1995 Mercury Sable No start

Tiny
JSHUFFMAN
  • MEMBER
  • 1995 MERCURY SABLE
  • 3.0L
  • V6
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 70,000 MILES
My daughter's Sable won't start unless she holds the gas pedal down. Getting plenty of fuel pressure. When she releases the pedal, the car stalls. This is an OBD 1 if my memory is correct. No engine light comes on so I don't have a trouble code. Trottle position or mass air flow sensor? Witch one to start with? She has a limited budget. It had plugs and wires done a couple of months ago. Could it be IAC valve?
Tuesday, November 26th, 2013 AT 8:22 AM

7 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
It could be an OBD1. 1995 is when they really made the change to OBD2. Regardless, it sounds like the idle air control valve (IAC) is bad. The IAC is responsible for maintaining the engine idle speed. I would start with that and also check for engine vacuum leaks.

Let me know what you find.
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Tuesday, November 26th, 2013 AT 8:29 AM
Tiny
JSHUFFMAN
  • MEMBER
  • 12 POSTS
Thank you very much for the idea. I love this website! You guys are the greatest. I will keep you posted.
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Tuesday, November 26th, 2013 AT 8:42 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Glad to help. Let me know what you find.
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Tuesday, November 26th, 2013 AT 9:05 AM
Tiny
JSHUFFMAN
  • MEMBER
  • 12 POSTS
Ok. She put on a new IAC valve. The car still won't idle. Does the car need to be driven to reset the computer so it can "learn" that it has a new part? Also one of the wires on the connecter had a nick in it down into the copper. I told her to replace that connecter. If this does not work I told her to replace the MAF sensor next. Are we going in the right direction?
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Thursday, December 5th, 2013 AT 7:20 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
I'm going to suggest two things. First, make sure there are no vacuum leaks. They can cause this problem. Next, even though the check engine light is not on and this is an OBD1 system, you can still check codes.
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Thursday, December 5th, 2013 AT 9:01 AM
Tiny
JSHUFFMAN
  • MEMBER
  • 12 POSTS
Ok, will do. Let you know when we find the answer. Thanks again
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Thursday, December 5th, 2013 AT 9:49 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 110,176 POSTS
Glad to help. I'll look for your reply.
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Thursday, December 5th, 2013 AT 10:04 AM

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