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I think I’ve figured it out guys. Decided to do an idle relearn since that was cheaper than buying new parts and easier than all the tests I’ve run so far. I’m happy to report that the CEL has stayed off and that the idle in park has really smoothed out. I’ve only been able to drive it about 5 miles, and I’ve read it needs at least 10 miles or so for a full relearn. I’ll repeat it if necessary, but I think she’s gonna smooth out over the course of the next few miles / days. Thanks for all your help on this everyone.
Quoted From EricTheCarGuy:
Forget checking the coil resistance as those tests are useless and that’s not just me talking I get that from people that engineer ignition coils for a living, the reasons are somewhat complicated but the short answer is that the coil can give good resistance readings and still fail when it’s under load. As for testing the IAC actually the most effective method that I’ve found is to tap on it while the engine is idling, if the idle begins to fluctuate or change as you tap on it that you can reasonably suspect a problem with it, if not then it’s probably good. Not all thermostats are created equal especially these days it seems, if you got a ‘cheep’ aftermarket unit this may be the cause as engine temp is everything when it comes to fuel injection. You might consider replacing it with a name brand or OE unit if you installed a cheep one. In addition if you had to mix your antifreeze and got the mix too rich meaning you didn’t use enough water this can also cause it to run cool as the water is much better and transferring heat than just straight antifreeze.
I’m in the Bahamas, warmer than Florida, doesn’t get cold – no antifreeze needed, I run 100% coolant year round.
Did the IAC tap test – no change.
Didn’t have time to clean MAF sensor. Unplugged MAF during idle – no change.
I checked the air intake tube for leaks by moving it around during idle – no change.
May be worthless info but primary resistance numbers on ignition coil 2.0 / 2.5 / 2.5 ohm between pin pairs.
I’ll prob. replace t-stat when I flush system again. Rusty again in less than 100 miles of driving since last flush. Damn cast iron block. Water pump was changed last year sometime so I know it’s not the impeller blades. Must be more rust in the heater core than meets the eye. Could it be the cast iron block itself producing so much rust???
A/C isn’t cooling very well either now. It had stopped cooling a while back. Took it to an A/C shop who told me was the evaporator and charged me $30 to look at it and then gave me an $880 estimate to fix it. Took it around the corner to “bush mechanic” who jumped a wire from sensor to condensor power wire (I think), recharged system, did leak test, and charged me $130. Was probably a band aid fix cuz I thought it was either the condenser or the condenser clutch failing, but I left feeling like a winner and it was blowing freezing cold too. He said “the condenser wasn’t getting enough current”. Battery replaced last year. I’ve had the car since May 09. Alternator may be original.
Car’s got its fair share of issues. Thanks for all your help so far everybody.
Quoted From dreamer2355:
I would not recommend trying to ohm out ignition coils. The best testing methods is to stress test them with an adjustable ignition tester under a load.
And Trcustoms is right. You can ohm out your ECT. The resistance should increase or decrease as the coolant temperature warms up depending on sensor type (Positive temperature coefficient (PTC) and Negative temperature coefficient (NTC), most being the NTC type.
Thanks for the suggestion. Do I just check it when cold and when it warms up and look for a net difference or are there specific tolerances I’m looking for?
Quoted From EricTheCarGuy:
First welcome to the forum. Given that the problem seemed to happen AFTER you did your cleaning I would say it’s a good idea to go back and check your work. It’s not likely that some ignition part failed because you cleaned the throttle body and IAC, it’s MORE likely that something got messed up with the IAC because in my experience they don’t like to be soaked with solvents as they were never designed for this. Also it’s been some time since Ford used teflon throttle bodies but when they did they had very strict guidelines about only using solvents on the throttle body and intake that would not harm the teflon coating, normally if you have one of these there is a big orange sticker stating to only use throttle cleaners that will not harm the teflon coating. I’d also like to mention that it’s EXTREMELY important that there are no air leaks after the MAF sensor so check the tube that runs from the air cleaner to the throttle body for leaks, I usually grab it and move it around while the engine runs, if the idle changes I take a closer look at the tube for cracks or holes as any leaks here can cause the engine to run poorly.
Thanks for the response Eric. Will check the tube as you prescribed. I got the MAF cleaner today, will do that tomorrow. Checked resistance on coil pack with meter today…all within spec ~15.2 – 15.5K between the towers. I can’t remember what primary resistance was right this minute. I’ll recheck that. Probably won’t be replacing coil anymore though. But I’ve already gotten new autolite platinum plugs just in case.
If I unbolt the IAC valve to see inside, turn the KOEO, unplug the connector and then reconnect it should I see something moving inside it? Tried it and didn’t see any movement. I unplugged it with the engine running (bolted in place) and she started to die, but she came back when I reconnected the plug. Just wanna test it properly before I waste money on a new one.
One other thing probably worth noting – the temp gauge takes forever to warm up to normal op. temp. Just replaced t-stat (6 -8 weeks ago) / repl. heater hose assy / flushed & backflushed heater core / chemical flushed cooling system all in December. Heat works great, even with the low reported temp. Could the low engine temp be messing with the performance too? The T-stat is oriented with the spring side in the engine.
Quoted From Trcustoms719:
I need to know if your car is DOHC?
I fixed a 99 taurus with all the same codes except the p0113 and p0402 awhile ago with the same symptoms.
It was a rubber connection behind the plenum that had two plastic vacuum lines going in it for the EGR valve, The car actually belongs to my mother so i might be able to take a picture of it tomorrow for you if your car is the DOHC engine.
Let me know..Nope, mines a Vulcan but thanks just the same. I’m familiar with the vacuum hose your talking about with the red and green lines. It connects to the EGR solenoid. My red one cracked in the middle from age and I’ve already fixed that some time back. I’ve had the P0301 before too, turned out to be a bad plug wire that time. Like I said earlier the DPFE sensor cleared my P0401 & P0402. I had just tried to clean all of that stuff up ahead of getting the new sensor to see if that would help.
Thanks for the feedback guys. Connections are all tight, nothing is loose / hanging but I have other issues…. I seafoamed it today (pcv valve and gas tank) to see if that would help, but it didn’t. Interesting note though, there was no smoke show. I let it set for maybe 45 min. Maybe that was too long…. or it was already fairly clean. Cleaned out my intake a few months back too. Anyhow, in addition to the original codes I’m now getting a P0122 and a P0301 and my CEL is blinking intermittently. Researching the forum and others has pointed me toward a new coil pack. I just put in new plugs and motorcraft wires less than 4 months ago. Probably gonna change the coil – it’s most likely original. I was doing some dry engine cleaning with a small wire brush and I remember getting a little bit of sparking somewhere around my starter. This was probably the last thing I did prior to the rough idle. Could that have damaged my coil? Couldn’t get any MAF cleaner today, but that’s still on the table too.
This all started because I wanted to clean up my engine and get rid of a CEL (P0401 & P0402) which I got rid of when I changed the DPFE sensor. I kept tinkering and now I’m in this fine mess.
I should note that I have a code reader so I know what the codes are. I’d like feedback from someone who’s experienced the same or similar problem as to what their fix was. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.