84 T-bird goofy idling problems

Topic: 84 T-bird goofy idling problems (Read 1106 times) previous topic - next topic

84 T-bird goofy idling problems

March 25, 2005, 04:32:57 PM

I bought a clean 84 t-bird from an older couple orginally from modesto california. The car was stored the majority of it's life with only 37,500 original miles. The car when i first got it was running great. But now when i''m driving specifically, when i'm decelerating from higher speeds or stopping at a light. The car then proceeds to idle funny and shake virgously. Some days i'll drive it all day and it will give no trouble. And the next morning i'll start it up and it will just idle funny. I don't know where to start, i suspect it might be a sensor going out. I took it to a trusted mechanic and he spent two days and was unable to diagnose the problem. He cleaned out the thorttle body and it ran very good for a few days. But the performance as degernerated as before. I believe it to be a sensor as did the mechanic but his computer was unable to diagnose the problem. Also the car allegedly ran good when was working on it. So i believe it could be a sensor coming and going? But i'm also no mechanic. So any help would be appreciated also it's a 5.0 .

Re: 84 T-bird goofy idling problems

Reply #1 – March 30, 2005, 12:32:14 AM

I've got an '84/5.0 also.
1.Check all vacuum lines
2.They get very brittle and crack/break near the intake area.
3.Cracked ones can cause intermittent problems.
4.Check where they slip on to the male fitting. If loose, apply a little silicone based grease to the fitting and secure the line with a small cable tie (3") for a hose clamp.

let me think a little more......
chris

Re: 84 T-bird goofy idling problems

Reply #2 – April 02, 2005, 01:02:02 AM

Take off the Idle air control motor and cleanit out with carb cleaner or brakeparts cleaner, maybe even seafoam. Put it back on an see how see runs now.

Re: 84 T-bird goofy idling problems

Reply #3 – April 02, 2005, 09:13:49 AM

You might look into replacing your fuel filter. The car only has 37K on it...but when was the last time it was replaced?

Did the mech run codes on it?

I don't remember, but an 84 5.0 "should" be an EEC4 system. My 83's were EEC3, but you could still run codes and get some direction to look into. If your trusted mechanic should have that knowledge on how to diagnose instead of just spraying carb cleaner into the TB.

There could be floating around in the fuel system as well...