Need help after I replaced the battery...

[4ford]

OK, the PCU must be powered all the time the battery is connected, and the cigarette lighter plug is always powered with the battery connected, and there is only one battery!
The only exception to that would be if the cigarette lighter plug was only powered with the key in ACC or ON.

4ford

[rowan194]

Originally Posted by 4ford

The only exception to that would be if the cigarette lighter plug was only powered with the key in ACC or ON.

In my AUIII Fairmont the cig lighter is switched just like the radio. It is off when the key is at OFF or out, and briefly drops when the engine cranks.

[4ford]

It doesn't matter about when the radio comes on, the radio continues to be powered from the battery even with the key off or out...otherwise you would have to re-insert the radio code every time you switched off the key!
4ford

[Evgeni]

Hey mate,
Just wondering if you have chekced the output on the alternator with a multimeter? MIght just want to rule it out. Was thinking a failing alternator killing the first battery. Now the idle dropping when some demand is placed on the system.
If this clears, I would want to do what AUIILTD suggested with the IAC. If you have a multi meter with a min/max function you can also check what kind of signal it is getting -rule out mechanical and/or control issues with the IAC. Better still have a look at what voltage readings you get when you do something like turn the steering. The IAC duty cycle should increase, meaning on time is extended, but the voltage signal should stay constant.

[Swedishmoose]

Hi there...


i also first thought it could be the IAC but I have thought about it more and was asking myself why it didn't do anything wrong before I replaced the battery?

I mean it isn't possible to blow the IAC unit by replacing the battery I guess.

Furthermore....everything is just fine in neutral or park. I can even put all sorts of electrical and mechanical load and the base idle will be perfect. I turned on demister, high beam, aircon, interior light, radio, brake lights, power steering pump by turning and holding the steering wheel and everything else that I could possible turn on and the idle was fine. The ECU also managed to regulate and adjust everything just fine.......even when I turned the steering wheel back to the centre....idle was fine.

Everything changes the moment I put any gear in. First of all I noticed that the base idle in gear is too low. The steering wheel is vibrating and the whole exhaust system is vibrating and rattling because of the low idle.
I can add electrical load (demister, high beam etc. ) and the ECU manages to keep the idle at that low level without letting it drop more.

If i turn the steering wheel left or right and the power steering assistance kicks in , the ECU manages the idle as well at that low level but like i said....if i turn the steering wheel back to centre (power steering assistance shuts off) , the idle trops down to about 200 , everything rattles and vibrates like mad and then the ECU sluggishly re-adjusts the idle back to about 500.

thats what I don't get.

If it was the IAC, it would have done it as well prior to the battery change and it would also do it in neutral or park.

But this behaviour is ONLY present in any gear.

Unfortunately I can't afford one of those testers the Ford dealerships use because it is several thousands of $$$.
And even worse, the AU is not OBD II compatible and therefore there are no scanning tools available for the AU. It is an older Siemens system with an OBD II plug.
That doesn't help either.
I am keen on getting a malfunction code in order to progress with the troubleshooting.

I am quite limited at the moment.

At this point I assume that the ECU is just a bit lazy/sluggish in re-adjusting the drop of the idle when turning the steering wheel back and it hasn't realised yet that the base idle in gear is too low.
It might notice it some time but how long should I wait? Its pretty annoying.

I wish there was a way to re-train the ECU from outside and change parameters to adjust the base idle in gear because I don't want to fiddle with that mechanical screw on the throttle body where the base idle can be re-adjusted as well.

If I did that the base idle in gear would be probably fine put in neutral or park way to high.


To make a long story short...

I've got only a few options:

1. Hope that the ECU realises the stuff ups and the drop in idle and fixes it

2. Find a scanning tool for the AU Falcon in order to understand what codes the ECU sets
3. See a Ford dealer and hand out $$$ just so they plug in a reader and tell me whats wrong

4. Just drive it an be grumpy...


The Moose

[Swedishmoose]

Originally Posted by Evgeni

Hey mate,
Better still have a look at what voltage readings you get when you do something like turn the steering. The IAC duty cycle should increase, meaning on time is extended, but the voltage signal should stay constant.

Hi..


I am not sure but if I disconnect the plug from the IAC while the car is running, the idle should increase slightly if I am correct.

The voltage at the plug should be between 7 and 10 Volts and the resistance of the IAC should be between 8 and 15 Ohm.
I haven't checked all that but could you confirm these figures?

So....if I disconnect the plug from the IAC while the car is running and measure the voltage at the plug, the voltage should increase when I turn the steering wheel and decrease when the steering wheel is in centre position again.


I also read about a test called KEOR (I am not sure if thats the correct term) which means something like "key engine" bla bla ...no idea.

I read it in the Max Ellery maintenance book and it referred to the diagnostic section of the book without actually putting the test procedure in it. Thats just great

cheers

The Moose

[Evgeni]

Hi Moose,
KOEO is fancy way of saying accesories. Stands for Key on engine off. The other is KOER - Key on engine running.
To do these test, you need to backprobe the connector. I just raid the wifes sewing kit and use those needles with the large plastic heads.

The IAC works via a pintle which opens and shuts. The solenoid operates this pintle which is in turn controlled via the PCM. A transitor on the circuit provides ground voltage, completing the circuit and thus opening the pintle. The time from when the pintle is closed, until the time when the pintle has finished opening is referred to as 1 duty cycle.

With KOEO you should see battery voltage on both wires. If you pull the connector out voltage will drop on one of the wires. This is the control wire. The other will be the power feed. The computer gives ground voltage to the control wire to allow air into the intake when the throttle plate is closed at idle. How much air is decided by how long the computer leaves the pintle open for. i.e increasing duty cycle.

The reason you can't see this on/off cycle is because of the frequency this is happening. You need something with a fast sampling rate like an oscilliscope. Scopes will graph this reading and you would see an on/off square wave pattern. A DVOM will give you an average which is why you see 7 to 10volts. Still, variance or decrease in voltage when acccesories are turned on will indicate that the PCM is increasing the duty cycle in order to raise RPM, confirming active control.

You can check the mechanical function of the IAC by bypassing the PCM - simply by either giving the control wire power or ground. With a test light connected to battery positive, touching the control wire will drop RPM as the air flow is restricted. Alternatively, test light to battery ground and touching the control wire will raise RPM as it will leave the pintle open.

I'm thinking that this may not solve your issue, but it will allow you to test the integrity of the IAC and how it is controlled to some extent.
I would want to see a diagram and find out what common feeds/grounds are shared with the power steering etc, as the next line of inquiry.

[auIILTD]

Great input Evgeni. Appreciated.

[Swedishmoose]

Originally Posted by Evgeni

Hi Moose,


You can check the mechanical function of the IAC by bypassing the PCM - simply by either giving the control wire power or ground. With a test light connected to battery positive, touching the control wire will drop RPM as the air flow is restricted. Alternatively, test light to battery ground and touching the control wire will raise RPM as it will leave the pintle open.

Hi Evgeni,


thanks for the detailled information.

In order to test the IAC mechanically I am sure you meant to put either ground or +12 V to the control connector of the IAC and not the wire, right?

Sorry for the stupid question....


And when I think about it, there is only one question left...

Is it the PCM, that sends out a "wrong" voltage , so the IAC drops the idle too low when the steering wheel is turned back to centre (the moment the power steering pressure switch opens) because it is controlled by the PCM?


Or is it the correct voltage from the PCM, but the IAC is faulty.

If I had an IAC laying arround I would just swap it over and see what happens. If it improves the idle when the steering wheel is turned back, it must have been the IAC. If not, it would be the PCM.

Now...do you have a rough idea how much an IAC unit would set me back and (in the worst case) would it cost me, to reprogramme the PCM at the dealer?


Thanks again for any help to everybody here and if someone can come up with another idea, i am very keen to know about it.


Cheers everybody

The Moose

[auIILTD]

Moose, my take on what is happening is the IAC over time has become less efficient due to gumming up or mechanical wear. Changing your battery would not have necessarily 'broken' the IAC, but cleared years of learning by the ECU to compensate for the 'wear'. Did you manage to have a go at cleaning the IAC?

The PCM will not be sending the incorrect levels. Having it re-programmed would be a waste of funds I believe.

Cheers
Stu

[Swedishmoose]

Originally Posted by auIILTD

Moose, my take on what is happening is the IAC over time has become less efficient due to gumming up or mechanical wear. Changing your battery would not have necessarily 'broken' the IAC, but cleared years of learning by the ECU to compensate for the 'wear'. Did you manage to have a go at cleaning the IAC?

The PCM will not be sending the incorrect levels. Having it re-programmed would be a waste of funds I believe.

Cheers
Stu

Hi Stu....

thats a good point. I was hoping that the ECU would "realise" the wear and re-adjust accordingly to the new input parameter from several sensors.

It might do it but it might take hundreds (thousands?) of km's.

I have to get carburettor cleaner and I will have a go at cleaning it.....but i would still be interested in the cost of a new IAC unit. i don't want to call the dealer just yet, hoping that someone might know.

I am roughly guessing that it might be between 50 and 100 $$ if you order it in from the dealer.

But I might be utterly wrong...


Thanks again for the support and the information from all you guys...


cheers

The Moose

[auIILTD]

Originally Posted by smally351

OK, got my flame suit on here, some people may not like what I'm about to say, but I am speaking from experience and offerring advice which is what the forum is all about.
I was a Ford Registered Technician during the time that the AU was released and also well before (back in the days of the XF). To restore a good idle after a battery change I find the best way is to leave the car idling in drive (no accessories on like A/C, lights etc) for 10 to 15 minutes. Pull the handbrake on and go and have a coffee if you like. You won't find this in any workshop manual or diagnostic training book but it works. As others have said, over time the PCM will relearn but this gives you a good idle straight away. I find it works best after the battery has been disconnected for 5 to 10 minutes.
Another way of changing the battery and not loosing radio codes or idle quality is to connect a jump pack to the battery terminals before removing the leads. Swap the battrery over, refit the leads and remove the jump pack. No loss of power to the PCM.

Flame away workshop manual geeks LOL

NO problems Moose.

Have you tried what is suggested in the quoted post? If that does not work, then you may have serious issues that may involve more investigations.

Stu

[Evgeni]

Originally Posted by Swedishmoose

In order to test the IAC mechanically I am sure you meant to put either ground or +12 V to the control connector of the IAC and not the wire, right?

Sorry for the stupid question....
Not a stupid question. When you back probe, you insert a semi conductor, in this case a piece of metal into the back of the connector with the sensor plugged in. It needs to be adjacent to the wire you wish to probe, without piercing the insulation and going in far enough to make contact with the metal contacts. Basically, you are gaining access to the flow of electrons with the system intact.
So you do back probe at the connector. I refer to the specific wire, as it delineates which wire in a two wire design such as the case in aground switched IAC you are actually looking at.

And when I think about it, there is only one question left...

Is it the PCM, that sends out a "wrong" voltage , so the IAC drops the idle too low when the steering wheel is turned back to centre (the moment the power steering pressure switch opens) because it is controlled by the PCM?

There are a few scenarios that are possible with such a circuit.

1. Power feed is shorted to ground. Test with DVOM - with the IAC plugged in, battery voltage should be seen on both wires. From memory, it is a shared power feed, so it will be unlikely that this will be the issue.

2. You have an open coil in the solenoid. If this is the case, in a KOEO situation, you will have battery voltage on the power feed, but nothing on the control wire.

3. A short to ground on the control wire. Computer will lose control, but ground voltage will mean that the IAC will be in the open position. that is, high RPM. does not sound like the case here, but again, backprobing the control wire at the sensor and comparing this reading with the corresponding pin on the PCM will dispel this theory. With KOEO, it should be battery voltage at both points.

4. The driver on the computer is shorted. Unable to provide ground voltage, hence IAC remains closed, leading to a low RPM. Test light connected to battery positive on the control wire will put this one to rest.


Or is it the correct voltage from the PCM, but the IAC is faulty.

If I had an IAC laying arround I would just swap it over and see what happens. If it improves the idle when the steering wheel is turned back, it must have been the IAC. If not, it would be the PCM.

Now...do you have a rough idea how much an IAC unit would set me back and (in the worst case) would it cost me, to reprogramme the PCM at the dealer?

The mechanical test I described in my previous post would test this theory. If you can manipulate the IAC without the computer, the actual IAC is fine.

I would be weary to condemn the IAC - if you find that it is maxing out, it is usually a sign that the computer is receiving information that is beyond the scope of the IAC to deal with.

[Evgeni]

Just want to throw up an idea. You said that things are fine when the car is in N or P. But the RPM is obvious higher as compared to when the car is in gear. Do you still see the RPM drop though when you centre the steering in N or P?

Looking at a diagram, the p/s switch shares a common ground with the coolant temp sensor, Map sensor and the TPS. The easiest one to get to is the TPS. I would want to see what voltage reading you get on this ground when you move the steering around. Alternatively, if you want, backprobe pin 91 on the computer and see what you get. In theory this is ground voltage and should not be more than 200-300mv - ideally 0.

[Swedishmoose]

Hi there...

everything is fine in N or P...if I centre the steering you don't see a drop in idle at all. The idle in neutral is about 700 and therefore bang on (no matter what steering wheel position and what electrical load is put on).

In any gear it drops to about 500 and you can actually feel the car vibrating (steering wheel, exhaust etc.)....and when you move the steering wheel to the left or right it is still at about 500....the moment you move it back to centre and at exactly the moment when you can hear the power steering pressure switch opening to stop the steering assistance, the idle drops to about 250-300 before it goes back up to about 500.

I am a technician myself and before I rip everything apart which usually leads to snapped plugs, clips, panels etc. (no matter how careful you are) , I tend to replace the unit and see what happens. If nothing changes than I have to dig in a bit. The reason why I would like to avoid back-probing is that it puts stress on the plug and it might break It would be possible to construct an adapter that you put between the IAC connector and its plug with the possibility of connecting a voltmeter. But I would need the connector and the plug in order to fabricate such thing. It would certainly be the safest way to do it.

Thats why I think you were mentioning your wifes needle set with the plastic thing on top that you would use.

What I might do now is wait for about 500 ks and see if things have changed. If not, I will clean the IAC and see if that makes a difference. If not I might just get myself an IAC valve from the dealer and replace it and keep the old one as a spare.

I don't even drive the Falcon all crazy so that vibrations could have loosen a wire that shorts to another wire or ground.

Evgeni, what did you mean by the following quote?

I would be weary to condemn the IAC - if you find that it is maxing out, it is usually a sign that the computer is receiving information that is beyond the scope of the IAC to deal with.

Did you mean that if that happens, the ECU sends a signal to the IAC which opens it completely...but the IAC can't open further because it has got a mechanical limit to open further.
But I would ask myself the question why the ECU sends such an "out of limit" signal the IAC can't deal with. Wouldn't that mean that the ECU is faulty when it sends such "out of limit" parameter to the IAC?

What I have noticed it is very hard to talk about issues like that in a Forum because sometimes you mean the same thing but because every person has different ways of expressing themselves, it is sometimes confusing.


But I'll post updates


thanks again for the help..


cheers

The Moose

[Swedishmoose]

Originally Posted by auIILTD

NO problems Moose.

Have you tried what is suggested in the quoted post? If that does not work, then you may have serious issues that may involve more investigations.

Stu

Hi there,


yep, I did.
The only difference was that I have added another electrical load after every second minute.

I started the engine after I took off battery ground for 10 minutes and let it idle for about 2 minutes....after that I added the demsiter..than high beam etc.
After 15 minutes demister, aircon, highbeam, interior light, brake light, radio and fan were on.

Everything was fine in N and P (ECU and IAC kept idle at about 700) and when I put a gear in the idle tropped to about 500 and vibrations occured because it was obviously a little too low.
When i turned steering to left, idle was still at 500 (even with power steering pump running) and when I turned back to centre (no power steering assistance) the idle drops to 250-300 for 1-2 seconds and then goes back up to 500.

The Moose

[Evgeni]

Hi Moose,
I'll put up a photo of backprobing the connector with a needle tomorrow. There is absolutely no stress on any component as the needle has a small diameter. Very safe

Re limits.
Computers will not send out a signal that is out of limits for the IAC. They will have pre programmed parameters that they must follow. It is more often the case that they are over compensating or undercompensating or receiving incorrect information because there has been an issue with the sensor or the wiring. These limits are designed for a system that is intact. There is some scope for adjustment - but how much air do you let in or restrict? The motor will stall at some point.
The injectors operate under the same principle i.e duty cycle or pulse width modulated control. Lets say you have a large vacuum leak. If the pulse width was increased infinitely to deal with the air leak, there would be fuel spilling out of the exhaust etc.

Hold on to your seat when you ring Ford for parts. I was hit for $30 for 6 sump to transmission bolts. I don't want to think what they want for an IAC. I'm thinking that a new IAC may not fix your problem as we dont understand your problem as yet. Anyway, will put up a photo tomorrow and hope it helps.

[Evgeni]

Here is what I was talking about.


I am on the control wire with the engine off. Just make sure it is the control by unplugging the connector and watching for the voltage to drop. You just squeeze it and it will pull out. Ideally, you would be using battery ground, but I just put the other end of the meter on the mixer housing cause I was holding the camera.
Have a look what the voltage reading is when you turn and centre the steering. If it increases, it means the computer is trying to lower rpm, if it falls, it is trying to increase rpm.
Connect a test light or jumper to battery ground and touch the pin on the control wire. This will open the IAC - what happens when you turn the steering with the thing fully open?
The vacuum line from the IAC goes to the PCV - make sure that this is not blocked. If you pull it out at the rocker cover end, you should feel vacuum.



Here is photo of a voltage reading on the TPS signal wire. Sorry, for the photo that doesn't show you the connector completely. The signal is the top wire. The middle one is ground and the one on the bottom is the reference. Because the TPS shares a common ground with the power steering circuit, just have a look at what happens when you turn the steering. May be nothing, but just check.
Anyway, I hope this helps you.

[ICar]

Sorry for butting in but-Could broken terminals on the batteries affected the working of the heater? If so is there any way I can fix this? It is a fairlane ghia Nu 2000. Could it just be in need of resetting as such? Sorry I am not technical at all, just typing this in for to help husband- oh and me- I get asthma and the car was lovely with the heater now- it is not so good in a freezing Victorian Winter.

[Maka]

Originally Posted by ICar

Sorry for butting in but-Could broken terminals on the batteries affected the working of the heater? If so is there any way I can fix this? It is a fairlane ghia Nu 2000. Could it just be in need of resetting as such? Sorry I am not technical at all, just typing this in for to help husband- oh and me- I get asthma and the car was lovely with the heater now- it is not so good in a freezing Victorian Winter.

G'day there, welcome to AFF - to get a good response to your question you really should've started a new thread but anyway, 1st thing to check is the heater tap under the inlet manifold, its not expensive to fix but is hubby competent enough to have a go at fixing it? Is the car losing any coolant? Any hissing sounds from behind the dash?

p,s try starting a new thread, googling or using the search button above to do some research on the matter

cheers,Maka

[ICar]

Thanks Maka- I have started a new thread before coming to this one and waited a couple of days and then had a go a trying another one still no response to- date. Also have tried googling (thats how I found this site)- I tried one under 6 cylnder and it did not receive any answers at all and the googling was also very limited in responses- cept to say it mention maybe trying the thermostat.

Thanks for being the first person to have a try to help- I really was trying to help my husband as he is someone who will give it a shot if he has good instructions. He did a fair amount of work on our previous car (Holden VP).
But as he says these newer models are wanting you to call in the big guns as they are far more technical.

[Swedishmoose]

Hi there...

I was busy the whole weekend with several things so I wasn't able to post anything.

@Evgeni

Thank you very much for all the trouble you went through posting these pictures....that is very much appreciated.

Well...I have cleaned the IAC and guess what.....nothing much has changed. I was sceptical about that because as I mentioned before, the idle is fine in neutral.

Why would an IAC valve operate perfectly in neutral/park but not operate smoothly in any gear. The operation of the IAC is the same...no matter if in gear or not I suppose.
If the IAC is doing well in neutral or park, it should do fine in any gear.
I cleaned it anyway because I thought it wouldn't harm.

I couldn't do the measuring at the sensor yet, because I need to get a voltmeter first. My old one is stuffed....how surprising...if one thing goes bad...another just follows.

But what I did is monitoring the idle in three stages (engine very cold, warming up and operational temperature) and I was surprised a bit by the results.

1. Engine very cold...very early in the morning:

base idle in neutral/park .....

...steering wheel straight = approx. 700
...steering wheel left (power steering assistance ON) = approx. 750
...turning steering wheel back to centre (assistance OFF) = approx.700
(NO DROP in idle, very smooth idle)

base idle in gear (R,D,3,2,1).....

... steering wheel straight = approx. 600
... steering wheel left (power steering assistance ON) = approx. 650
... turning steering wheel back to centre (assistance OFF) = approx.600
(NO DROP in idle, very smooth idle)


2. Engine warming but NOT operational temperatur yet

base idle in neutral/park .....

...steering wheel straight = approx. 650-680
...steering wheel left (power steering assistance ON) = approx. 680
...turning steering wheel back to centre (assistance OFF) = approx.650-680
(NO DROP in idle, smooth idle)

base idle in gear (R,D,3,2,1).....

... steering wheel straight = approx. 500-550
... steering wheel left (power steering assistance ON) = approx. 550
... turning steering wheel back to centre (assistance OFF) = approx.450-500
(idle drops to 450 for approx. 1 sec then back up to 500, idle smooth)


3. Engine has reached operational temperature

base idle in neutral/park .....

...steering wheel straight = approx. 650-680
...steering wheel left (power steering assistance ON) = approx. 650
...turning steering wheel back to centre (assistance OFF) = approx.650-680
(NO DROP in idle, idle smooth)

base idle in gear (R,D,3,2,1).....

... steering wheel straight = approx. 500
... steering wheel left (power steering assistance ON) = approx. 550
... turning steering wheel back to centre (assistance OFF) = approx.200-500
(idle drops to 200 for approx. 1 sec, engine vibrates and nearly stalls).


Now....
there are basically two key questions not answered yet.

WHY is the IAC working fine in park/neutral but NOT in gear (especially when the power steering assistance shuts off)..

WHY is it getting worse with an increasing engine temperature?



Maybe the ECU needs just a lot of time to re-adjust and it doesn't really "know" at the moment how to deal with that idle drop when the engine is hot and the steering wheel is operated.
If there is a faulty wire or anything I would ask myself how that could turn faulty just because I swapped the battery.

I'll drive it a bit longer and keep the post aupdated...maybe someone knows or maybe a lightning bolt hits me with a bright idea....


The Moose

[Evgeni]

Originally Posted by Swedishmoose

there are basically two key questions not answered yet.

WHY is the IAC working fine in park/neutral but NOT in gear (especially when the power steering assistance shuts off)..

WHY is it getting worse with an increasing engine temperature?



Maybe the ECU needs just a lot of time to re-adjust and it doesn't really "know" at the moment how to deal with that idle drop when the engine is hot and the steering wheel is operated.
If there is a faulty wire or anything I would ask myself how that could turn faulty just because I swapped the battery.

I'll drive it a bit longer and keep the post aupdated...maybe someone knows or maybe a lightning bolt hits me with a bright idea....


The Moose

Hey Moose,
I'm going to go out on a limb and say your IAC is fine.
From a schematic, the coolant temp sensor, MAP, power steering and TPS all share a common ground. If you have issues related to steering, idle and temperature check the signal and ground at any one of these sensors - TPS being the most accessible. It may not solve your problem, but what it will do is let you know if there is an electronic management issue or a mechanical issue.
Why this is all happened when you've changed the battery, I wouldn't know. But I'll bet the answer is there when this problem is resolved.

[Swedishmoose]

Hi there....


thanks again Evgeni...I'll just drive a bit longer and see what changes and the moment I can get my hands on a new voltmeter I will start to dig in.

I hope the problem disappears all by itself and I am hoping even more that it is just an adjustment issue and the ECU will solve it automatically after some time.

A few posted here that it can actually take a while for the ECU to re-adjust everything and because i am only driving the car twice a week it might just take a little longer.


I'll keep on posting updates the moment something changes.
It is allways good to have more than just one opinion.


Thanks again..

cheers

The Moose

[needaXYGT]

Iv had this same problem after changing a flat battery, I drove the car for weeks and still no change. After talking to a guy at work who once owned a auto elect shop, he said I need to reset the base idle.
To do this, I was told to hold the accelerator pedal flat to tue floor, turn the accessories on for one minute, turn the key off and let the pedal go.
So I did this, thinking surely it can't be that easy to get rid of the problem, but sure enough it did make a difference, and after a small adjustment of the idle set screw, the car now idles like new! It also made the car drive much smoother as well!
So hopefully this could be of some help, if you haven't already tried it.

[rowan194]

Originally Posted by needaXYGT

Iv had this same problem after changing a flat battery, I drove the car for weeks and still no change. After talking to a guy at work who once owned a auto elect shop, he said I need to reset the base idle.
To do this, I was told to hold the accelerator pedal flat to tue floor, turn the accessories on for one minute, turn the key off and let the pedal go.

This sounds more like re-learning wide open throttle. One trick to make the trans a bit more responsive, at least with earlier models, is to do this with a cigarette packet or something similar under the pedal, so it learns 90% physical as 100% electrical.

One time my car came back from Bayford idling too high - when cruising and reversing I could feel it "pushing" when normally it would coast or sit there and do nothing respectively. They denied doing anything besides a clean; I ended up adjusting the idle screw slightly, enough that it lowered idle but not too much that it stalled after the startup rev (or on the road). If the OP is sick of tearing out hair a slight adjustment to the idle screw may be a solution.

[smoo]

moose how is your fuel consumption?
My old XR6 manual ute done the same thing after r/r the battery. To top it off my average highway consumption went from 8.5litres/100km to 13! Also a rough idle down to 500ish rpm when coasting up to an intersection in neutral under 30kmh. This happened immediately after the battery was pulled out and put in. I've done the same to a lot of cars I've owned including other Falcons no worries.
I had it at an auto sparky for 2 days and 2 Ford dealers, everything good on scan tools. I swapped ECU, sensors, relearn, drove her 15000km with no change before selling it to my flat mate. She is still going strong at 660,000 original box and engine but she runs very rich.
I found the Ford dealer farking useless, got the same old story, reset the ECU or KAMS, give it a good run and she'll be right, the stupid ***** who was suppose to be the service advisor even put my increased fuel consumption claim as perception due to rising fuel prices. I was fuming, was one of the best cars I've owned, hope you get yours sorted.

[Swedishmoose]

Hi guys....


have been away for a while.

Well the whole situation has improved slightly without me doing anything but driving...
I haven't touched (cleaned) the IAC or other sensors.

Maybe it just takes a lot looooooooonger.

But one day when I've got some money left, I would like to "refurbish" the whole car. It still looks like new but things get old and just need to e replaced.

Thanks to all of you for all the ideas...it helped a lot


The Moose

[smoo]

re my post above, my mate who I sold my XR6 to says he now gets over 800km to a tank, which is well under 10l/100km, so it seems she has finally come right. If I remember correctly mine started to play up around 640,000km and is now on about 663,000km so its taken at least 15-20,000k to come right.

[saber]

Originally Posted by mik

i`ve never bothered with the relearn thing, to be honest, the times i`ve had the battery disconnected and reconnected, it did`nt even seem to run any different, other than the need for the radio code.

Same here..if anything, the car ran slightly better after disconnecting the battery. Never had any low idle/rough running issue after a battery disconnect in either folks AUI and AUIII Falcons. Just disconnect and reconnect battery, plug in radio code, and drive.