1988 Ford Thunderbird Other - Fuel System

Question: high idle 3000 cold, 2400 hot, replaced iac valve, did'nt help. not vacum leaks that i hear with a stethascope, any ideas? Help!!

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Technican: Is the check engine light coming on? Have you tried plugging the large vacuum line to the brake booster? Thoroughly inspect the throttle body gasket and the large air inlet hose to the throttle body. Is this the 3.8L engine?

Owner: i checked the air inlet, and gasket looks solid, no sound from vacum leaks. will try plugging the booster brake vacum hose. check engine light works when key is turned on, goes out when engine is stared, the engine is a 5.0 efi. i'm almost tempted to put a resister across the wires to cut the voltage on the iac valve, with a potentiometer to adjust the idle as needed, but iknow this is not the correct cure.

Technican: You can also remove the iac and plug its passageway. If the car will barely idle (very slow), or if you have to keep your foot slightly on the accelerator to keep the car running, this tends to eliminate a major vacuum leak as the cause. YOu seem well versed with electronics, you could actuate the pintle to the closed position (restricting air) and reinstall. Leave the electrical connector unplugged- does it maintain a low and steady idle now? The throttle position sensor was troublesome on fords back then. Be sure to check it out. If you need a repair guide, there are free online versions here- autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?UseCase=RG001&UserAction=viewRepairGuideYMMEYear

Owner: i unhooked the TPS and the the car went to and idle. when its unhooked, i can increase the rpm by just turning the tps by hand. is it possable that the tps is bad on the low idle end of its range?

Technican: It is possible. Some TPS's are adjustable. See if you can adjust the TPS to regain proper idle.

Owner: The tps is not adjustable its fixed, but I might try making slots where the two holes are and then I can twist the tps so it sits in a relaxed position. Then tighten it down and it should work ok. I'll let you know how this works. Thanks for all your help..

Technican: If there is a bad spot in the tps it'll likely show up elsewhere, if you can adjust it to work at idle it'll likely give trouble just above idle. I'm just applying theory, perhaps you'll surprise me.

Owner: I replaced the tps, and it works great, idles around 850 rpm, start 1500 idle after a bit the idle drops like it's supposed to. I'm very happy that this worked. Thanks for all you help, and I was able to solve this problem for under $100.00. I know where to go next time I get into a Jam. Take Care and thanks again.

Technican: Good job! Be sure to save this link so you'll always have a repair guide- autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?UseCase=RG001&UserAction=viewRepairGuideYMMEYear You're welcome!

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