2000 Windstar fuel smell on plugs

Hi I just upgraded from my reliable ole 96 Windstar to a 2000. I was changing the plugs today and they all have a gas smell on them. What would this indicate?
125,000k on it and runs great, but I'm only clearing 13mpg city and 17 highway. I got better than that from the 96 with 240,000 on it! I am hoping the plugs will help. I also changed the air filter and am looking at the plug wires too.
The cel is not on, and no skip in the idle, so I would assume all the plugs have been firing.
Thanks for any help!

If you have no other symptoms, I would not worry at this time.
Winter is a hard time to determine fuel economy.......I cannot rely on city mileage.....too many variables.
I usually rely on highway mileage as a indicator of the health of the vehicle.

One of our members posted a awesome set of information and pictures about the isolator bolt TSB and some other things that you should check out for your 2000 windstar.
http://leckemby.net/windstar/windstar01.html

The other thing to check out is the IMRC.
The newer, electric version that your 2000 has is known to somehow lose the clips that connect the IMR runners to the electrical motor that controls them.
This can cause pinging and other drivablity issues.
The way that these newer ones are set up.....you can lose 1 or both clips......and have no CEL.....and have 1 or both of the shafts not in the correct position.
You will have lower fuel economy if they are open when they should be closed.
The closed position gives better "low end" or low RPM performance and better fuel economy.
The OPEN position is for a boost of power.....better high RPM performance.
However, you do not have the runners in that position very much.....99% of your driving is with them closed.

As far as plugs, do as you did for the '96, get the correct plugs.....Motorcraft or AutoLite double platinum.
I change my plugs......and wires by only having 1 cylinder's plug wire disconnected at a time......mistakes in my distant past have lead me to that process.

One other thing that I have noticed in the posts here......the newer windstars seem to have coil packs that fail more often.

Hopefully, you will get close to the fuel economy as your '96.....but I would not expect much more than it got.
I have been watching the fuel economy of our type of vehicle for a while.....and one reason that I held on to my '96 for so long as I did not see any real big advantage to getting something else.......I am disappointed that vehicles today do not get better fuel economy than they do.

As an example.....the little Smart Car only rates 45mpg highway under the 2007 EPA fuel economy standards.......with a 1.0L 3 cylinder motor....using Premium 91 octane gasoline.
I got 40+mpg with a 1981 Plymouth Horizon TC3 (mizer version).....with a 1.8L 4 cylinder.....with a carborator.......and it was 2 times the size of a Smart Car.
I expected more with fuel injection and all the computer controls.

I bring that up....because we cannot be too hard on FORD......the auto industry as a whole has not moved very well in the fuel economy field.
Although....I will say that larger vehicles......like the windstar really are not doing badly for a vehicle of their size.
I think that we, the public, are as much to blame with what we have been buying......as the auto industry is going to produce to what we will buy.

My '96 windstar has been good for 22mpg on the freeway using regular unleaded.
My "new to me" 2003 Toyota Sienna got just over 24mpg on the same freeway using regular unleaded.....but it is also a smaller vehicle (they made them bigger starting in 2004).

I did experiment with 89 midgrade and 91-93 Premium unleaded fuels with the Windstar....and did not see any real gain in fuel economy.
I am trying the same thing with the Sienna.....which has 2 knock sensors (vs 1 on the windstar) and a higher compression motor.
I will only be able to tell on a highway trip......too many variables around town.
Toyota had to drop their horsepower ratings a few years ago....as they were rated on Premium unleaded......and the rules changed.....the posted horsepower ratings have to be what you get on the fuel that is called for in the owner's manual.....which states "minimum of 87 octane.....for better performance and economy....higher octane".....which leads me to want to experiment and see if there is a difference for my situation.

So.....in the winter.....best you can do is make sure that it is running in tip-top shape.
I would consider changing all the fluids to synthetic (power steering and transmission take Mercon V rated transmission fluid) and do as you are.....making sure things are in good shape.

Good luck with your "new to you" windstar......it should give you some years of good service.

2 other points I'll add to Wiswind's excellent post. Tire pressure and total van weight. If you tires are not in good shape, properly inflated and aligned there are lots of things that will suffer, in addition to fuel economy. Check tires and suspension. Second thing, are you carrying a ton of extra stuff that isn't needed? When you get the mileage, consider what you're dragging around, be it people or gear. Less load, less gas required. FWIW I've got a 2000 3.8 as well and it's well maintained, has about 150,000 km and gets very similar numbers to what you're getting.

P

I would make sure the cam shaft sensor is properly "timed". Its a bit of work ... obtaining the little plastic alignment tool ... and then determining TDC for the engine ... accessing the synchronizer base. I'm thinking someone may have done a poor job aligning this device earlier ... this would possibly cause fuel injector timing to be a bit "off".