idle low

95 auto
idles fine in park but when in gear like at a stop sign the idle drops below 500 and wants to die actually did die
runs fine good boost
i got a check engine light so scanned for codes the code i got was 632 ther isnt a code 632
i suspect the ic tubes or one of the for connecting points so i gave then a snug but same thing idle drops in gear while stopped.
bougfht the car of bob chandler the bigfoot monster truck guy
1 year ago scence then ive replaced the trannsmission 1800$
then the crank shaft broke in half at the first journal so bought a short block 1300$ and put everything on that not the ford dealer i did so i know its done right ford dont know **** about anything.
car runs like a stripped ass zebra.
but im soo sick of pouring money in this bitch.
maybey its a vacumm problem i hope.
i think im gonna sell this bitch
these cars are just too touchy, everything must be just right or they wont run right. imagine the car of your dreams , only to lead to heartbreak be carefull what you wish for you just might get it.
the car is beutifull 95 auto pearl whit all leather
transmission under warrenty engine 4500 miles
on short block 19000 miles on everthing up top heads ect.
new firehawks its beautifull. tons of pictures of the tear down and rebuild. i think ive just had it with t birds especially the sc's.. well if you can help let me know if not come get the car.

Ready for this: Check your engine mounts.

That's right.. your engine mounts. I'll bet you're experiencing a vibration when sitting at a stoplight in gear and that your oil filter is hard to remove because its sitting right up against the subframe. 2 other ways to tell:
1. If they've never been replaced and the car has more than 90,000 miles.. they're done for.
2. If you raise the hood, put the car in gear, hold the brake and goose the throttle slightly, and the engine raises up 1-2" then they're worn out.

Worn mounts will cause a low idle. Not exactly sure why, but I've been through it as have others.

well i just checked the oil filter and yes its very close to the sub frame but not so close that it wont turn it will turn with about eight inch clearence. yes the motor raise somewhat but its not over an inch. does that have something to do with the knock sensor? how hard is it to change the motor mounts?

The knock sensor won't affect how the engine moves. With your oil filter that close, your engine is sagging significantly due to crushed mounts. You can visually inspect them also. Its sort of hard to describe, but the easiest way to see the mount is from underneath with the wheels off. The mount is a round rubber looking thing about 4" in diameter which sits between 2 brackets. On the upper bracket (bolted to the engine), there is a steel finger 1" wide which sticks out and protrudes towards the wheelwell into a square hole which is part of the lower bracket (bolted to the frame).
Normally, that limiter arm sits in the middle to upper part of the hole. If it is resting on the bottom part, that mount is fully collapsed... the engine is not being supportd by the mount, but rather is resting on the frame.

As far as doing the job, opinions vary, but most agree its not for the novice mechanic. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being adding oil, 10 being overhauling the engine, its about a 7. If you're gung-ho, let me know and I'll post a how-to.

well the drivers side motoe mount looks good
the braket is in the middle of the slot
but the passenger side is resting on the bottom of the slot
so would this cause the idle to drop when the car is in gear
and if so is it because of the knock sensor?h

You're fortunate in one regard.. the passenger side mount is the easier of the 2 to replace. The knock sensor wouldn't cause it to wear out. Its just plain old time and stress and a poor design which causes them to wear out. The originals are liquid filled which means that its not solid rubber. They absorb vibrations better, but wear out sooner than solids.
I'm not sure if 1 sagging mount would cause idle problems. From experience, I had the problem and both of my mounts were shot. I replaced both and the vibration cleared up and it started idling in gear properly again and get this, before whenever the A/C compressor kicked in, the engine would die and after.. no problems.
FWIW, I think you should replace that one and if it were me doing the job, I'd use a solid mount on just that side.

well i got 1 new mount solid rubber
but all the post i read sounds like this job can turn out to be a nightmare. i got the book on this car and the book dosent make it out to be that tough. but the people i read about taking 20 hours and all that. so i really dont know which way to go with this thing but the passenger side is trashed no doubt about it. how much would a shop charge for the passenger side.?anyway. i get frustrated very easily especiallly with these sc's.

Here's a how-to. You can gauge your willingness to attempt it after looking it over. For some, its worth the $$ to have a shop do the work.

Revised 11/9/02
Pass side:
1. Remove air cleaner top and rubber intake tube from air cleaner and throttle body.
2. Remove coolant reservoir bolts and move the tank out of the way.
3. Unbolt compressor (4 bolts) and tie it up and out of the way.
4. Loosen the plastic cowling beneath the winshield on the drivers side. This is to allow the engine to be raised up without cracking it.
4. Loosen the lug nuts on the passenger wheel, jack up the car and support with a jack stand. Remove wheel.
5. Place the jack under the oil pan with a piece of wood between the jack and the oil pan to keep from cracking or bending the oil pan. Jack the engine up slightly.
6. Loosen the 2 frontside upper bracket nuts/studs/bolts. You'll need deep sockets for these.
7. Loosen the the through bolt holding the lower bracket to the subframe with a 13mm 1/2" drive 6sided socket and a breaker bar. (If you don't have the socket, go buy one as this bolt is very tight and will shatter a 3/8" drive).
8. Using extensions and a swivel and 6sided 15mm socket and breaker bar also, remove the rear upper bracket bolt from under the car. This is why you removed the wheel. Finish removing all the bolts.
9. The mount should now be loose. Jack the engine up some more to gain clearance. Watch the plastic cowling to be sure it isn't damaged. To remove the mount, tilt/twist it around until the 2 10mm bolts on the bottom are accessible. Remove them and take the 2 halves and mount remnants out.
10. Take the upper bracket/mount to a vise or workbench, and remove the large nut holding it to the top bracket.

11. Install the new mount onto both brackets such that the limiter arm is centered side to side. Torque the top nut securly.
12. Now remove the 2 10mm bolts again and insert the 2 halves under the engine. Bolt the bottom 2 10mm bracket bolts back on and tighen securly.
13. Lower the engine to where the bolt holes line up, insert all bolts and tighten raising and lowering the engine as necessary. Torque the through bolt to around 80 lbs. Tighten the others securely.
14. lower the engine completely, put the wheel back on, lower the car, reinstall the compressor being careful NOT to overtighten those bolts as the bracket is soft metal (20lbs tops), reinstall everything else and test it out.

I did this last summer on mine to replace a 1yr old mount which had already failed but was warranted for lifetime.. took me about 1.5 hrs total.
Hope this helps.

Bad motor mounts cause the engine to sag, metal-to-metal contact resulting in knocking sounds that the knock sensor picks up as a combustion chamber knock and that results in the EEC retarding the spark advance which causes the idle to drop, more rough running, more false knock, and sometimes stalling. In my case, the motor mounts themselves had metal-to-metal contact as well as the oil pan against the cross member.

I first changed the drivers side mount thinking the passengers mount was OK. After I drove it, I checked the passengers mount and it was also bad as the metal limiter in the mount was bottoming out in the hole.

So, just change both and save yourself the time.