Q: Motor stalls when I shift to drive or reverse

asked by on December 11, 2016

The motor is new rebuilt. Truck dies when I put it in gear, drive or reverse. replaced fuel pump, fuel regulator, torque converter, brake booster, knock sensor. vacuum lines all look good, electrical all looks good no broken plugs or wires anywhere. Motor runs great in park no issues at all. Can the transmission cause the motor too stall if so what would make it do that?

My car has 1100 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Idle Control Valve Replacement $162.54 - $1028.01 Get a Quote

This may be a result of a dirty or failing idle air control valve. The idle air control valve reads the air intake as it is mixed with fuel prior to being injected into the engine at low speeds and at idle. Since this valve is controlled by the vehicle’s computer, it will adjust idle speed based upon other measurements such as engine temperature, intake air temperature and electrical system load or voltage. When you accelerate, the engine RPM increases, and as you let off the gas, the RPM slowly returns to the normal idling speed with the help of the idle air control valve making the transition from a higher RPM back down to idle speed. When the engine RPM drops below the normal range of about ~800 RPM, this often times will cause the engine to stall indicating a dirty or faulty idle air control valve. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and replace your idle air control valve.

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