I tried to help my brother out with his truck, 302 EFI 2wd. It runs
great going down the road, acceleration is fast and smooth. When you
start it up, either warm or cold, it idles rough, and slow for anywhere
from 2 to 5 minutes. It used to race up and down, but that has gone
away, don't know how.(warmer weather?) It only had 2 codes show up when
scanned, EGR volume low, and fuel pressure low. The egr problem was the
sensor above the egr valve now fixed. I will be checking actual fuel
pressure this weekend, but that doesn't seem like it would cause an idle
problem, as it runs all the way up to each shift point at WOT without
any missing. I replaced EVERY vacuum hose, and sprayed with carb cleaner
around every intake connection I could find, with no leaks found. Any ideas?

Signature
Steve Walker
fusion640@verizonwallet.net (remove wallet to reply)
Don - 27 Jul 2006 02:48 GMT
>I tried to help my brother out with his truck, 302 EFI 2wd. It runs
>great going down the road, acceleration is fast and smooth. When you
>start it up, either warm or cold, it idles rough, and slow for anywhere
>from 2 to 5 minutes. It used to race up and down, but that has gone
>away, don't know how.(warmer weather?)
Warmer weather will reduce the severity of such a problem -- exactly!
> It only had 2 codes show up when
>scanned, EGR volume low, and fuel pressure low.
This did not seem right to me so I took a quick look at all possible
engine codes for a '92 model 5.0 liter Ford PU. I didn't find a "low
fuel pressure code." There is nothing on that engine that directly
monitors fuel pressure. There is a code for "oxygen sensor indicates
system lean." Low fuel pressure IS ONE POSSIBLE CAUSE OF MANY for
this code. This code can easily be caused by a vacuum leak. Vacuum
leaks cause exactly the bad and even possibly "hunting" idle that you
describe. At idle the rogue air coming through a vacuum leak is a
high percentage of the total air intake and greatly disturbs the
mixture. At wide open throttle it is a drop in the ocean and so --
despite common false belief -- the vaccum leak has little or no
effect.
> The egr problem was the
>sensor above the egr valve now fixed. I will be checking actual fuel
>pressure this weekend, but that doesn't seem like it would cause an idle
>problem, as it runs all the way up to each shift point at WOT without
>any missing.
Correct -- probably not a fuel pressure problem if the truck winds out
with vigor.
> I replaced EVERY vacuum hose,
Good idea!
> and sprayed with carb cleaner
>around every intake connection I could find, with no leaks found. Any ideas?
This truck probably has a vacuum leak at the intake manifold that
closes with warm up. VERY typical. We have found this situation hard
to diagnose until we got our smoke machine which makes it child's play
to find intake manifold leaks on a cold engine. We hook it up to an
engine that has sat overnight and run the test without ever starting
the vehicle.
Less likely is a spark plug that was dropped during installation or
not checked and has an almost closed gap. It will light the fire at
high rpm but not at idle. The dilute fuel mix at idle requires a wide
gap whereas wide open throttle much less so. One reason this is less
likely is that if this is the cause the problem would be expected to
persist when the engine warms up.
Don
www.donsautomotive.com
lugnut - 27 Jul 2006 14:22 GMT
>I tried to help my brother out with his truck, 302 EFI 2wd. It runs
>great going down the road, acceleration is fast and smooth. When you
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>any missing. I replaced EVERY vacuum hose, and sprayed with carb cleaner
>around every intake connection I could find, with no leaks found. Any ideas?
First, as Don indicated, there is no fuel pressure sensor on
that vehicle - therefore, no code possible. That vintage
did have problems with fuel pressure regulator failure which
can and does cause idle and low fuel mileage problems. If
you have fuel in the vacuum hose to it, don't bother to
check the pressure - just replace it. They are not
adjustable unless you buy a specialty performance unit.
Your most likely idle problem is the IAC and a filthy
throttle body. I know it has a tag on the side saying not
to clean it but, there comes a time that it has to be
cleaned. If you remove the coating, it only means it may
have to be cleaned again sooner than normal. Use a good
throttle body cleaner. Ford has a good one as well as some
in the aftermarket. It is also possible to remove the IAC
from the side of the throttle body and clean it making it
return to satisfactory operation. It may require removing
the motor part and soaking the valve portion in a good
solvent overnite. If that doesn't do it, you will need to
replace it. The IAC will not usually set a fault code if it
is only dirty - just cause low/erratic idle. BTW, just
spraying carb cleaner into it will not do the job. You need
to just remove it. The throttle body can be cleaned pretty
well with a couple of old tooth brushes while holding the
throttle wide open - do this with the engine off!
Good luck
Lugnut
Don - 28 Jul 2006 02:00 GMT
>>I tried to help my brother out with his truck, 302 EFI 2wd. It runs
>>great going down the road, acceleration is fast and smooth. When you
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
>Good luck
>Lugnut
A stuck IAC will cause a low idle but not rough or hunting.
Also, it sounds like the code other than the one for EGR valve
position is likely a "lean mixture indicated" -- perhaps the OP can
give us the fault code number. You certainly can't go wrong cleaning
a Ford IAC or throttle body, but my money's on a vacuum leak.
Don
www.donsautomotive.com
Steve Walker - 28 Jul 2006 02:57 GMT
-- perhaps the OP can
> give us the fault code number. You certainly can't go wrong cleaning
> a Ford IAC or throttle body, but my money's on a vacuum leak.
>
> Don
> www.donsautomotive.com
code 334 egr valve position sensor signal out of closed limits
code 556 low fuel pressure
I didn't scan this, my brother had Autozone do it, and this is what they
told him.
I will clean the throttle body & IAC this weekend, if he hasn't taken it
to the local Ford dealer for a better examination by then.

Signature
Steve Walker
fusion640@verizonwallet.net (remove wallet to reply)
lugnut - 28 Jul 2006 04:18 GMT
> -- perhaps the OP can
>> give us the fault code number. You certainly can't go wrong cleaning
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>I will clean the throttle body & IAC this weekend, if he hasn't taken it
>to the local Ford dealer for a better examination by then.
335 is the EVP sensor
556 (according to my charts) is fuel pump relay primary
circuit fault - Power / Fuel pump circuits
It is either engine running or in memory. You may need some
help to track this one if it is running. About the best you
can do is check circuit voltages looking for a bad
connection. I suppose the pump relay could give you this.
It is in the box on the left fender.
Regards
Lugnut
Don - 28 Jul 2006 06:10 GMT
>> -- perhaps the OP can
>>> give us the fault code number. You certainly can't go wrong cleaning
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>>
>>code 556 low fuel pressure
Code 556 is no such thing! It exactly what Lugnut says -- fault in
primary fuel pump circuit. Given the engine runs I would not be
concerned about it at this time. The Autozone scan was worth no more
than your brother paid for it.,
>>I didn't scan this, my brother had Autozone do it, and this is what they
>>told him.
>>
>>I will clean the throttle body & IAC this weekend, if he hasn't taken it
>>to the local Ford dealer for a better examination by then.
Pleease let us know.
Don
www.donsautomotive.com
>335 is the EVP sensor
>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
>Lugnut
lugnut - 28 Jul 2006 04:12 GMT
>>>I tried to help my brother out with his truck, 302 EFI 2wd. It runs
>>>great going down the road, acceleration is fast and smooth. When you
[quoted text clipped - 44 lines]
>Don
>www.donsautomotive.com
I had leaned toward the IAC because he indicated rough and
slow idle. The slow part doesn't seem to be typical of a
vacuum leak unless it is really a lulu. He had also
mentioned it no longer has the high idle feature on cold
startup which to me would also suggest IAC stuck. A bad FPR
allowing excess fuel pressure on these will act like a stuck
choke and the exhaust will burn your eyes if you stand near
the exhaust. This will also cause it to idle slow if it is
bad enough to cause flooding as I have seen on a couple. It
would be nice to have the codes if any. Usually, you will
get a lean limit reached code if the FPR is bad. This is
not the same as a lean mixture code which may result from a
vacuum leak. Sorry, I do not have the different codes on my
desk to look at. I have seen some reach for the EGO sensor
with the lean limit code instead of checking fuel pressure
first. They knida shoot the messenger.
Regards
Lugnut
Steve Walker - 29 Jul 2006 02:06 GMT
<SNIP>
> I had leaned toward the IAC because he indicated rough and
> slow idle. The slow part doesn't seem to be typical of a
> vacuum leak unless it is really a lulu. He had also
> mentioned it no longer has the high idle feature on cold
> startup which to me would also suggest IAC stuck.
Actually, in colder weather, at startup the idle would race at about
1500-2000, go down to normal, then pick back up to 1500-2000 and repeat
over and over for about a minute or two.
A bad FPR
> allowing excess fuel pressure on these will act like a stuck
> choke and the exhaust will burn your eyes if you stand near
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> with the lean limit code instead of checking fuel pressure
> first. They knida shoot the messenger.
I forgot to mention we replaced the O2 sensor this spring, as he caught
some debris on the road and ripped the wires up.
> Regards
>
> Lugnut

Signature
Steve Walker
fusion640@verizonwallet.net (remove wallet to reply)
Don - 29 Jul 2006 04:15 GMT
><SNIP>
>>
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>1500-2000, go down to normal, then pick back up to 1500-2000 and repeat
>over and over for about a minute or two.
Sounds like the IAC is working and trying its damnedest to deal with a
vacuum leak.
Don
www.donsautomotive.com
> A bad FPR
>> allowing excess fuel pressure on these will act like a stuck
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>>
>> Lugnut