cleaned throttle body; now car WON'T IDLE - 14 MPG! Please Help!!!

[cpt444@yahoo.co]

Greetings!

a few days ago i cleaned the throttle body on my 1992 5fes wagon. i did it manually with carb cleaner, a toothbrush and rags; i also sprayed the IAC.

at the same time, i ran a can of mr goodwrench {liquid - not aerosol} top engine cleaner through the PCV line - strangely, this did NOT cause the engine to smoke, nor did it cause the engine to die as usual when i let it drop to idle - just like seafoam does
{first time i've used top end cleaner on THIS car}.

afterwards i changed the plugs {ngk}, oil/filter, air filter, pcv, rotor and cap.

part of the reason for doing all this was maintenance {it was due} but also because i was getting an erratic loss of idle; car running fine, come to a stop and it would begin missing and stall if i didn't raise and keep the rev's to at least 1500 RPM.

ALSO - HEAVY FUMES SIMILAR TO "DIESELING" BAD!

this was erratic - sometimes weeks/months without an incident - when it happened, i'd give it a quick rev or two to 5000 RPM or so, and that was it for a few more weeks or months - but it started getting more and more frequent - however -

AFTER THE SERVICE IT BECAME ALMOST CONSTANT! so i resprayed the IAC and blew it out with {canned} compressed air - and -

NOW IT WILL NOT IDLE VIRTUALLY ANYTIME!!!

very rarely will it hold an idle. PERIOD. it other wise runs ok - except -

14 MPG!

can the IAC be serviced? is it possible it's clogged from the cleaning? i don't have the dollars to replace it...
i came up with a reading of ±24 ohms when testing from the center pin +B to the the other 2 pins....


PLEASE HELP! i CAN'T afford this MPG - - and the fumes are killing me these fumes from misfiring are BAD; not to mention the car is a handful and hazard to drive here in suburbia with its constant stalling.

ALL suggestions GREATLY appreciated!

many thanks in advance,

chris in ny

[Hajoca]

Appears to be EGR malfunction and/or bad o2 sensor too!

[cpt444@yahoo.co]

Originally Posted by Hajoca

Appears to be EGR malfunction and/or bad o2 sensor too!

hi!

any suggestions to verify?

thanks
ct

[Black95Cam]

go easy on the accleration... and coast as much as posible..

[Hajoca]

Remove EGR valve 's vacuum tubes and attach a vacuum pump onto it, see if the valve will move / actuate and close, which can improve idling. If there is an effect, take off EGR and clean it out.

Your fuel economy should significantly improve afterwards too!

[DFBonnett]

cpt444,
You don't make mention of the plug wires. Have they been replaced also?

[shajbot]

Any chance you might haver propped the butterfly valve opened too much that doesn't let you idle anymore..?

[cmjohnson]

I had almost identical problems with my '92 V6 LE.

After some diagnostics and a full top end cleaning, the injectors were suspect, but my mechanic's
computer showed that the injectors were doing as they were commanded, which was that a few of them
were being told to go full open and stay there.

End result: Bad ECU. Got another one from a junkyard, put it in. Car's perfect.


200 bucks for a replacement (used) ECU with warranty. It's not that bad a deal.




CJ

[Rob_0126]

Originally Posted by cmjohnson

I had almost identical problems with my '92 V6 LE.

After some diagnostics and a full top end cleaning, the injectors were suspect, but my mechanic's
computer showed that the injectors were doing as they were commanded, which was that a few of them
were being told to go full open and stay there.

End result: Bad ECU. Got another one from a junkyard, put it in. Car's perfect.


200 bucks for a replacement (used) ECU with warranty. It's not that bad a deal.

CJ

I have to ask why the ECU goes bad in these cars? I would think this thing would be a lifetime part.

[Kep]

cpt444, I've always heard of adding the cleaner through the brake booster line, not the PCV line. I don't know if that would have a different effect or not. If you added it in through the PCV line I would think it would end up in the crank case oil (same as adding through the oil fill). I'm not certain of this by any means. However, if it is correct that would explain why you didn't see any smoke.

+1 with Hajoca on the EGR valve and maybe the O2 sensor (It could definately be getting clogged up with the rich mixture).

Kep

[pillboy]

Sounds to me like it is running rich...maybe bad injector(s)?

[cmjohnson]

Originally Posted by Rob_0126

I have to ask why the ECU goes bad in these cars? I would think this thing would be a lifetime part.

Electronics do go bad. The injector driver ICs deliver a fair amount of current and run rather
warm, and heat ages components. And electrolytic capacitors have a limited service life as well.


I make my living repairing high tech electronic equipment that's designed to last "a lifetime"
and "never require service".


CJ