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Swapping IAC valves on 2.3 - suggestions?


stinkijeans

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RIG: 1994 Ranger 2WD, 2.3L, Manual trans:
OEM IAC valve: F37E-9F715-A1B

Anyone ever swapped the IAC valves from different Rangers or other models?

I discovered today that my IAC is bad. Ok.. so go get another one...
To my surprise, it seems the parts shops are quite proud of this valve and costs upwards of $50 to $90.

So I did some digging and noticed that different years and/or engines use valves that look almost identical for HALF the price or less? The difference is... the connector has a slightly different shape, or it's in a different position. The little black cap/breather is also in a different position. The mounting holes look identical.

QUESTION: Can I use any other valve as long as it bolts up?
I don't care about the connector as I have plenty of room no matter which direction it points. As far as the harness connector being different, I can change it, or come up with my own way of connecting the wires. For half the price, hell, I'll solder the wires on! :icon_welder:

Unless my engine is completely unique and requires the OEM valve, I find it hard to spend twice as much simply because the connector is different?

Thoughts anyone?
 


RonD

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IAC valves are the same, power wise, any run on 12volts, computer controls the GROUND side to vary the voltage.
There is no polarity, it is just a solenoid, so a coil of wire around a metal tube, as long as one end of the wire is 12v and the other end a Ground then it will work as it should.

A 5 Liter engine would need more air to idle at 700rpms than a 2.3 Liter engine, I know DUH, lol.

So the size of valves diameter may be different, never actually checked

A 3.0l IAC might be close enough to work OK, if it fits.

IAC valves position at idle is LEARNED by the computer, it doesn't have pre-set voltages, like 7.5v = 700rpms
So computer can re-learn to use any new IAC Valve, but it does need a small enough opening to set minimum RPMs
 

tomw

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I do not think I would 'cross' the EEC-IV EEC-V boundary year wise if attempting to use a different model year. Other than that, why not?
Some have reported similar problems with EGR solenoid vacuum valves being NLA for some model years. I suggested they purchase one that was a NC/NO as needed, and do a connector transplant as you indicated you would so they could get back on the road and pass emissions test(get the bleepin' light off). Never heard back.
If you can get an IAC that has essentially the same diameter inlet/outlet and will bolt up properly, go for it. They all do the same thing as long as you are brand conscious and are in the same EEC emissions control version. Worth a try at least.

tom
 

stinkijeans

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Thanks for the replies

I didn't think of the EEC-!/V vs. V... Hmmm

The one I'm looking at says it fits years 1995 through 2000 and engines 2.3, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0 and 4.6.

The connector faces completely opposite where the original was, but that shouldn't be an issue.
I also noticed other valves listed that fits 1991 thru 1995 on various engines... the holes look identical. I don't completely trust Ebay's parts compatibility lookup, but the valves do look like they'll bolt up.
 
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Denisefwd93

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In this case, I would suggest you go with a Ford part and spend the extra money, every aftermarket IAC seems to have dubious quality, don't ask me how I know, LOL good luck
 

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When you say yours is bad, do you just mean that it's sticking? They can usually be cleaned pretty effectively.
 

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The old Chevy ones are around $120, they're a stepper motor instead of a solenoid like Ford though...

In the late 80's they apparently added a fly back diode to the IAC instead of having one in the harness, don't know how true that is but a diode is shown in the harness on a turbocoupe wire schematic and not on the '91 Ranger schematic in the tech library... so that's the only breakpoint I would add other than what's mentioned above.

Like mentioned above, I would try some carb cleaner on it before I went crazy throwing parts, it's only 2 screws and a wire connector to get off...
 

stinkijeans

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I removed the valve, cleaned it and applied battery power on/off. You can hear and feel the coil activate, but the valve won't move.
It's not stuck as I can manually move it up/down with a small screwdriver. With no power applied, the valve sits slightly open. I read that it supposed to be completely closed in the no power state. My guess is it broke internally.

I might get adventurous and cut it open after I get a replacement. I'm curious what broke. I'll post pics if I decide o go spelunking... :)
 
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tomw

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The IAC is not going to move when you apply power. It is pulsed with power at a duty cycle the computer likes. I tried that years ago, applying power, and nada. I fiddled with cleaning the spool valve and chamber, and put it back together. It seemed dead, but it worked.
I remembered the part with the different connectors - it was the TPS. The older round style connectors of the 1980's(70s?) were NLA, but the later model style was. Same basic TPS, but the connector was different. Dunno if it worked.
I think the IAC would be similar. Why redesign the whole thing when the connector style is dictated to change? I would check the TPS sweep for direction lo-hi resistance, and some newer TPS have two resistors. One increasing the other decreasing resistance as it is rotated.
tom
 

stinkijeans

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Thanks for the info Tom.

I re-checked the IAC as you suggested. It's getting .3 ohms (not even 1/2 ohm).
The only info I could find so far said it supposed to between 6 to 13 ohms. I also checked for shorts between the coil and housing - and nada.

Also, the valve is NOT closed when power is disconnected. You can see the valve does not seat with no power applied. I've read that the valve supposed to be completely closed with no power. Some say the valve will stay in its last position when you shut the car off, but it makes more sense to me that it should be closed.

The engine DOES have a hard time idling when you first start it, but it always levels out after a few. I figured that's because it's either cold, or I've disconnected the battery so the computer is re-learning, etc. After the engine is warm, there are no idle issues, or at least none that I notice.

This is a secondary issue that I'm not too worried about at the moment. I'm still concentrating on the stalling issue. I don' think a bad IAC will cause that problem; however I'm wondering if it would cause the low voltages in the MAF (too much air going in).

UGHHH!! I like multi-tasking, but not when your engine does it! Multi-taski-breaky?
LOL!
 

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If the ohms are not reading in the range they're supposed it's a bad coil, that's how coils go because they're made of copper wire that's covered in varnish and over the years it loses its integrity.
 

scotts90ranger

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yeah, that... it's a coil of wire, a LOT of wraps, if it shorts the resistance goes down and it won't work...

Where in Oregon are you? If you are around Salem I just might have one spare, I'll look...
 

stinkijeans

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Thank you for the offer Scott, but unfortunately I'm in KFalls... :(

A bit off topic, but does anyone know if the engine should die if I unplug the MAF while it's running? I've read that some engines do and some don't. I'm not sure about the '94 Ranger 2.3?

If I unplug my MAF while it's idling, the engine does NOT die. In fact, it does nothing. No difference in the engine at all. I'm wondering if a bad MAF would cause the stalling issue I'm having. My area doesn't have anything used so I could do a quick swap and test before I shell out the cash for a new one.
 

scotts90ranger

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Yeah, that's a bit far :), not many users in Oregon or the northwest in general... been about 6 years since I've met a member...

There are several things that can cause a low idle. The TPS has to be below a certain voltage to let the computer know the engine is at idle, that voltage is out there on the interweb, don't know it off hand... If that checks out yes fueling (MAF is primary fueling sensor on a '94, at least until it goes into closed loop which it won't go into if the MAF is causing a code) will cause a wonky idle, lean is usually high and rich is low but you don't have control of that much so it doesn't matter. I would start by checking for metered air leaks as MAF systems do NOT like metered air leaks, by that I mean any leaks in the intake system between the MAF and cylinder head IE a vacuum leak or broken tube from MAF to throttle, my turbo engine was really mad at one point and it turned out my intake gasket was fried.

With that said, have you pulled trouble codes? You can do that through the check engine light on a '94, it's not as easy to find on the tech library as it used to be but look for EEC IV information, basically you find the diagnostic plug, short the single wire pin to one of the pins in the big connector then turn the key on and watch the CEL flash, after that key off then start the engine and get the engine running codes, they're different. I would pull the codes and since you have unplugged stuff you'll probably have some extras so clear them and repeat to see if they come back.
 

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