Merc Tracer idle problem

This sounds similar to my problem, which I'm told is the Idle Air Control valve. The valve gets stuck closed causing the engine to choke to death at idle. Opening the throttle alleviates this as the engine then gets air. You'll probably need a new one. Mine frees up once the engine revs a bit.

OTOH, I'm not very experienced so I could be wrong.

-D

The IAC could well be the issue. My sons Explorer had this problem. The IAC is very easy on most Ford models to replace, but it's not a cheap part.

Before spending the money on an IAC you may also want to check for a vacuum leak which has similar symptoms at idle. On my '93 Escort the crankcase breather line that attaches to the PCV valve had a leak, it runs directly under the hood and is subject to a fair bit of vibration and had worn through. FYI this happened with 92,000 miles on my vehicle (still running fine at 170,000+!!). With bare arms, run your hand loosely over the vacuum hoses when idling the engine (when stationary and in neutral of course) listening and feeling for any changes in engine noises or tone. If there is a leak a Duck tape repair will confirm the problem and get you to dealer parts department.

JP

Check for air and vacuum leaks and clean out the IAC first. If all that doesn't work then it probably is the IAC. The 1.8L is a Mazda engine, so expect a new IAC to be expensive, like $150 instead of the $40 NAPA would want for the same thing for a 1.9L Ford engine.