Rough start-ups

[sotexlscman]

Help! Have any of y'all experienced this?
I have a '90 LSC with 137,000 miles and I did a tune-up(I thought). I changed the plugs with exact Autolite replacements, Motorcraft plug wires, and Bosch oxygen sensors. I also changed the EGR valve, pcv valve, fuel filter, cap, and rotor. I have also run some fuel injection cleaner through it.

Now in the morning when I start it, it will not idle for a few minutes. It acts like it has a carburetor on it. Some of you older guys know what I mean. It will idle eventually, but I thought with fuel injection, it was not supposed to run rough. It also seems like when I'm cruising at a constant speed, there is a miss.

I assumed by changing all that, I was not going to make it run worse like it is. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Dean

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http://arterrata.com/mk7.jpg

[formerLSCowner]

Dean, I would look closely at your new plugs and wires. I had a bad plug one time and it caused all kinds of problems. The car would jerk real bad going down the highway and have trouble on hills. I thought my tranny was going out but it ended up being 1 bad spark plug throwing everything out of whack.

Steve

[Charlie]

Did you unhook the battery for awhile(15 minutes?) after you made your changes. Sometimes you have to do this to let the computer learn that it has new parts. Could you have accidently misplaced a couple of the spark plug wires where they go on the cap?

[pro-five-oh]

When I installed a stereo system in my Cat I had the battery disconnected for 3 days. The car ran a little off for 2 days, but mostly when cold. My car is mass-air, so maybe the learning curve is quicker...

EEC-IV needs a little time to figure out what's going on, but it still should hold an idle.

Do what formerLSCowner and Charlie suggested. If it still acts like a carb'd car, check to see your connections to the EGR are solid and clean your IAB valve. Do a search on this board for "IAB valve" to get the 4-1-1.

Good Luck!

[sotexlscman]

The car does idle fine after a few minutes. I will check the plug wires, but I've crossed those before and it did not run smooth at all. I also cleaned the IAB valve when I changed the EGR, but maybe I didn't clean it very well or it is bad. Do they go bad? It did not appear to be very dirty though. I will disconnect the battery tonight for a while and try that. I will also check the connections on the EGR. Is an EGR from a local parts house good enough? It did not look exactly like the factory job, but it does have the same general appearance. I completed all this work about a month/500 miles ago.

Maybe I described the miss wrong. It doesn't act like a dead plug, it just seems to have an intermittent drop like it is not getting a constant fuel supply. It is barely noticable, but it does happen from time to time. Maybe it is something else and I'm overevaluating.

I appreciate the help guys.
Dean

[stinkin' Lincoln]

do you still have fuel injector cleaner in the tank?

Forrest

[sotexlscman]

Yes Forrest, it does still have the cleaner in it. I put some in it last week when I filled up. It was acting this way before I put in the cleaner.

Update...I cleaned the IAB valve again and checked connections on the EGR. I also disconnected the battery for about 30-45 minutes. I've thought about how best I can describe what it's doing. When I cold start, it won't idle the first start and it dies. I mean that when it comes down to the idling rpm, it won't stay on. I will crank it again and when it hits the correct idle speed, it dies a second time. Usually, after the third time, it will barely stay running. Of course I will help it by giving it gas if it starts to act up. After this, it runs fine. That's why I compare it to having a carburetor.

I used to have a 1993 F-150 that I could start without giving it gas upon start up. This is even after not using it for 2 or 3 weeks. My wife's Honda minivan starts perfectly too.

Am I going nuts, or am I experiencing something that is correctable?

Thanks,
Dean

[stinkin' Lincoln]

I'm sorry if you mentioned this, but have you cleaned the 10-pin connectors?

Forrest

[pro-five-oh]

I had a similar problem with my Dad's Mark VIII which drove me nuts...but here is the solution:

Clean the EVR filter. (what's that?) It is a little plastic tube with a cap, two wires and a bunch of vacuum likes that connect with the EGR. There is a filter inside the cap. If the filter is clogged, the EGR valve will stick open and kill your idle!

The EVR in my Cougar is on the pass-side strut tower, very close to the vacuum line that feeds your A/C blower. I assume the Mark will have it in a similar place or on the firewall.

[This message has been edited by pro-five-oh (edited June 16, 2001).]