How Do You Clean An Idle Air Control Valve?
Sometimes cleaning an idle air control valve can keep you from buying a new part. Only certain idle air control valves can be cleaned. These are usually found on the older Fords. The idle air control valve should have a spring operated valve. If not, cleaning it will not make it work. Carbon builds up on the valve, which makes it stick. When it sticks, it cannot control the idle of the car—it could make the car idle at a very high RPM or, as in most cases, it will make the car stall when you reach a low enough RPM. Locate the idle air valve on the engine. It is near the intake on the side of the engine. (Remember that the front is the side where the belts are located, and is actually the “side” of the engine near the fenderwell—the front is near the radiator). Using the common screwdriver, remove the electrical plug on the back of the idle air control valve. Do not break the plastic tang holding the wiring harness to the sensor, as this is what keeps the wiring harness from vibrati
