To add to what Snakoil has said......I have a '96 windstar with the 3.8L engine.
The windstar is on the taurus platform.....same transmission.
I bought my windstar in 1999 with just under 38K miles on it.
Right away, I had the transmission fluid and filter changed at the dealership......and kept that routine every 30K miles.
The transmission gets a harder work out in the heavier Windstar.
My transmission failed right at about 100K miles....in about 2002.....and I bit the bullet and shelled out about $2800 to have a genuine FORD remanufactured unit put in.
I have just over 209K on it now.....knock on wood.....it is still doing just fine.
Snakeoil.....something to pass along to your techs....and something for other taurus/windstar owners to take note of.....
The radiator fan low speed dropping resistor on my windstar broke....which left me with no low speed radiator fan.....just high speed.
This ceramic body resistor is mounted on the metal inner bumper (behind the flexible rubber cover).......if you look down behind the passenger side headlight......you will see it.
Having the A/C on in stop and go traffic in hot weather......keeps the radiator fans ON....and they STAY ON.
This keeps the radiator cooler......and in turn keeps the transmission cooler.
As many folks know....heat is bad for your transmission....and stop & go traffic is hard on transmissions.
I also added a plate & fin style auxillary cooler for my transmission.
So when I am in stop and go traffic.....I make sure that I set the controls to A/C to keep air moving through the auxillary cooler and radiator.
Engine temperature stays lower as well.
I installed a Magnefine filter in the transmission cooler fluid line......and exchange the fluid once a year ( about 20K miles).
I change the internal, factory filter every other year.......which I feel is fine with my keeping a fresh magnefine filter installed.....that I change about 4 times a year.
The magnefine filter catches smaller particles than the factory filter does....and it also has a bypass valve that opens, should the filter become clogged.
I add 9 ounces of AutoRX about 1000 miles before I change the ATF.
I have been using Redline D4 ATF.....before that I used Mobil 1....which was also great, and easier to locate than the Redline.
As Snakeoil says.....being anal about maintenance will be cheaper in the long run for those.....like me.....who keep our vehicles.
I did give my motor oil the AutoRX treatment, following the instructions on their website.
I now add a "maintenance dose" to my motor oil.....
This might help you to avoid the sychro issue mentioned above.
Every vehicle has its weak points......and knowing them...and tips to prevent the issue from happeing......will pay off for you.
I had used Mobil 1 5W-30 up until FORD back spec'd 5W-20 for my application.....and have been using that weight ever since....and it has been doing just fine.
I have been using the Redline 5W-20 for a couple of years now......but there are a number of great oil brands out there to choose from....including the Motorcraft and Moblil 1 brands.
If you choose Amsoil, there are a couple of great guys on this site, like Pablo, that you can purchase from.
Salesrep is a site sponsor that can set you up with Schaeffer oil.
I have been using the Wix oil filter....which you can get under the Napa GOLD name (same filter) through fleetfilter.....a site sponsor.
Buying in quantity will give you savings to overcome the shipping costs.
The windstar is on the taurus platform.....same transmission.
I bought my windstar in 1999 with just under 38K miles on it.
Right away, I had the transmission fluid and filter changed at the dealership......and kept that routine every 30K miles.
The transmission gets a harder work out in the heavier Windstar.
My transmission failed right at about 100K miles....in about 2002.....and I bit the bullet and shelled out about $2800 to have a genuine FORD remanufactured unit put in.
I have just over 209K on it now.....knock on wood.....it is still doing just fine.
Snakeoil.....something to pass along to your techs....and something for other taurus/windstar owners to take note of.....
The radiator fan low speed dropping resistor on my windstar broke....which left me with no low speed radiator fan.....just high speed.
This ceramic body resistor is mounted on the metal inner bumper (behind the flexible rubber cover).......if you look down behind the passenger side headlight......you will see it.
Having the A/C on in stop and go traffic in hot weather......keeps the radiator fans ON....and they STAY ON.
This keeps the radiator cooler......and in turn keeps the transmission cooler.
As many folks know....heat is bad for your transmission....and stop & go traffic is hard on transmissions.
I also added a plate & fin style auxillary cooler for my transmission.
So when I am in stop and go traffic.....I make sure that I set the controls to A/C to keep air moving through the auxillary cooler and radiator.
Engine temperature stays lower as well.
I installed a Magnefine filter in the transmission cooler fluid line......and exchange the fluid once a year ( about 20K miles).
I change the internal, factory filter every other year.......which I feel is fine with my keeping a fresh magnefine filter installed.....that I change about 4 times a year.
The magnefine filter catches smaller particles than the factory filter does....and it also has a bypass valve that opens, should the filter become clogged.
I add 9 ounces of AutoRX about 1000 miles before I change the ATF.
I have been using Redline D4 ATF.....before that I used Mobil 1....which was also great, and easier to locate than the Redline.
As Snakeoil says.....being anal about maintenance will be cheaper in the long run for those.....like me.....who keep our vehicles.
I did give my motor oil the AutoRX treatment, following the instructions on their website.
I now add a "maintenance dose" to my motor oil.....
This might help you to avoid the sychro issue mentioned above.
Every vehicle has its weak points......and knowing them...and tips to prevent the issue from happeing......will pay off for you.
I had used Mobil 1 5W-30 up until FORD back spec'd 5W-20 for my application.....and have been using that weight ever since....and it has been doing just fine.
I have been using the Redline 5W-20 for a couple of years now......but there are a number of great oil brands out there to choose from....including the Motorcraft and Moblil 1 brands.
If you choose Amsoil, there are a couple of great guys on this site, like Pablo, that you can purchase from.
Salesrep is a site sponsor that can set you up with Schaeffer oil.
I have been using the Wix oil filter....which you can get under the Napa GOLD name (same filter) through fleetfilter.....a site sponsor.
Buying in quantity will give you savings to overcome the shipping costs.
