95 Escort Rough Idle Fault Code 186

[toddub]

Greetings,

I have a 1995 Ford Escort 5 door hatchback automatic with 156,000 miles
The car will not idle after running for 60 to 90 seconds. I have replaced the fuel pressure regulator, throttle position sensor, MAF sensor, spark plugs & wires. It still will not idle and I get a fault code # 186 <"injection pulse width circuit / high"> what does this code mean, and what can I do to fix it.
I can get a good used PCM / Computer for $30.
Any Ideas or solutions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Todd / St Paul, MN

[mightymoose_22]

You may have a similar problem to mine... although mine is a different code.
156,000 miles... how old is the timing belt? Perhaps it has slipped?

[toddub]

The car runs like a champ while driving. good power and milage. It starts up and runs fine, until 20 to 30 seconds when it seems like someone hits a switch and causes the idle to become very rough. The timming marks are aligned proper.
Could an air/vacuume leak cause this?

[mightymoose_22]

A vacuum leak could cause those symptoms... I am not ceratin if a vaccum leak would cause that error code though.
If I am understanding the code correctly, it means that the injector is staying open too long? Perhaps it is a stuck injector? Listen with a stethoscope and find out if they are clicking as they should.
Is this a 1.8 or 1.9?

[toddub]

It is a 1.9..
I could hear a loud hissing sound around the manifold. I spryed carb cleaner in the area where the manifold meets the head. The engine revved way up when I sprayed the intake on the #1 cylnder.
Maybe the system is trying to compensate for the extra air intake, thus the error code ????
Either way I think I need to replace the intake manifold gasket.....

[mightymoose_22]

That's an excellent place to start... I haven't heard of a vacuum leak causing that error code though.

[toddub]

That was it, I replaced the intake manifold gasket and now the car purrs like a kitten.....

~Todd

[ILBroker]

I have a very similar problem and would like to try the same solution that you did.

However, I am not a mechanic. I know how to change oil, plugs, wires, and the thermostat, but that is the extent of my experience.

Do you think this job would be too hard for me...

[mightymoose_22]

Don't get ahead of yourself...
If that is the extent of your experience, you could probably get the job done, but it will be way more extensive than anything you have done before. It is not difficult, but you will have to be confident that you can put things back the way you found them.

Before even going that far you should give some explanation of your symptoms. You don't want to pull your manifold off if you don't have to.

[ILBroker]

I talked to my brother last night; he is an engineer at Cat who designs engines. If he has time tomorrow he might look at it and try to help.

My symptoms are:

It starts right away, and idles (a little high) for 20 or 30 seconds. After which it dramatically drops to barly idleing and if I don't give it gas, it will die.

When I start driving, it is fine until I push in on the clutch, and it idles really low again, often dying. I am currently using the emergency brake to stop from rolling, so I can still give it some gas.

The car has just shy of 170K miles.

I recently noticed that the battery light starts to shine (very dim, and in and out with the rpms, as they drop and then come back a little).

Any other idea's?

I really appreciate your help!

[mightymoose_22]

Well it very well may be a vacuum leak, but it does not have to be the intake manifold gasket. Search around the engine while it is running... you can manually keep the rpm up by turning the throttle while under the hood... and listen for the hissing sound... use a stethoscope if you have one (very cheap at the auto store). Check the hoses that are attached at the top of the intake manifold, check around the intake gasket, check around the idel control valve. You should be able to zero in on it.

If you do go as far as removing your intake, don't forget to drain the coolant from the engine first (don't just drain the radiator) otherwise you will spill coolant into your cylinders. You will have to detach all the injector wires, various sensor wires, a few hoses, and the long pipe between the cat and EGR. There might be a couple other things. You just have to remember where everything goes. Most of the connectors will only fit in one place so you don't have to worry about plugging them in the wrong place. You just have to make sure it all gets hooked back up.

[ILBroker]

You're right, that sounds like a lot of work for a novice.

I'll check everything that you mentioned tomorrow, and if it comes to taking the manifold off, I'll see how comfortable my brother is doing it, and if he is not, I'll probably pay someone to do it.

Thank you very much. I've had this problem for months, and really haven't driven the car much this past winter due to the problem.

I'll let you know how it all works out!