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Idle question

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Old May 26, 2016 | 06:51 PM
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Idle question

Is it normal to have a 250 to 300 rpm swing in idle speed when in park or neutral as compared to in drive or reverse? Just installed a new IAC and idle speed in park is 1000 rpm and 700 when in gear. I would prefer the in gear idle to be 750 rpm due to when stopping in gear the rpm's will initially fall to about 600 for a second before leveling off at 700 and actually stalled on me today in a parking lot.
 
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Old May 27, 2016 | 05:41 AM
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My warm idle speed is around 500-550 rpms regardless of which gear I'm in. Has yours always been that high? Maybe mine is low.
 
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Old May 27, 2016 | 06:32 PM
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At that rpm, do you ever stall if you quickly stab and release the gas pedal like in a parking maneuver or something similar? So your idle speed remains constant, as in no difference in rpm's between park and in gear?
 
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Old May 27, 2016 | 08:37 PM
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Check for codes and even if you don't have anything take a close look at the TPS sensor, if it's out of range at or anywhere around idle speed it needs to be replaced.
 
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Old May 28, 2016 | 06:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Conanski
Check for codes and even if you don't have anything take a close look at the TPS sensor, if it's out of range at or anywhere around idle speed it needs to be replaced.
Thanks Conanski, I checked the TPS voltage prior to replacing the IAC and it was .95 closed and 4.56 wide open. I do have a new motorcraft TPS though so I'll go ahead and replace it since it is probably the original and truck has 150,000. When is it acceptable to adjust the idle screw?
 
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Old May 29, 2016 | 06:16 AM
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Originally Posted by chesster51
At that rpm, do you ever stall if you quickly stab and release the gas pedal like in a parking maneuver or something similar? So your idle speed remains constant, as in no difference in rpm's between park and in gear?
No it doesn't stall and the RPMs stay pretty much constant. I can't imagine idling at 1000 in park is correct. 1000 for me is when the choke is on first thing in the morning. I know it's not a choke, but whatever the cold idle is.
 
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Old May 29, 2016 | 07:36 AM
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Originally Posted by chesster51
Thanks Conanski, I checked the TPS voltage prior to replacing the IAC and it was .95 closed and 4.56 wide open. I do have a new motorcraft TPS though so I'll go ahead and replace it since it is probably the original and truck has 150,000. When is it acceptable to adjust the idle screw?
That isn't the Idle Stop Screw. That is the Throttle Stop Screw. It keeps the blades from sticking in the bore when the throttle closes off.
 
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Old May 29, 2016 | 12:44 PM
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Originally Posted by timbersteel
That isn't the Idle Stop Screw. That is the Throttle Stop Screw. It keeps the blades from sticking in the bore when the throttle closes off.
Wrong terminology. Is the idle strictly controlled by the IAC and ECU with no manual adjustment? If so, could this only be corrected with a tune/chip?
 
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Old May 29, 2016 | 01:14 PM
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Originally Posted by chesster51
Is the idle strictly controlled by the IAC and ECU with no manual adjustment?
Yes... but with feedback from the TPS and the factory idle speed is 680rpm or so depending if it's in neutral or in gear, AC on or off, etc. If you can confirm the TPS not only measures correctly at closed and WOT but also sweeps evenly with no glitches then it can be eliminated, then you are back to a sticking throttle cable or a small vacuum leak somewhere... could be from a leaking EGR valve or tube, leaking brake booster, cracked vacuum line, or a leaking intake gasket.
 
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Old May 29, 2016 | 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Conanski
Yes... but with feedback from the TPS and the factory idle speed is 680rpm or so depending if it's in neutral or in gear, AC on or off, etc. If you can confirm the TPS not only measures correctly at closed and WOT but also sweeps evenly with no glitches then it can be eliminated, then you are back to a sticking throttle cable or a small vacuum leak somewhere... could be from a leaking EGR valve or tube, leaking brake booster, cracked vacuum line, or a leaking intake gasket.
Sounds like I have a lot of troubleshooting in my future. I have a couple of days off next week and I'll start with looking for hidden codes and then the TPS and go from there. Thanks for the help.
 
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Old Jun 23, 2016 | 07:32 PM
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Update: Installed new motorcraft tps and adjusted to .98 volts, checked vacuum and holds steady at 19.5. Still idles at 1100 rpm in park or neutral and still has random stumble at idle. Also checked for codes with a reader and there are none. EGR valve is 2 yrs. old, TPS, IAC and EVP are new. Truck runs great above idle with no miss. The high idle in P and N doesn't necessarily bother me, but the stumble at idle and occasional dying out does. I have not checked fuel pressure, but I don't think that's the issue. Is it possible I could still have a vacuum leak even though the gauge showed good?
 
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Old Jun 23, 2016 | 07:47 PM
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Sure sounds like a vacuum leak to me ...

-Enjoy
fh : )_~
 
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Old Jun 23, 2016 | 09:51 PM
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Originally Posted by chesster51
Update: Installed new motorcraft tps and adjusted to .98 volts, checked vacuum and holds steady at 19.5. Still idles at 1100 rpm in park or neutral and still has random stumble at idle. Also checked for codes with a reader and there are none. EGR valve is 2 yrs. old, TPS, IAC and EVP are new. Truck runs great above idle with no miss. The high idle in P and N doesn't necessarily bother me, but the stumble at idle and occasional dying out does. I have not checked fuel pressure, but I don't think that's the issue. Is it possible I could still have a vacuum leak even though the gauge showed good?
How did you "adjust" the TPS? The TPS on these trucks is really not adjustable, and the actual voltage does not matter. As long as it's between 0.8 and 1.1 volt or so, it will work.
 
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Old Jun 24, 2016 | 05:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Lead Head
How did you "adjust" the TPS? The TPS on these trucks is really not adjustable, and the actual voltage does not matter. As long as it's between 0.8 and 1.1 volt or so, it will work.
There is enough slack in the holes to slightly twist the unit in either direction to change the voltage. One way I could get it down to .8xx and over 1.0 the other way. I've always heard it's best to get as close to 1.0 as possible without going over.
 
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Old Jun 24, 2016 | 06:16 AM
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Originally Posted by chesster51

I've always heard it's best to get as close to 1.0 as possible without going over.
Urban myth.
 
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