Manifold/header/muffler/tail Pipe problems of the 1996 Ford Windstar

During routine inspection consumer was informed of leaking head gasket. Dealership was notified, but did not resolved the problem.

I brought my 1996 Ford Windstar in for an oil change, and was told tie rods failed and needed to be replaced. , then, next day, they phoned and advised me that transmission was defective because the pan was full of shavings, also, power steering rack was leaking, and intake gasket needed replacement. , a total of $5000 to fix this vehicle. I bought it at 118,000 miles, and this happened shortly after owning it for one year. Currently, it has 134,000 miles, and cannot be driven. I parked vehicle then started it after being parked for a week. Heard a noise from front, and then white smoke came out of the tail pipe. I do believe that paul cornies, the dealer that I purchased vehicle knew that they were selling me a lemon. It has caused me a lot of hardship as I no longer work due to health reasons. I filed for disability insurance, and was told that I had a preexisting disease , and refused to pay the insurance. Currently, I have a junker in my driveway that I can't afford to fix , and a bill for the next 3 years, since I still owe for it. I will never buy another Ford.

While driving at 30 mph vehicle stalled. Smoke was coming from the tail pipe. Driver drove the vehicle to dealer for analysis, and mechanic noticed that the head gasket blew out, and the engine needed to be replaced.

I have several service issues that fall under the technical service bulletins for my 1996 Windstar. Most recently I took the van to mike shad Ford in jacksonville, FL because they had replaced the plugs and wires earlier this year. The engine continues to sputter and after diagnosis, I am told that it needs the following: 02 sensors - pcv tube- egr ports intake gaskets. Since the reason I took it to Ford in the first place was because of the sputtering and my service advisor tom summers when I told him I wanted a tune-up asked me what I wanted done as if I was the mechanic and knew what was wrong never bothered to have the van checked out. As the advisor, I would expect him to inform me as to the problem. He said that they just do what the customer asks of them. I asked that the plugs and wires be changed as that is all I knew to tell him. There is the incidence of my locks going haywire and rear windows being stuck also the speedometer had to be replaced as it stuck. All of these are on their various TSB. Should they not have repaired them at no charge to me? what is the function of a TSB as opposed to a recall? this vehicle was still under warranty when I purchased it. All of the incidences listed here did not occur at the same time. I have listed them never-the-less. The incident date is for intake gasket. It has not been repaired. Thanking you in advance, I appreciate your earliest response.

1996 Ford Windstar engine failure - systemic head gasket problem with the v6 3. 8l engine, which Ford has known about for many years. Symptoms: hard to start, rough idle, white smoke from tail pipe, engine coolant dripping from exhaust, oil looks like brown mayonnaise.

Blown head gasket and intake manifold gasket at 70,700 miles took in to mechanic repair bill is approximately. $1200. 00. I only had this vehicle since June 2002. It is now March 2003. Found out that there was a new engine put in my van February of 2001.

Local garage diagnosed that our 1996 Ford Windstar van's 3. 8l engine had a blown head gasket, which was causing the check engine light to continually come on. Combustion gases were in the cooling system, as was oil residue. Oil also found in the top part of the engine in the intake manifold. It is suspected that coolant and maybe water have found their way into the cylinders. Don't know yet what damage is done internally to the engine. Local Ford dealership indicated that it was a $2000 charge to repair. Engine not under the warranty program issued by Ford for the 1995 Windstars even though it's the same 3. 8l engine. Ford customer assistance logged my call but said that they were not treating this issue as a warranty item and that I was on my own to fix it.

96 Windstar, 3. 8l engine, 65,000 miles. Failure of head gasket and intake manifold gasket. $1700 to replace gaskets and related problems caused by the faiure.

A check engine light came on November 3, 2002 and we took the vehicle to mccafferty Ford on November 7, 2002. The diagnosis was that the head gaskets were leaking coolant onto the engine and out the tail pipe and "shorted" the oxygen sensor which caused the check engine light to appear. The estimate to repair the problem is $1,423 (with tax). They also charged me $137. 69 for two hours labor to find the problem, even though I experienced several of the symptoms. I did some research about Ford Windstars and head gasket failures and found out the 1994 and 1995 Windstars were recalled to fix the same problem. But, there is not a recall for 1996 even though I found thousands of complaints on-line. I have spoke to mccafferty Ford service representative richard h. Mitchell on November 8, 2002 and he said there is nothing they can do if the vehicle is over 100,000 miles. (well, my vehicle would of been less than 100,000 if there was a recall earlier) I then contacted the Ford customer assistance center to get an answer. Ford representative bill (#2072) said that there wasn't a recall on the 1996 Windstars, so there is nothing they can do (mileage didn't matter). I was told to keep my receipts in case there was a recall. I found online that there are 1996 Windstar owners that have had this problem fixed for free or a fraction of the cost, by the dealers. Our local mechanic (d&d auto service in mechanicsburg) said that he has seen this problem often. Also, that the head gaskets in a modern car should last the lifetime of the vehicle (at least 120,000 miles). We also got an estimate from jackson's automotive (because d&d doesn't do extensive repairs) in camp hill to repair the head gasket problem for around $800, which is over $600 less then mccafferty Ford's estimate. Dt.

The engine coolant is leaking into the intake engine manifold. Dt.

Carbon has gone through the entire emissions system , manifold needs replacement.

Vehicle has been loosing coolant for many years. The vehicle was taken in for a routine oil change but ended up having major repairs. Approximately eight months after the repair, the engine quit and the consumer was informed by two dealers that the vehicle needed a short block installed. There was also noise in the steering and a coolant leak. The intake upper and lower manifold gaskets were also replaced.

Engine check light displayed, white smoke billowing out of tail pipe.

Engine light came on and off, on and off, etc. Took it of service center. They said we had blown a head gasket. Took to another service center they said it was the intake manifold gaskets. Had them replaced. Now have an antifreeze leak in the timing cover. Service center said they don't want to fix it cause the engines end up seizing after about 2 months after repairing these leaks. They said to just keep an eye on the fluid level and keep it filled. I wish we wouldn't have purchased this vehicle. . . . .

Took in for service as a result of no heat. Loss of coolant, oil present in coolant, leak of oil and water at timing cover seal, lower intake manifold and suspect engine oil cooler. Auto repair shop indicates that it has a cracked block and will need a new engine.

Engine coolant leakage at intake manifold & head gasket. Since we bought,been having multiple issues with engine light on & various work done at dealership. On 11/3/01 intake gasket replaced for white exhaust smoke & engine light on. Returned 12/7/01 for engine light on & 02 sensor replaced. 1/3/02 heater blowing cool air- dealer sts head gasket bad. Corporate Ford refuses to do goodwill gesture/pay. (mileage to date approx since car still in shop).

Engine was running rough and white smoke was coming from tail pipe. Vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop. Repair shop informed consumer that engine head gasket had blown out.

Engine has gone out, causing smoke to come out of tail pipe.

Consumer noticed oil beading up in coolant tank. Took vehicle to dealership and head gasket and engine manifold gaskets were "redesigned" and replaced. On April 5th, consumer noticed oil in coolant recovery tank, causing engine" check light to come on. Vehicle was also misfiring. Please provide any additional information/attachments.

Engine head gasket failed. Intermittent engine warning light since new. Self reset before chance to get it to dealer. At approx 80k miles solid engine warning light. Dealer replaces oxygen sensor. Still got intermittent engine warning light. Latest incident solid engine warning light & blue smoke from tail pipe. Dealer indicates blown head gasket and worn connecting rod bearings as a cause & result of incorrectly designed head gasket. Indicates it is a known problem and should have been recalled with 1995 model year.

Owner took vehicle to mechanic to have tire changed & noticed the engine head gaskets was leaking coolant on manifold/front timing chain. If engine ran dry, would have seized . Was very hard to warm up. Manufacturer knows of problem.

Engine light on & running hot. Head gasket & manifold gasket replaced. Mechanic later said recall would reimburse for cost to repair. Ford said our VIN was not covered due to place & date of manufacture. This is an admitted manufacturer design problem which needs to be rectified. The Ford mechanics even state that this is the same engine as those in the recall. People who find out that I have a 1996 Ford Windstar ask if I've had my head gasket replaced yet. How would they know about this problem if it is not widespread, not to mention a severe deficiency in design. How can Ford get away with this nonsense? why should we buy american? please help.

Ignition system mis-fired due to two cylinders getting lean mixture and one cylinder getting all exhaust gas when two egr holes became plugged. Check engine light started coming on and owner noticed smote coming out of the exhaust.

This complaint consist of four failures that are engine related: (1) head gasket failed while being driven, and leaked fluid onto hot engine. (2) timing gasket failed along with gasket failing. (3) intake manifold runners failed, and the check engine light came on. The van is undrivable. (4) faulty main engine bearings. Please describe details.

Upon starting van, owner smelled coolant, and then noticed that van was losing coolant. Owner took van to dealership, and they told him that he had a blown intake manifold gasket, which caused coolant to enter into exhaust system. Please describe details.