Windstar Warm Start issue

Your smog system is worn and plugged up from carbon ... as that is what is designed to do. I would suggest your EGR is the culprit ... but that has to be diagnosed and run down ... as it could be another valve in the piping that is plugged up with carbon and your EGR is just fine.

sumbuddie just guessing

:?

I just went thru a round similar to that with my F150. Fuel mileage down and HC reading at high end of specs. Gave it a tuneup that it was due for with no good results. Replaced the O2 sensor with no help. No codes in ECM. Started going thru system by the book checking reading against specs on each sensor. The ECT was found about 30% higher impedance than expected at several temperatures. Replaced it and reset to ECM. HC reading dropped, fuel mileage up , hard start and roughness corrected. May not be your problem but, sometimes, you just have to get down to the bare elements to find it. A good alternative for what I did is get your dealer to run a complete diagnostic on it. These type things seem to be found by the Ford test equipment. You '98 year model also has much more info available to isolate the problem. The diagnostic cost is usually about an hour's labor which is applied toward the repair if you choose to go ahead with repair. In the long run, a good service tech can save you money. If your problem is resulting in an over rich fuel condition, the converter can easily be damaged which can cost a bundle and you still have to get it repaired. Then again, you could just put in a new ECT sensor and and hope to get lucky the first time.

Lugnut

You might have a leaky fuel injector. The bad f.i. drips into the cylinder while the engine is off, and it runs very rich when you restart the engine within an hour. Any longer gives the fuel a chance to evaporate completely.

Your mechanic can do a fuel pressure test to see if it's holding pressure when the engine is off. He can also pull the plugs to see which one is blacker and running rich.

Until you get it fixed, you can fully depress the gas pedal while starting the engine to shut off the injectors and help clear the engine faster of excess fuel.

Does the ECT reading show up on the Temperature guage in the dash?

I would think this would be obvious if it was defective by the temperature shown on the dash. Is this a correct assumption?

Wouldn't a leaky fuel injector just make one cylinder not fire (run rough) until the excess fuel burned off?

Depressing the gas pedal makes no difference, it still takes about 15 seconds of cranking for a warm start at times

in article DPxwl.10161$ snipped-for-privacy@flpi144.ffdc.sbc.com, Dennis at cctden@sbc_global.net wrote on 3/19/09 1:21 PM:

Cold starts on Fords ... is press the pedal once ... turn key and off you go.

Warm starts ... leave the pedal alone .. turn the key and off you go.

If that is not happening ... take it in for 20 minutes of diagnosis by a certified ford mechanic ... most of the time it is an easy fix.

In the old days they would have said replace the carburator as that is what is broken given your car symptoms presented.

If your starter is turning more slowly as it has a lot of miles on it, then that slower turning of the engine makes for poor starts ... as you are losing your starter. If your starter is hot and quick ... and your battery is running on all 6 cells ... that is most of the quick fixes.

Ford Battery ... will not run well or start well with only 5 cells hot in the battery ... you MUST have all 6 battery cell hot and going on with a Ford.

That is a good test for the battery and starter ... then take it in to a certified mechanic you got bigger problems and best to take care of as you are wearing out your starter and engine this way.

sumbuddie wear blind sea

Cold start, press pedal once? Its a '98... no choke to set. and it cranks over just fine...no issues here.

Guess I'll be cleaning the EGR system this weekend, best advice i have heard yet.

Take it to a mechanic, lol. Been driving for over 25 years, and never once had to take a car in to a shop. Why pay someone to have all the fun?

Thanks!