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View Full Version : '99 Windstar 3.8 V6 motor carnage, options?



RoadWarrior222
07-24-2009, 03:04 PM
Hi guys,

I was over at my Brother In Law's to look at his minivan, '99 Windstar. "It's making a bad noise" ... yup... sure is... and is punching holes in the oil pan too. I figure a rod broke.

How much can you do to that motor from underneath? Are we likely to be able to get the crank out and swap another rod or piston and rod in there?

How hard are these motors to pull?

I think his top end is screwed up also. It was drinking coolant, it was getting it in the cylinders, the guy he bought it off claimed it just had a head gasket, either the guy who put it in was a moron and didn't do it right, or he was a moron and didn't check the head for cracks and "fixed" a bad head with a new HG. It was the front head, oil pan is punched in front, figure it got hydrolock sometime that bent the rod, or got hydrolock just this morning from still having coolant seepage, and it broke then.

Now he's broke at the moment as are we all, dunno if we can get a cheap van with a dead tranny and swap trannies or swap motors, (Tranny is easier I guess) Thing is he put $$$ into this one to get it converted to natural gas.. Think he might have to pay a licensed fitter $$$ to get the parts officially swapped over...

Another thing is that the Canadian govt is still deciding on whether to run a cash for clunkers program, we'll hear a yay or nay in the next 60 days we think, since this officially gets 17mpg, there's a reason to suppose it might qualify, if we can bandaid it enough to limp along a couple of months. Other govt vehicle incentive programs allow the voucher against any vehicle up to 3 years old, so if we get a CFC program for $3500 value, we might be able to get him a pretty nice (highly depreciated) vehicle for only another couple of thousand.... so kinda considering the idea of pulling both the middle pistons and rods, pulling the pushrods and rockers to them, and the injectors and limping it around on 4 cylinders until he can figure out an engine or vehicle replacement.

What say you?

RW222

Big_P
07-24-2009, 03:09 PM
With all the work it needs, I'd just find a used motor at the boneyard. iirc the 3.8 changed in 99 (hp and tq went up to 200/240, i remember cause my dad had one) so you might have to use a 99+ engine.

I suppose you can pull a piston out as long as you pull the heads, but if a broken rod was spinning around the crankshaft it probably did damage to the block. Then while you have the heads off you'll have to take it to the machine shop, to get it checked out, get all new gaskets, etc etc. Better off finding a junkyard motor. Engine I bet is a b*tch to pull. I can almost guarantee it comes out the bottom because there's very little room in the engine bay.

Matt86
07-24-2009, 08:35 PM
Oh boy Windstars! I used to service a fleet for 20+ of them..not fun at all! As far as dropping the motor, it comes out of the bottom...I would just take it out with the whole subframe.

turbovanmanČ
07-24-2009, 08:56 PM
Oh boy Windstars! I used to service a fleet for 20+ of them..not fun at all! As far as dropping the motor, it comes out of the bottom...I would just take it out with the whole subframe.

+2, drop it out the bottom. I wouldn't even bother trying to patch it, the head gaskets are common, leaked coolant into the oil and wiped out the bearings.

Find a used engine, do the head gaskets while out and your done, ;)

Big_P
07-25-2009, 12:45 AM
I thought they supposedly fixed the HG problems in 99 w/ the new motor? My dad's cracked a valve once but didn't pop a headgasket. Killed two trannies by 120k though and he didn't drive hard (though I did).

If I could pick up one for cheap I totally would. I used to pound Hondas with it back in the day. It would lay some good rubber too.

RoadWarrior222
07-25-2009, 07:55 AM
Is there a real fix for the HG issues, particular gasket or head bolt set?

I don't know what on earth possessed him to buy a Windstar, he paid several thousands for this POS, got one winter on it as his and it went as rusty as my '88 Voyager, kinda leading me to believe it was a lipsticked pig in the first place. It's like Ford in attempting to emulate the success of everyone elses minis took the worst of each, bad transmissions, bad engines, bad bodywork, and rolled it all into one...

RoadWarrior222
08-09-2009, 10:15 PM
So, he bought another one cheapish, got it inspected last monday, today the tranny went out.

Think he's just got an '01, is there any difference in the trannies between those?

His wife was reversing it out the driveway when it lost reverse and just revved. Does that suggest any particular problem? Anything that's likely to be cured by swapping parts from teh other one without pulling it? Pulling them looks like a bit of a b!tch...