98 ford windstar

[grim]

a friend of mine gave me a 98 ford windstar . the trans is out he said and he has to many car as it is so he gave it to me . its a real nice van .motor(3.8) runs great and everything is in good condition , but the trans . start it up and u can drive about 100 ft then the trans just stops working all together . im thinking of getting a rebuild kit and a manual and rebuild it with the mech at our shop . anyone know where i could get some info on this thing . my buddy said the trans has to have a make date before 5/97 or something close to that .

thanks
billy

[22mopar]

we've put in older taurus transmissions (1993 and newer) into these vans no problem. but before you get to into this project, make sure the head gaskets are bad too. a very common 3.8 problem

[turbovanman²]

we've put in older taurus transmissions (1993 and newer) into these vans no problem. but before you get to into this project, make sure the head gaskets are bad too. a very common 3.8 problem

You beat me to it. Also, the intake gaskets go around 60,000 miles and leak coolant inside the engine.

[WVRampage]

I work at a auto auction and almost every windstar we get in has a bad trans,it this a real common problem?

[grim]

is there any way to check these 2 things out ,without ripping into the motor to much ?
22mopar can i get a lil more info about putting the earlier trans in ? is there anything u have to change out ,like cables mounts ?

it was gave to me so im looking to put a lil bit of money in it ,a lil bit . im just wondering what would be the best thing to do about the trans . i dont wanna go get a jy trans because all i hear is problems about them . i found a rebuilt one for 1300 .lol

[turbovanman²]

What colour is the fluid?
Whats the mileage?
Do the heads or intake look like they've been off before? IF no, expect to be doing at least an intake which isn't bad.

[22mopar]

take off the oil fill cap and inspect for signs of coolant in the oil. if coolant is in the oil, there will be an appearance similar to a McDonalds chocolate milkshake film built up on the cap.

it was a direct bolt in plug in deal (however on the windstar, if you have an output speed sensor on the top of the trans about 6" inboard of the right hand axle shaft) you cannot use the older transmissions. I just did a 1996 windstar with a 1994 taurus trans and everything plugged in and worked perfectly. however a couple weeks ago, I had a 2000 windstar that the taurus trans didn't work due to a design change of afore mentioned sensor.

[grim]

yeah i have heard that the trans in this has to be before a certain date . so i take it it has to be the early trans . he looked all that up when the trans first went out . thanks guys

billy