does anybody know why my car is real sluggish on take off???

[dannyp8105]

no no no!!!

That's normal, they all do that from the factory.

its not at all normal for a car to idle at 2000-2500 rpm for 10 sec before it drops to normal idle. i dont know where ur getting ur info....

 

[wmburns]

How to trouble shoot IAC idle problems

its not at all normal for a car to idle at 2000-2500 rpm for 10 sec before it drops to normal idle. i dont know where ur getting ur info....

Have you checked your fuses? All of them? Has the alternator been checked for excessive AC ripple?

Review post number 3

http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/810729-starts-but-dies-idle-help.html

Have you adjusted the throttle body set screw?

FWIIW, it is normal to remain at high idle as long as the car is MOVING. If the car is fully stopped, the idle should drop to slow idle in 2-3 seconds.

What are the results of a compression test? Nothing fancy. Just a compression test done with a tester in the spark plug hole. Turn the motor over with the starter.

How much oil does the car burn per 1000 miles?

Which is the bigger problem? The high idle or the poor performance off the line? It is possble they are related but the trouble shooting has to start somewhere. The tests have to be run and the results posted.

To me, another telling symptom is the bad gas mileage. With all of the parts already replaced, some of the easier things should have already been covered. So unless you have missed something, the possibility of a base engine problem should be considered.

I suggest that you go back and double check your work. A mistake from this point on could cause a wild goose chase.

 

[dannyp8105]

yeah i just called my machanic and its going back in i'm tired of dealing with this car its a huge dissapointment to me the screw is set from the factory never been adjusted so i think that it is fine. during driving the idle stays high also its the same as when its in nuetral. the oil doesnt burn at all it has been at the same spot on the dip stick sence the last change and that was about 1000 miles ago. i will post after i get the car back from the shop but its been in like 3 times and they are doing a wild goose chase if u ask me but we will see!!!.

 

[ChillPhatCat]

its not at all normal for a car to idle at 2000-2500 rpm for 10 sec before it drops to normal idle. i dont know where ur getting ur info....

Well you said initially, 5-10 seconds. The car is set up to keep the RPM's between shifts, and as a result it will hold a high idle for a few seconds before dropping to the normal idle... I think 3 seconds or so is how long it's supposed to do this at a stop. If it is just maintaining the RPM it was at, then I'd say there is nothing to gain by considering that a symptom... and everybody's feel of what a second is is different. While it may seem like ten seconds, it probably isn't (if it is actually 10 seconds then something is probably off). If however it jumps to 2500 RPM when you put it in neutral, then I'd say you may have a problem.

 

[dannyp8105]

sorry if i sounded a bit jumpy just pissed of that my car is running like crap its just not running like a stang should but its back in the shop now just dropped it of when i get it back i will post the results so if anybody has this problem they will know what to do!!!!!.

 

[ChillPhatCat]

sorry if i sounded a bit jumpy just pissed of that my car is running like crap its just not running like a stang should but its back in the shop now just dropped it of when i get it back i will post the results so if anybody has this problem they will know what to do!!!!!.

No problem, it gets far more vicious on the internet than that.

Anyhow, good luck.

 

[hotcobra03]

help

danny your post started with car runs sluggest to now idles high...you had it to a shop more than once.

.

if it were me i would start over...for some good advice from others tell more history on car,,,,like most important,,was or is the check engine light on,,,,,any codes????????

how long have you had the car,,,how long have you had this problem
,how often are you under your hood...

we have been lucky witk our cobra,,,the throttlebody itself was bad on ours causing a hanging high idle...we have triple your mileage with the rest of engine stuff orig,,

 

[dannyp8105]

ive had the car about 4 months i got it from a local dealer and i didnt have the problems rite of the bat they started about a month after i got it just the times it was sent to the shop they were on a wild goose chase with it. the first problem i had with it was it needed a new clutch so my dealer sent it out well he sent it to a hack job crap ass machanic that when i got it back the clutch chirped it was really annoying so the machanic tells me it is supposed to do that i laughed at hin through him my keys and told him to make it rite u F'N IDIOT after 2 times taking it back because it was out of adjustment i finally said screw it cause all this time i was out of a car and it was getting hard to get to work. then the sluggish/ bogging down stuf started hapening with the motor i had a TRICKFLOW upper intake on it and they said that it was bad so they took it of and put a used stock one one and called it a day well i get it back and it still does it. so i take it to another place they put a fuel pump/filter and put an x pipe on it cause they said the cats were bad so i take it home sure as **** it does it agian sluggish starts and boggs out not stall but seems like it wanted to. at that point i was so mad and fed up because i was out of car for a while during repairs that i didnt put it back in rite away now its back in cause i got laid off from my job so i guess i have just enough time before i get another job to get it all fixed!!!. the only time i ever got a check engine light was when i had the x pipe put on since the air flow was more heated and straight through with no cats the factory 02 sensors through a code so i got new ones and installed them and reset the pcm.. im always under the hood on this car just to peak at things make sure things look normal i love mustangs i sold my custom 92 GT 4 years ago after my son was born and now i finally got another one 2002 GT premium and im just pissed they should have never stopped putting the 5.0 in mustangs now ford finally comes back with it. but thats my story ...

 

[hotcobra03]

what was the code number?

go to autozone and have codes checked again,,,codes can be there without a check engine light...

you cel will tell you where to start looking for problem...

like you say you had a o2 code,,,what of the 12 codes for o2`s did it say? ill post some of the ford service manual later that gives information when no codes are present,,,

hardest thing here is you didnt do the work so its going to be hard to help,,,hang in thier this site rocks

 

[dannyp8105]

cool thanks!!

 

[GettinThere]

the only time i ever got a check engine light was when i had the x pipe put on since the air flow was more heated and straight through with no cats the factory 02 sensors through a code so i got new ones and installed them and reset the pcm..

Something doesn't seem right here either. I may be wrong, but I don't think the stock O2 sensors will work right on an offroad midpipe. Maybe you need MIL eliminators like these:

1996-04 Mustang 4.6L/3.8L Plug In Mil Eliminators (O2 Sensor Simulators) at LRS - Same Day Shipping!

Wish I knew for sure what your problem is, good luck.

 

[sneaky98gt]

Yes, an offroad mid-pipe will set off a code 99 times out of a 100, but it won't cause the car to run bad.

Honestly, if you want to save a lot of time and money, just listen to wmburns. He's as good as it gets when it comes to troubleshooting. Way more times than not, he'll fix your problem, or at least lead you to it.

 

[dannyp8105]

it ran the same with the old pipes on it as well

 

[steve_stang2003]

The rear/tattle tale O2 sensors will set a code with an O/R pipe almost all the time unless turned off (tuner) or MIL eliminators are used. They won't however cause the car to run bad unless they are leaking or loose. They are used strictly for monitoring. The front sensors are the ones the ECM uses to adjust fuel, spark etc.

Getting back to your problem, I've read through this and I agree with the others. You have to step back, start from scratch, accurately document the problems separately and then look at the data and see if you can determine a common factor.

There may not be one and you may be shooting multiple problems.

With all the work you have had done to this car, especially by others, the next step is to go over every single thing they touched.

Check for missing screws, loose bolts, missing gasket (IAC), cracked hoses, unplugged hoses etc.

Pretend you are replacing the parts they mucked with and check everything as if you were really doing the replacement. Make sure you have the proper IAC and that the gasket is there and installed correctly.

Once you have determined that they didn't create any more problems for you (I suspect you will find things wrong), then and only then can you begin to diagnose.

I know you are frustrated but the best thing to do is document the data and develop an action plan before throwing parts at the car.

Every time you toss a part at a car you run the risk of getting a defective part which will further confuse the issue.

These motors are pretty simple and reliable but a poorly trained mechanic can wreak havoc in short order.

Post back your results and I'm sure you will some great advice.

 

[dannyp8105]

i have a 6.8 liter v 10 in my garage brand new complete engine i wonder if i could drop the thing in there and say piss on the 4.6..its the same engine just 2 extra cylinders so what do u guys think about it?????

 

[HOOCBB]

if it has a K&N, clean and re-oil it. While you are at it, use some MAF cleaner spray or electronics cleaner to clean the MAF. Mine was sluggish until I cleaned those. The high hanging idle could be a dirty IAC, but I'm not an expert on this stuff anymore. I would do as wmburns suggests. He seems to know his way around these things.

 

[fast97gt]

BATTERY? look mite seem odd but i had the same problem in my 97gt with a swapped pi motor. it ran like garbage, i went out one day to crank it and realized my battery sounded weak. i went had it tested and failed the test. the outputs (cca, ca, and voltage) was way low. i bought the best one and man lemme tell like nite and day it is. the car has a crap ton of get up and go, as i expected to begin with the engine swap. if your outputs are below a certain point, when you run your a/c, headlights, fuel pump, etc...your alternator cant keep up. so even with everything off your F/P is stil fighting with everything else that requires power, thus not providing enough fuel for the SOTP meter. so check it out and try it.