fuel injected engine

[cool_guy546]

Hello all,
I drive a 95 Ford Explorer XLT. It only has 60 thousand miles on it and is in great condition. HAsn't been an offroad car or anything. Lately, well occasionaly the car will not start.

What happens is I put the key in and start the engine. It makes the engine turning over sound but won't start up or stay running. It just dies and goes down to the battery. So what I do to make it work is start it by turning the key, then pushing the gas in to keep it running. I have to hold the gas pedal in, because if I take my foot off the gas the car will die! So I drive with two feet for about 2 miles and then I am able to take my foot off the gas and it will stay running.

I don't know what this is. I have tried replacing the fuel pump thinking that had to be it. I thought it did it just when my gas got low but that isn't the case either. Any ideas, help is greatly appriciated. Thanks.

 

[Jason_25]

Try cleaning the IAC valve first. If that does not work, then replace it. It is the cylinder shaped object bolted to the upper intake manifold. If you need more info just search for "IAC".

 

[Alec]

How does the truck run once it gets going? If it runs fine once you get it started I would also suspect IAC. If not, it could be a clogged fuel filter or a sticking fuel pressure regulator.

 

[SteveVB]

Vacuum maybe

Couple of things-
First I would check the intake tube from the Mass air sensor to the throttle body all connections need to be tight. No holes etc. Any unmetered air will act like a vacuum leak.

Second check for loose or broken vacuum connections - intake on back of engine driverside. Hose to brake booster etc. It may also be a leaking intake gasket so check those also.
Basically sounds like a vacuum leak to me.

Also if you havent cleaned the throttle body and the MAS lately then I would do that along with the IAC valve that Jason pointed out. - may not be the problem, but it wont hurt.

Good Luck

 

[cool_guy546]

The car runs fine, with the exception that I cannot take my foot off the gas. If so the RPM's just die down and the car shuts down.

Would taking it to the dealer and having them replace the hoses and stuff in it and checking the connections solve my problem. I'm not firmiliar with car stuff really, though I always want to learn and am a quick learner.
So with some detailed instructions for what I can do I would probably be able to solve it myself.

Anyways, yeah the car runs perfectly fine, it doesn't shake or make any weird noises, just the problem described. Thankyou for the help so far, I will check on that. It only does this once every 1-3 months to. This isn't a consistent thing. It is very off and on, it will go a long time without doing it, then out of the blue it will happen, hopefully that narrows what it could be??

 

[Alec]

Idle air control valve (IAC) most likely. The cost about $70 and can be replaced in less than 10 minutes. There are many many many threads on this problem, the search feature may help you out.

I would recommend getting the IAC from your Ford dealer or Torrie @ www.fordpartsnetwork.com

 

[cool_guy546]

Ok exactly where is the IAC under my hood. Explain this as if you were explaining to somebody who has just opened the hood of there car in there entire life (no that isn't true but directions like that would be amazing). Thankyou a bunch again.

 

[Jason_25]

On the very top of the engine it is bolted to the big piece of black plastic that says 4.0 on it. It is shaped like a cylinder. To remove it, take off the 2 bolts. and remove the wiring connector.

 

[cool_guy546]

So remove it by unplugging the wire to it and unscrewing it. I just went out there and found it it was simple to find..lol.

What is the best to use to clean it out. It is ok just to take it off right, nothing will leak out from it and such?

 

[Jason_25]

No nothing will leak from it. It is simply an airflow control device. Carb cleaner will work fine to clean it.

 

[cool_guy546]

I took it off and cleaned it. It wasn't very dirty to me at all. I took a paper towel and push it into the two holes and wound it around in circles. They came out slightly black the times I did it. It just seems that I got some excess stuff off. Not to the point where it would cause a problem if I hadn't though??

 

[Jason_25]

Yeah people that have tried cleaning the newer IAC's have not had much luck, but I figure I would have you try anyway to save you some money in case cleaning it would work. Try and see if it will start normally now. If not, you will need a new IAC. Definitely contact www.fordpartsnetwork.com for a replacement.

 

[cool_guy546]

look what i found

I found this from another site, does this look like it might work (the reply to this persons question)

Question: 1999 Ford Explorer XLT V6 SOHC mileage: 16,000. Occasionally (seemingly as a random occurrence) my vehicle will not start. The engine cranks, but it will not turnover--that is, unless I give it gas. At this point, while I am still giving the car gas, the car seems to run fine. No warning lights come on, everything in the car functions properly, no strange noises can be heard, etc. However, as soon as I remove my foot from the gas, it stalls immediately. I can usually get the car to start and remain started after about 1/2 an hour of going through this process off and on. Of course, since this is a random, but somewhat common occurrence, this never happens when the car is at the service station. Therefore, the dealership has told me that they can't fix the problem if they don't know (or understand) what is wrong. I thought you could help me out so I could tell them what the problem is. I've heard that this site is good for giving advice so I came to you when my dealership has failed me. Please let me know what you think about my problem. Thanks for your help!

Answer: From what you described, we would replace the idle speed control motor. If it is hanging up or slow reacting, it may not set a fault code in the computer.

 

[Jason_25]

IAC - Idle Air Control

Same thing as an idle speed control or a throttle air bypass. Different names for the same thing.