OK, I have a 1996, V6, Mercury Mystique.
Every time I take my foot off of the gas pedal, my car stalls. From the research I've done the most common problem would be my IAC. Problem is, I realllllyyy don't have the money to pay for that right now ($300-500).
This has been happening for about 2 days now. It used to happen occasionally, but every time I would move the car, it would be fine. Now, literally if my foot leaves the gas pedal, my car stalls.
For the past 2 days I have just been driving with one foot on the break, and the other on the gas pedal. When I come to lights and stop signs I have my one foot very lightly on the gas pedal, which keeps it from stalling.
As long as my foot is on the gas pedal, the car drives normally.
My question is, how long can I drive the way that I have been for the past 2 days, without seriously damaging the car? I will hopefully get around to getting it fixed, but for right now I really do not have the money. And the car is really driving fine, I just can't help but worry that holding in the break and gas pedal at the same time is destroying my car.
Thanks for the help in advance, sorry if I did this wrong, I am typing it from my cell phone. well, it could be the iac but theres other things that can cause this too.
is the check engine lite on, or has it been on lately? if so, run by autozone or another parts store, and theyll scan it for free. if any codes come up, post the exact code numbers here.
how long since the fuel filter and pcv valve was changed? if its been more then 30k miles, they should be replaced just as routine maintenance.
does it stall at any speed when u take your foot off the gas? or just when going real slow or about to stop?
btw if it does turn out to be the iac, i dont know where u got your prices, but a iac valve for that car runs less then $100. its on the throttle body and its easy enough to replace yourself. it would be a good idea to check and make sure the wire connector is on tight and the wires are in good shape.
but answer the other questions first before spending any money on this. Thank you!
The check engine light has never not been on unfortunately. I haven't had either of those things ever changed in the 2 years that I've had the car. And it stalls as soon as my foot leaves the gas, whether I'm driving or stopped. ok. first thing is to replace the pcv valve and fuel filter. even if it dont solve this problem, replacing them could prevent other problems from happening down the road. remember, this should be part of regular maintenance.
next get the computer scanned for trouble codes like i said before. this could give us a big clue as to whats going on. post the exact code numbers, not just a description and we can go from there. OK will do. Thanks again.
But just so I know, how much can I damage my car by driving this way? I have 2 birthday parties to attend before the weekend, and then work on Monday. Will it be ok to drive like this for right now? short term, the biggest problem i know of is using a little more gas then it should. if u do it for long periods, it could overheat the tranny, but for things like red lights and stop signs, that shouldnt be a big deal.
long term, it could affect the tranny and possibly the brakes. u should be ok for a few days, but u dont wanna wait too long to look into this.
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