One problem related to engine noise has been reported for the 1996 Ford Windstar. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
After driving about 4 hours from alabama with 1 or 2 stops we stopped at the SC welcome center for 5 minutes. When we restarted the engine, the oil pressure light came on and the engine started making a noise. We drove about 20 miles, then had the van towed to fairway Ford in anderson, SC. We were told the engine needed to be replaced. We authorized a replacement, but asked for a diagnostic to be performed so we would know what caused the old engine to fail. To date, that information has never been revealed to us by Ford. Ford corp. Has been extremely uncooperative in returning phone calls, and has basically told us "tough luck".