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Hard starting, cold weather - fixed

My 95 3.0 Taurus was giving me fits starting when temp was under thirty, yet wife ( her car) said she didnt have any problems with it.

Starting when warm was fine though it cranked a little long.

After trying various scenarios, I found that to start it, when cold, I'd have to pump accel a couple times then hold to floor and feather it to keep it running till it warmed a little, idled rough for several minutes because I'd set the wrong table by pumping it.

175 kmiles and i'd never changed the TPS or cleaned the throttle body / ISC

So while out getting heater resistor assy, I also picked up a can of STP TB cleaner and a TPS... Tried changing the TPS but damned screws are corroded tight, have to wait on that.. but I pulled the ISC and sprayed it out good, then pulled the duct tubing off the throttle body.

Under the clamp is sticker saying "Do not clean Throttle plate area"..I threw it over my left shoulder for good luck and sprayed away .. didnt bother getting it pristine, just till I could see metal.

Noted instant results tho engine was warm, about 1/2 second crank and fires right up.

This morning, started very quickly and ran as smooth as if it was warm.

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic
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You do realize that you just removed that "magic" coating that prevents sludge from sticking to your throttle body in the first place. I guess Ford thinks you should replace the throttle body when it gets dirty. Bob

Reply to
Bob

Hate to say this Bob, but, if the coating had done it's job in the first place, it would not be encrusted in sludge that needed to be removed. There are solvents that are safe to use when cleaning the coated throttle bodies. Even if the coating is removed, it only means the throttle body may need more frequent cleaning.

Happy New Year

Lugnut

Reply to
lugnut

And what might the "There are solvents that are safe to use when cleaning the coated throttle bodies." be; for those that probably need to clean the thing.

:-)

Reply to
Bill

Yep, you just did what every port injected Ford owner should do for idle and dieing at idle problems.....:) (just FYI for anyone reading this)

Reply to
Scott M

Ford dealers usually have the solvents available. For my own vehicles, I usually use an off-the-shelf throttle body cleaner for my personal vehicles which have this coating and warning labels on the throttle bodies. Again, if it is so heavily encrusted that it needs to be cleaned for the engine to operate properly, there is little choice other than to use a solvent to clean the throttle body. This is far safer than using a scraper or wire brush to clean the throttle body. If the coating is removed by the solvent, it only means the throttle body should be cleaned more frequently in the future to ensure proper engine operation. It has been my anecdotal observation that the coating only extends the intervals between cleanings and that the dealer techs use the foam solvent in this situation. You'll have to read the labels for a coating safe solvent in you area of the country if you choose to use other than the Ford juice.

Happy New Year

Lugnut

Reply to
lugnut

Thanks for the detailed explanation, although I don't need to yet, I'm sure I'll need the info in the future.

Reply to
Bill

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