Car dies when cold engine comes to a stop

[Redhero]

Im not quite sure how to effectively describe it but my car occasionally dies when coming to a stop. This has only happened when the engine is cold. After taking it out of 1st to come to a stop sign or light, the RPM's will slowly drop to around 2-300 and sometimes they jump back up to 7-800 and sometimes the car dies completely. It doesnt matter if I leave it in 1st gear and hold the clutch down either.

I know the easy answer is to jsut let the engine warm up more before driving but that isnt always an option if your in a hurry. Anyone else heard of or have this problem?

Thanks.

 

[streetstang03]

replace the IAC. easy fix and not very expensive to fix. i've had to replace mine 3 times already

 

[Redhero]

thanks, glad im not alone. It seemed like such an odd problem.

 

[streetstang03]

ya, it freaked me out the first time it happened. just a PITA type problem.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

You might be able to clean it with some carb cleaner... I just cleaned mine today and it seemed to help.

 

[streetstang03]

i have always heard that carb cleaner was bad for the IAC

 

[Doronin]

Well I'll be damn, I was about to ask this same question because my car is doing the same thing. How much does a new IAC cost? I'll go pick one up this week sometime.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

i have always heard that carb cleaner was bad for the IAC

Crap Oh well, its a done deal...

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I believe that a new IAC costs $59

 

[hotmustang331]

Yea, i hear alot about this problem. I havent had many idle problems yet though...but I think the car has died just after I first got it, when slowing down. Now the car wont go below 1100RPMs until i get around 10MPH....I can be going 70MPH, throw it in neutral and it will drop to 1100 and just set ther until i about stop, the it returns to idle. Could be the pleum or something.

 

[streetstang03]

I believe that a new IAC costs $59

ya, it should cost somewhere around there. I think i paid $40 at Autozone for the one i had to replace out of warranty. Ford replaced the IAC twice for me under warranty.

 

[hotmustang331]

2 within 36Kmiles? Dang what were you doing to teh car LOL. i have 23K on mine...like when did you start having problems?

 

[streetstang03]

2 within 36Kmiles? Dang what were you doing to teh car LOL. i have 23K on mine...like when did you start having problems?

replaced one at 33K, and then a few weeks later i had to get another.

the 3rd i replaced at 46K

 

[Doronin]

I believe that a new IAC costs $59

My Ford dealership just quoted me $95 for that part

I guess I will look into getting one from Advance Auto Parts or somewhere like that.

EDIT- And Advance Auto Parts just quoted me $39 for the SAME part. wtf

 

[GT-03]

Tough when warm, I have had this problem happen to me once or twice a year.

It always happens when I am exiting a highway. I pull over into the deceleration ramp lane and push in the clutch in preparation of downshifting.

The engine just dies.

And with it, my power steering and power brakes. Both things which are kind of handy to have working when hitting a sharp clover leaf ramp with either concrete barriers or steel rail guards on both sides.

Yea, I know, that with a lot of extra effort, you can still steer and brake. However, with only about a second to do something before you hit the barrier/guard, pushing/tugging harder doesn't come all that quickly to mind.

 

[B's 96 GT]

i just replaced mine and it died yesterday when i was taking it to a hobby shop to work on it. i almost wrecked too. this sounds like a problem that ford should f^ing fix. i'm suprised nobody has sued cause of it. what else could be the problem?

 

[streetstang03]

check under the hood and make sure all hoses/lines are hooked up.

 

[Play Fast]

Streetstang03,

If the car is still doing it on warm starts could it still be the IAC? My car started doing the same thing as in the original post very infrequently a few months ago and has gotten prgressively worse. Funny thing is it only seems to happen after I get a new tank of gas until there is less than half a tank left!!!!!>!?!?!?!?!! I initially thought fuel filter or spark plugs (I am pretty dumb when it comes to troubleshooting car problems!).

Mine starts and if the problems is happening it will rev up and then the rpm's decline very quickly and the car shuts off, sometimes revving the car will solve the problem sometimes I just have to keep my foot on the gas. Then when I start going as soon as I switch the car to neutral the rpm's rapidly decline and the car shuts off!! And like I said this is not always only on a cold start.....for example it happened this morning after I drove home from my GF's house to my house and let it sit for 20 minutes before getting in and driving again.

 

[flexiclese]

Would this be the same thing that causes the car to stumble on start up? Every once in a while the car will stumble and stall when starting up. the car has 25,000 on it and is an '03, have already changed the fuel filter.

 

[shad0ws]

Would this be the same thing that causes the car to stumble on start up? Every once in a while the car will stumble and stall when starting up. the car has 25,000 on it and is an '03, have already changed the fuel filter.

Yeah, good question. Mine does the same, I have 80,000K on a 99 GT.