Q: Well my valve cover gasket blew off as I was trying to start my van it broke into 2 parts I was just wondering why it did that it 2000 Ford Windstart

Hello - your Windstar has composite plastic valve covers, as do many engines these days. While being lighter and less expensive to manufacturer, they tend to get brittle with age and heat cycles. A momentary surge in crankcase pressure, or simple vibration of the engine are possible triggers for the crack and failure you experienced. You will notice when replacing the valve cover that rubber isolation bushings are part of the design here, used to prevent vibration from doing just this. A kit is available for this engine to replace this component. Unfortunately, this is not a service YourMechanic offers at this time. Thanks for thinking of us though!