98 windstar no. 2 cyl. misfire?

AT stops our windstar almost stalls. This was followed by a cel for #2 cyl misfire. plugs and wires replaced all looked in decent shape for 120,000 miles on them. anyway problem still continued and took to mechanic he charged me $50 and told me I didn't have any problems said it ran fine. He cleared the computer and 4 days later it had a running rough period that was prolonged enough to bring the cel back on. same code again. This problem seems to be worse after a long drive or if its really hot outside. This could be a coincedence or not. The only time it runs well is if its at the mechanics. Any help would be great.

My guess would be the Idle Air Controller (IAC) which allows air to bypass the throttle while you idle. They're very easy to remove and clean, cheap to replace too.

have you had a windstar with ths type of problem

I have a '98 with exatly the same problem. It would stall in reverse, at stops and when making sharp turns.

I'm not exactly sure if the IAC is what caused my problem because i did some other repairs at the same time such as:

cleaning the upper and lower intake manifold very thoroughly (Especially the EGR ports),
Cleaning the throttle body,
replaced the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS),
cleaning the fuel rail and injectors,
replaced injector O-rings,
and I ran a few cans of Sea Foam through the gas tank.

Runs like a champ now!

Did you get the same misfire trouble message? also where is the iac located is there one for each cylinder and is this covered in a shop manual or a chilton is there a book you recommend. I do most of my own wrenching: brakes, starters, even put a couple of engines in when i was younger but the higher technology stuff has me a little aprehensive. any help would be great.


P.s. do you recomment this intake gasket repair for this problem i do have some coolant loss with none on the ground.

AT stops our windstar almost stalls. This was followed by a cel for #2 cyl misfire. plugs and wires replaced all looked in decent shape for 120,000 miles on them. anyway problem still continued and took to mechanic he charged me $50 and told me I didn't have any problems said it ran fine. He cleared the computer and 4 days later it had a running rough period that was prolonged enough to bring the cel back on. same code again. This problem seems to be worse after a long drive or if its really hot outside. This could be a coincedence or not. The only time it runs well is if its at the mechanics. Any help would be great.
Did you inspect your ignition coil? You have replaced the spark plugs and wire but the coil can also cause an intermitent misfire.

EGR ports is a possiblity although the usual misfires for clogged EGR ports is Cylinders #3 and/or #4 as they, being the farthest from the EGR valve, are normally the last to become clogged.....so getting ALL the EGR flow.....the misfire happens.
If the problem was consistant enough....I would advise you to TEMPORARILY remove, and plug, the vaccum line that connects to the top of the EGR valve....and see if the problem goes away.....if it does.....then the EGR system would be the suspect......
Removing this vaccum line disables the EGR system.....causing a CEL for insufficient EGR flow.....and is bad for the engine to do long term.
You have to remove the upper intake manifold to get to the EGR ports to inspect / clean them.

Ignition coil is a possibility also.....the location is such that if I were to wonder about it.....I would just replace it.

A very likely cause would be a dirty fuel injector.....most likely they all are dirty....but the problem often surfaces on 1 or 2 injectors.
I had just this problem.....and after several months of chasing...replacing many parts...it finally got bad enough to light the CEL for Cylinder #2 misfire......and it ened up being the injector at the #2 cylinder being dirty.
I would buy some Berryman's B-12 Chemtool fuel system cleaner.
Put a can in a tank of gasoline.
It may even take a few tanks of gasoline, each treated with a full can of Berryman's to clean the injectors.
This is a very likely cause......and also the cheapest and easiest.
I have used other brands....including Chevron Techron.....but none of them have cleaned as well as the Berryman's.

You will want to track down the coolant leak.
The 2 most likely leaks......if it is not leaking out of the engine are the lower intake manifold gaskets and the "front cover" aka "timing cover" gasket.
My front cover gasket started "seaping"....very slightly.
I solved that with some Barr's brand of Stop Leak in the coolant......4 years ago.....still holding strong.
I found that the "aluminum" stuff was easy to use.
I also recommend the tablet form.....that I was able to locate at NAPA Auto Parts.
The Stop Leak did not keep my lower intake manifold gaskets from leaking......so they have been replaced (2 years ago.....and still holding solid)