2000 ford windstar issues misfiring losing coolant

[Dustinc]

Hello my 2000 ford windstar with a 3.8L is misfiring,
Coil, plugs, and wires have all been checked checked coil by switching #6 and #2 and #3 and #4
when I disconnect the vacuum from the egr it makes no difference
when I disconnect the injector harness from injector #3 and #2 it changes nothing
I have cleaned all my egr ports
I have swapped injectors
and I also have coolant loss and random over heating I think once the coolant level drops it overheats, there is no smoke and no smell of anti-freeze
thanks for your help I am lost right now

[olopezm]

Welcome tot he forum!

You need to trace the coolant leak, have you seen any coolant on the floor or around the engine?.

I would think you might have a problem with the coolant hose running under the manifold and that's causing the coolant loss. Try and look from the alternator side under the manifold, you can see the hose I'm talking about from there.

Another possibility would be bad intake gaskets. That would also cause a vacuum leak which at the same time can cause misfiring. You can try using an unlit propane torch around the engine and see if the RPM's go higher. If they do then you've found a vacuum leak. Another option is to use a live data capable scanner and take a look at the LTFT PID's they should be the closest as possible to 0. Any value higher than +/-6 indicates problems.

A positive value indicates a lean condition which would indicate a vacuum leak or a fuel delivery problem (low fuel pressure, dead injector). A negative value indicates a rich condition indicating a fuel delivery problem (leaking injector, bad fuel pressure regulator) or ignition problems.

Oscar.

[Dustinc]

Just pulled the #2, #3, and #6 plugs compression is 30psi on #2 and #3 and 180psi on #6
I can't believe I drove it 200km going 120km/h yesterday haha, ok well what is the most likely situation my oil looks nice and normal, could it be a head gasket?

[olopezm]

The best way to find out will be with a cylinder leak down test. That way you'll know for sure what is the source of your problem (piston rings, head gasket, worn valves). The fact that you are also loosing coolant points to a head gasket, but you might also have a combination of worn parts.

Oscar.

[12Ounce]

With that much compression difference between cyls, the headgasket would be high on my guess-list. Head gasket failure is rare, but it does happen.

Don't expect to be able to analyze the crankcase oil for coolant contamination just by looking, smelling, feeling or anything else you can do at home. If the contamination is so great that you can see that it has discolored the oil .... kiss the engine goodby! A small trace of coolant can destroy an engine ... and a small trace can only be analyzed by a laboratory such as Blackstone.

[wiswind]

Lower intake manifold gasket leaking is a common failure, I don't know if it was still as big of an issue on the 2003 or not.
The new lower intake manifold gaskets have been improved to solve the issue that causes them to fail.
The important thing about leaking lower intake manifold gaskets is that they can also be mis-diagnosed as a failing head gasket because they can also cause coolant to get into the cyinder(s).

Take note that the lower intake manifold gaskets are NOT the ones talked about for the lean code TSB, which is talking about the UPPER intake manifold gaskets.....the ones between the black upper intake manifold and the alluminum lower intake manifold.
The LOWER intake manifold gaskets are under the alluminum lower intake manifold and on top of the head.

The lower intake manifold gaskets are NOT reusable......removal of the lower intake manifold REQUIRES new lower intake manifold gaskets.
The upper intake manifold gaskets are reusable.

As mentioned, the metal cross over pipe......aka bypass pipe that goes through the lower intake manifold is a known leaker as well.

The other leak known to cause coolant into the motor is the front cover, aka timing cover, gasket.
This is a MAJOR repair as you have to remove the front cover, upon which the water pump is mounted.
Again, the cause of failure is poor gasket material/construction and the new gasket is improved, so if you get it right.....it is a repair that you only do once.

I have also seen some posts where a valve spring has broken....this is the spring that you see on the valve stem when you look under the valve cover.
The spring holds the valve closed and the rocker arm opens the valve.

As mentioned, head gaskets rarely fail on post 1995 Windstars.....but it can happen.

[Dustinc]

tore the engine apart there was no gasket material between #2 and #3 cylinder with #1 well on its way out.
Strange this happened on a van with only 160,000 kilometers (100,000 miles)

[12Ounce]

I agree: "strange" .... but if you bought the car used, there is no way to know what events the engine has endured. The head bolts may have been stretched due to someone flooding the engine with starter fluid or injector cleaner ... or there may have been an extreme overheating due to lost coolant .... who knows?

I will stand evidence that short of such events : the short block on the 3.8 is very tough!!!

Good luck!