Close



Results 1 to 16 of 16
  1. #1

    Default Car stalling at stop lights. 84 lx 3.8

    The car had been driving fine all day but when we got into stop and go traffic, it started stalling at stop lights. It would crank right back up but I found myself having to keep it in neutral and using gas to keep the idle up to keep it running. Car is all original, so I imagine it's had no work done in the carb or fuel system. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

  2. #2
    FEP Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Grand Rapids, MI
    Posts
    721

    Default

    Is it carbureted or CFI?
    '89 XR-7 5 Speed
    '95 SC 5 Speed
    '91 Crown Vic P72 351W
    '97 Thunderbird
    '85 Ford LTD Squire

  3. #3

    Default

    My 85 lx is CFI and I am having a very similar issue. My plan is to have the injectors serviced, but i have not figured out how to remove them, yet.

  4. #4

    Default

    Mine is carb but has wires plugged into it like an early efi setup perhaps.

  5. #5
    FEP Power Member gmatt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Chicago, south subs
    Posts
    2,136

    Default

    My '86 LTD 3.8 just started doing this, I suspect some sort of vacuum leak. I've already repaired a couple of the lines in the past. They are just deteriorating.

  6. #6
    FEP Power Member gmatt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Chicago, south subs
    Posts
    2,136

    Default

    Replaced 3 vac hoses. The one that goes to the evap canister, the one for the transmission and one cap on the vac tree. Much better now. Steady 20 inches of vac at idle. In the past, i replaced/repaired some others too. The really skinny hard plastic lines get brittle and develop cracks. The larger rubber hoses get very soft and lose their ability to seal.

  7. #7

    Default

    I have a similar problem with my 86 LX 3.8. I was reading in another posting that there is an old service bulletin out that details out this problem with the spacer between the CfI and the manifold. When it gets hot it shrinks causing a vacuum leak. Once it cools down, good to go again. I found the below on Ebay and ordered it. I will get it on Friday!

    OEM Genuine Ford Carburetor Spacer Gasket
    Part Number E6SZ-9C477-A / E6SZ9C477A


    Item is NOS


    Problem- Rough Idle / Surging / Stalling
    Caused by a vacuum leak at the carburetor spacer assembly. Heat has caused the original spacer to shrink causing a vacuum leak


    3.8L engine


    Vehicles affected 1984-1986 Mustang, LTD, Thunderbird, Mercury Capri, Cougar, Marquis


    To Correct this install a new design carburetor spacer assembly with part number E6SZ-9C477-A

  8. #8
    FEP Power Member gmatt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Chicago, south subs
    Posts
    2,136

    Default

    Update on my idle miss/dies at stoplight issues. Wife got stranded today when it decided not to restart. Long story short; no spark; replaced the TFI module on the distributor. I've only taken it for a short drive, but (obviously it started) idle has cleared up and no stalling(that was occasional though).

  9. #9

    Default

    Mine cleared up on it's own and then started again yesterday. I'm going to try to work on it this week as time permits. I opened the air box, carb needs some cleaning and could smell gas, as if the car is running rich. Has anyone looked at replacing entire air intake with standard edelbrock one and say a breather filter on the oil cap? There are no emission tests or vehicle inspections where I live, so would this be a viable option to get the car to breathe better?

  10. #10
    FEP Power Member gmatt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Chicago, south subs
    Posts
    2,136

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by gmatt View Post
    Update on my idle miss/dies at stoplight issues. Wife got stranded today when it decided not to restart. Long story short; no spark; replaced the TFI module on the distributor. I've only taken it for a short drive, but (obviously it started) idle has cleared up and no stalling(that was occasional though).
    Update: Although the idle miss/stalling has stopped, it now has some sort of surge at speed(around 40mph). Reported by my wife; I haven't experienced this yet, she also said it only occurs after being fully warmed up. A full tune-up is in the works. Having read some other comments regarding the module inside the distributor, I have also decided to replace the entire distributor, taking into consideration it's 32 year age.

  11. #11
    FEP Super Member erratic50's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Nebraska
    Posts
    4,575

    Default

    While the dizzy is new, it’s no vintage Motorcraft part.

    To me, first impression sounds like a pickup or coil wire contact problem. Start with cleaning or replacing/redoing your grounds and verifying your rotor and coil wire is right.

    The PIP can go bad. Most of the time what happens though is there is a positive crankcase ventilation problem causing enough pressure that oil pushes past the seal in the distributor and up into the pickup and even the cap. Check your PCV filter and check valve!

    Now for a few other thoughts from experience daily driving my fox for 18 years and having my teenage son daily driving one for two.

    A lot of the Mcparts rotors and modules are somewhere between borderline to not great .... sometimes piss poor ... right out of box new.

    Times have changed and so have parts supplies.

    The Duralast fully loaded dizzy I recently bought introduced a random misfire on one of our four eyed cars and it was down on power. It went from a little bit to big time in a matter of 1000 miles. It started running very rich and stunk of fuel — constantly. Mileage fell from 18-20 to sub 10. Ouch!


    We chased the problem for weeks then I popped the cap and saw how really terrible the rotor looked. It’s wear pattern was very poor. It was completely mis-shapen at the center contact. No way as RPM goes up it’s going to stay put! You could see where spark had been jumping all over the place. We put the old Motorcraft rotor back on and the problem went away — instantly.

    A few weeks later the weather turned hot outside and the car began randomly stalling. We swapped back on the old Wells module we had along side the road and it ran good for about a week. We had been working on computers and had some really good thermal paste in the car so we used it.

    Dizzy’s — a lot of times — use inferior thermal paste before the module is put on the distributor. Order some quality paste used with high end CPU coolers. They transfer heat a lot better.

    The module we swapped on was suspected bad before we removed it but beside the road repairs are what they are. It lasted about 2 weeks then a problem we hadn’t seen since before we had replaced the entire dizzy was back.... the engine would randomly cut out and the tach would bury past 7000 or jump way up very rapidly as it cut then go back to normal. Yet another typical failing module symptom

    Ordered a Motorcraft NOS through OReiley’s. They had one that had been on the shelf for at least 20 years...... perfect. That predates when Ford started having someone else make their modules. If we hadn’t found that it would have been a trip to Napa or somewhere else that carrier a known quality module brand. I’ve had good luck over the years with wells and Motorcraft.


    we installed the module with more CPU paste, problem solved. Runs like a top again.

    I know I have at least 300K miles if not more on the module in my 1/2 million mile car. I believe that one is a Wells but it could be a Motorcraft — can’t remember. For what it’s worth the coil has never been replaced. Hell, it still has most of a set of date coded plug wires on it. The car uses oil but still runs great. Low 13 or high 12 second passes with that old thing depending upon who’s driving and how abusive they are to the clutch coming out of the hole.. it has a Typhoon EFI intake on it so it gets shifted at 6100-6250 a lot too.

    I have burned off several coil wires over the years — be sure to check yours

    Just some thoughts. I know it can be frustrating but hang in there. They will just about run forever if the right replacement parts are sourced when there is a problem and they are installed with attention to detail.

    Ive had an absolute blast with mine — enjoy yours!
    Last edited by erratic50; 06-02-2018 at 07:30 PM.

  12. #12
    FEP Power Member gmatt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Chicago, south subs
    Posts
    2,136

    Default

    I ordered a Motorcraft distributor, new I believe not rebuilt and a Motorcraft TFI module. In the meantime while waiting for delivery, I snagged a distributor from a '85 LTD at the local junkyard. Installed it today, so far, so good.

  13. #13
    FEP Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Grand Rapids, MI
    Posts
    721

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by gmatt View Post
    I ordered a Motorcraft distributor, new I believe not rebuilt and a Motorcraft TFI module. In the meantime while waiting for delivery, I snagged a distributor from a '85 LTD at the local junkyard. Installed it today, so far, so good.
    If you ordered the Motorcraft distributor from RockAuto it is brand new. Mine came in an old Motorcraft box that had probably been sitting on a shelf for 25 years. Dropped right in and works great.

    I did have to change from the bolt on rotor to the push on rotor when I swapped my distributor by the way. Only push on rotor I could find locally was Duralast. Works fine so far. Would rather have a different brand, but not the end of the world.
    '89 XR-7 5 Speed
    '95 SC 5 Speed
    '91 Crown Vic P72 351W
    '97 Thunderbird
    '85 Ford LTD Squire

  14. #14
    FEP Power Member gmatt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Chicago, south subs
    Posts
    2,136

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by KevinVarnes View Post
    If you ordered the Motorcraft distributor from RockAuto it is brand new. Mine came in an old Motorcraft box that had probably been sitting on a shelf for 25 years. Dropped right in and works great.

    I did have to change from the bolt on rotor to the push on rotor when I swapped my distributor by the way. Only push on rotor I could find locally was Duralast. Works fine so far. Would rather have a different brand, but not the end of the world.
    My '86 had the push on type rotor. The one I got at the j/y is the bolt on type. Seems to work just fine. We'll see what RockAuto sends me.

  15. #15
    FEP Power Member gmatt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Chicago, south subs
    Posts
    2,136

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by gmatt View Post
    My '86 had the push on type rotor. The one I got at the j/y is the bolt on type. Seems to work just fine. We'll see what RockAuto sends me.
    RockAuto sent the one with the push-on type rotor(in a really old, dusty box). I haven't installed it because the junkyard distributor is performing great.

  16. #16
    FEP Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Grand Rapids, MI
    Posts
    721

    Default

    That sounds like the same one I got. The original distributor on my '85 had the bolt on rotor so I had to get the different style. I saved the box my distributor came in for some reason. I guess I thought it was cool. I was having random hot stall issues and felt better just replacing everything ignition related with new Motorcraft parts. We typically take the wagon on long family road trips and I don't want to take the chance of the car stalling again 12 hours from home and not knowing if I will be able to make it home or not.
    '89 XR-7 5 Speed
    '95 SC 5 Speed
    '91 Crown Vic P72 351W
    '97 Thunderbird
    '85 Ford LTD Squire

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •