Replacement "99 Explorer IAC...longish

Hi folks,

About a year ago I had a problem with the IAC on my '99 Ford Explorer SUV 4.0L causing bad idle or stall. Vehicle has now 129,500km. At the time other things were going on as well, such as pinging under load when driving on the highway with CC on and starting an uphill climb. It didn't take that much of a hill either for the vehicle to shift down a gear.

At that time I went onto the internet and this newsgroup to find out what was wrong with the vehicle, not knowing at that time that it could be the IAC, didn't even know what that was. Two main suggestions were:

  1. to clean and 2. to replace.

I decided to take the unit off the engine, easy to do, takes longer to find the correct size socket than to remove, and cleaned it with WD-40. After thoroughly cleaning I replaced the unit and fired up the engine. This seemd to fix the problem, idle was smooth, ran better so I left it like that and ran the vehicle all summer.

Just as winter was getting a good hold on us, the unit failed again. This time I drove into town to replace the unit with a brand new one. Funny thing, I went to the Ford dealer and asked if they had one in stock. The person behind the counter asked which 4.0L engine I had, I said, I don't know, all I know is that it's a 4.0L, is there any other kind? She said I would have to come back once I found out so she could order one. Cost was for one, 124.00CDN for one type and 189.00CDN for the other type.

I decided to drop into another parts dealer who I knew dealed with Ford parts. Cost here was 109.00. Same question, which 4.0l engine? I said I didn't know, the parts person asked me for my VIN number. On the VIN number is the engine code and from that he was able to go back and get the correct unit.

I got home, took the old unit off and replaced with th new one. Fired up the engine, purred like a kitten

Now I noticed something else. Before this replacement there was still the consistant ping under load. That is now gone....totally! Also when in cruise, it now takes a seriosly steep grade before it shifts down, instead it powers up and contnues up the hill with ease. Also notice that when slowing down from highway speed that the vehicle slows fast now, before it felt like free wheeling.

So to end this long story, I just want to thank all and everyone who helped me at the time. Sure feels good to drive a vehicle that feels like brand new again!

Thanks again and a Merry Christmas to all!

Allan

Reply to
Allan
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Glad you got your Explorer up and running good. i had a little bit of a problem with my IAC not too long ago. funny how such a small part can cause so much trouble huh. also, for future reference, if anyone asks which 4.0L engine you have, take a look at the engine itself. your '99 and my '00 model have either a 4.0L SOHC (single overhead cam) or 4.0L OHV (overhead valve). the SOHC has a plastic cover on top of the engine that says "4.0L SOHC" on it ( lol, duh ), while the OHV does not have a cover at all, and simply says "4.0L EFI" or just "EFI" on top of the engine. also you can check near the back of your owner's manual and it will have pictures that identify each engine as they look under the hood. anyway, hope your Explorer continues performing well for you! Merry Christmas as well!

aklmfreak

2000 Ford Explorer Sport 4.0L SOHC Flowmaster Dual Exhaust
Reply to
almfreak

Also, the eighth digit in the VIN tells you which engine it is. For the OHV it's "X" and for the SOHC it's "E" and for the V8 it's "P."

This is only the second time I've heard of cleaning it with WD-40. The first time was last week on my '97. I'd cleaned it with some solvent previously and my daughter said it stalled while she was shifting from D to R so I figured it was getting stuck. So far so good.

Reply to
Ulysses

My engine is the OHV then because it does have the 4.0L EFI on the top of the engine. Thanks for that!

Allan

snipped-for-privacy@hiwaay.net wrote:

Reply to
Allan

I had noticed on the old IAC that there is a little rod that was getting stuck, the WD-40 had freed that up. But obviously it's only a temporary fix, at least it was with mine. Mine was all crudded up with some hard black carbon and whatever else in the channel the little rod moves back and forth in, which I assume causes sticking and possible wear.

Allan

Ulysses wrote:

Reply to
Allan

Reply to
newman

Reply to
Plano Bill

$22?? When I was on my computer I went to Autozone.com online, and they list Idle Air Control Motor Edelbrock / Idle Air Control Valve And Gasket for $100.99. This is for a '98SOHC.

Plano Bill wrote:

Reply to
Kenneth J. Harris

I just purchased a IAC valve from Autozone for $50. Please do not mislead people

Reply to
dosio

Reply to
Kenneth J. Harris

I did notice that neither of you mentioned which IAC valve you purchased. For a 99 Explorer with 4.0L OHV is see a quoted price of 42.99 for my zip code. but $74.99 for the 4.0L SOHC for the same year.

I did not consider this anything more than a reminder of another place to look for parts.

Reply to
Art McClinton

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