Cold Weather Start Problems, Rough Idle, Smells Rich,

[Kinnish]

So a friend of mine has a 95 explorer with the OHV. Sometimes the explorer won't start and she was telling me she needed a new battery. Well, as soon as I took a look at it and realized women simplify things a little bit I checked out a few things. The explorer sputters a tad bit while starting but will start. The engine idle is quite low and a little rough considering it was about -5 degrees. I revved it up a bit in increments to see how it would then idle. Well, it pretty much dies. The explorer smells quite RICH. I've been searching through threads and using the search feature like I have since 2002 but I've kind of narrowed it down to three things : MAF, IAC, Vacuum Leak? Once the car warms up it drives ok she says and doesn't stall out. Any ideas to help narrow my diagnosis or add to it?

The engine kind of reminds me of my 98 SOHC running E85 when it starts in cold weather. It doesn't want to idle till it warms up, so I keep the revs up to 2500 or so for a few minutes till she is good to go.

Thanks in advance!

 

[dogfriend]

If it seems like its running rich, I would look at the FPR (fuel pressure regulator) to make sure the diaphragm is not broken. If you pull off the vac line, it should be dry - if you see fuel, then the diaphragm is broken.

If it isn't the FPR, then look at other items which could cause it to go rich - MAF, IAT, ECT, or a leaking injector(s). Vac leaks would probably cause it to go lean because of the extra unmetered air.