Ford Repair: 2000 Ford Explorer no idle, ford explorer sport, upper intake manifold

Question
Hi,

Recently our 2000 Ford Explorer Sport 4x4 6 cyl, 55,000 miles, immediately after starting dies.

If you hold the gas pedal down it will rev, but release it and it again dies. Starts like a champ just won't stay started and there were no performance problems until this occurred.

Thanks ahead of time.

Answer
This is a common problem. For years now, the idle has been controlled by the Powertrain Contol Module. It uses the Idle Air Control Valve (IAC) to control a small amount of air entering the engine to adjust idle speed. It is mounted to the upper intake manifold with two small bolts, and has a small electrical connector on it. It is about two and a half inches by five inches. It may be stuck closed, you can remove it (be careful, it may have a paper gasket) and clean it out with an Air Intake Cleaner. If this doesn't help, it may have failed, and need replacing.

I hope this helps,
Dave