Problems starting my 93 TC...

[pluckman4]

Hey guys I'm hoping I can get some help on remedying my situation here... I'm new to the forum by the way.
I drove my car for about 30 miles with the oil filler cap off and I started having some issues. At first the car would start and then run but eventually it got to the point of cranking just fine but dies immediately. If i apply throttle it will run until i let off. Another interesting thing is that it will idle rough if I pull the hose off of the throttle body... and there's white smoke coming out of the tail pipe and last night it was coming up through the engine... it looked like it was seeping out of the pipes right above one of the cat converters.

Here are the things I've done to it:
Cleaned the IAC valve.
Cleaned the EGR channels.
Changed the EGR tube and EGR valve (they needed changed anyways)
Changed the fuel filter (there's fuel pressure by the way)
Changed spark plugs (they also needed changed anyways)
Cleaned the MAF sensor.
Cleaned the fuel system with seafoam through the brake booster line.
And cleaned the inside of the throttle body with carb cleaner which i wish i hadn't done but my brother in law did it and thought it was ok to do...

I haven't changed the oil yet but I'm cant imagine that being the problem of not starting. I did check it and it's dark and dirty... but it doesn't look like it has water/antifreeze in it. I ran the car after replacing the oil cap for a while too.

I don't have any error codes but the battery was unhooked for a few days...

So my questions are...
Is one or both of my cats clogged?
What is causing the smoke?
Could the carb cleaner have damaged the coating in the throttle body and would it cause any of these problems?
How do i diagnose valves and sensors?
Where do i go from here?

Thanks for any help.

 

[budpytko]

Let everyone know the mileage on the motor and how long it's been since last oil change and what oil you used......and if you scanned it for any codes? CEL doesn't HAVE to be on to get codes.

 

[pluckman4]

Mileage is about 135K to 140K (i estimate cuz i replaced the motor in 2010)
Last oil change was late June I believe.
I don't have scanner to get codes and obviously can't take it to a place to get codes for me.
The only codes i remember having during this ordeal was EGR flow insufficient and something to do with the transmission control switch... but i have had that code before at random times.
when i try to get codes now... sometimes the eec relay will click or, like this morning, the check engine light just stays on.

 

[pluckman4]

I haven't done a compression test and I want to. ( my bro in law still hasn't brought the tester for some reason... i'm just gonna hafta motivate him to.)

However I put in an aftermarket IAC valve from advanced auto parts this morning just to see what it'd do and it wouldn't start. It would crank like it wanted to but it wouldn't start... I don't know if the battery magically got weaker over night, or the aftermarket valve is crap, or what... But it was starting/dying last night. And this morning it wouldn't start at all... any ideas?

 

[driller]

Weak battery in my cars means it will crank slower than normal but not start.

Hook up a charger overnight.

I had an IAC valve cause a Town Car not to start. A rap with a ratchet handle 'woke it up'.

Just because you 'have fuel' means little if the fuel pressure is not up to par because of a failing fuel pump. You can get a fuel pressure test gauge that will screw onto the schrader valve on the fuel rail.

 

[pluckman4]

Thanks for the reply.
Here's what I found... the car wouldn't roll over because some debris got into the air filter box over night. So with the new iac valve i was ready to test some more.
With it installed, the car was idling rough with white/blue exhaust smoke but i could hear a vacuum leak from around the iac valve. frustrated, i put the old valve on, started it, and it died immediately... the old valve didn't suck air!? so put the new valve back on, making sure to secure it tightly and to put the gasket on correctly. i started it and it did the same as before... it's sucking air.... why would an aftermarket valve suck air?
i heard on these forums before that non OEM iac valves are junk but is this a typical malfunction of them?

i'm wondering if i should return that one, try another aftermarket one, or fork over bigger bucks for an OEM one? I'm just not sure if this is my issue... by the way i tried knocking the oem with the ratchet handle and it's not making a difference

 

[driller]

It appears obvious the IAC valve is the problem so I would just quit wasting time and spend the extra bucks for the Motorcraft version and troubleshoot from there. For most engine control sensors/actuators, I will only buy MotorCraft replacements.