1999 Ford Windstar (Brake Pressure Switch)

I've read a couple other posts on this fourm and figured that my problem (number 10 fuse keeps blowing) may be related to a faulty brake pressure switch. I have two problems however. First, I don't know what it looks like; 2) I don't know the part number (Ford) or Motorcraft replacement part number is. Can anyone help ? It's a 1999 Ford Windstar LX with a 3.8 liter engine.

Thanks in advance,

AvalonJohn

(I answered your other post)

The brake pressure switch connects to the front-bottom of the master cylinder ... and has a elect connector. Your parts counter man will easily identify the part.

12Oz,

Got your reply.

Thank you,

AvalonJohn

Please let us know if you find the brake pressure sensor for sale individually.

My local dealer told me the only way they sell it is with the reservior and my local Autozone or Advanced don't sell it or the reservior at all.

Please let us know if you find the brake pressure sensor for sale individually.

My local dealer told me the only way they sell it is with the reservior and my local Autozone or Advanced don't sell it or the reservior at all.

You might unscrew it from the reservoir and call in with the Ford part number as read off of the part - you can also key it into y2kford.com and see the list price. This has been a troublesome part on many Fords and the subject of several recalls on various models. I would respectfully guess you were given erroneous information i.e. that it cannot be purchased as a stand alone part. I have purchased two of them for different year 'stars - '96 & '98 for around $25.

Regards

You can see the switch if you look around these AutoZone pages:
.
http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1d/3f/6e/0900823d801d3f6e.jsp
.
clip on the sketch and enlarge to see the switch (item #8). The switch gets a mention on the "cruise control" pages under "chassis electrical".

You might unscrew it from the reservoir and call in with the Ford part number as read off of the part - you can also key it into y2kford.com and see the list price. This has been a troublesome part on many Fords and the subject of several recalls on various models. I would respectfully guess you were given erroneous information i.e. that it cannot be purchased as a stand alone part. I have purchased two of them for different year 'stars - '96 & '98 for around $25.

Regards

That's good news, did you get them from a dealer or a parts store?

I got mine from my local FORD dealership.
It was for my '96 and came as a "kit"
The kit included the switch, and a short wire harness, as the new switch had a different connector on it.
The wire harness plugged into the switch, and the other end connected to the connector on the vehicle.

I posted pictures in the pictures that the link in my signature will take you to.

It was a super easy repair.

To see if this is the cause of your blowing the fuse, just unplug the electrical connection from the switch and see if the new fuse holds.
With the switch disconnected, you will have NO cruise control.
If the fuse holds, then you know that the switch caused the problem.
If it still blows.....then you will have to keep looking.
However, if that switch is even damp with brake fluid.....I would replace it.

You will not hurt anything by doing the disconnect test.
I have read that the PCM monitors the status of that switch for powertrain control (other than just the cruise control), so you will want to have it working on the long term.

Everyone,

Thanks for your help. I'm going to give it a try this weekend. I'll let you know how it all works out.

AvalonJohn

Freakzilla69,

Got a "Brake Kit" which is just the Brake Pressure Deactivation Switch which screws onto the bottom of the master cylinder reservoir. Part number is Motorcraft AS6351 (XW7Z9F924BA alternate part #). It cost me $ 14.72, pluse shipping (Total $ 21.20).

I found it at rockauto.com

AvalonJohn

Freakzilla69,

Got a "Brake Kit" which is just the Brake Pressure Deactivation Switch which screws onto the bottom of the master cylinder reservoir. Part number is Motorcraft AS6351 (XW7Z9F924BA alternate part #). It cost me $ 14.72, pluse shipping (Total $ 21.20).

I found it at rockauto.com

AvalonJohn

Great!

I see... cruise control... in my future, WOOHOO!

My buddy recently lost his 96 Windstar to an engine compartment fire. The fire was traced back to the brake switch that kicks off the cruise control. Apparently the switch leaks brake fluid into it and the electric contacts light it off. Ford recalled their F-series trucks to fix a similiar problem, and our local parts store guy says the switch is the same on both the F's and the 'stars.

I intend to replace my switch as soon as the weather warms up enough that it does not cost me a fortune to heat my shop.

VOLKSWAGON RECALLS 800,000 VEHICLES TO FIX BRAKE SWITCHES ....

... Gee! Why don't they just deny they have a problem and "stick it to the customer" ...... like Ford does Windstar owners.

Oh! VW wants to KEEP their customers!

Everyone,

Thanks for your help. It was the Brake Pressure Switch. It took me about 15 minutes to replace it. The number 10 fuse now holds and I got my Cruise Control back as well. The old switch was really leaking and electrical connection (below) on the swich was soaked. Less than 1/2 of the bake fluid remained in the resavoir when I replaced the switch this weekend. I checked the fluid level on Feb 13 and it was full. Suprised Ford hasn't recalled all of these. THEY ARE DEFINITLY FAULTY !!! Don't know if they've been sued over a loss of brakes due to this? If not, just a matter of time.

AvalonJohn

"Ford said its review found that brake fluid could leak through the cruise control's deactivation switch into the system's electrical components, leading to corrosion. That could produce a buildup of electrical current that could cause overheating and a fire.

To fix the problem, dealers install a fused wiring harness to the cruise control deactivation switch to prevent the risk of fire if the switch leaked. Ford officials said about 45% of the vehicles under the previous recalls have been repaired."

The above is a quote from a USA Today story. Would seem that just replacing the switch doesn't do away with the fire risk. Am I right?

I also have a problem with the cruise control on my '98 Windstar. When it is turned on and you press the set button the green CRUISE light will come on for about 1/2 sec. then go off. It will do this every time you press the set button. I have checked all the fuses and they are OK. The Brake Pressure Switch is clean and dry. The tranny has been rebuilt (cruise control would not work before Tranny was rebuilt). It runs well on the expressway and shift gears smoothly. I took it to a local repair shop and they ran test on the TRS. They told me that there was current to what he called the Clock Spring in the steering column, but had no current returning back to the TRS. Is the true I have never heard of a Clock Spring. The Windstar has 177K miles.

I finally replaced the BPS and now I have CRUISE CONTROL again.

Joe

hi everyone

I have a 95 Windstar and had a question about the Brake Pressure Switch. After reading Windstar's warning/suggestion at the top of the page, I went to look at mine.

It's always been unplugged! I guess that explains why I never had cruise control. I got the Windstar about a year ago, and judging by the toasted ABS and absence of receipts, I'd say maintainance had been pretty minimal.

Leaving aside the suggested fix (which I will probably do), my question is as follows: is there any reason why the previous owner would have *deliberately* unplugged the BPS, so that me plugging it back in will cause some other problem to reoccur/flare up again

Tangentially, I think Ford is acting pretty poorly in not fixing this problem (or at least providing the harness free) - after all, it's not just ugly/uncomfortable design, it's actually a design/construction fault! I don't expect to be buying another Ford (built in Nth America, at least) for a long while, unfortunately for Michigan...

lapin,

I can think of a couple reasons why the previous owner disconnected the switch. The first being the potential of fire. There have been one or two engine fires due to these leaking switches placed on Ford vehicles. Secondly, many times when these switches fail the number 10 (10amp) fuse shorts and blows. If you leave the switch connected, and replace the fuse, it will continues to blow. When this happens you loose your speedometer, odometer, heat control, and that annoying ABS light stays on. Also, if you hadn't lost your cruise control prior to the fuse blowing you would now because it's connected to the number 10 fuse. So, having said all that, they must have realized that in order to have everything connected to the number 10 fuse, except CC, they had to disconnect the switch.

AvalonJohn

Ohhh, that makes sense, thank you.

OK, well I think I am going to try reconnecting it. It seems like at worst, the fuse will blow, and I can just replace it and disconnect the BPS again. If the fuse doesn't blow, then I can leave it connected, and get the replacement part to fix the fire risk.

Thanks everyone!

Hi everyone: I lost my Cruise Control a couple of months ago and found in this forum that the Brake Pressure Switch was linked to this problem. I checked the switch, which is mounted just under the Master Cylinder and sure enough it was really soaked with brake fluid. So, I bought a new unit.
As mentioned in the Thread, there is a new, "Fused Wiring Harness" that comes with the replacement part. I changed the switch in about five minutes and that cured the cruise control problem. I took a moment and opened up the old switch and found that there is a circular contact that moves when the brake pressure is applied and there are two other fixed contacts that carry the current through the switch. One of these contacts had completly burned away with all of the brake fluid that had soaked the inside of the switch unit. Hope this helps.

I have a 95 (note to self: never buy a model in the first year of production
again).

Does anyone know if the "brake repair kit" is the same for all years? I'm just about to order it from fordparts.com using part number XW7Z-9F924-BA, but I'm not sure about compatibility. I'm using that part number because that was the one that was printed on Wiswind's photo.

I think that they give you the option to enter your VIN when you order.
I have found that part numbers can change.....as when they make any change to the part....the part number changes.
So to be safe, I would order what is listed for your vehicle.
In fact....the part is cheap enough, that it might be worth just going to your local FORD dealer to get.....and they will have the correct number on their system.
I replaced mine several years ago.

Thanks, Wiswind, sounds like a good suggestion. I've never been in an actual Ford showroom before so it'll be an interesting experience...

Just for anyone's interest: the kit I ordered above *does* fit the 1995 Windstar, and it's a very easy fix. It literally took five minutes. Unscrew the old one, screw in the new one, plug it into the harness.

I now have cruise control back and my gas tank readings are accurate again!

fordparts.com was great, too - they delivered in two days from time of order, and I'm at the other end of the US from them.

Many thanks guys for contributing to this thread!!! Replacing the Brake Pressure Switch as is referred to in this post, but referred to as the Cruise Control Disable Switch by the Ford Parts Dept. fixed the problem with the cruise control not working. I bought the Brake Repair Kit - Ford Part #XW7Z9G652BA (at a premium) from the local dealer. It was a snap to fix... 10-15 minutes.

Jon

I just did this and it literally took 5 minutes.... ordered the kit from fordparts.com and picked it up from my local Ford dealer for $14.36 + tax. the XW7Z9G652BA Motorcraft kit had the new pressure sensor and also the harness adapter- Rock Auto couldn't even beat that deal...they wanted almost 6 bucks to ship, and it wasn't motorcraft stuff either. This fixed the Cruise Control problem on my 96 Windstar, and no more threat of it lighting itself afire in my driveway....

:licka: Great work everyone - Thanks for all the help with this CC problem... we were missing our cruise for 2 years - luckily not too much driving. Anyways, thanks to a 15 dollar part, we have it back now. Everything seems to be working again.
Last year the recall only addresses the Fuseable link which doesnt fix the leaking brake fluid. Until further notice, the Brake pressure sensor, which you can get for next to nothing and change yourself with a 9/16 wrench and replace the new one with a 13/16 open end. There is also, like everyone here who has already posted, a quick link that connects the old wire harness to the new switch. the hardest part was removing and replacing the bloody air filter housing. other than that, a quick soap and rinse of the hands was all it took. :icon16::runaround:CELEBRATION TIME!!!!! wow does it ever feel good to have my van back.

I have the same problem as described in the above posts...cruise control not coming on when commanded to. I had a local trans shop scan the trans and they discovered a "P0722 - Output Speed Sensor codes". Along with the cruise not working, my speedo reads about 10-15% high (has proper-sized tires)and the convertor locks up too early and won't unlock until I slow down to about 35mph, at which time the engines lugging. This Windstar had the Ford recall for the fused harness install about 3 years ago(?), when my father owned the van. I just went out to check that master cylinder brake switch, and it does have a bit of brake fluid residue on it, but not dripping anywhere. Fuse #10 is also fine. Any ideas out there? I will replace that brake switch if the general consensus is that thats the problem.

I'm also wondering if all these problems are related somehow?

UPDATE: I tried unplugging the BPS connector and "jumping" across it with a paperclip....no difference...cruise still not working (no light on dash either). Like I said, my van has the fused harness already installed, but they didn't change out the switch. Could the fuse in the fused harness have blown,causing my cruise not to work even when jumpered?

Thanks all.