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Condor III -- SkullV's 1998.5 CSVT

Well smoke test is done and these are the only 2 leaks I got:


I'm going to replace the fittings in the intake manifold (Ford F5RZ-2A411-A). The IAC vent leakage is normal when the manifold is under pressure (during a smoke test) per Ford TSB (see below). Apparently the aftermarket (Duralast/BWD) valves are known to leak a bit more than the OEM parts so I'm going to go ahead and replace the IAC with a new OEM unit (Motorcraft CX1897).

Although the TPS sensor seems to move smoothly when on the scanner and the scanner shows plate closed, partial open, and WOT at the correct ranges I'm going to go ahead and replace that too since TPS failures (or incorrect units) can commonly cause this issue as well. I know for a fact that this car had the TPS replaced with a USED unit right before I got it too, so who knows.

This is the TPS unit in the car:

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I HATE throwing parts at things but at this point I'm at my wits end. I'll let you know the results this weekend. If these repairs don't fix the problem, this car will be up for sale. Hell most people probably wouldn't even be concerned about this small rev hang issue, but I can't stand it.

Article No.
01-20-5 DRIVEABILITY - DETECTING VACUUM LEAKS - USING THE ROTUNDA VACUTEC 522 SMOKE LEAK DETECTOR MACHINE
DRIVEABILITY - DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTC) P0171, AND/OR P0174 - DETECTING VACUUM LEAKS - USING THE ROTUNDA VACUTEC 522 SMOKE LEAK DETECTOR MACHINE

Publication Date: OCTOBER 2, 2001

FORD: 1997-2000 CONTOUR
1997-2001 ESCORT
1997-2002 CROWN VICTORIA, MUSTANG, TAURUS
2000-2002 FOCUS
2002 THUNDERBIRD
1997-98 F-250 HD, F-250 LD
1997-2002 E SERIES, EXPEDITION, EXPLORER SPORT, EXPLORER, F-150, RANGER, WINDSTAR
1999-2002 SUPER DUTY F SERIES
2000-2002 EXCURSION
2001 ESCAPE
2001-2002 EXPLORER SPORT TRAC
LINCOLN: 1997-2002 CONTINENTAL, TOWN CAR
2000-2002 LS
1998-2002 NAVIGATOR
2002 BLACKWOOD
MERCURY: 1997 COUGAR, TRACER
1997-2000 MYSTIQUE
1997-2002 GRAND MARQUIS, SABLE
1999-2002 COUGAR
1997-2002 MOUNTAINEER

ISSUE:
Some vehicles may exhibit vacuum or air leaks in the Intake Manifold and/or Engine System causing DTC's, P0171 (System Too Lean (BANK 1), and/or P0174 (System Too Lean (BANK 11). This article can also be used if you suspect a vacuum leak that has not generated a DTC.

ACTION:
Use the Rotunda's Vacutec 522 - Smoke Leak Detector Machine to help detect vacuum or air leaks in the engine compartment air intake or vacuum system. Refer to the following Service Procedure for details.

SERVICE PROCEDURE
NOTE: IGNITION KEY AND ENGINE MUST BE TURNED OFF AT ALL TIMES DURING THIS DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE.

VEHICLE PREPARATION
Prepare vehicle for a hoist (if necessary).

Visually inspect the engine Intake Manifold and Engine System for loose, broken or disconnected hoses etc...
If you find a leak condition, repair by using the appropriate model year PC/ED or Workshop Manual. Verify the fix for this repair by using this Vehicle Preparation and Diagnostic Procedure.
If you DO NOT locate the Intake Manifold and Engine System leak condition, perform the following steps included in the Vehicle Preparation and Diagnostic Procedure.
In the topside of the engine compartment, remove any plastic shields that could be covering the Throttle Body or Intake Manifold.
Remove the Air Cleaner Outlet Tube Assembly (Zip Tube) on the Throttle Body side. Plug the Throttle Body inlet opening with the proper Cap Plug located in the Rotunda Vacutec - 522 Kit.
Plug or tape the ends of the closure hose(s) if equipped (usually attached to the Air Cleaner Outlet Tube Assembly (Zip Tube)) for best results.
Plug the tail pipe(s) with the tapered rubber cone (218-00003).
Locate a small manifold vacuum source/port to the Intake Manifold (if equipped). It is recommended to use the vehicle's manifold vacuum source from the Vapor Management Valve (VMV) port.
Insert the nozzle from the Black Hose which is located on the right side of the Rotunda's Vacutec 522 Unit into the Intake Manifold vacuum source. This Black Hose will release SMOKE only. DO NOT use the clear hose (air Pressure source).
Power Supply - 12V DC: Attach the Remote Starter Power Cables located on the left side of the Rotunda Vacutec - 522 unit to the subject vehicle battery.
NOTE: BATTERY NEEDS TO BE IN GOOD WORKING ORDER TO RUN THE SMOKE LEAK DETECTOR MACHINE.

Hook up the Halogen spotlight (218-00008) cables on the vehicle battery terminals. This is a high intensity light source will help locate the smoke in the engine compartment.
DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE FOR LOCATING INTAKE MANIFOLD AND ENGINE VACUUM/AIR LEAKS WITH THE ROTUNDA'S VACUTEC - 522 SMOKE LEAK DETECTOR MACHINE
NOTE: YOU WILL SEE SMOKE DURING THE FOLLOWING DIAGNOSTIC SMOKE MACHINE PROCEDURE FROM THE FOLLOWING COMPONENTS ( IF EQUIPPED): EGR VALVE, EVR, IAC SOLENOID (ONLY IF EQUIPPED WITH AN EXTERNAL CAP VENT) AND IMRC. THE SMOKE WILL BE VISIBLE WITH THESE COMPONENTS UNDER PRESSURE (13 INCHES OF WATER ( 1/2 PSI)).

NOTE: DO NOT CHANGE ANY OF THESE COMPONENTS UNLESS THEY HAVE GENERATED THEIR SPECIFIC DTC.

Turn the selector valve to "Smoke" position.
Verify that the nozzle from the "Black Hose" is inserted in the manifold vacuum hose (Step 6 of Vehicle Prep) to pressurize Intake Manifold and Engine System with smoke only.
Check the "Power Supply Light" (Green Light ON) located on the Rotunda Vacutec 522 Panel housing when the Vacutec - 522 Remote Starter Power Supply Line (Cables) are secured to the vehicle's battery terminals.
Pick up the Rotunda's Vacutec - 522 Remote Starter which is located with the Power Supply Line (Battery Cables).
NOTE: THE REMOTE STARTER RELEASES THE SMOKE INTO THE VACUUM HOSE THROUGH THE BLACK HOSE NOZZLE INTO THE ENGINE.

Check the "Smoke Indicator Light" (Red Light "ON" will illuminate when the remote starter trigger is pushed) located on the panel of the Rotunda Vacutec - 522 unit.
Check that the Halogen Spotlight is secured to the vehicle's battery terminals.
Remove the oil fill cap.
Push the Rotunda's Vacutec Remote Starter Trigger which will release the Smoke into the Intake Manifold and Engine System until you see smoke coming from the oil fill cap opening (neck).
Once the smoke is visible from the oil fill cap opening, quickly tighten the oil fill cap to seal up the oil system.
Push the Remote Starter Trigger until the Intake Manifold and Engine System have reached maximum pressure (13 inches of water (1/2 PSI)).
NOTE: WHEN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND ENGINE SYSTEM HAS REACHED MAXIMUM PRESSURE, YOU MAY SEE SMOKE COMING FROM THE RELIEF VALVE LOCATED ON THE REAR SIDE OF THE ROTUNDA VACUTEC - 522 UNIT. STOP PUSHING THE REMOTE STARTER TRIGGER.

Start looking for smoke on the topside of the engine compartment. Push the Remote Starter a few more times while you are looking for the smoke.
If there's no smoke visible on the topside of the engine compartment, secure the vehicle safely on a hoist.
Push the Rotunda Vacutec remote starter trigger to refill to the maximum pressure of the Intake Manifold and Engine System with smoke again.
NOTE: WHEN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND ENGINE SYSTEM HAS REACHED MAXIMUM PRESSURE, YOU MAY SEE SMOKE COMING FROM THE RELIEF VALVE LOCATED ON THE REAR SIDE OF THE ROTUNDA VACUTEC - 522 UNIT. STOP PUSHING THE REMOTE STARTER BUTTON.

Check the underside of the engine compartment for smoke.
NOTE: IF YOU DON'T SEE SMOKE AND ARE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE LEAK, REFER TO THE PC/ED MANUAL OR WORKSHOP MANUAL FOR OTHER DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES.

NOTE: IT IS POSSIBLE TO HAVE A VACUUM OR AIR LEAK INSIDE THE VEHICLE IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. IF NO EXTERNAL LEAKS ARE FOUND, BE SURE TO VERIFY THAT NO SMOKE IS VISIBLE IN THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE.

If you see the smoke, repair the leak source after carefully removing Halogen Light and Rotunda's Vacutec - 522 Remote Starter Power supply cables from the vehicle's battery terminals. Note: Follow PC/ED or Workshop Manual procedure for repairing the specific leak.
When the repair is completed. Clear DTC's if applicable. Repeat Step 1-13 only once to verify that the leak is repaired.
When the repair is verified and completed (Under Diagnostic Procedure Steps 1-13), perform the following:
Remove all diagnostic equipment from vehicle: tail pipe cone, car caps, halogen light, remote starter Power Supply Lines (Battery Cables), Black Hose, nozzle and tape used during this procedure.
Re-install the Intake Manifold vacuum source to the VMV port (if used) or any other Intake Manifold vacuum source as originally equipped.
Tightened all clamps and re-install all electric connectors and Plastic Shields (if equipped) that were removed during this test procedure.
Release vehicle.

OTHER APPLICABLE ARTICLES:
NONE

WARRANTY STATUS:
INFORMATION ONLY

OASIS CODES:
499000, 608000, 609000, 610000, 611000, 612000, 698298
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Very interesting thread, and I thought I had bad luck with my car...

Your car looks great, I say keep it after all the effort you've put in, I envy your dedication. But of course only you can make the decision, if it truly leaves a sour taste I suppose you gotta let it go, though IMO keeping it is the pragmatic option at this stage.

Good luck!
 
AlexCCCP said:
Very interesting thread, and I thought I had bad luck with my car...

Your car looks great, I say keep it after all the effort you've put in, I envy your dedication. But of course only you can make the decision, if it truly leaves a sour taste I suppose you gotta let it go, though IMO keeping it is the pragmatic option at this stage.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

This isn't bad luck. Once I iron out the last issue with the car and have a COMPLETE list of everything that was wrong with it web I got it, what needed to be done to fix it, and how much it cost me in time and money I'll post a review.

On the plus side, one law school final down, one more to go! Then my 21 years of combined education will culminate in me being another unlicensed lawyer!! :)
 
Well new TPS and IAC are in. Currently doing a capacitive discharge on the ECU and have the #4 & #11 fuses pulled. Trying to get the ECU started from scratch.
 
blu_fuz said:
*fingers crossed*
Click to expand...

Me too man,

There is still the vac leak at those upper bushings, and those parts arent here yet but SHOULD be by tomorrow (maybe even today). So maybe this fixes it, maybe it needs the bushings, maybe its something else. who knows.
 
Well the IAC/TPS didn't do it but changing the o-rings in those push-lock fittings in the UIM made a HUGE difference. It still wasn't perfect so I got pissed off and pulled the UIM and LIM to check the gaskets, porting, plates, etc.

Not sure what exactly the culprit was but after reassembly the hang is almost gone. It will still sit at 1500 for a second (maybe less) when coming to a stop, but nowhere near the 5-10 seconds that I was seeing before.

I can say without a doubt that there are ZERO vacuum leaks anywhere in this system and all of the parts related to idle control have been replaced or reprogrammed. The only thing left that I can even think of is related to the porting/adapter plate seal on bank 1. The porting and silicone looked pretty rough when compared to bank 2 but I didn't have time to trim it back. I'll hopefully get that done in the next week since I finished law school today!

Just a couple shots of the bank 1 porting:

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All in all the car runs pretty damn perfectly at this point so if you are interested in a very very very clean, low mile, completely looked over CSVT this is the one for you!
 
SHOspazz92 said:
I'm sorry you've gone through all of this. I'd be furious.

-Sam
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Thanks man, these kind of people are just a part of life I suppose. Luckily for the next owner (and I suppose myself until then), I fixed ALL if it. I would hate to imagine what would have happened if someone who wast mechanically inclined got this car.
 
I originally thought about buying one that had a 3.0 installed BUT I was afraid that I would end up with someone half-assin' the work. I'm kind of anal like you, I want everything to work properly. I ended up looking for 6 months and paying about $500 dollars more than I wanted too for the right car. Glad I did because now I wouldn't trade it for nothing. Good luck with what ever happens for you.
 
Starting to look like this car might finally be sold this week!

Gave her a nice wash today to help with the sale:

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If I were in the market for one still, I'd most likely be talking with you. Very tastefully done and a good price with everything that has been done to it.
 
AlexCCCP said:
Yeah, I'm really curious to see what it'll go for.
Click to expand...

Not nearly what I paid for it, but its more of a "principle of the matter" thing at this point. I think I'm picking up my new (used) DD on Thursday. A 1999 Wrangler with a few tasteful upgrades. Nothing like the behemoth of a 2003 Rubicon I had. The only OEM Jeep parts left on the car were the body tub and the Motor, even the frame was aftermarket!!

The old one:
Snow2.jpg

Lake.jpg
 
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