tonight after dinner I go out to the expy and it fires up but
won't hold an idle.. just dies.

so first i check in the intake track - make sure something
didn't get lodged in there or what not. Nothing.

Check the shrader valve - has fuel pressure - checked the
pump - it's turning on (w/key on) - so it's at least basically
functional.

Had a code scanner in my buddies lightning that was with me -
no code come up.

try firing it up in D with a load on it... same thing.. fires up and
dies.

so at this point i figure it's either the pump or the pump filter
and call AAA.

AAA guy shows up and says "hey try this... - it worked on a
lexus last week"

So he has me put it in neutral - and rev it up for about 10-15
seconds.

sure enough it holds idle perfectly. Turn it off - fire it back up
fixed.

he didn't know much as to why - but he said apparently it
resets some solenoid? I've worked on mustangs for a long
time as has my buddy and neither of us has ever heard of
this "fix" or reset.

anyone here know anything about this?

thanks
d

 

IAC valve is sticking. $65 for a new part and 15 minutes time will fix you up for a few more years.

 

thanks.. thats what I was guessing after thinking about it today
but wasn't totally sure. Odd temp fix for it tho - the neutral
thing.

expy has been great for the most part - it's the little stuff however
thats been annoying on it.

first the strap that holds the spare tire and junk underneath
the car broke - dumped the spare and the related items on
the street, lol. (thankfully it happened as i was pulling out of a
parking lot and not on the freeway).

the mirrors got the ford rot - where the film that is the reflective
coating deteriorates and you get the black spotting from
behind showing through. Still haven't fixed this one - lease is
up in a few months, ford can have it back as-is. I'm not dumping
$300 on a part ford should be replacing for free. Mirrors are
not a wear item.

General front-end squeaks - nothing bad, but they are there.

and now the IAC - but thats not a biggie.. happens to most cars.
10 minute fix.

I'm addicted to the driver space on the full size suv's now tho..
so i'm stuck with getting either another expy or a tahoe. H2
is a consideration but I'm not paying $59K for anything built
by GM, lol.

The new 2004's (or 2003 I guess is when they changed) look
decent from the outside, but the interior compared to my 99
looks like it was designed by a person with mild retardation.
Nothing flows, just looks disjointed and cheaper (which is
a hard thing to do when talking ford interiors, haha). However,
if they got smart and stuck that lightning engine in it, I'd be a
no brainer.

-d

 

The mirror delamination on the '99s was covered under warranty, you could have gotten new ones.

 

I totally agree with you on the 04 interior,its no comparison to the 02 i traded,that was dark grey cloth ,nice rich look,the 04 is a euro style but gotta say is very comfi,especially like the fold down rear seats and reclining middle row ,ride is also a lot smoother,i also like the dark trim with the black ,couldnt stand the light plastic in 03 just didnt look right.

 

didn't happen till it was out of warranty and the dealer said
no dice.

-d

 

Yes, you do have another choice besides the Expy, little 'ol Tahoe or the guzzling, not really much room H2.

See sig!

 

haha, yeah the tahoe is on the list (was last time too, but the
dash/steering wheel look so cheap and circa 80's chevy).

saw a lifted excursion the other day, everything blacked out
- looked like a 8-11" lift + 35"+ tires. Evil looking.

-d