Needing help to keep it on the road until rebuild

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Phatt_daddy

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02 V6 w 166k. Recently replaced the valve cover gaskets, new Motorcraft Platinum plugs and new coils. Problem is that upon start up I;m sitting at 500 rpm for like 5 min and then progressively increases to 1k. Driving is decent with minimal power loss ( hence the rebuild- worn rings), but at a stop I have to kick the car into neutral and pat the gas to keep it at 1k idle until I move or the car dies. Several mechanics I've talked to have said "its a ford, replace the IAC" but none of them have worked on this particular line of car. I know this cant be good for the engine or the tranny either one and I want to be able to drive it somewhat trouble free until I can rebuild the engine in the spring as this is currently my only vehicle.

Thanks,
Nate
 
The v6 is a more common Ford engine, as opposed to the Jag-derived v8. So common advice is more applicable. Check out the IAC (I am also assuming that the '02 v6 has an IAC). Remove and clean with carb cleaner as a first check, although the gasket may not be available at the parts store.
If it's not burning oil or showing a blown head gasket then there may not be a need for a rebuild.
 
The 2000 to 2002 (V6 and V8) have an IAC. This does sound like the classic symptom of a bad IAC. Unplug the electrical connector from the IAC. If nothing changes, then the IAC isn't working.
 
It is still burning oil, so I know a rebuild is in the future. When the I got the car right at a year ago it had 123k on it and according to the condition when the Lincoln dealer serviced it while I was having the DCCV replaced, It had NEVER been serviced prior to that ( factory oil filter, plugs, and coils that it rolled off the assy line with). Now it has 168k and before valve cover replacement, was using a quart of oil a week. Now tho it only smokes first thing in the morning when I start it up for a few min. Idle sits at 500 for about 2-3 min then picks up to 1k in the mornings as well. As far as typical blown head gasket symptoms, it has none, so I'm thinking rings. Could the TPS cause similar issues as described in my first post?
 
It sounds like you just need a little bit of TLC on the IAC valve, or replace it. Some folks have been able to clean their IAC and make it work again. As far as the smoke on startup, it is probably nothing more than oil seepage around the valve stems in the heads, as the rest and cold engine can allow a bit of seepage overnight. If it clears up as you said, you should not have to worry about rings. I would recommend some great quality oil and a couple of frequent oil changes along with possibly adding some Marvel Mystery Oil to the crankcase to help clean up the engine internals and maybe free up the oil control rings if they have coked up at all from lack of servicing. I would not be looking at ring failure if the smoke goes away quickly after a cold start. If you had bad rings, there would likely be smoke all of the time.
 
Phatt_daddy said:
It is still burning oil, so I know a rebuild is in the future. When the I got the car right at a year ago it had 123k on it and according to the condition when the Lincoln dealer serviced it while I was having the DCCV replaced, It had NEVER been serviced prior to that ( factory oil filter, plugs, and coils that it rolled off the assy line with). Now it has 168k and before valve cover replacement, was using a quart of oil a week. Now tho it only smokes first thing in the morning when I start it up for a few min. Idle sits at 500 for about 2-3 min then picks up to 1k in the mornings as well. As far as typical blown head gasket symptoms, it has none, so I'm thinking rings. Could the TPS cause similar issues as described in my first post?
Click to expand...

MASSIVE oil consumption (like a quart every few hundred miles) on my daughter's 2000 V6 was cured bu cleaning the PCV elbow. While there I would just replace the elbow. The PCV will suck oil.
 
Ok so an update and more questions..... Ive checked the IAC and the TPS- I don't remember the readings but they both checked out as being good per information I found in a Google search. Oil consumption is down drastically to about a half a quart every 2 weeks instead of 1 quart every week. Questions are... Why do I still have a problem with the car stalling out and dying when I come to a start- doesn't matter when external temp is or if the car is up to temp or not. And also when I slide my stick over to use the SST- It falls flat on its face while in second but drives fine in every other gear. I know I'm still loosing power somewhere cause I have to pull a mountain on my drive home and the car still has to hit 4k rpm to maintain 60 mph where as 6 months ago it could do it at 3k. Could the TPS and IAC be intermittent or do I have other problems. When I changed my valve cover gaskets, coils, and plugs, I noticed that the intake had a coating of oil on it that I am assuming is from the EGR system. How do I clean this out?

Thanks for the replies and ideas, Keep them coming
Nate
 
Phatt_daddy said:
... Ive checked the IAC and the TPS- I don't remember the readings but they both checked out as being good per information I found in a Google search. ...
Click to expand...

How did you test the IAC? Did you check the resistance of the IAC? That is an almost completely useless test. It only verifies that the solenoid coil isn't open or shorted. This is the least likely way for the IAC to fail. The most likely way for it to fail is for it to be mechanically stuck. The quick and simple test for it is to unplug it while the engine is idling. If it is working, the idle speed should drop greatly (engine may even stall). If this doesn't happen, the IAC is bad. Please do this test.


Phatt_daddy said:
...When I changed my valve cover gaskets, coils, and plugs, I noticed that the intake had a coating of oil on it that I am assuming is from the EGR system. How do I clean this out?...
Click to expand...

EGR is Exhaust Gas Recirculation. It most certainly can't cause oil in or on the intake.
PCV is Positive Crankcase Ventilation. It can and often does deliver some oil to the inside of the intake. Are we talking about the inside? A small amount, while annoying, is harmless. You can remove the intake and clean it with brake parts cleaner if you really must. You could also use Seafoam while it is still on the car, but be aware that if you do it wrong, you could hydrolock (destroy) the engine.
Excess oil in the intake (and excess oil consumption) is most often caused by excess blow-by from worn out rings.
 
IAC- I tried both- didn't realize the resistance was a useless test- thanks for the input. Unplugged twice as well first time, no change, second 5 min later it died. As far as the oil in the intake, nice coating with a little buildup. As in the O-ring upper to lower intake gaskets had a thin film on them as well when I pulled it. I was thinking rings but the car doesn't smoke all the time, just on start up in the mornings and after work if I don't go out for lunch. Car also has a VERY rough idle and stays at around 500 to 700 rpm.
 
Phatt_daddy said:
Would a bad pcv valve cause all of my issues?
Click to expand...

Possibly, but probably not. In any event, it is a known possible issue and should be looked at and resolved. It should be giving you lean codes.

It's understandable to want to find one defect that is causing all your problems, as you would solve them all at once. However, I'm not sure this is a realistic approach. If there's no obvious single thing causing your problems, then go after the likely things that could be causing parts of your problem. If you find something wrong, then you really have to fix that before you can continue looking for other problems.
 
Completely understand joegr... was just kind of hopeful. SO PCV could most likely be the culprit of the oil issue. Should I look to the TPS or the IAC for my idle issue or the throttle body itself? And also where is the PCV on the 02 v6? Cause when I was replacing the valve cover gaskets, there was a hard line that came up from the back drivers side of the intake manifold and snaked around the engine back to the the upper intake right past the throttle body..... The grommet was rotten and broke so I replaced the entire line... but my oil and idle issue was around before that and is still there.
 
The PCV and its rubber hose are under the lower intake. It is most likely your idle problem's cause. If you have not replaced it recently, it is likely that it has broken down and rotted to an open condition.
 
milehighmikey said:
The PCV and its rubber hose are under the lower intake. It is most likely your idle problem's cause. If you have not replaced it recently, it is likely that it has broken down and rotted to an open condition.
Click to expand...

The failed hose also causes copious oil usage!! My daughter was "using" a quart about every 300 in-town miles!!!!
 
Quote Phatt:

" Now tho it only smokes first thing in the morning when I start it up for a few min."

and...

"I was thinking rings but the car doesn't smoke all the time, just on start up in the mornings and after work if I don't go out for lunch"

This to me sounds like valve stem seals. You are looking at a rebuild or replace,,, or live with it. If it was doing this at 123k... someone thrashed this engine to hi-revs all of the time,,, because the V-6 is actually pretty durable except for the oil pump on certain years. If you have 168K+ on it now... and it is getting no worse,,, live with it until it gets unbearable... and save for a new or boneyard engine with less miles.

Don't remember if the intake on the LS V6 is simalar to the Escape V6,,, but there was an issue with the escape for certain years where the intake leaked oil onto the engine... but you would smell that burning off.
 
Of course... if you have the knowhow or the buddy with the knowhow,,, you could replace just the valve stem seals. This takes air pessure from an air compressor and the appropriate fitting and hose to screw into the spark plug hole, rotating each cylinder so both valves are closed so the valves don't drop when the valve springs are released, a proper valve spring compressor to remove valve springs and keepers... plus time and patience.
 
Your poor idle could be caused by the o rings leaking between the two halves of the intake. This was a known issue for the v-6. Same for the escape because it is basically the same engine.
 
Looks like I was not in time.... Currently in the shop- 2 cylinders sitting at 60 lbs on a compression test. And they are side by side- shop is thinking a blown head gasket or corroded valves. I hate it when previous owners do no maintenance on there vehicles. So it is either replace the engine or fix the problem. Which ever is the cheaper route to go. If they replace it then I'm keeping the one coming out to rebuild anyway so a suggestion as to where to get good quality replacement parts from is needed.
 
^^^

Rock Auto!!! They sell complete rebuild kits. Just make sure you use the kit that uses brand name parts... such as, (gaskets) Fel-Pro or Victor,,, (rings, pistons and bearings) Sealed power or Clevite,,, (seals) National or Timken. At this point be happy you have a V6. The V8 is much harder to source some parts for... and they would be factory Ford, (if available), or Jag.

If you can't find a suitable rebuild kit on RA,,, Napa would be the next best bet... but it will be pricier. Worst case,,, you could separately source parts from different places,,, if you are willing to to the interenet homework for parts needed.
 
You may also be able to source some high performance camshafts for the V6 through the aftermarket,,, and a higher flow throttle body. But then you would need a programmer to re-tune the engine too.
 
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