Ford WindstarIntroduced in the mid-1990s, the front-wheel-drive Ford Windstar minivan campaigned with an emphasis on, and reputation for, safety. And in the hotly contested family minivan market of the time, that was an especially solid piece of ground to be on. As long as buyers didn't need to haul adults in back on a regular basis, the Windstar served a family's needs just fine.
Ok guys this is a follow-up to problems that I had already. Last month I finally dug in and worked on clearing codes and improving running performance on my 2000 windstar 3.8l with 90,000 miles. I had 171 & 174 lean codes and did the intake overhaul, replaced DPFE and cleaned the MAF, then it followed with 3 different misfire codes, so I changed original plugs. Did not change the wires or the coil pack. Now, after a few weeks with no check engine light it has returned with 401 code for EGR system. I had cleaned the ports while the intake was disassembled. Since I am not a great mechanic with experience, I was hoping for ideas on how to systematically troubleshoot my egr system or what is a logical approach to fix. The van is actually running better than ever at this point with only minor pinging...and thoughts? Thanks in advance for your help!
I still say the most common cause of P0401 (insufficient EGR flow) is blocked passageway from the EGR valve to the intake.
This is fairly easy to confirm. You need a hand vacuum pump (a useful tool for your collection anyway). Connect the pump directly to the EGR valve. Start the engine. Pump up the vacuum and see if the EGR valve pintel moves (if not, the valve is bad). With the valve off of its seat, the engine should run rough or even stall. If not, the passage to or from the EGR valve is clogged.
P.S. When you get your EGR working, I'll bet the ping goes away !
__________________ Peace, it's our only chance
1998 E150 Club Wagon, 4.6L Modular, E4OD
2007 Milan. 3.0L Duratec, Aisin 6 speed AW-F21 others I look out for
2007 Escape 2wd (the mini Pumpkin), 3.0L Duratec, CD4E
2008 Mazda3 5 door, 2.3L, 5 speed manual
Can you help me with some more details? where is the egr valve? I was told by the autozone guy it was part of the DPFE device located in the front of the car, but I also read something about a device located on the backside of the passenger side. If part of the DPFE, there are 2 hoses; which one should I remove to connect to my vacuum source. I recall someone mentioning that they simply used another line nearby that should contain enough vacuum for the test. Also, when I cleaned the ports, I cleaned primarily just the tips of the ports with q-tips and a cleaner being careful not to leave anything behind. I am wondering if I will need to go in and clean better or differently. Thanks for the quick reply!
Sorry, no pictures of a Windstar engine compartment that would include an EGR valve. There is a generic picture below. The pintel is just below the big round part.
The DPFE is not directly connected to the EGR valve.
The hoses on the DPFE go to the pipe that feeds the EGR valve. They are not engine vacuum.
Using a "nearby vacuum line" to open the EGR valve will create a leak that will cause other problems.
If you have a good set of lungs and an extra piece of vacuum line, you can do it that way. Once you have a vacuum, block it with your tongue.
__________________ Peace, it's our only chance
1998 E150 Club Wagon, 4.6L Modular, E4OD
2007 Milan. 3.0L Duratec, Aisin 6 speed AW-F21 others I look out for
2007 Escape 2wd (the mini Pumpkin), 3.0L Duratec, CD4E
2008 Mazda3 5 door, 2.3L, 5 speed manual
The wizard is correct,engine running apply vacuum to the valve and another helper tool is a hand held scanner with pid data functions so you can monitor the dpfe voltage.Nominal voltage should be around 1.0 volt,with vacuum applied, voltage should rise,15 inches of vac should max out around 4.5 or so volts.This test is verifying that the egr valve is physically opening and closing,and the egr ports and down stream dpfe hoses and egr tube are not restricted.If this test passes check vac to your egrv soliniod/regulator,which controls the vac to the valve.good luck
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2000 Windstar 401 EGR code 
Linear Mode
