Tell me when to blow it up :) Idle issue Still

[jim_wrench]

the instrument clusters in any vehicle is an appoximateindication of what is going on. rpm accuracy unless you are fortuneate to have a digital cluster is not accurate.... this is also true with all the guages in the cluster as well

even on mine before the 5.0 swap it was out about 100-200 rpm at any given time with a digital tach from my timing light.......

 

[MadExplorer93]

Well today was a beautiful day and i tore the BEAST done for now. I pulled the Plenum off and Fuel Rail (note make sure you bleed pressure before doing this) i did and i was OK. I also took off the driver sides Valve Cover and it was Pitted Holes in the side of it and one crack around the center bottom screw hole. I say this rusty old bucket of a valve cover is DONE and i will now have to find another good one somewhere or buy and aftermarket one.

Now talk about BLACK OIL RESIDUE in the plenum and the lower Intake... wowzer, but what ya expect from a 15 year old vehicle that has over 216,400Kilometers.

Ok now i wish to change the passengers side Valve Cover Gasket, but i have a dilema the COIL bracket bolt that is bolted on to the Manifold is a PITA to get at and i just can't get at it under the hood and when i try from fender wall all i can get on it is a OPEN end wrench and that is a Bugger to do as well as it slipped off. I used penetrating oil on it first and let it sit for 10-15min, but i can't get at it. This has AC so the HVAC box in in the way to get at the bolt STRAIGHT ON.

ANY SUGGESTIONS?

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Also i like to note the fuel injectors are EASY to change the O-Rings top and bottom as the injectors just pull out on this model, note some tugging is required, but they pull out no tools required to pull them out. That is ok in one way, but what a CHEAP way ford did that. Of course the Fuel Rail needs to be off first and what a PITA that was seperating the gasket and fuel rail form the lower intake, but i managed to do it.

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The LOWER fuel rail gasket showed OIL through it, meaning it appears it may have been leaking even though i did not detect any leak, but the last injector on the drivers side was WET with oil (Not Gas, but oil and it was not from Valve Cover)

----------------------

Well the poor girl maybe down for a few days or weeks now as i need to find me a valve cover and wait now for more MONEY to arrive this week, but i hope i can get her going later this week and i hope this solves my rough idle issue, of course i pulled the plenum to do the valve cover(s), so either way it was a good thing to do the plenum gaskets as well.

Also ppl make sure you buy some RTV gasket Maker as you will need some for the Valve Cover where it meets the Center Head in the corners and you will need some in the screw holes on the bottom of the valve cover.

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So i have a MAJOR vaccum leak now and i know why that is

 

[jim_wrench]

i reccomend using the box end of a wrench to break it loose then using a ratchet wrench there excellent in places where clearance is an issue

glad to see your making headway i am sure you will keep us posted

 

[MadExplorer93]

i reccomend using the box end of a wrench to break it loose then using a ratchet wrench there excellent in places where clearance is an issue

glad to see your making headway i am sure you will keep us posted

Yes i was thinking the samething open end wrench then a 3/8 ratchet, but one major issue is clearence and the fender wall plastic shroud which only gives me about 1/2 to move in either direction and i can't get enough leverage to crack it loose under the fender wall.

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How much is it to take the HVAC box off and evaporator if need to be?

- This way i would be able to get at the bolt straight on from under the hood.

- I should note it may have to be removed to get full clearance to pull valve cover off.

------------------------------

I should note the A/C is drained as it leaked a line last year when i tried to refill it to see if it worked as i bought truck last April and A/C was not working for previous owner (he passed away before i bought it) and i did know from his family it stopped working the year prior to me buying it and i found out why last year = leaked..

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The passenger side is not leaking a lot, just wet, damp wet, but i hate to see this leak in 3-6 months time so i like to replace gasket now.

I should note it is not necessary to remove the plenum for the passenger side, the driver side needs the plenum off for removal clearence.

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Thks to all for the help thus far and this is a good learning thread for many members.

 

[jim_wrench]

i am going to discourage you from removing the Evap box....

if i had my 4.0 in mine id tell you the tools id put on there.....

but i am thinking that at the most you could remove the inner fender liner if you really need to...... but id put a box end wrench and then a snipe with another wrench to see if you can crack it loose......

doing the cover gasket now while you are in the groove of all the preventative stuff is great and more people should want to keep there vehicle that way..... me included but that is another story....

In my opionion if you were going to remove the evap box id go to the junkyard and pick up a box that didnt have A/C and that way it makes the bay alot more cleaner and frees up room for your on board air......

 

[MadExplorer93]

I want A/C to work in summer all i have to dod is buy a 60.00-80.00 line and a new orifice and coolant, a friend has some for FREE to do my system. I know it should be done now (i mean the passenger side valve cover gasket), but if i can't break it loose, i will wait until i do my exhaust as i need to take the manifolds off to put new studs in them and new flanges on the y-pipe.

---------------------------

Ok i also have a question the fuel rail has some pits in it around where the gaskets will be on both sides and i was wondering is it OK to use a tiny, tiny bead of RTV copper on the mating surfaces, not around the intake HOLES, but the outer edge of the gaskets?

 

[MadExplorer93]

Ok i never used any RTV as the gaskets have that silicone around the manifold holes and at the gasket edge there is really no way to use RTV without it touching the gaskets pre-silicone.

I torqued the torx bolts to a speced 10-11lbs, wow thats not much (eh?) no wonder many may have issues with leaking?

The only thing i found for sequence and specs was in this thread here (BELOW):

This is for a explorer 2000, but it should be close to my 1993. IF you scrool past the pictures of the JOB you will see to SPEC pictures, one for the fuel rail torx bolts and the other for the Plenum. I can't do plenum yet as you all know i need a Driver Side Valve Cover.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=171819

 

[Firestorm]

torqued the torx bolts to a speced 10-11lbs, wow thats not much (eh?) no wonder many may have issues with leaking?

The torque specs for your motor, fuel rail, are 89-124 in-lbs 7.5-10 ft lbs. You should be fine.

 

[MadExplorer93]

The torque specs for your motor, fuel rail, are 89-124 in-lbs 7.5-10 ft lbs. You should be fine.

Thks firestorm for the info and i hope my torque wrench is correct as i think it may have been more like 10-12lbs, its the same gasket as the upper plenum one which has to be torqued 15-18lbs, so even a little extra on the bottom should not hurt as long as it does not superceed 18lbs that is.

Or will it hurt it?

 

[MadExplorer93]

Pictures of Some Parts Before and After

Ok guys here is some Pics Of the Plenum before and Fuel Before/After and showing the Oil Residue.

This crude is still there "After My Seafoam Job i did a week ago" and now look how clean in some areas and crude it still is in others. This is the first time this motor has been Seafoamed in its 216,400 life span, so its not so bad for a 15 year old engine.


Pic 1:

This is the Inside Portion of the Throttle Body and you will notice the Crude Around the edge of the plate. This is the side you never see when it is bolted onto the plenum.

(lost photos)

Pic 2:

This is the plenum laying upside down looking at a front view and you will notice the throttle body hole has some oil residue on it.



Pic3:

This is the plenum laying upside down looking at a back view and you will notice the ports have a lot more oil residue still on them.



Pic4:

This is a SHOT of the plenum tube looking down the throttle body hole and you can see the OIL residue at the back of the plenum where the TEE vacuum tree is hooked in and you will see the PCV valve hole where is its piped in, also you will also see the AIR TEMP GAUGE in there as well.



Pic 5:

This is the fuel rail still bolted on vehicle before removal and you will notice the crude/oil residue on the D holes in the rail and the lower intake.



Pic 6:

This is the center head or lower intake after the fuel rail was removed and gasket cleaned off. Notice the crude/oil residue on the D holes on the lower intake which i wiped as much as i could off of them.

Also the Injectors are removed in this picture.



Pic 7:

This is the fuel rail (this is upright) after removal and cleaned up. This is the "left side top view of the rail".



Pic 8:

This is the fuel rail (upside down) after removal and cleaned up. This is the "right side bottom view of the rail, notice the Injector Holes".



Pic 9:

This is the fuel rail (upside down) after removal and cleaned up. This is the "left side bottom view of the rail, notice the Injector Holes".



Pic 10:

This is a picture of the Injectors and i am holding one up to try and show the end which is clean and all injectors are like that on my truck, no clogged ends. I used 1/3 can of seafoam in my gas tank with only 1/4 tank of gas. I tried to get a pic of the tiny holes in the injectors, but they are small and the sun was to bright.

You can also see the two O-Rings on each injector in which i replaced them all.



Pic 11:

This is the fuel rail all reinstalled and torqued to 10-12lbs, also the injectors are installed a long with the fuel rail.



Pic 12:

This is a pic of the driver side valve cover off and notice pretty clean for a 15 year old vehicle, yes there is some dirt i must clean out before i put new gasket and new valve cover on when i find a valve cover that is, as mine is no good. The dirt is from when i removed the old cover and the dang rust/dirt fell into the rocker arm area, but a good rag and patients will get her cleaned up.

I will be doing an oil change BEFORE i even start the truck up and i will pour some oil on the ROCKER arm area (use common sense here) to allow minimal dirt to flow into pan, not chunks as that can/will cause OIL PUMP failure.

 

[MadExplorer93]

I did not realize i never posted any pics in this thread of my rusty/rotted out driverside valve cover.

Well here it is in the thread where i was looking for one and Maniak is DaMan he had a set of covers for me in which i will use Both of them, my passenger side is still very good shape i see no rust on it (but you never know till its off) and i like his better as i know there will be no Salt on those ones from Arizona. I am just waiting for them to arrive to my door this weekend or this Mon. They are across the border from me right now Since Yesterday (2 day service is awesome), that town is the sister town of mine.

When i am all complete and running again i will post more pictures in this thread, not the valve cover thread.

Here is thread with pictures of driverside cover, just scrool down to the pictures of my valve cover.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=212445

 

[MadExplorer93]

Ok guys i am finally done the plenum gasket and driverside valve cover. So this project is finished so far, unless i have to retorque bolts in 1-2 days.

It started up right away like usual and after sitting for a week and 2 days it went to its normal 1500 rpm, then to 1000 rpm, the to 600 rpm, then back to 800 rpm and MAN it was SMOOTH, no STALLing occured.. yeeeeee haaaaa.

Ok the violent roughness is gone and the smoothness is there.

There is a tiny miss still, but that can be the COIL as i tested it now finally when it was warmed up and the resistance in the terminals was 14.5, 14.6, 14.9 and when cold it was 14.3, 13.3, 13.3.... now the spec resistance is 6.5 to 11.5 this inconsitancy can be a bad coil and not enough SPARK to plugs, enough to run, but can lead to loss of power or a tiny miss to a BACKFIRE which i don;t get any backfire.

I also think my ECT is still not properly functioning as i just think so as the temp is still not right, i will see if i get a CODE in day or so.

Now that being said it is SMOOTH with such a tiny, tiny, tiny miss that its not a rush to get it fixed, but i will start with a COIL as it is the ORIGINAL coil on it, 15 years can do a lot to a coil...

The Exhaust leak well its still there, but i notice now it is a lot quieter.

My motor loves me for the NEW oil and filter i did the other day before i finished the job just now, it has a slight ticking right now, but it did before that too, i will hope it clears up, but if not i may have to get something to add to OIL to help free up a sticky lifter.



Now here is some pictures and i painted the driverside valve cover (which i bought a pair of covers from MANIAK and i will do a Feedback for him) Gloss Black, i used Dupli-Color high heat paint.


Here is a shot of the valve cover installed on vehicle:
(lost photos)

Here is a shot of the plenum gasket for my year of vehicle 1993 OHV:



Here is a side shot of the plenum installed, valve cover and throttle body:




Here is a frontal shot of the plenum installed and thottle body:



I don't see any leaking now from valve cover, MY main reason fro doing this job and no leaks from Injector O-rings... ==== AWESOME

If Anyone has any questions, please ask.

Thks

 

[MadExplorer93]

I like to Note that i post long posts at times, why i do so is to give people a BIG run down and description of issues as hopefully resolutions

Well this morning i went out about an hour ago to start it up and check idle in the coolness outside this morning it is around -1C to -3C.

WOW i was AMAZED.

I started it up and in a few 2-3 secs of intial startup it hit 1400-1500 rpm and dropped to 1200 rpm within 2-3 secs, wow it use to hit 1500 rpm and stay there for 1-2 minutes before dropping to 1200 rpm.

Then it went from 1200 rpm to 1000 rpm in 2-6 secs, wow it used to sit at 1200 rpm for 20-30 seconds.

Then it went from 1000 rpm to 800 rpm in 30 secs, wow it used to go down fast and STALL from 800 rpm to 500 rpm.

Then it went from 800 rpm to 600 rpmwithin a few seconds and purred like a kitten.

When it warmed up within 2 minutes the idle went to around 700 rpm and stayed there, that is AWESOME.

Now what was the CURE everything i did to the Intake and O-rings, i am 100% betting it was the Fuel Rail gasket as it was brittle and i noticed OIL had passed through it and that it was 15 years old.

The plenum gasket was newer i would say about 5 years old as it was still a light Blue in color, so i suspect previous owner changed it try to fix this stalling issue, but did not know to change the fuel rail gasket or could not remove fuel rail.

Now like i mentioned before it has tiny and i mean tiny miss that is barely audible and noticable, but i may start with COIL as it is 15 years old and when warmed up is about 3500-4000 Ohms out of spec.

As i update any issues if any i will continue to update this thread.

If anyone has any questions, please post.[/B]

 

[MadExplorer93]

The truck is running and idling like it was reborn, a tiny (and i mean tiny, hardly noticable) miss is all only at idle, but i talked about what that maybe and i may have to change coil for it to go away.

Thks for all who had suggestions as what it maybe or could be, but it was in fact a gasket issue so far.

 

[wood1]

Excellent work. Nice to be able to fix your own s*%t.

 

[Topflightamp]

I too had to have my 2006 Explorer checked for the same issue. They couldn’t find anything wrong either. Didn’t charge me for checking though. Then I did some more digging, and found some pretty good answers to this stalling question. Here are some that seem to work wonders so far:

1. Run Techron gas or some type of Techron additive in you gas tank for two weeks to clean the fuel system up. You may have clogged fuel injectors.

2. Clean the Mass Air Flow Sensor with CRC MAF Sensor cleaner. Taking care not to drop or damage the unit. They are very expensive to replace. The sensor sends information to the main computer to allow the engine to run at optimal performance. If the sensor is dirty, or has never been cleaned, it can confuse the computer into thinking there is a problem and cause a stall. You’ll need a star type screw driver set and $5 for the cleaning spray. Also checkout Youtube videos on how to clean the MAF sensor. It’s easy and very inexpensive to fix.

I’ve tried this now for a week and had zero issues with stalling-out so far. Hope this helps.

 

[BobbyTang]

I am in Canada too... Mine only acts like this when I do not plug it in, you got a block heater on that thing ?? , alright back to reading the rest of this giant thread story