My 2006 F250 still had the original battery and I could tell it was starting to labor on cold starts. Other than that the truck has no issues or problems that I know of. I thought I'd practice a little preventative maintenance so I picked up a Costco (Kirkland) battery with 850 CCAs. I installed the new battery and it fired right up. Only problem was the idle was super low. I tried the learning process of idling, then idling with AC on then driving. It performed fine at highway and residential speeds but at stop signs it just dies. I have to start it up and give it gas while putting it in gear or come to rolling stops so it doesn't stall. I put about 20 miles on it and everything seems fine except when stopping. I let it idle in the driveway for about 15 minutes and it was fine. Then I put it in gear and it died.

Any suggestions?

 

Possibly your alternator. Is your battery light on? Make sure the bulb isn't burnt out. When you put the key in the on position (not start), is the battery light lit to indicate it's working?

How about your voltage regulator?

Does this happen only when the engine is cold? When it's warmed up, does it drive normal?

 

Battery light and voltage are good. I did the battery swap when the engine was warm, so I'll wait until tomorrow morning and start it up from cold and do the relearn sequence again.

Thanks!

 

If it sputters when the engine is cold, then goes away when it's warm, then it could be your IAC valve.

 

This morning I started it cold (well below freezing) and it fired up strong. On the drive to work it only stalled once at a red light when left in drive. So, it seems to slowly be coming back on line. The other thing I noticed is that when I took my foot off the gas the defrost blower seems to slow down and when I put my foot on the gas the blower seemed to get stronger. I may also get the alternator checked.

 

There is no IAC on the 3-valver.

I've heard of this before on the 3-valvers, and it turns out you need to clean your MAF.

For whatever reason, over time, the MAF gets a little crud on it, and the PCM adjusts. REmove the battery, which resets the PCM, and it no longer knows what to do with signal from the MAF.

Clean it, and see what happens. There is also a "relearn" procedure for the fly-by-wire throttle, which could also help, but usually it's the MAF.

 

Thanks Krewat. Is cleaning the MAF a DIY project? I have the Haynes manual.

And pardon me for my ignorance but MAF stands for Mass Air Flow? And would it be the sensor needing cleaning or something else?

 

Here's a MAF sensor cleaning how-to from 1975StroppeBaja's Super Duty Tech Articles website:

2004 F250 MAF Sensor Cleaning

 

The 2005 MAF might be slightly different looking, in a different place, or whatever, but the basic principles apply.

It's definitely a DIY job. I think Ford still considers a "contaminated MAF" as something they replace, not clean

 

I'd recommend using CRCs MAF sensor cleaner. Its only like $7 a can at place like Advance auto parts. A can will clean quite a few sensors. Some guys use electrical contact cleaner I just feel better using a product made for and tested on MAF sensors.

 

Thanks guys. I picked up the MAF cleaner you recommended at NAPA today ($11 CDN). And yes, the Ford dealership does not want to clean it. According to the Haynes manual, the 2006 V10s have a drop in MAF.

Do you guys think I could spray the filaments if I can get a clear shot at them without taking the MAF completely out of the housing/air box? Or should I take it out completely?

 

I'm not exactly sure how the MAF is on the 05'ups. I can clean mine ok by just disconnecting the tube and removing the filter. Most of the gunk should be on the the side that gets hit directly by the airflow. The cleaner dries fairly quickly. I usually take mine out but its not always necessary.

 

Well, I cleaned the MAF. I gave it about a dozen shots all over the filaments and let it dry for half hour. But it still idles low and stalls when coming to a stop. I've got the negative cable unhooked and will let the truck cool completely down and see if it smartens up with a fresh cold start tomorrow. Would you recommend a longer road trip for the relearning process? I've only put on about 10-15 miles at a time since I changed out the battery and these issues started happening.

Also, how would I go about finding out how to do the relearn proceedure for the fly-by-wire throttle you mentioned?

Thanks.

 

Howdy Guys, been a while since I was on the forum. I had a like problem with my 06
F-250. However my truck is a manual. The truck would drop down to a super low idle when I would stop at a stop sign or traffic light. About 60% of the time it would go ahead and die. I found myself having to give the truck gas just to keep it running while sitting still. I was close to the end of my warranty, so I took the truck into the dealer who said it was the fuel filter...so I paid to have it changed...no difference noticed. I then searched this forum and found a couple of post there others had this same issue and ended up replacing the throttle body. Of course the dealer thought I was crazy, but then we also have a mutual respect for one another. They replaced the throttle body under warranty....problem corrected.
Good Luck,
Jon

 

Bingo, Jon! My last ditch shade tree effort seemed to pay off! I contorted myself under the firewall to get at the throttle body and cleaned it out with some MAF cleaning solution (I think I can now audition for Cirque du Solei having cleaned a Ford V10 throttle body! I pulled muscles I didn't know I even had....)

Anyway, I put everything back together and took it for a good road test and no stalls

The idle is up and no matter how long I stay in drive and stopped, it refuses to stall. So, knock on wood, things are back on track!