acting funny

Thomas95SC

Registered User
I was going thru the drive thru at taco bell last night and it kinda wanted to die. When I stopped and had it in drive the rpms would drop to about 500-400, the oil guage would drop almost to the red, and the check guages light comes on. It wouldnt die but it seems like it was trying. It only happens once in a while. Which is kinda confusing. When I put it N or P it would idle right back up. Also, sometimes when im not moving and I turn the steering wheel it will do almost the same thing but not as bad. I also noticed that my crank seems to wobble a little. Could my balancer be failing? Could this be one of the reasons? When I was doing the HG job to my SC, I was turning the crank to move the lifters. I decided that it would be easier to use a breaker bar and socket fitted over the crank bolt. When I tried to turn it, It started to tighten up alittle more without much force. Maybe my bolt is loose?
 
update

I tinkered with my oil sender unit wire and the guage works fine now. The crank doesnt seem to really wobble as much as I thought it was. It really just shakes alittle which I think that its just from the engine viration. The rpms will still drop from time to time when im sitting at a light. Not past 500 though.
 
Steering Drags Down Engine

sonicman1634 said:
I was going thru the drive thru at taco bell last night and it kinda wanted to die.... It wouldnt die but it seems like it was trying. It only happens once in a while....Also, sometimes when im not moving and I turn the steering wheel it will do almost the same thing but not as bad...

Occasionally I will encounter the exact same problems that Sonicman1634 is describing. While sitting idling, if I turn the steering wheel one way or the other, the engine RPMs drop waayyy down, then bounce back up in a second or two. It seems to happen only when the engine is warmed up.

Also, sometimes after being parked for 10 minutes or so, when I restart the car the engine wants to 'hunt' (idle fluctates between 400 - 1500 rpm every couple of seconds or so) until I drive away.

his hasn't been enough of a problem to pursue, but it is annoying, and I'm concerned that it may be a precursor of a bigger problem.

Any ideas what may be causing this? Thanks...
 
i have a very similar problem when i come to a stop the engine feels like it is shuddering and i can feel the steering wheel vibrate but as soon as i put it in N or P it stops and if i come to an abrupt stop the RPMs dip way down there around 400-500 so i ran the codes and came up with cam sensor, dis module, and MAF sensor so far i've replaced the cam sensor and that has fixed my start/no start problem but not the vibrating problem.........i'm wondering if a bad IAC will throw a code? and maybe the motor mounts are caput???


I'll try to replace some of the parts (maf,dis) today and get back to u guys
 
Y'all checked your motor mounts lately?? My 95 is doing the same thing idles fine in park in gear at a light it drops way down to 400-500RPM... I was told motor mounts... I checked my 95 last weekend... They are sitting on the frame....

RJ
 
I also have this same type of problem, and I just got a new engine put in. Would'nt you think they would change the motor mounts when they dropped in the engine?
 
Guys, dont go by what the previous owners said, check the mounts your selves. Also, in my 89 i would have the rpm's drop a bit when stopped and when i moved the steering wheel. After i changed plugs and wires that went away. Its also worth a try.
 
I am having the same problem! I have been chasing this crap for months now and have come up with no solution. I have new o2s, IAC, pcv, cam sensor, MN12 solid motor mounts, cleaned MAF wires, and have replaced nearly all vacuum hoses and added hose clamps. No check engine light or codes at all. I haven't had a chance to do a KOER test though. It idles at 500 RPM in drive and reverse at a complete stop. In park or neutral it jumps up to about 650-700.

My latest theory is that the PS pump is bad and causing the idle to slow but that wouldn’t explain why it only does this in drive and reverse. I am thinking about making an appointment at the local Ford dealer and getting raped by them because I am tired of wasting my time on this $hit. If anyone finds a solution to this please post the fix!!
 
possible answer to idle drop

My '91 SC does the same crap. If I turn the wheel when sitting still, the rpms drop quite a bit. I am not sure if this is why, but a ford mechanic told me that when you sit there at a complete stop while in drive, or in park, the power steering pump draws more energy because its harder to turn the wheels than if you are moving. this extra power draw could actually rob power from the rest of the engine because the alternator isnt charging as much as if youre cruising , thereby making the RPMs drop a bit, but never making the car die completely. Again, im not sure, but it does make some sense..
 
On my 5 speed, I also tend to have this low idle problem when warmed up immediately after stopping, sometimes while parked, after the cooling fan turns on, ect.

Now that there are 11 of us, I wonder, how many are having electrical system problems? I think the alternator might be a possibility. If it is wearing out, it may be presenting the engine with an increased load. Heat from a warmed engine might further increase friction in the bearings of the alternator. This would cause a low idle situation when there is greater electrical demand, or other times. Does anyone notice a significant dip in idle when the cooling fan turns on? I have solid mn12 mounts, and am pretty certain my grounds are good.

Its a possibility at least.. lol
 
ford mechanic sounds right here too. shouldnt there be a solenoid or something to compensate for extra loads at idle? mabey we all have a bad something or another or mabey the increase in load would be like letting the clutch out with your foot on the brake. increase in tire width could be playing a role too. old age is most likely the factor and wear in the power steering unit is the problem. pump causes more drag because a it needs more power from the engine to do the same job as new, i,e. fluid leaking by inside the pump. these thing are varible power steering too. which means the steering gets a lot of help sitting still and less help at speed. hummm well theres twelve of us now :)
 
Digitalchaos said:
On my 5 speed, I also tend to have this low idle problem when warmed up immediately after stopping, sometimes while parked, after the cooling fan turns on, ect.

Now that there are 11 of us, I wonder, how many are having electrical system problems? I think the alternator might be a possibility. If it is wearing out, it may be presenting the engine with an increased load. Heat from a warmed engine might further increase friction in the bearings of the alternator. This would cause a low idle situation when there is greater electrical demand, or other times. Does anyone notice a significant dip in idle when the cooling fan turns on? I have solid mn12 mounts, and am pretty certain my grounds are good.

Its a possibility at least.. lol

Actually, if I turn on my defog the engine fan also turns on and my idle usually goes UP by 100 rpm or so; just enough to make the "low batt" indicator to go out. I almost always keep it on so my idle will be higher when I come to a stop.

I would like to swap out the alternator just to see if it helps or not. I have been thinking about getting one off a SN95 stang. I think they are 145A or something like that. My dash lights dim at even the smallest amount of bass from my subs. I have two amps. Anyone else have a decent sized audio system that is also experiencing this low idle crap?

hammrhead35 said:
ford mechanic sounds right here too. shouldnt there be a solenoid or something to compensate for extra loads at idle? mabey we all have a bad something or another or mabey the increase in load would be like letting the clutch out with your foot on the brake. increase in tire width could be playing a role too. old age is most likely the factor and wear in the power steering unit is the problem. pump causes more drag because a it needs more power from the engine to do the same job as new, i,e. fluid leaking by inside the pump. these thing are varible power steering too. which means the steering gets a lot of help sitting still and less help at speed. hummm well theres twelve of us now :)


I was thinking the same thing about the PS pump causing the problem but it wouldn't make sense since in Park and neutral the idle goes back up to where it should be. Maybe it is a trans related problem? Like the torque converter or something? That wouldn't explain why others with manuals are having the same problem though.
 
Not really, still have to flush the power steering fluid. I put a new drive belt and tensioner pulley on and it runs a bit smoother. I still have to replace the other belts and pulleys though.
 
I just rebiult my 95 SC and it does the same thing as everone elses.
Sometimes when the car is very warm(right after a good rheme) when I come to a stop the rpms drop a bit low (~500) and the oil pressure will drop off the check gauges light will flash and then everything goes right back to normal except for the idol which is always around 500rpm when in Rev/Drive...
My power steering pump is in some kind of condition and it's not healthy...
The car has 88,000 original miles and the pump fluid was so damn dirty it was ridiculous. I pumped out about 75% of the fluid and replaced it with clear fluid which is now black again...the pump wines when the car is at rest and I move the wheel around.
Anyone have any good ideas about the oil pressure dropping/low idol?
 
As far as the oil pressure gauge goes, I cleaned the wire connectors on the oil sender and so far it hasnt done that anymore.
 
I have the same problem too with my 91 AOD which makes me the 14th person now I think. But mine seems to vibrate in drive or reverse which leads me to think that my problem could be motor mounts, but I haven't been able to check yet because it has been raining outside lately. Also it seems that the vibration gets better the longer I drive.

My PS pump could be getting weak as it makes a little noise sometimes. It sometimes moos like it is low on fluid but when I check it, it has plenty of fluid. It also leaks a little bit of fluid I think. At least the is what the previous owner had said. So motor mounts could be the cause of this.

One last thing; I might have to agree with an earlyer comment on the trans causing the problem. On the freeway in cruise @ 70mph I can sometimes hear something maybe coming from the tranny. It is hard to explain but it kinda sounds like a wable like the drive shaft is wabling or maybe the torque converter. It shifts into fourth kinda hard and with a clunk. This is my first AOD SC I have ever own so I am not an expert with the AOD but the previous owner had said it used to leak a little.

Hope any of this helps and that we find the problem with our cars!
Shane
 
my idle will go down to 500 or even stall when i come to a stop for about 3 days after battery is unhooked then it will learn to run ok the first time it happened i couldnt believe it i knew it ran fine before i replaced battery, the other thing i found that causes this is a blown memory fuse in fuse box near battery, also make sure battery termals are not shorting out on the hood when you close it that happened to me once i wondered why it would cut out on turns until terminal melted off
 
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Every one of my Sc`s have done the same thing. Some times when your turning the wheel the fan can kick on and make it seem like it wanted to die or you air conditioning compressor can kick on at the same time and cause it to drop for a split second. I think its all nomal. This is most likly to happen on the auto`s only since the trans has the rpm`s pulled down already.
 
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