Any info on the 'adjustable idle spacer'?

[keepinitril]

Im not too thrilled about where my mustang currently idles, its a little low and under decel and low rpm it can get stupid, it doesnt stall, but it dips below 5 sometimes

so Im looking at the Idle plate and I cant really tell how its suppossed to work, Im thinking about designing one on solid works(and making one at work)

does anyone have some closer pics than those you find on ebay?
its really just a controlled vacuum leak, right? (from before the throttle to after it)

 

[jrichker]

Before you spend money on something that may or may not work, see the "Surging Idle Checklist” for help with all your idle/stall problems. Everything you need to find and fix idle problems is in there.

The first two posts contain all the updates to the fixes. At last count there were 24 possible causes and fixes for surging idle/stall problems. I continue to update it as more people post fixes or ask questions.

 

[keepinitril]

its nothing weird lke surging, it just idle a little lower than Id like, and unger decel it gets weird, I think its just too much cam and the IAC cannot open more than it does(its maxed out)

I also just wanted to see how it worked
Im really just looking for pictures because I have an idea of how to build one and mine would be more adjustable than theirs

 

[jrichker]

The decel problem may be linked to a defective VSS .You won't know for sure until you start looking at the diagnostic data. Instructions on dumping the codes are in the b]"Surging Idle Checklist” [/b] along with a lot of problems and solutions that you are not aware of.

You have your choice of trying to learn something in the sticky or re-inventing the wheel. Twenty minutes of careful reading can save you hours of poking, skinning knuckles, and spending money: all with nothing to show for it when you finish.

As far as the Ford Idle plate, it bypasses air around the IAC. There are two needle valves used to make adjustments to the amount of air it bypasses. Current cost is about $50 to your door, Ford P/N F2PZ-9F939-A. It works for some people and doesn't work for others. Anyway you cut it, buying one or spending lots of time and effort on building something that is a roll of the dice isn't a good investment in my book

Understand this: I get no benefit one way or the other if you check out the "Surging Idle Checklist” or not. I get no kickbacks, no advertising dollars and I don't sell parts. I just spend time trying to save time and money for others. It's my contribution to making Stangnet a great place to come learn things and swap stories about our cars.

 

[2000xp8]

The idle plate is a bandaid for a real problem.
Don't even consider using one.
Do as Jricker suggests, find out what the actual problem is.

 

[keepinitril]

understood, but I dont have a single code to pull, so where do I begin,
start checking the tps?
as I was slamming on the brakes for a dick in a prius I noticed the tach stays constant at 800(stayed in one place, I dont know if it was exactly 8 or not)

 

[jrichker]

Where to begin? At the beginning of the Surging Idle tech note. Don't skip around or do troubleshooting cafeteria style - a little of this but none of that. Read all the way through the first page and eliminate what does not apply to your car. No Cold Air Intake - scratch that off the list of possible causes. No cracked vacuum lines, scratch that off the list. By the time you get to the end of the list you will have done all the checks and tests that apply to your car. You will have noted the results and made adjustments as needed. At that point, you will have either eliminated the problem or shrunk the list to a very small number of possibilities. The smaller the list of possibilities, the easier it is to deal with. This is a fundamental troubleshooting methodology that works for everything electrical or mechanical.

 

[93GTStang]

E303 cams are not known for idling the best and do tend to surge. But like stated there are alot of things that can cause it. I'm pretty sure the IAC adjuster won't fix it. If you want one I have one sitting in the tool box I took off a car. If everything checks out, the best option is to get the car tuned in order to have 100% driveability.

 

[stang&2Birds]

As people said, first make sure the IAC, EGR, etc are all fine.

After that, what mods does the engine have?
For a mainly stock engine (no cam, no big heads, stock injectors), then you likely have other issues.


But, for any mods like injectors, cam, bigger heads, then you need either a chip, or sometimes an idle adjuster will work.

The issue with an idle adjuster plate is that the ECC then has little it can do to help with idle, or to prevent the engine from dying.

For idle speed, the EEC will first adjust timing, then adjust the IAC. Since the IAC is mechanical, it is "slow". But, the IAC has the ability to adjust the idle the most.

So, one way to look at it is that fine tuning is done with timing, and course timing is done with the IAC.

With an idle plate, by the time the EEC starts to move the IAC, and the IAC has moved enough to make a difference, the rpms could have dropped low. Also, the bigger use of the IAC to effect the idle speed often makes it very hard for the idle speed control loop to work much/at_all.

Seems like you may be an ME. So, I thought that the above high-level explanation of the Fox and sn95 5.0 idle control loop would make sense to you, and help you better understand your options.

Good Luck!

 

[keepinitril]

I understand what theyre all saying, Im just stubborn as all hell, and since its not surging at idle and hasnt stalled, I dont really believe it to be a huge problem, its just under decel it doesnt go smooth, it just... I dont know how to explain it, but my cousins chevelle does it too, so I wasnt too worried. he just said it was the cam and the computer wasnt too thrilled(ASE master tech for 32 years)

Im only m1-m3

 

[Maryland Stang]

Your combo should work just like stock. The E cam is designed to function perfectly with the computer. It's the only emissions legal performance cam that Ford sells for the 5.0. I have a B cam in mine with a whole lot of supporting mods to get the most out of the cam and mine still idles, deccelerates and does everything just like stock.

If your car isn't working like you think it should then there is a problem. Let me ask you this....

When you push the clutch in with the car moving does the idle hang up at around 1,000-1,100 RPM until you come to a complete stop?

 

[keepinitril]

its mated to an aod....
(I thought about changing it when I did the motor)
now that could be the problem Im experiencing, a manual cam with an 'automátique'

under decell... it... chuggs... it does that for the last little bit, maybe the last 10-15ft

 

[keepinitril]

back from the grave...

the problem got worse. under light accel it would begin to shake. almost as if you were starting from 3rd at a red light. I began pulling plugs.

this is a whopping 1100 miles.

so I did a compression test
and had a big 0 psi in #3
so I pulled the valve cover and found that I broke the spring in 2 places

 

[jrichker]

Broken valve springs and stuck vlave usually show up as a sweeping reading when the engine is run at 1000-1200 RPM.

" A vacuum gauge will help pinpoint both vacuum leaks and improperly adjusted valves. A sticking valve or one adjusted too tight will cause low vacuum and a 5"-8" sweep every time the bad cylinder comes up on compression stroke."

It is listed on the second post on the Surging Idle Chekclist after the setting base idle procedure. Now you know why I keep pushing this troubleshooting tool.

 

[keepinitril]

I know youre very knowledgeable when it comes to this, since youve probably been diagnosing car problem since before I was born