Hello everybody! This is my first post, so bear with me. I have a 89 5.0 Ltr. that has been sitting up for about 2 years due to a failed emissions test and also due to the fact that I have had a work truck at my disposal. So a few weeks ago I decided to get the truck road ready. I knew the gas would be bad having been sitting there for 2 years, but I decided to run it anyway. I started it up and ran fairly well with a little bit of dip in the idle while I was parked. I put it in reverse and nothing. I cycled through the other gears and still nothing. I dropped the transmission pan to change the filter figuring it was clogged, and expecting a gusher of transmission fluid all I got out of it was 2 cups of fluid. I changed the filter and gasket slapped it back together and now it shifts OK, except for the fact that what I had thought all along was an oil leak turns out to be a transmission leak. Various other jobs such as replacing the alternator adding some seafoam. have helped a bit but she still isn't running just right. She is still dipping at idle and there is a lot of hiccuping while accelerating. Would I be better off dropping the tank and draining the gas or should I just try and run it out? Is the hiccuping due to the transmission? I'm sorry if this post is confusing, as I am not terribly swift on the lingo. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

cap, rotor, plugs, wires and clean the IAC

 

I actually replaced the cap, rotor, plugs, and wires before I parked it. But I definitely will clean the IAC. Thanks!

 

Welcome to the site!

Suggest to pull the computer codes to see if anything has been flagged. The hiccupping could be any number of things - see if the computer can help you out. There's a sticky somewhere on this site explaining how to pull the codes if you don't have a handy-dandy code reader.

Eliminating variables - suggest to replace the gas. Suspect a fair amount of water may have condensed, which will settle to the bottom of the tank. Another option might be a couple of bottles of HEET or other fuel de-icer to soak up the water. Have never done it myself, but always toyed with the idea of pulling the fuel filter, putting a hose on the outlet side, and letting the pump run the fuel out of the tank when the need arose.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

It is the IAC I just changed mine from having the exact same problem. Take it off clean it well make sure to replace the gasket and put it back on. Should cure the problem.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions! I bought a bottle of HEET and added it to the tank. I have a little less than half a tank of gas, haven't seen any improvement as such yet. I slapped some new tires on the truck as the old ones were dry rotted. I took off the IAC and the throttle body. The IAC looked ok, not a whole lot of carbon. The throttle body on the other hand was a mess. The whole engine since was blacker than the inside of a cow. I've cleaned it all up, but I'll have to wait til tomorrow as the throttle body gasket was disintegrating. I'm also going to run the codes tomorrow and see what it says. Thanks again!

 

check the wires to make sure a mouse hasn't decided to chew them up (they love to do that) and also check the rotor to make sure she hasn't rusted up on you

 

Okie dokie, I have:
added a bottle of HEET (hasn't done much yet)
cleaned the throttle body and IAC (pig filthy dirty)
taken off the upper intake manifold and cleaned (also pig filthy)
Now the truck starts fairly ok but after about 10 seconds or so of idling it dies.
I bought a new pickup coil and new ignition coil but have yet to install. Am I on the right track? Could it possibly be a fuel issue? i've pulled the codes and nothing comes up.
Thanks,
Kevin

 

Kevin, make sure that your fuel filter isnt bad, also make sure that u dont have any holes in the fuel lines... hope that helps let us know..