Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

1986 town car struggling to idle.

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    1986 town car struggling to idle.

    My 1986 town car come with one issue it likes to die when you first get it started up, but once you get it going it’s fine. It’s an odd crap shoot.

    But when it’s finally idling it’s steady at 800rpm, but if it’s struggling and you try to move the car it dies.

    So what do I need to look for?

    I cleaned out the Idle control valve And that did barely anything. It’s weird that once you get it going it’s fine.

    So if it’s warmed up or not has no effect? So what could cause this.
    Last edited by DrHax; 05-13-2019, 08:20 AM.

    #2
    Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) sensor is a likely culprit.

    Also the Air Charge Temperature (ACT, also referred to as the Intake Air Temperature (IAT)) sensor could be at fault.

    ECT is on the front passenger side of the engine where the hose that runs back to the heater core is connected.
    ACT is on the front driver side of the lower intake.

    Those two sensors, in that order, is where I would start.
    Vic

    ~ 1989 MGM LS Colony Park - Large Marge
    ~ 1998 MGM LS - new DD
    ~ 1991 MGM LS "The Scab"
    ~ 1991 MGM GS "The Ice Car"

    Comment


      #3
      do you have another known-working IAC? if the sensors are good, it could just be the IAC is bad.

      Is the SPOUT connector missing? That has a lot to do with idle control too.
      86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
      5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

      91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

      1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

      Originally posted by phayzer5
      I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

      Comment


        #4
        ACT and ECT sensors are a good start, and cheap enough it doesn't hurt to throw them at it anyway. Vacuum leaks is always the first place i go though.

        Comment


          #5
          I bought an obd1 Ford Code reader from amazon and it gave me some codes.
          The First one was 63 c which is TPS below voltage which I swapped out the one from the town car with the 86 Vic. Now the car isn’t dying instantly! Hurray!

          The other codes I got were
          12R and 21R
          Which means idle too high and ECT sensor failure.

          The code reader was worth every penny. With my concussion not having to deal with Morse code paper clip stuff makes my life easy.

          Comment


            #6
            Regarding the ECT one, was the car fully warmed up before doing the test?


            My Cars:
            -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
            -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
            -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
            -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Kodachrome Wolf View Post
              Regarding the ECT one, was the car fully warmed up before doing the test?
              Yes, and I replaced the ECT and the idle is now normal.

              Comment


                #8
                good deal.

                12 doesn't actually mean the idle is high. It means it couldn't be raised enough to satisfy the test.
                86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                Originally posted by phayzer5
                I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                Comment


                  #9
                  Ah maybe I misread the code book either way the car runs great and is absurdly silent with the new tires.

                  Comment

                  Working...
                  X