'86 Ranger 2.3L missing after basic tuneup

[bozo4ford]

Idle Air control Valve-
More and more peeps are leading me to this conclusion on my rough idling.
1986 Ranger 2.3L EFI 4 Cylinder GAS 5-speed OD

Since it runs for about a less than a minute then stalls out, at first I'm thinking fuel filter, then fuel relay, but while steam cleaning the engine, before replacing plugs, rotor, cap, distributor cable, Air filter and gas cap, I may have disconnected, or the IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE decided to suddenly go bad.

Although I haven't checked the idle Air control valve (IACV) I called a Gold Shield Auto repair shop and the guy told me to check the idle Air control valve, Air mass, Map Sensor. He also told me that the fuel filter should not be suspect, and to check other areas first, like the IACV.

In order for me to get the “Smog Test Only” done, Calif. Emissions is to have a constant idling engine speed, and since it runs for about 35-45 seconds, then stalls out, I should increase the idle speed. ... BUT, in looking at the Chilton Repair book (Pg. 74) it states that my "engine has a Idle speed controlled by the TFI-IV/EEC-IV and no adjustment is possible." That said, can I still manually raise the idle speed enough to drive to get the smog done?

Even with this Chilton book, I can’t seem to locate the Map Sensor, or even the IACV, located somewhere near the intake manifold or what it even looks like. I went to your site (very nice, I have a myspace but it's so plain and lame), saw your red framed photo,(IACV?) but I have nothing that looks like that. There is a smaller black fusable connector behind this area running from the side to side width, and not running front to back. don;t know what that is.

If I have to replace this IACV, Is this something I could do myself without any special tools, or is this a mechanic thang? Thanks again!!!!!

 

[rurouni20xx]

its two 8mm bolts and a gasket. on the throttlebody you should see something similar to what i took a picture of, its between the throttlebody and the firewall on the 2.3. your truck is mass air equipped yes? (sensor on the aluminum thing attached to the air filter box?) try disconnecting it and see if it runs, if it does thats the culprit, known as the maf (manifold absolute flow sensor). you cannot manually idle the truck up, moving the setscrew simply changes the baseline for the throttle postion sensor. the iacv (idle air control valve) is in charge of the engine idling, thats what the manual told you is that the tfi controls it. on your throttlebody, youll have the throttlecable, it pulls the throttle shaft, on the opposite side of the throttle cable there is a 3 pin sensor, that is your throttle position sensor. on the same side you will see a can looking thing with a two pin plug, that is the iacv. also on the same side as the iacv there is a two bolt attachment with a 2 pin plug on the bottom with a pipe that connects to your exhaust, it also has vacuum lines on it, that is the egr. hope that helps you.

 

[bozo4ford]

you said...."sensor on the aluminum thing attached to the air filter box? I just called Ford parts and they told me they see two locations for that IACV, on my '86....one near the intake manifold and the other, on the Passengers side >Near Fender > coming out of the left side air filter box? Two wires going into it from the back with two Phillips screws to hold that piece in, and then two 8mm bolts (top/bottom12 and 6 o'clock) to hold this 6" long piece on.This length includes the black electrical part.

This part I'm looking at looks like your photo, is inches away from those two small boxes that slide onto the fender wall..I think one is a Fuel Pump Relay and the other is a relay of some kind, maybe a ECC power relay.

Can I remove this IACV from the air assembly without damaging the gasket, then clean it, and then replace it? I just might have to replace the gasket. Thanks again!

Do you know if I can post a photo of what I'm looking at here?

 

[rurouni20xx]

sure you can i usually do all the time its just i was using internet explorer at work and i dont kno how to get the image location. i use firefox at the house and all i do is rightclick on the pic and click on copy image location. then insert that address (click right, paste in this text field) and put it in the

brackets. if you can find that after having it posted on the web (myspace is easiest to me thats why i use it) just put it in brackets like so:

it will look like this:

on my 92 2.3 ill try and post a pic of the area its located, if i have time tomorrow ill take a pic with my digital cam...

here it is on my 92 2.3 truck, the egr is located in front of it, thats the round can thing, on the same side closer to the intake bend is where the iacv is located on my 92:

 

[bozo4ford]

Idle Air Control Valve (Autozone - PART # TV200 $59.99) which to me looks identical to my picture of my “relay” photo link...But this location is on the left side of air filter box, passenger side, and close to the fender wall, and not near the throttle body, like everyone is telling me.

I also bought a PVC valve, (cheap) and looked everywhere on top, around and near the throttle body and can not find the location. I wonder if I have to remove a lot of stuff to get to it. The illustration at the auto parts store shows it on top of the intake manifold, and air filter, but this does not apply to my 86 Ranger, because my filter is over to the left, passenger side. I have a EFI, no carburetors.

Well today I removed the iacv, (idle air control valve) cleaned it the best I could with Carb Cleaner, and will reinstall tomorrow. The gasket looks surprising well for being 24 years old! So I do not need another gasket.

I also bought some CRC QD Electronic Cleaner, and wondered if anyone has ever used this on parts like my relay picture. Where the wires come into this relay from the harness looks pretty bad. Would this be safe to use on all electronic fusible links?

I’m not saying that cleaning the iacv and replacing the PVC valve will get my truck back to idle the way it was before, but after 24 years, it can’t hurt. I’m going to try to remove #1 spark plug and slowly crank engine until I feel air coming out of that cylinder, up stroke, pointing to the #1 in the Distributor, then check the firing order again...maybe that’s all this problem is after all.

 

[bozo4ford]

Hi,
Should I try to replace the PVC before the smog test, right now it's finally idling enough by itself for a smog test.

Well,
I had mentioned that I was going to remove the Idle Air Control Valve, I did, and cleaned a lot of carbon build-up from both the ports and plunger with carb cleaner, and also thankfully, the gasket looked pretty good after 24 years...that's right, I didn't stutter, the blue bomber has celebrated it's 24th year of haulin' my sorry butt all over the place.

After re-installing the valve, and buying yet another distributor cap, It appears to be idling by itself, so the moment of truth is today when I take my Blue Bomber in for that dreaded California every-other-year smog test only, it would redeem myself for yet another two years of bliss, unless I win the lotto, junk this ride and get a new truck!

BIG QUESTION….Will she pass or fail?

My mercy lays solely with the ford smog gods.....BUT if it fails, then its back to the drawing board. I will post again today with the news. Stay tuned if you would like. Have great day!

 

[rurouni20xx]

the pcv shouldnt matter. the egr/o2 sensors may be another story. i hope she passes. if she doesnt you can move out here, no worries about emissions and run it til it uses more oil than a two stroke. my 3.0 uses a qt every 1k miles no cat on her and still runs after 280k miles. just retired her cuz of low oil pressure (turns out to be a gage issue) and the throttle liked to hang wide open (have 04 upper intake plenum im about to install to cure that little problem). ill probably just keep her off the road just in case, and wait for the $$$ to be right and rebuild her. i have my current 92 2.3 frankentruck that i work on/drive daily.

 

[bozo4ford]

rurouni20xx,
I'm a packing my bags!!!! This CA. emissions Smog is BIG Business here.
After cleaning the iacv, it started running better and by itself for 20 minutes last night,then again today I tried it for a bit to be sure it would stay alive long enough for a smog.

As luck would have it, I was leaving the driveway on my way to go get the smog, then it started stalling again, so now I was then on my way to the mechanic for a diagnostic instead.

I went to get gas,had it idle by itself again,then thought I'd take a chance and get to the smog center. IT PASSED! He told me that after 24 years, the iacv maybe should be replaced and not just cleaned, and that may take care of this intermittent stalling, which mostly happens in the morning before it warms up.

I showed the smog tech the pvc valve I bought, and we both looked for where this could possibly go in my truck. He even couldn't find where it goes, he said that part was probably the wrong part, and once I open the can of worms and install the new pcv, I run the risk of leaking oil.

In closing, he said that PVC probably is a non-issue compared to other things that could cause the stalling. O2 sensor I replaced two years ago. I will keep in mind the EGR as you mentioned.

Thank you for your feedback!

 

[bozo4ford]

I'm glad it passed! YIPPEE

I've done the visual inspection,checked all the vacuum lines and electrical connections.I do not have a code reader,so no, no pulling codes?
Test fuel pressure? No.

I'm still getting the stalling after about 35-40 seconds. I started up the truck,ran over and disconnected the electrical solenoid of the iacv and sure enough the truck died instantly.
You said the EGR is fine since it passed Smog, meaning it would not have not passed smog if something was wrong with it, but does the EGR have anything to do with the stalling out after a short time?
Thankfully, it kept running (self idling) yesterday long enough for the smog tech to do his job, but now I'm back to this stalling again. I ran it hard on the freeway to the smog to really warm it up,and no problems on the way home,then after it sat for a few hours, I went to get the mail, and there is that stalling and the truck started going "bronco" and shaking unless I apply gas to the pedal.

That code reading machine to check codes, would I understand the codes,and will the codes still show up on this 24 year old truck?

For now, that $30.00 for that machine could go towards a new iacv if that would be the next suspect in this process of elimination. Still not sure,and really can't afford to take it to a mechanic if he's going to charge me $100.00 to test it,then the part and labor to put it in, which I can do myself.

IACV varies in costs, and not sure if I should stay with the FORD Part >

FORD DEALER - $103.04,
THE BOYS OF PEP - $109.00, (Can't believe they're a little bit higher than FORD)
& AUTOZONE - $60.00

So if it isn't the PCV, EGR, or TFI Module, this stalling has everything to do with my 24 year old iacv? (or idle air bypass) Or maybe it's fuel.

BTW...I called the CRC spray cleaner company, and they told me NOT to spray the fusible link where the wires are soldered into the small boxes,because they will loosen up the flux,then wires will disconnect.

Here is what relays look like I'm trying to "clean up" -
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=205&pictureid=1000

Not ready to celebrate with just yet.

 

[bozo4ford]

Ok. Since the smog passed, it’s doubtful the timing was bad or incorrect. My problem with the rough idling is still with me.

I have been told it could be a PVC, EGR, or a vacuum hose. I did remove the IACV (air bypass) cleaned it with carb cleaner, replaced it and it did run better than before, but little better, so maybe that has to be replaced after 24 years, maybe not.

When I start the truck in the morning, it has a hard time keeping an idle unless I press down on the gas, then after about ten minutes, it seems to idle a little better, and when I run it on the freeway, it runs like nobody's "bidniz".

I've been to Autozone and Pep boys looked at their Haynes repair books on the location of that PVC valve, but no one knows where it is on my truck. is it on the drivers side, all the way back behind the throttle body, close to the engine wall/windshield, below the vacuum tree somewhere?

1986 Ranger / 140 CID/ 2.3 EFI gas/ 4 Cyl. 5-speed 151,000+ miles

 

[rurouni20xx]

those wires look as bad as mine but my truk is only a 92. ill trade problems with you, my dash lights went out on my truck. sounds simple right? well i swap bulbs with good ones, no change. meter lost power, so i order a new meter, ebay of course 40 bux, install and gain 2 lights, the rest no power. i now have to rewire the entire dash or at least wire everything to my "custom" specifications so i can swap in aftermarket gages later. as far as your truck stalling and loping have you checked the condition of your vacuum lines/how well they are attached to the fitting? look for anything broken or loose even the stuff that runs the a/c stuff inside. my 93 3.0 (here we go again...lol) broke a vacuum line and my truck started loping like it had a cam in it, wouldnt completely stall but i had 2 more cylinders keeping it running. thats about the only other thing i can think of. as for a code reader our older model trucks are obd1/eec4 and the tuners/code readers are for obd2/eec5 (95-96 up model trucks). ive never pulled a code on an obd1/eec4 truck (never had to) but it probably wouldnt hurt to find out if there are any stored that arent throwing the cel (check engine light.)

 

[bozo4ford]

Happy Saturday!



Someone had mention that the 1986 ranger had no code reader in the truck. I can honestly say I've never saw a CEL as long as I have owned this truck. I was at autozone and I asked what this part was hanging on the pass fender wall near the very back near the firewall and blower heater unit, he though that was a Diagnostic port. So I gather that is where you can read codes.
I also went there to ask if anyone knew where the PCV was located on my truck. At first, he thought it was part of my oil cap bypass air back into the crankcase,but as he looked on the stamped vehicle info tag on the front of the truck, under emissions, there was no mention of a PCV device. I think I mentioned before that I did buy the $3.00 PCV part for my truck, got t home and could not find anywhere it could be, unless it's underneath the intake manifold,behind the throttle body not in plain view. I could post that vehicle info if you want.
I also bought a MAP sensor,haven't installed it yet,but thinking that may also improve my idle, and it wouldn't hurt, I don't have money to toss away, but these parts haven't been replaced since I bought the truck brand new...24 years ago. The guy at the store also recommended the Lucas Oil treatment (about $12.00) to help the seals and compression (even though a compression test five years ago showed the number 1 cyl. not up to par)

Given it's 24 year old age, bad compression on #1 cyl.,valve cover leaks,rough idling in the morning (but after it warms up it runs ok) valve job is badly needed,could not be accepted into the Clunker program because they rated my truck the same gas millage now as they did the day I bought the car, so no new truck for me.

On the relay inquiry. I found a 4-wire connector harness for my fuel pump relay and will splice together the wires to the existing wires from my wiring harness. There is another relay (green box) next to this relay. I've been told from Ford it was a multi function/purpose relay for my horn. The guy at autozone told me it could be my EFI sensor relay...does anyone know? I could do a test and disconnect, start the engine or honk my horn and get the answer, but as long as I'm here, wanted to ask.

Stupidity question ensues.....Should I just install the MAP sensor anyway, or taken it back until I know that it is the problem? I really don't have the money for diagnostic and repair costs,no meter reader,torque wrenches,or gauges, just trying to wing it the best I can on this. Thanks!

 

[bozo4ford]

 

[bozo4ford]

Oh well, oh well, has my Diagnostic test port gone? Many have told me it's on the drivers side near the brake cylinder on the Firewall, or on the fender wall..but I don't see it.

 

[bozo4ford]

I'm sorry. I have failed. I keep looking in that area between the right side of the distributor Cap, and around the fuel pressure regulator,and nothing even comes close to looking like the PVC I bought at the store.

Do I have to remove the upper manifold to get to it? Or remove anything at all? Seems like a very tight fit.


The more I learn about my truck, the more I regress. Is it that white tubular plug-in looking thing that's sticking out of the manifold right above the dist. cap?
(see my picture of drivers side photo)

Knock sensor or the ECT - Engine Coolant Temp sensor...maybe that got wet, and was the problem, maybe my plug wires, which I never replaced, only the plugs. BUT....Pep Boys told me the Coolant temp sensor should be by the thermostat, over by the radiator hose going into the engine. WHAT?

I returned the MAP sensor today. If it works don't fix it. I probably couldn't hear any difference in performance anyway.

Overall, the truck now seems to be starting, self idling, and running, just ok, not great, but after 24 years,I can't expect a new truck. So I will count my blessing for now.