94 Crown Vic at idle sputers and wants to die

I own a 94 crown vic It seems to run fine going down the road, when i come up to a stop light it will start sputering and if i dont put it in nuetral it will die. Even in nuetral it will some times load up and start sputtereing and act like it will die but it has never died in nuetral. Its really bad when trying to back out of a parking space. Any tips in what direction to start with would be appreciated.

I had a similar experience like this. The problem with mine was a bad Coil-over-Plug causing a spark plug not to fire. Although the 94's don't have COPs, a bad plug or plug wire may still be your problem.

When was the last time you replaced spark plugs? If it's been a while, I'd consider replacing them. Not hard to do and they're around $2/each.

If that doesn't fix the problem, new plug wires might be a good idea too. These are more expensive but if these have never been changed in the life of the car, it may be time for new ones. They do lose their ability to conduct current over time, making the spark less powerful over time than when the wires were new.

I'd check both of those out first since those are relatively easy fixes.

Thanks for the direction with the plugs and wires that kinda set it in my mind. Hey i have another question you mentioned the cop what is that? Is it the same thing i have on my 94 it has 2 coils?

The COP is on 1998 and newer. It is an individual coil on each coil (Coil On Plug) hence the acronym. You have coil packs. Where there are 4 coils in one part. Blue)(Fusion gave good advice on the plugs and wires. Use a good quality wire and either Motorcraft or Autolite plugs. Stay away from gimmick plugs. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

Well i changed out the plugs and wires, which was easy enough. But it didnt completely get rid of all the sputtering, I would say about 90% of the sputtering is gone ( I can pull up to a light without it trying to die right away) but there is still something else going on here. Any suggestions?

When was the last time the fuel filter was changed? You need to do a fuel pressure test to verify it is getting enough fuel at low rpm's. Autozone will loan you a pressure gauge. Screw it on the little schraeder valve(looks like tire valve) on the fuel rail. Key on engine not running should be around 40 psi or over and should not drop more than 5psi in 5 minutes. With engine running, it should be between 32 to 36 psi.

if you cant get it tested you can do it like this for now. ok where the fuel pump is tested take cap off and like to old said it looks like the inside of a tire vavle push your finger on stim and if it spray's out fast then theres another problem look at all your vaccume (vac) hoses make your there good or one may be off.

I had a similar problem and mine ended up being the idle air control valve. changed that and havent looked back since.

This could also be a vacum problem also(getting to much air thru a vacum line) use some carb cleaner and spray around the vac. line and lission for a change in the sound of the motor (even a slight change). The EGR valve could also be bad allowing to much air into the system. Locate the valve and spray carb. cleaner around it also. Take off the vacum line and spray some into the line going to the EGR valve. (you will need to cover the line going the intake with something) If you get a change in the sound of the engine go from there. NOTE if it is the EGR valve DO NOT get the valve from any other place than the dealer!!!!!!!!!! the others may be less money but won't last. you can goto Autozone.com and look at an EGR valve. hope this helps.

I had a similar problem and mine ended up being the idle air control valve. changed that and havent looked back since.

x2. My dad also had the problem on a '91 Crown Vic, ended up being the IAC valve, no problems since.

I have to agree with the idea that this is the IACV (or Idle Air Control Valve.) I just replaced mine on my '94 Grand Marquis. The car would start up and run fine until I put it in gear and tried to pull away (unless it had 10 minutes to warm up.) Then it would sputter and backfire until it hit about 30MPH. After the temp gauge started showing the engine warming up, the problem would disappear until the next morning. with the new IACV - no problems.

They're a bit of a pain to replace, as it's in the back of the engine and you'll keep thinking to yourself, "can't I just remove the hood to get to this thing easier?" but it's only two bolts and one two-wire plug. Make certain to get a gasket - either with the new valve or buy it separately. Oh, and try to have something magnetic on your ratchet when you go to put the bolts in for the new one (and in case you do drop one, the throttle body bolts are handy and the same thread!!!! :runaround:)

You're looking for Ford part number :F2AE-9F715-AA (replaced by F5PZ-9F715-AA, or Motorcraft CX1660 or equivalent.)