VigCS

Okay all, my car has me so frustrated right now I just want to sell the thing and be done with it. So some of you may know that I did my HCI last weekend, car ran great afterward but the explorer lower intake didn't have a provision for the air intake temp sensor, so I took the LIM and UIM off to have the LIM machined for it. I got the LIM back today, put it all back together, fire it up tonight and it idles like ****, play with the distributor and I get it to idle better. I took the distributor out to do all of this, put it back in correctly.

So after all this I go to rev it, it won't go above 1500 rpm. I let off, car stalls, won't restart. The check engine and check oil lights are on (Check oil cause it's about a quart low, had just drained and refilled it to get rid of the antifreeze in the pan). I'm thinking that maybe I didn't clean the cylinder heads enough and I have a nasty lower intake manifold vacuum leak.

I drove it 110 miles on sunday (after the first initial assembly and before taking the manifolds off to have the hole drilled/tapped) and it ran great, but now becuase I had to get this damn sensor put in the right spot I'm having a nightmare. I guess I got myself in over my head, lol. An HCI shouldn't be expected to be perfected after only a few days of it running. Please help me out guys, I'm so mad right now. Luckily I have a backup car (thank gawd). Thanks.

PRO50SC

Do ya think it could be the hole they made in the intake? Not sure I woulda went that route.

FordMustangXBA

It's always possible that one of your gaskets isn't seated properly, or maybe the hole was poorly tapped...Spray starting fluid or carb/intake cleaner around the area and if your car idles up, you have a vaccuum leak.

VigCS

No. The explorer lower intakes have a boss for the sensor to go there, there's just no hole for it. I have the sensor in it with teflon sealer on the threads. I'm positive that isn't the problem.

XBA - My problem right now is that the car won't restart. The hole was not poorly tapped, it fit great and I used teflon sealer.

PRO50SC

No start= no spark, fuel or compression. What have you checked. What do the oil and anti freeze look like.

VigCS

I just put new oil and filled up the antifreeze right before I started it tonight. I may have overlooked a sensor or something, it was dark out; I'm going to double check tomorrow. What I don't understand is that it did idle, then it died when I revved it, and wouldn't restart.

Maxwelhse

No start can also mean no timing... Something fishy with the ignition? Maybe ya busted the cap and have some out of time cross-arcing or something. Does it pop or backfire at all?

FordMustangXBA

Just gotta start with the basics, then, brother. I know it's a bitch and a half but when you finally figure out what it is it'll be like the best feeling in the world, lol. Fuel, spark, and air. Start from the bottom and work your way up.

VigCS

When it was idling it sounded fine, then once I revved it to 1500 it died when it came down and wouldn't restart.

FordMustangXBA

Did it stall gradually or just shut off in an instant?