2000 Windstar - No Wipers, No Turn Signals, No Radio, No Air...

mandi#10help · 07-01-2009, 05:14 PM

I was sitting at a light and my wipers went off and I realized I also had no air and no radio - I tried to roll down my window and no luck there either. I kept driving - the next light, I had to turn left - got in the left turn lane - no turn signals - then as I pressed on the gas to go - there was no acceleration - I literally creeped through the intersection and just prayed the car heading towards me would slow down. When I got home, I turned the car off and let it sit for a bit, then I turned it back on - everything was working again. I left my house and started toward the grocery store and not 1 min from my house I heard my radio starting to die as if I had no signal. Then it happened all over again - everything went out. My ABS light was on and my seatbelt light - though I did have my seatbelt on. Small back story - my battery died within 6 mos of buying it - I took it back and got the exact same battery - it died in 2 mos - upgraded the battery - that was last week. Took it to Ford before my last battery and they did a full electrical drag diagnostic on the van and said there was nothing pulling on the battery. I have already replaced my brake pressure switch. I think this has to do with the multifunction switch, but I have no idea why it would not give me gas when I gas the peddle. Please help!!

Thanks,
Mandi

mandi#10help · 07-01-2009, 05:21 PM

OK - so I guess the multifunction switch it just for the wipers - having nothing to do with the turn signals or air or radio or windows, or whatever the heck else is wrong - it wasnt night time, so I didnt think to check my lights. What could this be???? Please help - I am unemployed and really cant afford to take this back to Ford - after they charged me $90 bucks to tell me nothing was wrong with the van when APPARENTLY there is!!

GraybeardAv · 07-01-2009, 08:13 PM

That's weird. Sounds like the charging system is intermittent. You get no warning lights? I've seen an intermittent ignition switch that will leave the tail lights on sometimes. I had to re-insert and jiggle the key.

Try taking off all the trash hanging on your key, and wiggle it if this happens again.

GB

mandi#10help · 07-02-2009, 08:47 AM

Well, GB - I took just my key to the ignition - it started - I put it in reverse - I was gonna test drive it around the block - before I could get all the way out of the driveway - everything happened again and THEN my van started huffing and puffing and cut out. I had the headlights on to check those - they went out in reverse - when the van died - I tried to recrank - it would not turn over at all - remember this is a brand new battery - I had turned my headlights off - they were still on now that the car was off and my dashboard was dinging that my headlights were on even though they were off and then the lights started to flash on and off - they key wasnt even in the ignition any more. So, I unhooked the battery and called AAA to tow it to the Ford Service Station. I guess we will see what they say. I will update all and letcha know.

mandi#10help · 07-02-2009, 10:17 AM

So - I ust got back and they said my alternator went out. Which I find very odd since I have been having these problems since March and when they tested the alternator in March it was totally fine. I think the alternator went out BECAUSE of these problems and that now when they fix the alternator, it will just be a bandaid to the real problem which will continue to exist. Who knows. This has been the worst car owning experience of my whole life!!!

zpn_by · 07-07-2009, 02:31 PM

check the wires around alt for corrosion. bad contacts could kill equipment and cause SOME of your problems....

BroncoJoe19 · 07-07-2009, 02:54 PM

Most of the components you mentioned are controlled in part by way of the GEM. Check your grounds, flaky grounds can give you an intermittant problem.

Also a bad ground can cause the alternator to NOT charge the battery. When battery is fully dead, or very low on charge, and if the ground is re-established and the alternator had to recharge it, it may put undue stress on the alternator. IF this occurs repeatedly, it may burn out the alt.

So check your large battery connections, at both cable ends, both pos and neg, and to the starter, and engine block, from the engine to the frame, and the little ones, esp at the left hand side above and below the headlight, any on the firewall, and look for one inside the passenger compartment on or near the firewall.

GraybeardAv · 07-09-2009, 04:40 PM

I just found a loose terminal clamp on the battery of our Monterey. Tried to tighten the bolt, but the threads were galled and made the nut stop before the clamp was tight.

Fixed it with a new bolt. Something simple as this could cause your problems.

GB

db35162 · 07-10-2009, 11:38 PM

I have a 99 windstar 3.8. The exact symptoms happened to me, no wipper , no turn signals, no radio, airbag light comming on, ABS light coming on, no blower motor and the worst, no power when you give it gas. I just bought the the largest battery that you can get for the van 1.5 years ago, so I pulled the battery terminals and cleaned (which was filthy) and pulled the caps to the battery and check the level of the cells, they were a little low but all plates were still submerged, filled them up with distilled water and put my charger on it at a 10 amp charge with the battery disconnected from from the van, and the meter stayed at 10 amps after 4 hours and the charger was not cycling (turning on and off from 10 amps to 2 amps) like it should if the battery was getting charged. I then was afraid to leave the charger at 10 amps any longer and switched to a trickle charge which is at 2 amps and let it charge over night. I was so sure I had a shorted cell in the battery that I got up during the night (6 hr's) to see if I was boilng out the acid of the battery. The meter of the charger was only giving 1.5 amps at that time, no boiling and the battery was cool to the touch. With the meter giving less amps to the battery I thought it was finnally getting a charge. I let it charge 12 more hr's on trickle and the meter was reading right around 1 amp and I switched the charger back to 10 amp charge rate for 2 hr's and now the meter was at 5.5 to 6 amps constant ( the charger should have started cycling if there wasn't a problem with the battery ). I took it right back to the place I bought it (every thing was working fine now) and they tested it and gave me a brand new battery at no cost ( I paid $69 for the battery 1.5 yr's ago, 3 year no cost to me and 10 year all together warrenty). I thought I had me a bad battery and to add to the problem dirty connections. There was no problems for a week and a half then they came back. I got out the hayne's and did the altenator check and it failed. I can tell you this, every other vehicle I ever had, at least the altenator or battery light came on, not this vehicle, take heed. It has been over 3 months with no problems with the charging system, I can say that have never replaced a altenator in 15 minutes like this one (very easy).