engine will not idle - stalls?

Hello,

It sounds like you could have a EGR valve stuck open or the vacuum supply is not cutting off. Here is a guide so you can see what the valve is and a video on how to test it.

https://youtu.be/DqUCbbKdWf4

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-idles-too-high

(Here are the diagrams Below)

Please let us know what you find. We are interested to see what it is.

Cheers, Ken

Turns out it was the TPS. It was at .88v and adjusted it to .98v and now running good.

Glad you could get it fixed, that kind of problem can be tough. Please use 2CarPros anytime we are here to help

Cheers, Ken

I appreciate you trying to help me out. Thanks for your input.

have replaced the power rack and pinion and both air bags and the idle vacume control modual the truck will start but shuts right back down whats wrong

could be a security issue. did you try another key??

Roy

yes I did no change truck starts and shut right back down even when I feather the gas pedal

i would start with a fuel pressure check. it should be around 45 lbs.
you need to see if there is spark or not when it stalls. one of them is missing and needs to be tracked down for the failure.

Roy

allready did that have full spark on all cylinders and fuel pressure is 45 lbs.now what should I try

it sounds like a security issue. that can be verified by a shop with a scan tool. no easy at home fix here. sorry, you will need help with this one.

Roy

ok thanks

Help! My 1997 Explorer won't idle. It will start, barely, if you are giving it gas. As soon as you take your foot off the gas pedal it dies. Please help.
Thank you.

Hello, Is the Check Engine Light on? If you cannot get the vehicle to your local Autozone to have codes pulled, they do it free. Take the Idle Air Control Valve (IAC) off and clean it out with some carb cleaner. It is mounted on the left side of the intake manifold.

good luck

Roy

Thank you for your quick reply. No the check engine light is not on. I had trouble starting it a couple of days ago, but got it going. Now it won't idle at all. Can a diagnostic be done even if the check engine light isn't on?

Have better luck if these car manufatcurers would build a car not a computer on wheels

[quote:03ee00b010="oldredexplorer"]Thank you for your quick reply. No the check engine light is not on. I had trouble starting it a couple of days ago, but got it going. Now it won't idle at all. Can a diagnostic be done even if the check engine light isn't on?[/quote:03ee00b010]

Yes, it may not show anything.

Look for vacuum leak(s).

i agree, they were simpler in the past.

Roy

What do I have to do to check for a vacuum leak? Is this something I can do myself or does a mechanic have to do it? Our financial position isn't very good, so I would like to try to fix anything I can myself.
Thank you for your time, Danielle

thats for sure my dad was a mecanic for timkins for 39 years and I have worked on everything and this is the first time I have not been able to fix and vehicle

Just take a look at the vacuum hoses if they are cracked or very soft they should be replaced. If you have any doubt about a hose take it off block off one end use a rag over the other and blow through it if you hear air leaking then replace it.

Have you removed and cleaned out the IAC Valve. The valve may not be bad just carboned up and not openning or closing and cleaning it may fix you problem. It sounds like either a vacuum leak somewhere or the IAC.

welcome to the world of computer controlled cars,,lol

Roy

I will try your suggestions later tonight after I get the kids to sleep. Thank you for your time. I don't have a lot but if I leave a donation will you get it?

Bah humbug it is not a security issue my truck has no security system

My 97 ford explorer stalls when idle,and taking foot off gas. like coming to a stop sign or stop light,or slowing down to make a turn. if I keep one foot lightly on gas, and apply the brake, it doesnt happen. It runs great otherwise, never happens as long as car is moving at same speed, only slowing down or coming to stop. Any ideas where to start to fix the problem ? Also need to point out that we lived in a very rural area, lots of dirt roads. I had my brakes done about a year ago, and the mechanic told me that they knocked about 2 tons of dirt off of my under carriage. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you, Liane

You may have a bad IAC ( idle air control) but try cleaning the throttle body first. Remove the intake snorkel, have someone hold the throttle wide open for you and scrub the back side of the throttle plate and surrounding bore with an old tooth brush and some carb cleaner. Be sure to spray some into the small holes next to the throttle plate. That should help stabilize the idle. If it still has a problem, replace the IAC.

recently my car was over heating and when I hit the brakes it would die. The brakes have been acting like there is air in the line and need to be blead. I'm not sure if the two things are related but I am wondering if there could be a short in ABS that is causing the engine to die.

Hi there,

I would be thinking that i could be a booster problem as if it has a bad vacuum leak this could cause the engine to stall, try unhooking the booster vacuum line and blocking it, run the engine and apply the brakes see if this improves things.

Mark (mhpautos)

My explorer has started to idle at a very high rpm. the normal idle was just under 1000, now it idles at 2000 -2500 and will not idle down any lower. While driving it requires more brake and is not safe to drive now. Is there a sensor or fuse that Controls the idle? If so where can I locate it?

do you have a check engine light on? the idle air contol valve is what controls idle, it may be faulty. if your engin light is on then you may also have a vacuum leak, one way you can check for that is mist some brake kleen around all of the hoses and around the intake maniflold, if the idle changes while doing this ,then there is a vacuum leak in the vicinity of where you last sprayed

The check engine light is on. Is there somehow I can check it?

My truck will not stay running. when you crank it, it stalls and dies. It can stay running if I give it gas. My check engine light is not on and I've already replaced the MAF sensor and the fuel filter.

Clean out the idle air control valve and see what happens-let me know

I cleaned my idle air control valve and it half way fixed my problem. My truck will idle now with no problem, thank you. But it still stalls when I put it in drive or reverse.

Yw-Maybe the torque converter clutch solenoid is stuck

My 1997 ford explorer XLT stalls when I slow down to fast. If I brake early and slow down very slowly it doesn't shut off. Only when I slow down normally or to fast. I noticed to when I give it a little gas while I brake, it doesn't stall and I also noticed that it only stalls while braking when my gas gauge reads a quarter tank or less. If I have a full tank or anything over a quarter tank it doesn't shut off. I thought it might be fuel rushing to one side of the tank when I slow down to fast and the pump not being able to catch any of the fuel but I could be wrong.

i would have the idle air control valve checked. the base isle needs to be checked. check for vacuum leaks. is the check engine light on??

Roy

I will check the air control valve. And My check engine light I not on.

My car wants to die everytime I come to a stop sign.But if I hold the gas down a little it will stay running so what could that be.

Could be one of these; idle air control motor/valve, throttle position sensor, MAF sensor-PCV and EGR valves.