How to Troubleshoot Ford Windstar Heater Problems
by Gracie Sprouse
Diagnosing a problem with your vehicle's heater is a matter of eliminating things that could be wrong. The Ford Windstar models from 1995 to 2001 are equipped with SRS airbags. The negative battery cable should be disconnected first and then the positive cable to avoid accidentally discharging the air bags when working around the dashboard, which you'll be doing when troubleshooting the heater.
Step 1
Check the fuses and all the connections in the heater blower motor circuit. Loose and corroded wires will cause a malfunction.
Step 2
Examine the ground wire connections. One of the ground wires is behind the left kick panel on the left of the brake pedal, the other is below the glove box on the right side of the dashboard.
Step 3
Examine the battery and make sure it is fully charged. A weak battery will not put out enough power to run the heater blower motor.
Step 4
Test the heater settings. Turn on the ignition switch and put the heater control on "floor" or "vent" and put the blower speed to "high". Check the heater vents to see if the air is actually moving.
Step 5
Move the blower speed to the other positions and check for air movement on each setting. If the blower motor does not operate on any of the control settings the blower motor relay, the blower motor may be faulty or the switch or wiring could be bad. If the blower motor works on the high setting but not on some of the other settings then the blower resistor or wiring may need to be replaced.
References
- Ford Windstar,1995-2001,Haynes Repair Mnaual;Jay Storer,Jeff Kibler, John H. Haynes,2001
Writer Bio
Gracie Sprouse has been writing professionally since 1976. Her areas of expertise are in antiques, crafts, real estate, income taxes and small businesses. Her education consists of an Associate of Applied Science with a business and accounting major from Piedmont Virginia Community College.
