01 Sport idle issues

[dzr928]

This is my girlfriends Explorer, 120K and she's broke, so i gotta get it working for her, or get a new girlfriend, which at this point seems way easier!! Lol!! i hope she doesnt read this! She 2 footin and stalling, and im the bad guy!

Anyway i've read and read & read this forum, replaced the I.A.C. valve last night, battery unhooked while i did it, started it up, and viola!! it still idles like sh*t!! Noticed under the I.A.C. it looked really oily in the intake track.

On a sidenote, I recently put a motor in a 98 4 door explorer for my neighbor, so im pretty handy, and slightly framiliar with the 4.0... His motor blew up from the cam tensioners... pieces blocked up the oil pump... you know the rest... He found a low mileage motor at a place & got it, so i decided to pull the pan on the new one & found the cam tensioners shot... so i replaced em, & put the motro back in... it still runs great a year later... So while installing the new motor, i had to take off the intake, so im framiliar with the intake gaskets o rings, but does this issue apply to an 01 Sport, as well?

Anyway i dont know whats causing her bad idle, gotta check it out more, but in an effort to fix this problem, im here to ask what steps should i take first, obviously i have the I.A.C. in, im thinking next:
Check Vacuum lines,
Spraying starting fluid around the intake to check for a gasket problem.
Clean M.A.F. sensor with MAF sensor cleaner (i did read some)
Check fuel pressure...
I've also got on my list of things to look at: egr, pcv valve, O2 sensors, plugs, wires, fuel filter... & what the heck is this seafoam thing you all talk about (i got more reading to do )


So tips tricks, how to links, which one to check first? This list sucks, its LOT of stuff!


So it throws codes, but ive taken it in to 3 places to have read, & they hook it up, and it WILL NOT read from her truck, some wiring issue, which makes sense, cuz it goes along with her wiring issue of her front blinker not working, & door lock & security system haywire problems, and blowing cigarette lighter fuse issues...

Thanks in advance!!

 

[KPT]

I'm sure you already thought this but I'd try to resolve the wiring so you can get the codes first.

Then you're not just throwing parts at it.

 

[dzr928]

you know, i really didnt think of that

Its a can of worms i dont want to open up because there are so many issues with the wiring, its really gonna suck to fix em all! I really dont think they are related to each other either. She had door lock problems a few months ago, & i assumed it was an electrical issue, so i looked here, dug thru threads, tested tons of wires, and hated every second of it. Eventually to figure out the poles on the switch were bad and that was it... a five minute fix that i had to spend hours and hours over many nights disassembling and reassembling interior trim panels, testing wires... ect... & i hated it!

I think i'd rather throw parts at it! or at least check the vacuum lines, intake gaskets, & clean the MAF and see if that helps at all.... thats pretty much free stuff to me...

Wiring scares me! it doesnt make alot of sense to me, schematics are insane to follow, & im an engineer for a living, just not an electrical engineer@!!

 

[gijoecam]

Lower Intake Manifold Gaskets. 00M12 service kit will fix it. If you need a hand, let me know.

Happens every year 'round this time.

 

[iammattchew]

I have a 2001 Sport with the same problem as do others.

Check the rubber PCV elbow. While it's running I could hear a hiss, but couldnt find it until I started squeezing the rubber elbow and found out the bottom was cracked and leaking. The rubber they used deteriorated because of engine oil and gas blow by fumes, etc.

The thing sucks almost flat too...

 

[dzr928]

Lower Intake Manifold Gaskets. 00M12 service kit will fix it. If you need a hand, let me know.

Happens every year 'round this time.

hey thanks for the offer, i just did these o ring seals on the 98 eXplorer 4 door of my neighbors last fall during the motor swap, it was a relativly easy job. I am going to be searching and testing things tonight, and I want to make sure i have found the problem before i start replacing parts without being sure what exactly the problem is.

 

[dzr928]

I have a 2001 Sport with the same problem as do others.

Check the rubber PCV elbow. While it's running I could hear a hiss, but couldnt find it until I started squeezing the rubber elbow and found out the bottom was cracked and leaking. The rubber they used deteriorated because of engine oil and gas blow by fumes, etc.

The thing sucks almost flat too...

Thanks for the insight, i'll be checking the vacuum hoses out tonight, although i dont hear any hissing, but still, i hope it will be this easy to fix!!! that would be awesome!

 

[gijoecam]

If they're the original seals, odds are they're shot. Nine times out of ten, if it's just a rolling idle with either no codes or a lean code, it's the lower IM gaskets...

Good luck.

 

[dzr928]

If they're the original seals, odds are they're shot. Nine times out of ten, if it's just a rolling idle with either no codes or a lean code, it's the lower IM gaskets...

Good luck.

yeah they're originals, and the service engine light is on, but the lighter fuse pops instantly so until i fix that wiring issue, im not gonna be able to get the codes... 9 out of 10, i like those odds!!

 

[dzr928]

I have a 2001 Sport with the same problem as do others.

Check the rubber PCV elbow. While it's running I could hear a hiss, but couldnt find it until I started squeezing the rubber elbow and found out the bottom was cracked and leaking. The rubber they used deteriorated because of engine oil and gas blow by fumes, etc.

The thing sucks almost flat too...

DING DING DING!!! We have a winner!!! I poped the hood, looked around for a vacuum hose to be off or loose, and heard lots of hissing, i followed my ears, and like you, i started squeezing hoses, & it was the rubber elbow hose with a hole worn in it on the bottom side, right at the bend, so you couldnt see it at all! Super Easy fix!! I popped it off, & Ran up to auto zone & grabbed a 90 degree hose close to the same size for $2.00, popped it on & started the motor, & it idled just fine, right from the get go!!

Thanks for the responses!

 

[qosmio]

same here on my sport trac 2001 with 135000 miles the 90 degree elbow is deteriorated and get squeeezed when engine on. any more ideas of easy replacement or ford part number?

 

[dzr928]

just stop at any auto parts store, any similar sized off the shelf 90 elbow will work as long as it soesnt have a hole in it, it will work great. No need to overcomplicate it, it a simple problem, a hole, and one that is similar without a hole will solve the problem!

 

[qosmio]

I checked ford dealer and you need to get the whole assy elbow+pipe+2nd elbow to the valve cover on the other side, they don't sell just the elbow, it took a long time to find this part, found it under emission control crankcase breather tube assy.
I went to a view car parts shops but no help there, so maybe a 1/2" copper elbow with 2 rubber hose ends will do the trick.

...update:

so I just put a 1/2" copper elbow inside my old tube, there was no hole but it got squeezed when engine on.