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How to: IAC valve cleaning thread (w/pics)

Prefix for threads which are instructional.
It does indeed sound like an IAC issue. I have never had any luck with cleaning the IAC; I just replace it.

Good luck ...
 



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Hate to open such an old thread, but my truck's begun idling around 500 and choking. It's even gone as far as stalling twice over the past few weeks. Last Wednesday, I placed an order with RockAuto for:

* ACDELCO Part # 2171478 {#88919798}
Idle Air Control Valve OEM XL2Z-9F715-AA; LFV

* MOTORCRAFT Part # CG765 {#XF2Z9F670AA}
Single Overhead Camshaft​

Yesterday I took the old one out and sprayed it with some WD40, (probably not smart). After letting it dry all day and chasing it with some paper towels & compressed air, I put it back on without any difference. It was more just to see what I was up against. Anyway, my real question is this: Should there have been a gasket on this thing? When I took it off, I didn't see anything. :rolleyes: Is that normal on a 4.0 SOHC?
 












Crud. That's what I figured. Maybe it was there and I just missed it. :eek: Tomorrow the part should be coming in though - along with a gasket. I think I'll know what to look for when I see what the actual gasket is supposed to look like for this thing. But glad to know I'm buying the right stuff! ;)
 






My 95 diff motor but I had no gasket for my IAC neither.
 






I need to buy another IAC valve as well, mine on cold mourning, while driving it will seem like it is hesitating to go at all, and also while making fast stops at lights, the rpms will drop down to 500, to the point of stalling... same deal like Bootydoo's explorer.


can anyone give me a reliable online store that I can order from?

EDIT: Mine doesn't have an gasket neither. 4.0 OHV
 












THIS ACTUALLY WORKS!!! The other day my Sport started making a very loud moose call sound and I jumped on here to see what it could be and VIOLA! Oh man I can't believe I was about to chunk over a $100 bucks right out the window. I removed the intake hose and sprayed the throttle body down, then removed the mass air flow sensor and sprayed it down also. Also removed the air idle control valve and sprayed it too, you wouldn't believe how filthy the residual spray coming out of that thing was! After an half hour drying time I started it and the idle was so smooth I could've went to sleep right there in the drivers seat. No more SURGING! It even accelerates better and being a 5 speed I can definetly tell the difference. THANK YOU KARL!
 






I have another one for you.

First of all, thanks to everyone who posted regarding erratic or rough idle, and the excellent posts with pictures.

Vehicle: '99 SOHC, when cold, idle was going up and down between around 1,700 rpm and 700 rpm for 3 times, after that it ran fine. I also noted some light gas smell.

Took it to my dealer. They tested tons of stuff (half a page in small print), but couldn't find anything "wrong".

I told them about what others posted in the forum. Here is what they did:
-cleaned MAF sensor
-cleaned throttle body
-cleaned IAC valve
-reset KAM memory
-cleaned a "barometric pressure sensor"?

I was told that testing the "barometric pressure sensor" showed it was off a little, but still within allowable range. Also, that the EGR tube going into the intake is not as far in as it should be (the other shop replacing the intake gasket did that wrong). However, they checked for any possible leaks, but everything checked out.

This happened 2 days ago, and so far, my idle is fine. I am taking the car on a 250 mile trip this Sunday, not only is it good for the engine to run for a long time (I mainly drive city), but also will give me an idea about the gas mileage.

Ford said the initial charge would be $100 ($99.99) for the initial checkout. Since they couldn't find anything wrong, they only charged me for the above mentioned work, $45.

Not bad, actually, excellent. Hopefully it will work, and this input might help some of you. I'm not that big into working on cars, I'm happy that I got away with a minor charge, and maybe a fix.

Greetings!
 






Hello All,

So I'm finally posting back with some results...

First, thank you for all your input and help so far! It's definitely appreciated to an idiot like me. :rolleyes:

After I got the new IAC, I took the old one out and really saw the "gasket". Almost like a blasted rubberband. But I did get the old one out, put the new one on, throw on the IAC and allow the battery to remain disconnected for a good 10-15 minutes. With a full tank of gas, I drove it last week just fine. I noticed it idled around 500 after warming up, but that puttering really wasn't there. No other noticeable difference. I should note though that the weather was in the 30's pretty much all week.

This week, with the weather a tad warmer, things began to come back. :( I was checking out more threads and I noticed another one that had something in common with 99XSP & jayjaylenhenson7's posts: The MAF. Since I never experienced any issues with the moosing or anything, does it sound like that could be the culprit behind the rough/low idling?
 






Well, it has been a few weeks now. So far, my issue is gone. There were a few times when I noticed that the rpm was about to drop, just for a split second, but immediately stabilized itself. So I consider it fixed. :thumbsup:

However, now I suddenly have the idle being rough once in a while while sitting at a light, with the air distribution selected in any mode in which the a/c compressor would turn on in warmer weather. No negative effects if turned to vent or floor only (as the compressor would not turn on, regardless), also if turned to "Off".

My long trip to MI resulted in 16 mpg, excuse me? :eek: Driving around city, well, this morning my odometer showed about 85 miles, and the fuel guage being half. My past calculations (I keep a steady track and always top off) shows about 10 mpg. Unacceptable :thumbdwn: for a vehicle being EPA rated 15/20.

I have to check with my dealer what that could be. That needs to be fixed, for a reasonable price. If not possible, I'm ready to dump the vehicle. :roll: It's like a piggy bank, I keep putting money into it, and hardly get any benefits.

Greetings!
 






Have the O2 sensors been replaced? I took a look underneath my Sport when I first got it a few months ago and noticed there are THREE...two before cat on each header and one immediately after the cat convert. My 93 Wrangler was running horrible and I never got a check engine light which was very frustrating, and on top of that its a 2.5( 4cyl) and I was getting the same MPG as you which I thought was due to the fact I have 31" tires BUT ITS A STICK! Luckly it only has one O2 sensor. I broke down and bought the $47 part and have been in heaven every since. Now I'm getting right at 21-22 MPG highway. I honestly think O2 sensors don't trip CEL's until they completely fail...but failing ones certainly have a negative effect on MPG and performance for sure!
 






No need to replace any sensors, as far as I was told. My car has regular tune ups, just had one done. All sensor etc. have been checked, except for the GP something sensor (barometric pressure), all checked out perfect. This one is a bit off I was told, but still within allowable range.

I had some idle problems, so they checked pretty much everything on the car. I have a printout half a page long. That's how I found out that the car has a barometric sensor. Oh well.

Nice thought though. If everything else fails, it might be something to consider having tested again, maybe some other place. On the other side, my company car has a bad O2 sensor, and still hits its EPA rating.

The re-test might be something I get done while having the spark plugs changed, if not too expensive.

After all, good input. I'll check on that. Who know if they truly tested all of them, and how good they were. Considering the price difference for the spark plug change (see other post, $140 price difference between dealers), maybe there is something going on.

Will let you know. Thanks.

Greetings!
 






All right, I am a step further.

My regular mechanic (not Ford dealer) ran a test himself, and told me that the self test aborts after a while (the dealership never told me that). He said that most likely the IACV is bad, as it is a part mechanical device and first in row when testing.

Question now: Original Ford part number is YU3Z9F715AA ('99 SOHC). Rockauto offers a AC Delco # 2171478 which is $40 cheaper, but no one was able to tell me if it was the right one.

Can anyone tell me either if the AC Delco one is the right on, or which one is, or where I can get a Motorcraft one cheaper? Am trying to save money here.

Thanks for any input.

Greetings!
 






Have you ever noticed a loud hum and/or whine (whining) coming from your engine bay? Or more specifically your intake area? Or does your engine have a hard time holding the idle? Well, more often than not, this is due to a dirty IAC Valve. Since everyone is always asking about it, hopefully this will help.

My engine was making the loud hum / whine noise. AutoZone wanted $131.99 for a new part. and it's $50 deductible against my extended warranty, so I wanted to fix this myself. I purchased a can of Electrical Parts cleaner, the non-residue type, drove home and let the engine cool. Here's a pic of where the IAC Valve is located under the hood:
3661iac_before_low_res.jpg


Two 10mm bolts to remove, and unclip the electricals:
3661iac_removed_low_res.jpg


Here's the dirty intake's connection with the IAC:
3661intake_connection_low_res.jpg


Turn the valve to notice two chambers. Inside one of them you will see a spring. Inside the other, you will probably see a bunch of dirt coating what should be an exposed sensor. Spray the Electrical parts cleaner liberally, directly into the opening, and watch until the liquid coming out of the valve is clear (white). Set the IAC on a towel or clean surface and allow any other liquid to drain and the sensor to fully dry. Here's a picture of a clean IAC valve (underside):
3661iac_after_cleaning_low_res.jpg


And don't forget to clean the sensor below the black snap off cap on the side of the IAC valve:
3661iac_sensor_after_removing_black_cap.jpg


After allowing to dry, replace the IAC and start your truck. You should allow the engine to warm up for a few mintues and the computer will re-learn how much air to allow into the engine at idle.
I experienced a much LOUDER whine after doing this for the remainder of the day, but I only allwed the liquid to drain for about 2 minutes. The whine hasn't returned in two days since, so I'm guessing the liquid cleaner wasn't completely drained when I replaced the IAC Valve. Just a warning in case you are anxious like me.

Karl

CBOUG76.... can I be on the Useful Threads list?
 






thanks for the help. ive got it soaking in cleaner
 






Iac valve cleaning

tHIS MORNING I READ THE ARTICLE ABOUT CLEANING THE IAC AND IT REALLY WORKED. I WENT TO RADIO SHACK AND BOUGHT A CAN OF CLEANER AND WENT TO WORK. MY IDLE WENT FROM FAST BOUNCES UP AND DOWN TO SMOOTH AS SILK. THIS ARTICLE SAVED ME ALMOST $100.00. THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP. NOW I CAN TELL MY FRIENDS ABOUT THIS.
 






I posted elsewhere about my engine surging up to 2100-2400 rpm on startup and taking 20sec -4 minutes to settle down.

Removed the IAC, did all the voltage checks per the Haynes manual. All passed, but the inside was CAKED with carbon deposits. soaked it in electronic cleaner, moved the spring and plunger manually to break the encrusted deposits. After all was cleaned, everything worked perfectly. Estimate the savings at $150-$200.

Thanks for all the help!
 






I've gotten so much from this site and the posters so I felt like I'd offer my experience on this topic. My X has 130K on it and all of a sudden started to stall at idle. I was able to two pedal it to start moving and once under way everything was completely OK. But as soon as I stopped - the engine immediately died.

I read this thread and it explained my issue to the T. So I pulled the IACV and ran the diagnostics that I found here and my Chiltons. I checked the resistance across the terminals and it was 10 ohms in both directions. I also verified that it wasn't shorting across to the housing and it was not. So all indications were that the motor was fine and to proceed to something else. But I really felt like from all the posts here that it was my problem. So I bit the bullet, went to Autozone, and bought a new one for $90. Installed in a couple of minutes and all is well.

Moral of the story is that the diagnostics may indicate that your IACV is fine but I can only think that there was enough sludge in there to prevent the valve from working properly. I thought about cleaning it as other posters have but the truck being 10 years old and having 130K on it just made me say to just replace it. Glad I did. THx for the information guys!
 



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1992 Ford Explorer Eddy Bower, 300 thousand mile second trammssion original egine, leatly it has a problem, i move from louisiana to georgia , it is winter , and every morning is the same it idles below 100 rpn if i warmed it up its still have a rough idle , if i stop the idle goes below 100 and tries to turn off, i read some say its IAC need to be clean with carburator fuilds or some say eletric equipment fluid, or o rigs, MAF,DPFE Sensor, or DPFE hoses, my lights fliker my battery gauge flikers out of control, but if i push the pedal to 100 to 200 rpm it goes aways the flicker and gauge settles, but still hisistation is felt any ideas
 






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