side and top vents. It also runs down to the valve under the van that cuts off the coolant runnig to the rear heater core. In the "Red" area the vacuum is cut off from the damper to only blow the air out the bottom vents. It also cuts the vacuum to the coolant cut off switch under the van and coolant flows through the heater core allowing the air to be warm. The switch is a dealer part. The switch has a built in "valve" inside that either opens or closes the vacuum supply to the white line running back to the rear unit. Usually the rubber piece wears out and does not allow any more vacuum at all. It will get soft and permanently plug the incoming vacuum supply line. I actually took out the switch and fabricated my own new rubber piece to make it work rather than pay way too much from the local ford dealer! Be aware, it must be a hard rubber that you use or it will still fail and not supply the vacuum correctly. Good Luck!

it should be behind the front wheel on top it has 2 wires running to it.

Chime

bad wireing or your insterment panel dimmer switch is bad. the switch is a dealer only part so get one from a junk yard or new its up to you

I'ts very hard and it took a day but I know what to do. You need to remove the heat shield that is located behind the front wheel on the passanger side of the car. after you remove that you haft to drop the exaust starting from back to front the sensor is mounted on the top of the transmission good luck with reaching or laocating it that's what took me all day. When you do you need to unplud the wire and remove 1 bolt. That's about it if you have any Questins you can email me at feliciti927@yahoo.com I have a book on the same vehicle.

Clean or replace sensors near doors,if its anything like a 95,the lights will go off in 45 minutes.Do what I did to my 95,take middle dome lightbulb out so its not too visible for people to see.The other lights will go off eventually.

located on the transaxle.

I experienced the same problem with my ford. After checking out a couple things i discovered during a tire rotation that i had a bent rim. These happen when you hit potholes. I was able to replace the rim with a re-tooled one (saved me about $100) and the vibration immediately stopped. The bend wasn't really visable to me but after it was off the wheel i could see it. You should stop by your local tire place and get it checked out.

I'm having the same issue as you are. Reshutting...uh...nearly slamming the doors multiple times eventually fixed it. However the problem is back every day and now the rear interior light won't shut off. All the doors are shut and there is nothing blocking them. I'm still searching for an answer. 1997 Mercury Mountaineer 5.0 L could be that the rear hatch may not be closed completely, i have had the same thing happen on my 1998

It is located center dash on the floorboard

It is the box with the four screws under the duratec labled black casing right in front of the intake manifold. There is a black cable comming from it.

There is a fault with your Anti lock braking system, if you hit the brakes hard the wheels will skid rather than automatically cut in and out. Its worth getting to the garage ASAP as its a very important crash prevention mechanism.

good question. mine is too. sometimes i see it slamming over all the way to the left on empty, then the light comes on chimes ring. and if you have to go into the tank to fix it, or its going to cost me more money, guess what? it's staying broke. my fix so far is that i reset the odometer after i fill up. after a couple hundred miles, time for another re-fill. good question. mine is too. sometimes i see it slamming over all the way to the left on empty, then the light comes on chimes ring. and if you have to go into the tank to fix it, or its going to cost me more money, guess what? it's staying broke. my fix so far is that i reset the odometer after i fill up. after a couple hundred miles, time for another re-fill. Check the ground wire on the gas tank.

Hi! It can be a difficult task but here is a nice guide to start with pictures and insturctions:

http://mazda-mx-3.info/lower-ball-joint

in fuse box under dash at drs left knee and or in fuse box in engine compartment...

note:danger, do not test these with basic test lights, may damage pcm/ecu

take to Nissan or exp import tech.....good luck

i dont know whwere is the tachometer wire of 2001 ford windstar

check the main relay under dash of driver side.it is a gray relay.listen or feel if it clicks when you turn the key on.

The first thing to try is to turn steering wheel left and right while trying to turn the key. If the key was turned off and the steering wheel was in a turned posistion, there could be pressure on the wheel and that stops the key from turning-- it will feel locked and jammed. Release preassure from key by turning wheel each way while turning key.