I have an 07 Taurus that was originally from Texas. Now it is living in Minnesota. Ever since it got pretty cold (under 20 degrees) the car turns over well and starts right up but the tach goes to about 1000 rpm and then it dies. When I turn it over again it starts up and the tach goes up to about 1300 for a minute or so until it warms up and it's fine. Just can't figure out why it starts and then dies when it's really cold. Yesterday it was 22 degrees and it was fine. Today it was 14 and I had to start it twice before it ran. Runs fine otherwise.

Anyone else have this problem? Is there something in the computer that can be reprogrammed now that the Taurus is living in the northern states?

I'm thinking about disconnecting the battery then reconnecting and letting it relearn it's idle and trim settings like the manual says.

Any input or ideas would be appreciated.

 

Okay, I disconnected my battery Tuesday afternoon. Left it disconnected overnight. Wednesday morning it's like -1 degree. I reconnected the battery and started the car. It started fine, the tach went up to about 1300 and stayed there for a minute or two until it warmed up and everything seemed fine. I followed the steps in the manual for the engine to relearn it's idle and trim settings. I thought the problem was solved.

Thursday morning I got up to go to work at 4 a.m. and it was 9 degrees--warmer than Wednesday. The car started right up, the tach made it to 1000 but nothing above and then it promptly died. Started fine the second time but now I'm really confused.

I read about an idle air control valve in a different post. Where is this located and how do I know if it's bad? The check engine light had NOT come on any of the times the car has quit.

 

It will look similar to this It is located on the throttle body. Look to the back side ot the top of engine.

 

Thanks, I found it. Mine's black but it's obvious what it is now that I know what I'm looking at and the location. I checked the connection and it seems good.

How do I know it's bad? The car only dies if it's been sitting about 8 hours or more and it's below 20 degrees. When it's warmer and I start the car, the tach goes up to 1000 for a second or two and then revs to 1300-1400 while the engine warms. In the cold that hesitation is enough to make it die. Is it this idle air control valve doing that? When the engine is semi-warm (sitting for a couple hours), there is no hesitation at 1000--just goes to 1300-1400.

Just want to be reasonalbly sure of my problem before I start replacing expensive parts.

 

Your symptoms are classic for that part going bad. It will get worse as time goes by. Part is not that expensive. Next time before you start it, take a screwdriver handle and tap lightly on the valve. See if it helps any.

 

Two questions about the idle air control valve...
1. Why does it work fine for one start after I've disconnected and reconnected the battery? See reply #2 in this thread.

2. Someone told me to clean the throttle plate. Does that mean take the idle air control valve off and clean the surface where it meets the throttle body?

 

Disconnecting the battery had the PCM reset the defaults on all the sensors. After driving, the PCM relearned the same problems you experienced previously and therefore the same actions happened. Cleaning the throttle body is a good maintenance thing to do. You only have to take the air intake hose off and spray throttle body cleaner in the bore while the engine is idling. You may need to use your other hand to work the throttle so it will not die when the cleaner is sprayed.

 

Thanks, that explains a lot.

How often should I clean the throttle body? The car only has 33,7xx miles on it. Could that be the problem or is it still the idle air control valve?

Also, can I clean the idle air control valve? Ford service manager told me it's a mechanical shuttle that can get stuck. I tapped it with the handle of a screw driver before I started it the other day. Not sure if it helped because it wasn't that cold out. So I was wondering if it's cleanable--just trying to figure out why it went bad so soon...maybe from non-use it's first couple of winters in Texas?

 

Ihe IAC works every time the vehicle is started. Sometimes things just break. Yes you can clean it. Just remember there is rubber seals in it that can be destroyed by strong solvents. We have sent new vehicles with less than 100 miles on them back for the same problem. We have others that have close to 100k and never had the problem. Good luck.

 

Thanks for all the great info! I'm hoping to take the IAC off and check it out as soon as the weather gets a little more civilized. It's been in the negative teens at night and single digit highs in the day. Even too cold in the insulated garage to motivate me.