# 1998 Ford Windstar - Knocks

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-ford-windstar-knocks/177064>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** ford\
**Created:** [May 25, 2021, 7:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-ford-windstar-knocks/177064 "2021-05-25T19:53:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wayne04](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@wayne04](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wayne04)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2021, 7:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-ford-windstar-knocks/177064/1 "2021-05-25T19:53:06Z")

</div>

car knocks when engine gets hot

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![weekend-warrior](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/weekend-warrior/32/26122_2.png) [@weekend-warrior](https://community.cartalk.com/u/weekend-warrior)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2021, 9:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-ford-windstar-knocks/177064/2 "2021-05-25T21:13:29Z")

</div>

is it coming from the top of the engine or the bottom?  
is it a ticking sound or a deep knocking sound?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2021, 10:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-ford-windstar-knocks/177064/3 "2021-05-25T22:13:48Z")

</div>

Have you checked the oil? “When it gets hot”, is it overheating?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2021, 10:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-ford-windstar-knocks/177064/4 "2021-05-25T22:14:39Z")

</div>

Many friends have had head gasket problems on this model.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![FoDaddy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/fodaddy/32/717_2.png) [@FoDaddy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FoDaddy)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2021, 10:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-ford-windstar-knocks/177064/5 "2021-05-25T22:26:57Z")

</div>

The 1995 and 1995.5 model Windstars (or any early-mid 90’s Ford with the N/A single port 3.8L ) were indeed notorious for blowing head gaskets. The models with the split-port heads (96+ Windstar, 99+ Mustang) were significantly better about that. It’s still a possibility of course, but it’s not as common on the 96+ models.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2021, 10:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-ford-windstar-knocks/177064/6 "2021-05-25T22:33:29Z")

</div>

Depends on the type of knock. A hydraulic lifter bleeding down will have a more tinny sound.  
A rod bearing will have a sharper, rap sound and a main bearing often comes across a a subtle thump.

Wild guessing without hearing it and based on the complaint I tend to think rod bearing.  
Might be a good idea to check the oil pressure with an external gauge. Ignored rod bearing problems due to wear and clearance issues can often become catastrophic if a bearing decides to swap sides.