1998 Ford Ford Truck

WHILE RIDING BACK HOME FROM WALMART, I HEARD AN EXTREMELY LOUD BOOM THEN IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A CONSISTENT ROARING LOUD NOISE. FRIGHTENED I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND GOT THE GIRL OUT AND AWAY FROM THE TRUCK BEFORE IT CAUGHT FIRE , BECAUSE OF THE SMOKE. CAUGHT A RIDE HOME AND HAD A FRIEND DRIVE IT TO MY HOME. I TOOK MY CAR TO A FEW SHOPS TO GET AN IDEA OF WHAT WAS WRONG . THERE WASN'T ANY LEAKS PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING, AND THERE WAS PLENTY OF OIL IN IT TOO. THREE MONTHS BEFORE I HAD OIL CHANGE AND TUNE UP DONE FOR THE TRUCK. THIS TRUCK HAD HARDLY BEEN DRIVEN BECAUSE I HAVE TWO OTHER CAR GOES ON GAS. THE BOSS WHO CHECK THE MOTOR SAID REASON THE MOTOR WENT BAD WAS BECAUSE THE SPARK PLUG DETACHED FROM ITS COMPONENT, WHICH CAUSED THE MOTOR TO THROW A ROD. I WENT TO AUTO ZONE FOR THE BEST GASKETS AND PARTS SO MY TRUCK COULD BE BACK THE SAME AGAIN LIKE BEFORE. I HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD EXHAUST WORK DONE BEFORE THE MOTOR , BY ANOTHER SHOP FOR EXHAUST BECAUSE NOT EVERYONE DOES IT,SO WHEN THE JOB WAS DONE I WOULDN'T HAVE TO STILL WAIT. I JUST WANTED IT LIKE IT WAS BEFORE THE ROD BROKE. THE PROBLEM WASN'T SOLVED RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE I HAD TO FIND A MOTOR FIRST. I MADE SURE I STARTED IT UP DAILY SO BATTERY WOULDN'T DIE. MY TRUCK WAS IN GREAT CONDITION. UNTIL THE SPARK PLUGS RUINED IT. AT THAT POINT THE OIL SUDDENLY WAS BLACK AND BURNT LOOKING. ALSO ONE OTHER TIME I WAS DRIVING FROM OUT OF STATE FAR AWAY WITH MY CRUISE CONTROL WENT OUT AS I WAS DRIVING SEVENTY FIVE . THE CAR SMOKED, BUT I CONTINUED GOING I DIDN'T WANT TO GET STUCK ON THE HIGHWAY. I HAD TO BUY A MOTOR AND PAY FOR LABOR AND PARTS NEEDED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE I ALMOST CAUSED ACCIDENT WHEN TRYING TO STOP THE TRUCK AND GET OUT WITH THE KIDS. *TR

TRUCK OVER HEATED THE ENGINE COOLANT RESERVOIR IS LEAKING WATER THAT IS THICK AND OILY. OIL IS PASSING INTO RADIATOR A HEAD GASKET REPAIR WAS DONE AND THE RADIATOR WAS FLUSHED. A LOUD CRANK NOISE IS HEARD FROM THE REAR BOTTOM AXLES WHEN I STOP. CONSTANTLY NEEDING JUMP START ENGINE WOULD TURN OFF UNEXPECTATLY WHILE DRIVING NEW BATTERY BUT IT WAS STILL TURNING OFF A RELAY FROM THE DISTRIBUTION BOX WAS REPLACED NEW. *TR

PROBLEM WAS SPEEDOMETER, CRUISE CONTROL, POWER WINDOWS WOULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY. IDIOT LIGHTS ON DASH WOULD COME ON AND OFF. TOOK TO FORD DEALERSHIP. THEY FOUND THAT THE SEAL AROUND THE WINDSHIELD WAS LEAKING AND DAMAGED THE GEM MODULE AND FUSE BOX. DEALER COULD NOT REMOVE WINDSHIELD WITHOUT DOING DAMAGE TO IT. HAD TO REPLACE WINDSHIELD AND MODULES AT A COST OF $1,040. LIVE NEAR MORRO BAY, CA WHERE CLIMATE RANGES FROM 35 TO 85 DEGREES (NO EXTREMES) AND TRUCK HAS ALWAYS BEEN GARAGED WHEN NOT IN USE. NO EXCUSE FOR SEAL TO FAIL. OLD WINDSHIELD WAS FINE. WOULD LOVE TO SUE BUT OBVIOUSLY WOULD BE A HUGE WASTE OF TIME. NEXT TIME, WILL PURCHASE A JAPANESE BUILT TRUCK. *JB

ON FEBRUARY 25, 2005, I WAS TRAVELING 55 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY IN TRAFFIC WHEN MY 1998 FORD WINDSTAR BEGAN TO LEAK OIL AND SLOW DOWN. AFTER SEVERAL NEAR COLLISIONS, I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. I INSTRUCTED EVERYONE TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE SMOKEY SMELL. I THEN CALLED KEYSTONE AAA MID-ATLANTIC MY EMERGENCY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE SERVICE. NEXT, THE KEYSTONE AAA MID-ATLANTIC TECHNICIAN ARRIVED AND HE COMMENTED ON THE NUMBER OF FORD WINDSTARS THAT HE PICKS UP ON A DAILY BASIS. AFTER OBSERVING MY VEHICLE, HE STATED THAT IT IS PROBABLY A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT IT COULD NOT BE THE TRANSMISSION BECAUSE I JUST GOT A BRAND ?NEW TRANSMISSION? TWO YEARS AGO. HE THEN TOWED MY VEHICLE TO SPRINGFIELD FORD IN SPRINGFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA (6 MILES AWAY). ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2005, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM SOMEONE IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF SPRINGFIELD FORD AND I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND I WAS LUCKY THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT CATCH FIRE BECAUSE OF THE LEAKING OIL. INDEED, IF SPRINGFIELD FORD INSTALLED A ?NEW TRANSMISSION? TWO- YEARS AGO AND I NOW NEED ANOTHER ?NEW TRANSMISSION?, IT IS CLEAR THAT THE TRANSMISSIONS FOR THE 1998 FORD WINDSTARS ARE DEFECTIVE. MOREOVER, I WAS ON A BUSY HIGHWAY TRAVELING 55 MPH WHEN THIS SECOND MALFUNCTION OCCURRED. *AK

WHILE TAKING A SHORT TRIP THIS WEEKEND. (UNDER 70 MILES) I NOTICED A SUDDEN VIBRATION COMING FROM THE REAR OF OUR MOTOR HOME AND WITHIN A MATTER OF SECONDS I HEARD A LOUD BANG AND SEVERAL OTHER NOISES AS THE MOTOR HOME ROCKED FROM SIDE TO SIDE. AFTER REGAINING CONTROL I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO DISCOVER THE ENTIRE TREAD OF MY RIGHT REAR TIRE COMPLETELY MISSING AND THE SIDEWALL OF WHAT WAS LEFT BLOWN OUT IN WHAT LOOKS LIKE TWO PLACES. I HAVE OWNED SEVERAL RECREATIONAL VEHICALS AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF FAILURE. DT