Okay, so I'm reading about everyone cleaning their TB and stuff, and I decide to clean mine, since my K&N was due for a cleaning anyway. (Besides that, I have 107k on the car and had never cleaned the TB! ) While I had the TB off, I located the actuator linkage for the secondaries, partly out of curiosity, and kinda just to see how it attaches to the front bank. I had read Swazo's post about his being disconnected, and was wondering how that would happen. Anyway, I found it, and much to my dismay, I discovered that mine was ALSO disconnected from the front cylinders' bell-crank! DOH! It appears that a dinky little c-clip snap-ring must be all that keeps it attached to the crank. This is based solely on my observation of a circumerential groove on the linkage, as whatever previously held it there is nowhere to be seen. It also looks like there's an awfully big hole for that little rod to go through. Anyone know if there's supposed to be a plastic bushing in there? If there's not, I wonder if the c-clip catches on the hole and gets popped off. Maybe it needs a washer in there between the clip and the crank.

On a possibly related note, about a one or two years ago my CEL came on intermittently, and has done so since. I had a friend run a check on it, and it said I had a slow O2 sensor in the front cylinder bank. (I know, I shoulda replaced it, but I didn't figure it was hurting performance much...) Anyway, I'm kinda guessing that's about the time this little linkage decided to detach itself from my front bank of secondaries. I have no proof of this, at least not until I get a clip, reconnect the link and see if the CEL goes away for good. Anyway, that's something you might check if you have gotten that code and been unable to resolve it by replacing the O2 sensor.

So do I have to pull the UIM off to get that linkage back on there again? That's kinda what it's lookin' like to me. Anyone know of a trick to do it another way?

Thanks to Swazo for posting about his, ummm, "missing-link", otherwise I'da probably never even noticed mine was off!

Marty

See the FAQ entry on the subject for the grommet part number. That little piece of plastic runs over $5 dealer list!

-Lance

If yours is disconnected as i found mine at one point while pinning my secondaries open,,that would mean only 3 of the 6 butterflies open, and if thats the case, you should have noticed hesitation at higher rpms( i did at like 6000rpms, cars ran funny due to 3 being open and 3 just flapping in the wind LOL)
Is the plastic piece still there?
If so, this is what i did to fix mine and it stayed in so tight i could get it back out. And i actually wasnt trying to fix it but just secure it in place.

Hope i explain this so you understand it: i used a nice long tie-wrap and put it right around the arm where it goes into the plastic piece. So basically put it the way its supposed to be and tie-wrap it real tight. As i tightened it i heard it pop into place and there it remained.if that doesnt work, you can alway cut the tie-wrap short and out of the way and just leave it there. Thats what i was gonna do, but im ghetto like that.

Hope this helps, hope you understand my explaination

Thanks for the help, all. I found that I was only missing the bushing/retainer from the front bank's control crank. It was like $3.26 from the dealer, but the list price was a ridiculous 6 dollars! Sheesh! They're mighty proud of that little part -- that breaks -- at Ford... I got two of them, but only needed one. Now I have a spare for the next time it breaks.

I didn't notice a hesitation with it not working, but it does pull stronger now through the upper RPM range. I still have the CEL though, so unless running rich fouled up the O2 sensor, I may actually have a slow sensor. Bummer.

Marty

I've noticed that some techs pull the throttle body for access to that clip as well as the spot where the IMRC cable attaches.

Yeah, I ended up pulling the air filter, MAF, and throttle body off. I tried using my fingers once to install the part, and quit before I dropped it where I couldn't reach it! I then went to... Plan B! I tore off a small piece of the double-sided foam tape I had brought out with me, and stuck it on the female end of a 1/4 inch socket extension. I then stuck the part on the tape, and pressed it right in. Worked great! No dropped part, no swear words needed!

Marty

My car is indicating with a CEL, that my secondaries are stuck open but I get the described hesitation in some situations above 4500 RPMS. The dealer is looking into it today so hopfully they will get it fixed. I'm still under premium are to 100k miles.

Later,
-Andy