IAC After cleaning question

[spta97]

Well I got the instructions and cleaned my IAC after the dealer said it was bad and wanted to charge me $225 for a new one to fix my stalling problem on cold days. I sprayed it until it was as clean as I could get with electrical parts cleaner and let it sit for an hour then blew some compressed air (from a can) to dry it some more (all while the negative battery was disconnected).

After putting it in it took a few tries with the gas to start it up. I let it idle for a little while as was reccomended and then took it for a road test. The one thing I noticed is that the idle seems much lower now (500 RPM) than it was before. As a matter of fact the 500 RPMs seemed almost too low (the lights would brighten up when I hit the gas). I tried stopping and starting it a number of times and instead of a big roar when it started it would hit 1,000 RPMs then bounce down back down to 500 RPMs - although this is once the engine was warm.

So did it work? I've got the hood open now to cool down the engine to see if it will stall on me but I'm not sure if what I described is normal behavior for a working IAC. Is the "learning" part why it stalled at first? I just wonder because I'll order a new one if cleaning didn't fix it. The true test will be tomorrow morning but I would love to get some replies tonight!

Thanks.

 

[410Fortune]

any time you clean or replace a sensor you need to reset tyhe engines computer. Disconnec the battery for 1 minute.
Start up the truck, let it idle for a few minutes, then take it for a nice easy drive.
It will re-learn just as it did from the factory.

Now cleaning the IAc requires removal of the IAC.
Removal of the sensor
and a thurough cleaning of the valve body.
Q tips and bright light can help.
replace the gasket if needed or cut a new one from gasket material

Its also a great time to clean the MAS sensor and the throttle body.

 

[spta97]

I didn't clean the throttle body - doh! I'll have to take a look at that this weekend. So do you think that when it was first connected it would stall as part of the learning process?

The MAS was cleaned a while ago in my quest for better MPG - didn't work

 

[410Fortune]

The next step is to test the output of the sensor with a OHM's meter

Why did the dealer say it was the IAC?

Do you have a check engine light?

 

[spta97]

No CEL / no codes, the dealer said through process of elimination (ie: diagnostics) he determined it was the IAC. I spoke to him on the phone and he said that he did get voltage through the connector and the IAC was a common problem that explains my situation (reving gas will allow engine to stay running).

I just tried starting again and it seems that it didn't work at all...as a matter of fact it's almost worse. Before after a few revs it would keep the RPMs high, now they are only at 500 regardless - that's once I rev it so it doesn't stall. I'm going to order a new one and install it. I'm hoping that it just went bad and is stuck (open or closed). All of a sudden that $225 isn't looking so bad! I saw on the board you can get the part for $60 so that's a start. I can deal with this problem as it is - just annoying for a truck that has only 30k

BTW, what is the OHM meter supposed to read?

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Just replace it. Cleaning will just bandage the problem. I cleaned mine a while ago and my idle problem came back after a week. I just decided to replace it. I got mine from rockauto.com for $55 plus shipping. It's a Motorcraft part so it's a good deal!

 

[jeremism30]

Even if you get the part from the dealer they will still sell you a MotorCraft part, I learned that the hard way.

 

[Hartman]

What else are they gonna sell you? Motorcraft makes Ford parts so that's what they're gonna sell to you.

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Yeah...Motorcraft makes parts exclusively for Ford vehicles because Ford owns Motorcrast as part of their Customer Services sector.

 

[KPT]

Originally posted by '96explorereddiebauer
Yeah...Motorcraft makes parts exclusively for Ford vehicles because Ford owns Motorcrast as part of their Customer Services sector.

Slightly off topic but I was changing the oil on a friend's Jeep and it had a Motorcraft oil filter on it

Threads matched fine but it was leaking around the seal.

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Well...you can get it from Wally World and it doesn't matter which car will be on but it's specifically designed for Ford vehicles.

 

[spta97]

Ok, back to the IAC. It threw a code tonight - P1507 IDLE CONTROL so I think the IAC is exactly the problem. I ordered one from rockauto.com and paid for 2 day shipping so *hopefully* it should be here by the weekend. The overnight shipping was $25 (almost 1/2 the cost of the part) so I figured that wasn't worth it.

The guy at Autozone asked me if I wanted to erase it, but I told him that I want to replace the part first (nice guy). The code scanner he used was pretty cool - big LCD display for about $150. I'll have to check those out with the money I save by doing the repair myself (hopefully).

Here is my question - obviously there is a problem with the air / fuel mixture. Being that it will be about 2 weeks total before it is finally fixed should I be worried about any other secondary problems happening like fouling my plugs? If I don't get the part by Friday it would have been worth it to buy it from the dealer for $87 I guess. All in all I hope that this fixes my woes.

Thanks for all the replies - this truck is one thing after another and this board makes me feel better about it!

 

[spta97]

I received my replacement IAC at work today from Rockauto.com (very good experiance with them). I noticed that the one I received does not have a spring in it or at least in the same place as the current one. Hopefully this means that the redesigned it so it won't fail

Anyway, I'm installing it tonight and will let you know how it turned out. (although I feel like I'm talking to myself here)

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Yeah...their service is great!! Good luck and let us know!!

 

[spta97]

I installed it last night in about 2 minutes and problem solved!!!!! I started her up again this morning and everything is looking A-OK

I guess my math skills has slipped since college, but how does Ford figure their repair costs?

$60 for IAC + 2 minutes work = $225

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Congrats that you fixed the problem!! I had the same problem too and was very happy now that whenever I start my truck, I don't have to worry about keeping my foot on my gas pedal.

Dealers make most of their profits from service. In order to make improvements and additions to their dealer, they'll use the profits from the service to achieve that goal. So that's probably why they're charging sooooo much for it.

 

[spta97]

Thanks. I'm off to install my Bulldog Remote Starter today (now that it starts). What a mess of wires I have here - could be a long day