2002 BA 5.4L 3V Ford fairmont ghia

[martynogutsnoglory]

I started up my car this morning and it is idling at 1100rpm. Wont idle at its normal 650rpm. Cant drive it either. I decided to go ahead and buy original ford brand new throttle body full assemble because my old has 180ks and could be the problem. I will install new part tomorrow. I dont have a scan tool to check for trouble codes. Engine check light is not on but the engine is a high idle. Probably has trouble codes. Couple of questions. Once i install the new throttle body will the ECU recognize the new part? Is there anything i have to do. I want to get a ford scan app that will check for codes and clear codes too. I have garage pro on my android. It wont clear codes. Cant find out much about garage pro. Is it a good scan tool. I heard fordscan for PC is okay. I downloaded latest release for windows. Im nervous to install it. Help and recommendations appreciated. Cheers Marty

[T3rminator]

Just disconnect the battery before removing the old TB and installing the new TB. If you don't have forscan to reset, then just wait 10-20min for the KAM to reset itself with the battery disconnected. Then reconnect the battery, turn the key to accessories, as wait 20-30 seconds for the car to sweep all sensors. Then start the car and let it idle for 5 mins. Then turn AC on and let it idle for 2-3 mins. Then off you go.

The high idle could be due to a number of things. Bad actuator, bad TPS, or even a vacuum leak. Check the PCV hose that goes off the passenger rocker cover to the back of the engine.

When you say "can't drive it", what happens when you drive it?

[martynogutsnoglory]

Engine check engine light came on backfired ran really rough. Shut her down. Check for leaks. Disconnect battery. Left 30 minutes tried it again. same. Next i video throttle body butterfly without engine running its opening closing but seems like it might be a too much open at idle. On the sound recorder i can hear the throttle body is noisy. So i went ahead and bought the new one. Looks like the PVC is okay. i will have a could look tomorrow before i do new install. Been running good until this morning.

[T3rminator]

Originally Posted by martynogutsnoglory

Engine check engine light came on backfired ran really rough. Shut her down. Check for leaks. Disconnect battery. Left 30 minutes tried it again. same. Next i video throttle body butterfly without engine running its opening closing but seems like it might be a too much open at idle. On the sound recorder i can hear the throttle body is noisy. So i went ahead and bought the new one. Looks like the PVC is okay. i will have a could look tomorrow before i do new install. Been running good until this morning.

hmmm with a backfire, possibly TB related then I reckon. I once messed about with my TB and it backfired, and shut down. Then I had trouble starting the car again Towed it to the mechanic, he "cleaned" the throttle body, and it started working again. The 5.4L TBs are temperamental at best.

[martynogutsnoglory]

I use a shop for the stuff i cant fix like new diff bushings axle seals wheel bearing etc. I did do a TB clean with the battery off as a last resort. Had to push the butterfly open and closed. The shop guy said you can't do that and said i caused the problem. I tried to respectfully tell him I didn't touch the butterfly until after it went pumpkin. He kind of wasn't listening to me when i said it just failed and i need a new one. I wont be pushing at the new unit butterfly. No need too! funny. The shop guy is really busy and could be bothered talking to me. They do good work and walking distance to me. They cant even look at until next week so i went ahead and bought TB. I guess i will know if it's something else tomorrow. $320 for the ford TB.

[arm79]

There is no check engine line in a BA. The light on the bottom right of the cluster is actually an indicator there is a fault in the electronic throttle control system.

If the light came on and the engine ran run rough that means there is some fault in the system that caused the PCM to enter serious fault mode and it basically turned off the throttle and disabled major systems.

It could be anything from the TB motors, to the TPS, to the accelerator pedal, the wiring or even the PCM. This is one of those things you need a code reader for.

Or of course you could just be lucky and its simply the TB/TPS combo.

[T3rminator]

Originally Posted by martynogutsnoglory

I use a shop for the stuff i cant fix like new diff bushings axle seals wheel bearing etc. I did do a TB clean with the battery off as a last resort. Had to push the butterfly open and closed. The shop guy said you can't do that and said i caused the problem. I tried to respectfully tell him I didn't touch the butterfly until after it went pumpkin. He kind of wasn't listening to me when i said it just failed and i need a new one. I wont be pushing at the new unit butterfly. No need too! funny. The shop guy is really busy and could be bothered talking to me. They do good work and walking distance to me. They cant even look at until next week so i went ahead and bought TB. I guess i will know if it's something else tomorrow. $320 for the ford TB.

If you touched it whilst disconnected its fine. They are temperamental if you touch them when its connected. I have swapped over many TPS and actuators, and even knife edged a throttle plate and its been fine, you just need to understand how they operate.

When you say you have to "push" to open and close, thats normal? It snaps back with reduction gears, like all TBs? It won't close up like it does at idle because it relies on engine vacuum to close the butterfly further. Its hard to explain, there is a stopper on the gears, but it has a bit of give and the engine vacuum will be strong enough to close the butterfly.

I once screwed the butterfly on too tight, which affects the closing position, and the vacuum was not strong enough to close it for idle. It idled at 1500RPM for a few seconds, then "check engine light" came on and car was stumbling all over the place.

Having said that, try not to touch your new one, but don't stress if you do.

[PooDog]

Originally Posted by T3rminator

hmmm with a backfire, possibly TB related then I reckon. I once messed about with my TB and it backfired, and shut down. Then I had trouble starting the car again Towed it to the mechanic, he "cleaned" the throttle body, and it started working again. The 5.4L TBs are temperamental at best.

You can get a gunk build up around where the throttle butterfly closeseach time they close they sort of slowly build a wall of gunk .... worth a look , easiest to clean taking it off then you can attack it from both sides

[T3rminator]

Originally Posted by PooDog

You can get a gunk build up around where the throttle butterfly closeseach time they close they sort of slowly build a wall of gunk .... worth a look , easiest to clean taking it off then you can attack it from both sides

These TBs come coated with, I think, teflon, and shouldn't require a lot of cleaning for a healthy engine. The OEM ones actually have a sticker on it that states "do not clean". I know a lot of people who ignore this, including myself, and clean it anyways. But I always give it a coat of teflon after cleaning. I have never noticed these TBs to gunk up on our falcons, but have noticed that on the 3vs, the underside of the plate can get oily and slimey. The PCV vacuum inlet sits just underneath.

I have seen plenty of really bad gunked up ones off the F150, using the same TB.

[PooDog]

Originally Posted by T3rminator

These TBs come coated with, I think, teflon, and shouldn't require a lot of cleaning for a healthy engine. The OEM ones actually have a sticker on it that states "do not clean". I know a lot of people who ignore this, including myself, and clean it anyways. But I always give it a coat of teflon after cleaning. I have never noticed these TBs to gunk up on our falcons, but have noticed that on the 3vs, the underside of the plate can get oily and slimey. The PCV vacuum inlet sits just underneath.

I have seen plenty of really bad gunked up ones off the F150, using the same TB.

OK, I didn't know that ,my AU got quite a bad dose of it and had to scrape it off

[martynogutsnoglory]

Latest update: I installed a new Ford throttle body (TB), but the problem persists. During my inspection, I discovered a cracked PCV rubber elbow connector to the manifold, which I heat shrinked together. After fixing it, I checked the PCV for vacuum, and it improved from a bad 1200 to 1500. So, the vacuum is good now. I'm wondering if there's a way to reset the trouble codes without a scan tool. Also, is there any downloadable software available to reset the Idle Air Control (IAC) Trim? I suspect this trim setting controls the engine's idle speed, which appears to be the issue causing a high idle. I read that the Engine Control Module (ECM) adjusts the amount of air bypassing the throttle plate (via the IAC valve) to maintain a stable idle speed. On my Ford, is the IAC valve built into the throttle body (TB)? Where is the MAF sensor on my ford? Unfortunately, I can't get to my local mechanic until August 3rd, and I'd like to attempt to fix the idling issue myself. Any suggestions or ideas for troubleshooting would be greatly appreciated!

[T3rminator]

Originally Posted by martynogutsnoglory

Latest update: I installed a new Ford throttle body (TB), but the problem persists. During my inspection, I discovered a cracked PCV rubber elbow connector to the manifold, which I heat shrinked together.

3v owners have a nickname for that hose, and the C does not stand for crankcase Its the source of many problems.

Personally, I would go to Repco, and get fresh PCV hose and replace that elbow piece. If its not 100000% completely sealed, it will give you problems.

[martynogutsnoglory]

I covered it in blue casket maker too. Not leaking now. I will get new elbow as soon as i get it running again. This is the first of the BA so it 23 years old and rubbers are starting to perish. Lucky its been a carport car all its life. thanks