Windstar 1996 start problem

Could be the starter. It won't work when it's supposed to when it's getting time to die. A lot of car parts stores will test your starter and battery for free! Another option is the O2 censors and EGR valve. These tend to get carboned up if one of them is bad. There is one on the front of the engine and two by the catalytic converter. If one of these is bad you have to replace all of them. There are 3 O2 censors, so it's not very cheap, but it is easy to replace. You'll notice a drop in your gas mileage if one of those go bad. Another option is the heat. If it gets too hot the starter and battery won't work properly. That would mean you have a coolant problem. Check the coolant level and temperature gauge.