i need help...

[5.0stangette]

hey guys, TGIF!!! ok, sorry for the vague subject but i have NO clue what's wrong so i don't know how to summarize it. here's my problem: every once in a while, about once a week or so and in no particular weather conditions that i notice, i'll start my car perfectly fine and and then i'll try to put it in drive(i have an auto) and it'll stall kind of and completely turn off. i have to start the car all over again and if it still doesn't work i have to put it in neutral and kind of launch into drive which i know is horrible for my car. i posted this same thing on mustang forums and the only thing that even sounded a little close was a problem with the TPS but if that was it wouldn't it not idle at all? i don't know, i'm completely lost. fixing the IAC has also been suggested(i'm not entirely sure what that is but i know it has to do with ignition so i don't think that's it either) anyway, if anyone has ever had this problem and figured it out or if anyone just has any suggestions it would be much appreciated. thank you

PS: after the car is moving it runs fine, i can break and go again and never know anything was wrong...it's a mystery

 

[5.0stangette]

no one??? seriously, any input at all would be great. i've only been driving for a little over a year and i've never had a car i cared about learning stuff about before. all my man resources are tapped out:Boyfriend drives an import so he's no help, daddy drives a chevy, and the guys at auto zone are stumped...that's pretty much it for me, you guys GOTTA have some ideas

 

[VIPERn94Five-0]

sigh.....i dont know much about the AODE cars, cuz well i dont have one....but i think you should try the sensors that have been suggested already, they are not very expensive, and can be picked up at autozone....you may want to look for some sort of a vac leak....in the thread we just had about oil breathers, someone noted that open element breathers cause a vac leak and his aode stang acted quite like yours before he discovered the leak...so id check all the vac fittings you can find and the hoses to see if there is a leak anywhere...

...i dont that will be much help but its somewhere to start...


...and also, when was the last tuneup??...you would be surprized at what new plugs, cap, rotor, wires, pcv, and fuel filter can do....

Anthony

 

[5.0stangette]

i have only had the car for a couple of months so i'm unsure when the last tune up was...i have new plugs i'm just waiting for it to stop freakin raining! i have a tune up scheduled for later this month...i know people who'll do it cheap(family friends) but they're out of town which is why i haven't done it sooner. and to make myself sound even more ignorant...AODE? i haven't heard that yet and have no clue what it is... i gotta ask though or i'll never know...thanks for the advice about the vac leak, that's a new one

 

[VIPERn94Five-0]

sorry the AODE is the stock automatic tranny in our cars...sorry for the confusion....idk exactly what it stands for...i think its Automatic Over Drive Electronic or something like that...


Anthony

 

[5.0stangette]

yeah i think i just figured that out. thanks though, it's not your fault i should have known. i thought it was some kind of weird special edition but then thought about the letters and deduced automatic over drive, and i'm still clueless about the E lol...but i like your guess...thanks again for the help

 

[Hef5.0weisen]

mine was doing the same thing...till i swapped in a five speed. That' not exactly true...but if I were you i'd swap out your TPS...did mine a few days ago and it idles good again. 2 screws,a plug, couple of bucks at autozone, then smile, your car idles. Good Luck, later

 

[BlackVert]

does it do that only when the engine is cold, or when the engine is warmed up?

mine is fine when it is cold, but after i have been driving a while, if i turn it off for a few minutes (like going to the video store or something), then the idle goes up and down and usually dies a couple of times. i suspect the IAC (the Idle Air Control Valve), but i haven't gotten a new one, so i don't know if that is it or not. they are easy to replace. other people say it mithg be the ETC (Engine Coolant Temperature) sensor, but i don't understand how that would cause my problem.

- ccc

 

[HISSIN50]

AODE is electronic automatic trannie with overdrive, as said. as opposed to something like an old C4 or C6 which was purely mechanical (TV cable, valvebody, etc).

i would also suggest the IAC cleaning. the puter normally drops the idle when goin from neutral to drive for easier engagement, and if the IAC is not workin right, it can stall.

Black 96, normally the ECT is suggested if you stall when COLD. it tells the puter how warm the coolant is (for mapping, goin into closed loop, your electric fans, etc). if you have one that is bad, it can be telling the puter that your car is warm, when it really is cold. this will lead to a very lean mixture, and possible stalling, etc. thing is, you have to check the values on it, cuz if it operated like the example above, it can be within spec (no code), but not correct for the situation (not calibrated).

if you have problems on a warm motor, i doubt that is your issue. on foxes, warm surging like you describe is normal and hard to remove. most of the stick guys deal with it manually (apply a little gas, slip the clutch), but i feel for the AOD guys cuz you are stuck.....

good luck to all.

 

[Chrisv006]

does it do that only when the engine is cold, or when the engine is warmed up?

mine is fine when it is cold, but after i have been driving a while, if i turn it off for a few minutes (like going to the video store or something), then the idle goes up and down and usually dies a couple of times. i suspect the IAC (the Idle Air Control Valve), but i haven't gotten a new one, so i don't know if that is it or not. they are easy to replace. other people say it mithg be the ETC (Engine Coolant Temperature) sensor, but i don't understand how that would cause my problem.

- ccc

usually it's only done it when the engine is cold, like the first time i start it up in the morning or something. just yesterday i was backing into a parking spot so it was in drive then i put it it park(accident, i was half asleep) and when i went from park to reverse to back in to the spot the engine died so now i have a whole new problem on my hands as i thought it was only an issue when the car was cold...oh well, i'm going to pick up a TPS sometime this week and see if that helps