Engine problems

[mattlcasto]

I have a 2000 Ford Explorer. When the weather starts to get below 45 degrees the vehicle has a hard time running when i first start it. It starts up no problem but the RPM gauge will start to drop and the vehicle will start to shake and shudder. If i dont give it throttle then it will shut off. I usually have to give it a little bit of throttle for a couple of minutes and then its fine. Does it have something to do with the idle control? The colder it gets outside the harder it is to keep the vehicle alive unless i give it the gas for a couple of minutes. Any help would be great. Its really annoying.

 

[James909]

What engine? It's possible the Idle Air Control valve is causing this. But I'd say that it's more likely that your upper intake O rings are leaking. This is a very common problem on the SOHC engines. The O rings shrink in the cold and leak and then expand and seal up when the engine warms up.

 

[2000LXS]

I had the same problem then I could hear how week the battery was on a cold morning. So I went out bought a new battery and my 2000 x has never started so fast and ran so good. I also had a 2-3 flare when cold that has gone away with the old battery.