The Beef

I just recently received a 1990 Mustang GT from my sister. It was sitting for quite a while so it needs a little TLC. At first it would start then stall, then I got it running and let idle for like 30 minutes or so. Drove from Virginia to Florida. (Had no choice it was only way for me to get car) The car sounds great, except for one small problem. When I start the car, it idles fine for a minute or so then the RPM's start to drop and it almost stalls. Its even worse if I put it in gear. (Reverse or Drive) It never stalls and if i start driving it does fine. This is my first car and I am very excited to start learning as much as I can about the mustang and cars in general. Sorry for the loooooong first post, but I just wanted to establish a good base of information so everyone understands the whole situation. Thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions.

PRO50SC

I would try cleaning the IAC motor first. Maybe the mass air as well. Check around for any vacuum leaks.

The Beef

Thank you for taking the time to give suggestions. Will definitely give this a shot.

The Beef

I am not very knowledgeable about cars, but I am very good at learning so this is in itself a huge learning experience for me. If you or anyone has a guide or walk though for cleaning the IAC I would be forever thankful! Thanks again for your time.

PRO50SC

Are you familiar with the basic locations of the parts of the induction system? If not, you'll need to learn those to assist you in doing your repairs. A shop manual would be helpful to you.

The Beef

I thinking I got a basic idea of the whereabouts, but I definitely will be reading around for a while before I attempt this. I have a hayne's manual which has a lot of great information but not really any specific pictures or descriptions for my year/model.

PRO50SC

In the pic, the left center you see a black cylindrical looking device, Just behind the chrome breather, that's the IAC=idle air control motor. It's held on by 2 8mm or 5/16" head screws. Unplug it, take it off clean the ports w/ some carb cleaner. You can also separate the 2 halves held together w/ phillips head screws and do some cleaning there too. Also, make sure the lil rod in the center moves freely as well. make note of it's positioning before separating the 2 halves as they can go back together either way. You can also clean the inlet of the throttle body where the blade opens and closes. Those get dirty as well.

The Beef

Thanks for the picture =) that really made this easier to put in perspective. Wish me luck, I am about to give it a try.

The Beef

I see a gasket between the IAC and where it mounts to the area where the throttle body is. (help with terminology?) I would think I should replace the gasket if I unscrew those bolts. thoughts?

The Beef