Why won't my 1984 ltd crown victoria hold it's idle when the 302 engine is hot?

SOURCE: Check engine light

they sell very unexpensive code readers at autoparts not the digital but the one with a little bliking light you might be hable to pull codes with it

Posted on Jun 02, 2008

Mike Butler

• 6674 Answers

SOURCE: engine dies on low idle

First of all, lets go to the idle problem. This vehicle has an, idle air control valve, that adjusts idle to overcome your stalling etc when turning, AC on, cold starts, basically when any load is put on the engine, and that is what I see acting up on your vehicle. (about $55 for replacement at autozone) . It is located on the side of your throttle body near front of it. You may want to remove wire connector to it and clean contact on that to see if maybe that helps at all, before replacing it. Write down numbers off old valve or take with you for match up at parts store.
Now, your no-heat situation, before we get into that, can you answer questions for me. Have you recently changed thermostat, flushed coolant or for any reason drained the coolant from the engine, even partially? Did the coolant level get low at any time lately? If all answers no, then when was last time you had good heat? Have you, or can you, run engine with heater on, until you reach normal operating temperature, and feel heater hoses by where they go into firewall of car to heater core. They should feel relatively hot, and both should feel same temperature. In your case you may feel one cooler than the other. Check that & get back to us, with answers to all questions. Also if you have a temperature gauge in car, where is it reading ?

Posted on Jan 25, 2009

SOURCE: the crown victoria keeps running hot and need to

Before you get into this involved job I have a few suggestions. First is the pump leaking causing the system to lose coolant. Grab the fan and try to move it from side to side to see if there is play. Next when was the last time the thermostat was changed out. The thermostat can be stuck in a way as to restrict water flow. Another cause of over heating is a clogged radiator. Older cars can have a slug build up in the radiator core causing a significant cooling lose.
Water pumps on a Crown Vic is located on the front of the engine behind the fan. You should really get a service manual as there are a lot of steps in this job that must be done correctly to avoid future problems.
You start by draining the entire cooling system by opening up the drain plug on the bottom of the radiator. This antifreeze must be disposed of properly by taking it to a repair shop for pick up. Next remove the fan guard followed by disconnecting all the belts. Some people remove the radiator to gain working room. before removing the radiator disconnect the lower hose and the upper hose to the engine. The transmission oil cooling lines are next. Now remove all the bolts holding the radiator in place. As you can see this is not a job for a novas. If you are not mechanically inclined this could be a nightmare of a job.

Posted on May 08, 2009

SOURCE: car dies when accelerate. do i need new fuel pump?

Hello;
It sounds from your description that the fuel pump is weak. To check the fuel pressure you need a fuel pressure test gauge for fuel injection. Attach the gauge to the test port schrader valve and turn the ignition to the on position. Record the reading. Now start the engine and record that reading. Unplug the pressure regulator vacuum line and record the reading.
The pump should have pressure with in specs but if low, start with the installation of a new complete pump. It is located in the fuel tank. Also replace your fuel filter.
Hope this helps you.
Thanks;
Rich
RPM Northwest

Posted on May 12, 2009

SOURCE: 2003 Ford Crown Victoria misfires when

I HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM ON SEVERAL CROWN VICS I HAVE WORKED ON ,& SOME OF THEM A SET OF PLUGS STOPPED IT,AND SOME OF THEM HAD TO HAVE 1 OR MORE COIL PACKS REPLACED, BUT THE PROBLEM THAT I FOUND THAT IF PLUGS & ALL COIL PACKS HAD BEEN REPLACED,AND IT WAS STILL IN THE IGNITION, IS THE WIRES GOING INTO THE PLUG ON THE COILPACK UNDER THE INTAKE TUBE, IF YOU REMOVE THE INTAKE TUBE,LOOK CLOSE AT THE WIRES FOR ANY BARE SPOTS,& LOOK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE INTAKR TUBE IF YOU CAN SEE WHERE IT HAS RUBBED IT,IT IS ALMOST A GIVEN THERE IS A BARE SPOT OR CRACKED INSOLATION ON THE WIRE, ENOUGH TO CAUSE A MISFIRE, (FYI) IT TOOK ME MANY TIMES OF INSPECTING BEFORE I LOOKED CLOSE ENOUGH TO SEE THE BARE SPOTS, BUT ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS STRIP THE HARD PLASTIC AROUND THE WIRES BACK ENOUGH TILL YOU SEE GOOD CLEAN LOOKING WIRE,THEN SEPERATE THE WIRES AND IF YOU HAVE LIQUID ELECTICAL TAPE USE THAT AND THEN TAPE THEM WITH ROLL ELECTRICAL TAPE ,BUT IF YOU TAPE THEM UP GOOD SO WHEN THE WIRE IS BENT ENOUGH FOR THE INTAKE TUBE TO CLEAR ,& YOU CANNOT SEE THE WIRES GOING IN TO THE PLUG WITH A ROLL OF ELECTRICAL TAPE THAT WILL WORK TOO, I HOPE THIS TRICK WILL WORK AS GOOD FOR YOU AS HAS ME ON DOZENS OF CROWN VICS, ESPECIALLY P71 POLICE CARS.

Posted on Dec 05, 2009