1999 Ford Windstar LX van with 120,000 miles on it, just blew a head gasket. What should I do?
I have taken the van to 3 different shops in my area and each place have said the same thing, " Blown Head Gasket", now I would like other peoples opinion on this. The quotes I have to fix this van will cost more than what the van is actually worth, so, should I fix the thing or try to save the money up to buy something else. The van has ran fine for the past four years, and just lately it has started to have issues… What do you think I should do? Any information is helpful.
Sell it and get something else. Any sort of semi-major work on a vehicle that old isn't going to be worth fixing.
Only you can make that call. If those other 'issues' are serious enough and unrelated to head gasket being shot, it doesn't really make too much sense to sink the money into replacing the head gasket and still have other issues to deal with.
But if those other issues are minor annoyances at best but the vehicle is reliable otherwise, it may be worth the cost as you know what the rest of the vehicle is like and how it has been maintained since you've owned it. If you buy another vehicle, it's past history is unknown.
Don't spend money on it. It is too old and the vehicle is obsolete.
Most any vehicle is cheaper to fix than it is to replace. But replacement is faster, and may make you feel good if you have something newer to enjoy. If you really like the van, fix it. If you are looking forward to something newer and different, now could be the time. And if you keep the coolant up, you can drive quite a ways with a blown head gasket.
You could try to contact the local vocational school and ask if the automotive program will do the head gasket… I have had ours do some work that I couldn't do… It was free, except for parts
A Ford Windstar is a money pit. I finally got rid of my 1998 Windstar during cash for clunkers but there was always something going wrong with my vehicle. The transmission and ABS were acting up when I got rid of it. We did regular maintenance on our Windstar but there are many design issues with this minivan that causes premature failure not related to maintenance. Here are some of the things that needed fixing on my Windstar:
1) coil pack $360+
2) intake manifold runner control - replaced two - $600+
3) crankshaft sensor - $380
4) driveshaft tone ring for ABS - replaced under warranty but broke again so was not fixed
5) passenger side window motor - $100+ replaced myself
6) Vehicle speed sensor - $165+
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