fast idle problem 98 Escort, manual

[crystalgirl]

I saw some other posts on idle problems, but not exactly what I'm facing.

When I take the car out of gear, it idles fast for a seveal seconds before it drops to regular idle speed. This only happens when the engine is warmed up. And based on my observations from this morning, it only appears to happen when I have the heat on in the car -- as soon as I switched from heat to cool it seemed to run normal. I have to test that theory again on the way home.

My dad and BF think it could be the air idle control. We're big on fixing things ourselves if we know what the problem is. Anyone else have any ideas so we can avoid chasing our tails?

[need4speed420]

go to an auto shop somewhere, try to find a place that will put a scan tool on your car for free, that will tell you if it bad or not

[crystalgirl]

I need to get my oil changed anyway, so I'll see if the garage I go to will do anything for me at no cost or cheap.

I learned last night that the fast idle isn't really that bad until I'm running my defroster -- then it goes nuts. My BF said it that sounds more like a vaccuum leak. Anyone with experience on that?

[herefordman]

I would go straight for the Idle Air Control valve (IAC)
Its easy to change and, is very likely the problem, Ford thinks it was a good idea to twist the wiring over backwards at these things, and then tape and tie-wrap them tight, and this treatment frequently results in one, or both wires breaking and reacting poorly, one word of warning, get the right year as all the connector plugs are not the same.

[herefordman]

Easy way to check for a vacuum leak is to take a hand held propane blowtorch, (don't light it) and just open it a small amount, and hold the tip all around the intake manifold, fittings, and hoses, etc.
If the propane passes over a leak, the engine will speed up a bit, just keep moving it around until you zero in on where the leak is, use a length of tube on the propane torch to make this easier to handle, Watch out for the moving engine parts !!

[homefree]

herefordman that sounds like a good idea. I would have never thought of that. Good tip thanks