I have a '97 Explorer XLT that did the EXACT same thing. I cleaned my IAC valve with carb cleaner and it runs, idles and drives just fine now.

 

i have an iac 4 sale. its for a 99 expl 4.0 sohc new, used for 5 seconds $70 free shiping.

 

No one is probably reading this much anymore. My husband "cleaned" his IAC according to the instruction here. His was working okay but I kind of talked him into cleaning it anyway.

Now his 95 EB won't idle at low speeds and he has to keep his foot on the gas to keep it running.

I remember reading some procedure you had to go through after cleaning the IAC but now I can't find it. Anyone remember where this further instruction is? It had to do with relearning or something. We have had the battery disconnected many times and this did not help the idle problem.

THanks

 

No one is probably reading this much anymore. My husband "cleaned" his IAC according to the instruction here. His was working okay but I kind of talked him into cleaning it anyway.

Now his 95 EB won't idle at low speeds and he has to keep his foot on the gas to keep it running.

I remember reading some procedure you had to go through after cleaning the IAC but now I can't find it. Anyone remember where this further instruction is? It had to do with relearning or something. We have had the battery disconnected many times and this did not help the idle problem.

THanks

 

Cleaning the IAC will only buy you a few more weeks. I cleaned mine once and it started acting up in a week so I took it back out and cleaned it, well, it didn't work anymore. The only way to keep my truck running was keeping my foot on the gas. Replacing is the only way to cure the problem. I did that last November and it hasn't do anything since. Get it from www.rockauto.com . They sell the IAC's for $55 plus shipping so it's pretty cheap, considering it's a Motorcraft part.

 

His Explorer was running fine before we cleaned the IAC, sorry if I wasn't clear about that.

Just looking for that procedure that I came upon accidentally when searching for other things wrong. I would have bookmarked it but he didn't tell me that he couldn't get it to idle after we had fixed the IAC. Lesson learned--if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 

Yeah, you probably shorted out the electricals in the IAC. But it's alright, some things needed to be fixed and some aren't needed as much. Look on the bright side, you don't have to worry about replacing one after this one for a while.

 

Just replace the IAC valve they all go bad.I work at a ford dealer and i must of replaced about 70 last year. Would not advise on cleaning.

 

The IAC went out on my '00 X Spt....I learned that the one it came with (from Ford) was a piece of crap...and after realizing this Ford made a better one....which is what we're all (for the most part) getting now when we order. Same thing, fits well, but doesn't have the problem that the original had.

Not sure what years this all occured though.

 

Excellent Post Wolfmeister. Very Clear Information

 

I am a newbie to FTE and I had a couple questions. I have a 98 Ford Explorer and have been experiencing a howling noise coming from my intake. I popped the hood to see just where the noise is coming from and it is coming directly from the air filter. It made this noise last summer for a short while and then quit. I just recently (January) bought a K&N fuel injection Performance Kit Gen2 and the noise still started back up. The temp has been around 80 degrees in Cali, so it is warm when this noise occurs. The noise happens just around 12:00-2:00 (off and on). I was wondering if I too would have to replace the IAC to solve this problem. Any help?

 

My IAC was howling before I replaced it last year. It's either the small black plastic air filter, or an internal air leak at the plunger that's causing the noise. The noise dosen't seem to affect anything, but a new IAC will cure it.

 

My 2000 F150 4.6 would not idle. It would fall on it's face if you let off the gas at less than 2500-3000 rpm.

I suspected the IAC, after reading some of the posts. I went to AutoZone. The manager told me that Fords dont have an IAC!! He told me the problem sounded like my timing. He said he would gladly sell me sensors all day, but he tells me it is definately not an emission related sensor. If it was, it would go into "limp" mode, but it would still drive. He also said it wasnt emission related because I dont have a warning light on.

So I bought the "non-existant" IAC look-alike, HA HA, and I'm ready to try it. Cost $47

Wish me luck

 

Can IAC malfunction also be the cause of higher than usual idle in park/neutral (1200 rpm)? My 98 is sporadically doing this and I have noticed rougher tranny shifts up and down while the higher idle is ocurring. I cleaned the IAC today and will try wolfmeister electrical tests tomorrow. I noticed carbon buildup primarily on the outer port, very little on the inner one. 98xlt has 60K mi and had a clean "checkup" at dealer only 1000 mi ago. tx. markb

 

I completed Wolfmeister's tests and my IAC handily passed the KE3 test for resistance across the leads of the unit, but failed the KE4 "short" test for the body of the valve, so I bought replacement from Ford dealer for $130 + tax. For the heck of it, I performed the KE4 test on the new unit right out of the box. Same "OL" result. While I applaud Wolfi's post, I'm not totally sold on the KE4 portion of the test. Coincidentally, my 98 almost overheated on the way home from the Ford dealer ( I hadn't been having temp probs until this very day). Went to auto supply store nearer to home and picked up a new OEM thermostat with O-ring (about $20). Installed both the new IAC(2 minutes) and thermostat ( about 1.25 hours). Whoever heard of sticking the thermostat under the intake manifold anyway??!! 98 seems to run well now, both in idle and temp. thanks for your support.