Windstar poor starting high fuel consumption

Whoa, that sounds familiar! I had similar issues with my Windstar. Higher fuel consumption and difficulty starting were exactly my symptoms. Have you checked for any vacuum leaks around the throttle body? A leak there could mess with the air-fuel mixture and cause those problems. What about the control valve?

Vacuum leaks, huh? I'll definitely check around the throttle body for those. I haven't looked at the control valve specifically; where is that located, and what should I be looking for, exactly? Is there any way to test it? Also, do you remember how your issue was eventually resolved?

The control valve should be connected to the engine throttle, controls engine idle speed, and manages airflow. If it gets stuck or gunked up, it can cause those symptoms. Honestly, troubleshooting that stuff got over my head pretty quick. I just took it to my trusted mechanic. They diagnosed it pretty fast. Just letting you know!

Thanks a bunch for the advice! Knowing that someone else had a similar issue and got it resolved gives me some hope. I bit the bullet and took it to the shop. Turns out I was right: Defective accelerator pedal module. Cost me 205€ to get it fixed. Runs like a champ now! Appreciate the help!