Been trying to track down what's causing the P1518 in my 2000 V6. I thought I saw all the rods and bushing attached with an inspection mirror, but just discovered the driver side rod was only hanging there. It fell off when I touched it with a long screwdriver (I was laying on a plywood board on top of the engine to reach it). I retrieved it with a wire, then got a new bushing in the runner lever fairly easy, but am now trying various ways to get one into the actuator lever.

Odd that it threw the passenger bank open code when the driver side bank is the culprit, OR is the driver side bank 1 on V6s? Always been unsure about that.

If I can get this bushing in, then the rod back on, it'll be a miracle...

BTW, is it possible to move the electric actuator manually? It won't budge, but the driver side flaps move very easily.

 

Well a miracle happened and I got it in! Bad news is the cheap Dorman/Help bushings I used didn't hold the rod, so after driving a bit it fell out of the runner lever, the CEL came on, and I pulled a couple lean codes. Last time I replaced the passenger side runner lever bushing I used a Ford bushing and the rod snapped in very tightly. With the Dormans, not so. I noticed on both ends it didn't snap in, but I was hoping it would hold anyway.

Guess I'll get some Ford bushings tomorrow and hope that just replacing the runner lever bushing will hold the rod. The actuator bushing was a real pain to install so I'll leave it for now (I threaded some 22 gauge braided wire through the hole, dropped the bushing down the wire, then after manipulating it with the wire to line up with the square hole, pushed it in with a screwdriver from the right side). BTW, looking at the OEM bushing next to the Dorman on the actuator, the Ford one does look more substantial

Lesson learned.

EDIT: The bushing is now gone from the runner lever and even with the engine warm I was able to get the rod back into the square hole, and loosely have it secured in place with some 14 gauge copper wire. It can slide laterally for operation, but can't move back toward the firewall, so it should stay in the runner lever until I get the new bushing, and have time to install it. Drove around for an hour, and no CEL light!

Now off for a bike ride...

 

Follow-up... while looking online for some Ford IMRC bushings I ran across reviews for the Dorman 47099 bushings on Amazon, and several recent reviews mentioned that they're sloppy and the rods fell out quickly, as mine did. One guy had even removed the intake manifold to install them, and had to do it all over again to put Ford bushings in. Not sure if Dorman has switched to another supplier now, but I'd read in many forums, in older threads, that their bushings were as good as OEM, so choose to use them this time.

JFYI

BTW I also think I know why it threw a bank 1 (passenger) runner stuck open. The driver side rod had fallen out of the runner lever and became lodged below, holding the passenger side from closing (it was still hooked on the actuator's lever, which controls both runners), and perhaps the driver side just stayed closed on it's own?

 

Got the Ford bushing and driver side rod installed, and the IMRC is functioning now. Drove around, no P1518, then I got a P0171? Checked the rods and bushings, still in place, then after searching the web again found a common issue: a 1/2" hard plastic tube that enters the larger intake tube after the MAF sensor that can pop out if you move the intake tube off the throttle body, which I did when I replaced the PCV elbow a few days ago. Popped that back in, now no codes!