I have a 2003 Windstar with 120,000 miles on it. Back in February my check engine light came on, took it in to a chain store (PB) and they suggested I needed a full tune up....the replaced all the wires,coils, spark plugs..etc. Fast forward to Sept cars starts to misfire and check engine light comes back on...take it back to shop who did original work, they say the coil pack failed and replaced it...3 days later same problem again, take it back again coil pack replaced again and they told me they inspected cylinder 2 ( the compter reading was a misfiring cylinder 2) and could find nothing wrong....car drove fine for about 2 days and now the check engine light is back on and again the miss fires


what issue(s) Can cause a coil pack to keep failing? Is it electrical? do I have a bigger issue than can possible do more damage to the engine


the misfire happens when accelerating and always between 35-45 mph

 

What is the code? Take it to a parts store and have the codes scanned. Write down all the codes and report them here.

Was there ever any work done to the "Isolator bolt" grommets? Is that rough running getting better when the engine is warmed up?

 

no work done to the grommets to my knowledge, rough ride continues regardless of temperature and once again only seems to happen car seems to switch gears...35-45 mph and again at 60-65 mph

taking car back in yet again on Saturday, will ask for a list of the codes

 

following codes were pulled :

p1246
p0302
p0306
p0316


on top off the above they pulled 11 ABS codes/5 Body control codes and 2 data bus codes

 

1246: it appears that this code is related to the alternator. That does not necessarily mean you need a new alternator. check the wiring first, make sure you have good ground connections, and good connection to the battery. have the battery checked too. I would take the alternator and the battery out and have them checked at O'Reilly's.

The other codes tell you it is misfiring from the start up.

It is possible that the alternator is going bad or the wiring is causing trouble, and that again may cause the misfire. Tackle 1246 first.

Let's not worry about the isolator bolt grommets. The symptoms don't quite match anyway.


The ABS code (and the ABS light and E-brake light on the dash) are telling you that the ABS controller is failing. It is common. When the lights are on you don't have ABS you only have standard brakes. Replacing the ABS costs about 1 grand. I'd rather enjoy the light show.

 

was told the ABS codes were due to a faulty sensor when I had the brake work done , so its not high on my list of things to do....just trying to get the car to last until next spring when I'll look into investing in something else...wish I could say it would be another ford, but this is my 3rd Windstar since 1998 and they all seem to have a limited shelf life, besides kids are older and driving their own cars now, so no need for a van

 

sorry for not replying sooner but the issue was solved after 4 trips to the mechanic.....first 3 he replaced the coil and each time it would burn out on cylinder 2 within days.....finally found the culprit when he found a wire that had a split in the covering, this wire would short out the coil pack when it touched any metal piece in the engine compartment

replaced all the wires and the coil pack free of charge because of his misdiagnoses the first 3 times