I have a 2001 Windstar. A few months ago the engine started to misfire badly for about a minute and then the engine check light came on. After a minute it started running normally again in the engine check light went off. The past few weeks it has started to misfire more and more often. I borrowed a friend' s computer analyzer and the analyzer shows that cylinder 1 and cylinder 2 are misfiring. I think I remember somebody telling me that the intake manifold gasket on the Windstar's engine tends to go and causes this problem. The car has 175,000 miles on it so I'm not sure that I want to put any money into it. It doesn't seem to be using any antifreeze. If this problem were being caused by the intake manifold gasket would the engine be losing antifreeze? Could it be that perhaps I just need new plugs and wires?

 

The coolant issue was a head gasket problem on the 3.8L engine. No coolant flows thru or around the intake manifold. Could be intake gasket issue or just needs a new set of plugs/wires. And if you're keeping it for some time, I'd spend the additional $70-75 for a new coil to go with the plugs and wires.