Idle Air Control Questions

[in_garage]

Hi. I'm a newbie to this forum but since I have a 95 and 96 Explorer I ought to get involved. I suspect my Idle Air Control Valve is bad and am wondering if anybody has had good luck with any inexpensive IACs? I see Duralast that Autozone sells is a lot less than Motorcraft.

Related question is, does anybody know the difference is between the Motorcraft CX1846 and CX1845 which is a lot more expensive? They look the same. Normally I like OE branded parts but I might be selling one or both of these trucks soon so maybe cheap is OK....

FYI I suspect the valve because I did a SeaFoam TB cleaning including cleaning the plunger area of the IAC. I heard back when I was a BG chemical rep to idle the vehicles quite a while after performing a TB cleaning through the intake, to make residual chemical go away because some IACs motors don't like chemicals. Anyway the result was a low idle and the truck will sometimes stall at a stop. I did a MAF sensor cleaning at the same time.

 

[J_C]

The difference I see on Rockauto pics is CX1845 has a different connector with an interior side key slot and a latch tab on the opposite side.

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=382795&jsn=3

CX1846 has more rounded connector corners, 3 exterior side keys and a different latch on the wider side:

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=382796

I don't know how well seafoam does cleaning those but would try cleaning it again with spray carb or intake cleaner.

When I cleaned mine I sprayed bulk cleaner in, shook out grime, took a metal pick and pulled the plunger down and wiped the seating face of the plunger with a cotton swab after another shot of intake cleaner. I took the black plastic side cap off, took out the felt filter pads and cleaned them, shot cleaner down into the hole they cover, rinsed the whole thing out with another shot of cleaner working the shaft back and forth, and last, put a drop of ~5W20 oil on the plunger shaft at the solenoid bushing and set it on end for a few hours for the oil to run down into the bushing. It probably seeps in better due to traces of cleaner remaining.

Otherwise, I have no experience with the aftermarket parts. First time it happened to mine I bought the motorcraft and since then I just keep one of the two cleaned in a bin and swap it in place of the one on the vehicle when it gets dirty and clean the one I took off so it's ready next time.

I suspect that the oil in the bushing is the key to it, that it gets in a bind and getting the carbon out is only half the process.

 

[in_garage]

Good eye! I didn't notice the connector. Mine is the more expensive 1845. Will look for more photos to make sure they photos all match the description. Thanks!

 

[koda2000]

I bought a cheap (Chinese $22) IAC off eBay about 3 years ago because I had one that would howl. Looked and fit like OE and worked perfectly. Still working fine. In my experience, cleaning your old one doesn't help much, especially on one that may be 22 years old.

I wouldn't buy one if I had to fool with the electrical connector. You should be able to buy a direct replacement. Shop around.

BTW, If you do need a new connector, they are available on eBay too, but they're surprisingly expensive.

 

[lobo411]

When a car is this old, and parts are widely available and inexpensive, I just replace. Considering how much I've saved by doing my own work, the possibility of spending $20 on a replacement part that I actually didn't need is something I can live with.