Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting IMRC

After 3 trips to the dealership, my car is yet to be fixed

Here's the scope:

Last week I took my car in for cel's 171 and 174 after unsuccessfully looking for a fix. Turns out they said they found a leak somewhere in the vacumm lines. Well, the CEL kept on coming back. Tired of them I took it to a local car shop and they said it was the sensor next to my airfilter box. We had that replaced. However after driving the car within 20 miles another CEL came up with the codes P1519 IMRC Stuck Closed. They said it was probably the computer in the car that is messed up or the IMRC which would cost an arm and a leg.

If it was indeed the IMRC, what should I do to make sure it was the proper diagnostics that it is the fault.

Also, all these while(during the CEL 171&174 period and now the P1519) my car would stall everytime I hit a red light. RPMs would drop down to 0-500rpm range and stall.

My car is an ATX Contour 1996 SE v/6 with 110K miles on it.

Thanks

yea my CEL came on more times than i drop a duce in a day.
Get these things checked out first:

Cat converters (alllll of them)
o2 sensors
transmission (if ur engine bucks when shifting)
fuel filler neck
vacuum hose or something

ill reply back when i can remember the list of problems that caused my cel to turn on 8 million different times

If I'm correct, your IMRC is the part that controls the little linkage that opens the secondaries.

You can check to see it's working by having the engine running, then looking under the hood (open hood first )
Rev the engine to over 3800 RPM and look for the linkage to move back and forth.

It's kinda hard to see the linkage, but it will be on the drivers side of the engine, under the air tube assembly and kinda buried a little under the front engine cover, almost in the "VEE" of the engine. It's a slightly bent little metal "wire" about 1/4" or so round. Revving the engine will cause the IMRC to move the linkange forward backwards,opening and closing the secondaries.

On my 95 V6, the linkage had actually disconnected from one end. Both ends are held in place with small plastic clips and they degraded (same material as OEM waterpump, Ford really Fuc_ed up with that batch of plastics!) I went to the dealer and got two new ones (different plastic material) , and reinstalled.


At least I THINK that's what the IRMC is....

Good luck!

N.

The IMRC does not cost an arm and a leg, just an arm and three toes. (~150)
Probably about time it started acting up, consider yourself lucky.





Why don't you try cleaning your MAF.

So far I have had all these work done to the car:

Cleaned IAC changed IAC gasket
Cleared EGR Passages and Changed the Gasket
Cleaned MAF Sensor.

Any other idea's on how to trouble shoot the IMRC would help and replacing it would hopefully be the last option.

Thanks

The best overall check is to mount a switch to be activated by the linkage to a light mounted on the dash. Label this light "BOOST" .


If you are suffering from a general lean condition you will have to find it separately.
This will be:

• O2 sensors
• low fuel pressure
• MAF
• ECT
• vacuum leak

Given the stalling, I would continue to check for vacuum leaks. Check the PCV hose in particular. Manifold gaskets could be leaking too.

Thank You Roger60, When you mentioned Manifold Gaskets did you mean exhaust manifold gaskets?