stalls at idle in hot weather

[roary]

I have a 98 F150 4x4 with 4.6L v8... it seems that my normal running temperature is just barely into the normal range, but recently on a very hot day, the needle went to the middle of the normal range and when stopped at a light my engine would quit. it started right up again no problem but i found that i had to keep my rpm up to nearly 1000 to keep running. Normally my rpm idles around 700, on this hot day it was idleing at around 500, then sometimes quit. also (this may be unrelated) my heater blows heat but not as much as i suspect it should... coolant levels are good, just had the cooling system flushed and refilled because it looked brownish, but no change to the heater operations. I'm thinking this could be due to the thermostat?? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[roary]

After more reading through the forum i realized i had more similar symptoms as many others, check engine light on(maybe i should have said that before?!), and hesitateing off of a start. It's a new truck to me so i'm just getting to know it.

What i did... cleaned the MAF sensor as described in the forum. WOW what a difference (and such a simple thing to do), no hesitation whatsoever, and no check engine light on so far(after a 10min test drive anyway).

Also i plugged in a sensor that i'm not sure what it is on the "accordion" air tube just after the MAF. It was just hanging down unhooked before. (i went and used the electrical cleaner on it too).

Couple questions though... i noticed that there was water dripping out of my exhaust pipe after i did this and let it idle for 15 mins, is that normal?? And now my truck idles at about 825 rpm (after warmed up) and goes up to almost 900 for a second in about 30-40 second intervals. It also seems to be a bit rougher in the cab at idle (i can feel a small vibration). At these 30-40 second intervals on the passenger side of engine while under the hood i can hear some sort of small click sound. Just wondering if this is also normal??

Now i'm hoping this truck works through the hot days. Thanks in advance for any help provided!
Rory

(This is an excellent forum!)

[1967chevelleSS]

Not To Sure What Your Problem Is With The Truck But I Can Answer One Of Your Questions. I Am Pretty Sure That The Water Coming Out Of Your Exhust(Im Having A Brain Fart Because I Think Of The Right Way To Spell Exhust LOL) But As I Was Saying I Think That The Water Is Just Condensation.

I Hope This Helps