[Car help] Stalling at stops

I had this problem with my old car i forget if it was either the Alternator or the Mass Airflow Sensor.

 

Yeah, if you're feeling adventurous, you can take it off & try to clean it. Better yet; wear a low cut top, act helpless, smile, bat your eyes & all that **** women do to bend us men to your will...and if they're not too busy the guy at the auto parts store might just do it for you. Cleaning it doesn't always fix the problem, though.

They sell a product called "B-12 Chemtool" that's for cleaning the carb/choke/throttle body, that should do it.

This may help give you an idea: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154705

However, according to the downloadable service guide here:

Never clean an IAC valve. Carburetor cleaners and other cleaning agents may temporarily repair the drivability concern, but the long-term functionality of the valve is compromised.

So, I dunno.

Personally, and if you don't mind spending a little money, I'd just have it replaced (get a quote over the phone 1st; ask them what their minimum labor charge is, 1/2 hour probably; make sure their part cost isn't outrageous compared to AutoZone/Napa/whoever).

Ahhhh screw it, just take it to GO ROCKETS. It's all ball-bearings these days.

 

I had the EXACT same problem. I know what you mean, trying to maintain RPM's at a stop, etc. Except when it got worse I had more trouble restarting the car.

I don't know **** about cars. I took it to several places, none of whom could recreate the problem or find anything wrong. One person said 'check your brakes.' It didn't make sense to me. My current mechanic checked it out and said he couldn't recreate nor find a problem, but said my brakes could use replacing.

Bingo bango, brakes fixed, problem gone. Just my experience.

 

Just to follow up, when I did it, I was advised to go through two bottles of LucasOil, I believe. I forget the ratio, but it took using it over a couple of weeks (tanks of gas?). It got better slowly, but after applying the treatment over an extended period, my car was no long dying as it got closer to idling.

I realize this may not be your problem, but if it helped, and you only used it in one tank, maybe it just didn't get treated enough? Also, not sure what you used, but... anyway...

that's all I got.

 

Read some stuff online suggested looking at idle intake valve and throttle body also. suggested not enough air is getting into your system at idle and it could be clogged hence causing the problem at idle only since it is small gap at idle. I would clean up your throttle body with throttle body cleaner from auto parts store. Also, have someone look at your throttle position sensor.

 

How many miles are on the car? You'd have to have quite a bit: ~70K-100K....to cause enough carbon buildup for your idle bypass to be clogged. Assuming the car is otherwise functioning normally, of course.

Or so I would think.

But you've definitely got an air supply problem from what you're describing. A clogged idle bypass valve or what I said in my first post would cause this. A really dirty air filter could cause the problem, too.

 

Have you checked the flux capacitor? Usually if you speed up past 65 but dont go past 85, the engine will stall.

 

Obviously, it's not too easy to diagnose any of this without looking at it.

That said:
- Check the air filter. Honestly, it's probably NOT the air filter, unless it's a large, obvious obstruction, but give it a check anyway. It's quick and easy to do. Take it out and tap it against the ground to knock out any loose particles. A brush or a broom will help to remove more. Be careful not to perforate the filter itself, though.

- If you're confident enough in what you're doing, clean out the IAB valve as others have mentioned. Autozone or a similar place will tell you the type of spray to use. Spray it out and be liberal with it; use an old toothbrush to get in there as best as you can. The spray has a high alcohol content, so it should dry out relatively quickly.

- Check any hoses you see and give them a squeeze (nb4 swoly). They should be stiff but not rigid (nb4 swoly). If they give too easily, they could be causing or compounding the problem. The hose I was talking about (nb4 swoly) in my first post is a small, "L"-shaped hose behind the manifold that collapsed in on itself, decreasing the airflow and causing the same problem in my car as what you're describing here. The trick here that I didn't catch is that the hose only collapses when it's heated up (nb4 swoly) by the engine itself, so when I was feeling around, I didn't catch the problem, and wound up taking it to the shop where it was properly diagnoses and fixed. Even if I had found the problem myself, I don't know as I would have been able to get to it to fix it myself.

Also, I should have said more when I said it was "definitely" an air supply problem: it could very easily be your TPS (throttle position sensor), which is electrical, but regulates the throttle and thus the airflow. Autozone should have the sensor reader and the necessary specs to check this for you.

I don't know what part of town you're in, but I have an excellent mechanic in Spring Branch I can recommend if need be.

Hope this helps!!

 

Update?

I had someone ask the same thing to me in the hall this morning.

 

Maybe you have a manual transmission instead of an automatic and you just didn't notice? With women drivers, you can never tell!

I only joke because it sounds a lot like what happens when you're stopped and take your foot off the clutch while in gear.

 

I don't know what FB looks like, but this thread makes me think of this:

 

I have had similar problems with my car and my mother's car. Mine had a cracked air intake elbow which dropped the rpm's at every stop but did not stall the car. My mother's car felt like it was going to die at every stop, turns out it was just missing a cylinder and needed some new spark plugs.

 

I know FB, and that's EXACTLY how she looks, sir. How did you know?

 

It's usually your clutch wearing out though.



to the OP - had issues with my cluster going out recently but it was one of the sensor's. EAsy fix not sure this is your problem though cause mine wasn't turning off at all .

 

Update?

 

I need an update as well. Something similar is happening with my Expedition.

 

It is your AIC. There is a small spring bypass inside that becomes encrusted with carbon buildup. Cleaning it may solve the problem if not email me thru the board. I get wholesale prices on new Ford OEM parts.