Idle or intake valves?? Help!

[Renee Johnson]

Hello--this is my first post. I have a 2001 2 x 4 Sport Trac with about 77,000 miles on it....just went out of warranty (of course!). Over the past 3 years I have had to replace the idle air control three times....and now I think it is coming again.

Friday I was in the middle of my town at a red light and as I slowed to stop the poor thing started shaking and just died ...right in the turning lane. I put it in park, restarted just fine, ran just fine, put my foot on the brake to shift to drive and CLUNK ...died again :blink:. I had to call the cops to get me out of the intersection, which the nice policeman did after trying it about 20 times, it decided to run in drive. I went directly to the dealership, and they told me they didn't know WHAT it could be! No error codes, nothing...BUT (I got a laugh out of this since they kept looking at me like I didn't know what I was talking about) the owner of the dealership drove it around the block, it happened to him, and he came back after 20 minutes a believer.

What can this be? I ran a can of Seafoam through it yesterday, it hasn't done it since, but it was an on-off sort of thing on the way home Friday night. It sometimes does it when I slow to stop, sometimes not. The dealership swears it is the idle control and ordered the part.



Anybody else ever have this happen? Please help..the dealership service people think I am a very ignorant lady and have taken me for a ride before!



Thanks,

Renee

 

[Raser x]

Sounds like a vacuum leak to me. You say it happens as soon as you hit the brakes right? When the breke boosted calls for more vacuum it bleeds air into the engine causing it to lean out and die. If this is the problem I had the same thing happen to a Blazer s-10 had to replace the brake booster. Thats the big round thing that the brake fluid reservoir connects too.



Raserx Hope this helps.

 

[Renee Johnson]

Would that only happen intermittently? Thanks a ton for your reply. I am becoming very concerned with the idle control part being constantly replaced by the dealership!

 

[Todd Z]

I would clean the MAF sensor, and check the common vacuum elbow...

Todd Z

 

[Raser x]

Yes, it could be intermitant. The motor may just stumble and not die. If its an air leak at the booster you shouold get some kind of reaction when you apply the brake. Have you tried reving the motor a little while applying the brake? If you give it some gas as you aplly the break it may keep running long enough to get moving. Of course once you come to a stop at idle it may stumble and die again. Hopefully this helps a little.

Raserx