02 explorer stalls - help please!

[my04civic]

hey guys, my fiance has a 2002 explorer and the problem occurs when shes reversing, the car will be fine, and as soon as she puts it to drive, the rpms will go WAY low and the car will stall, not all the time, but a few days a week. my question is: what causes this? and how can we fix it? clean the IAC? i have no idea, thanks guys!

sorry admins, i posted this in the wrong spot earlier.

 

[my04civic]

BUMP for some help please

 

[Halfnuts]

Well, if it were the IAC, there'd be no difference between Reverse and Drive- the thing would stall all the time.
If indeed it will idle all day in Reverse with a foot on the brake, and it'll idle in Neutral and Park, then it sounds like a trans problem- that'd be the only thing that makes sense to me.
In any case, there's tons of help on the forum here for cleaning out that IAC valve, and it's so cheap-and-easy that it would be the first thing I'd try.
Good luck
Edit: one such link can be found here: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=84220&highlight=cleaning+IAC

 

[my04civic]

i appreciate the response, but then one more question, do you think the tranny should be replaced?

 

[Halfnuts]

Well, I'm definitely no transmission expert, but I know replacing one of those things is usually a last resort. I also know that certain Explorers came with a notoriously weak trans- I think it was the A4LD, but I can't remember just now.
Either way, you'll likely be better helped by a trustworthy mechanic that can see and hear your truck run.
Best of luck
~Ken

 

[beavis195]

Had a similar problem with my '05. Except reverse or whatever had nothing to do with it. I would be driving and all of a sudden it would stall. took it to Ford and they reprogrammed the computer to run differently and the fuel filter was replaced as well, haven't had a problem since. I'm wondering if it was just the clogged fuel filter, maybe give that a shot first.