Smog fail b/c Engine Light on (#1537, IMRC Motor Open)

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subzero24

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Hello all,

My name is jason. im from redding, california. I found the site a while ago and just made an account for the forums. I have a 1996 Lincoln Mark VIII that I need to pass smog. The 'Check Eninge' light is on, so it will fail.

When the OBD II computer is scanned the code #1537 comes up, which is IMRC (Intake Manifold Runner Control) Motor Stuck Open.

I took it to a shop and the guy said theres a way to disable the faulty motor. he said this would turn the light off. he did something to it for $40 and the light was off for the trip home only. when i started the car back up the light came on again.

i called back and he said the whole thing probably needed to be replaced. The part is $450 through the ford dealer. plus 1-5 hours of labor at the guys shop for the install (he wasn't sure lol).

but he also went off on something about some "braids being twisted in a hard to reach area", behind the manifold..... i wasn't quite sure though.

i've looked through these forums and they say to clean the exhaust manifold using seafoam. ive already used a bottle with no luck.

the check engine light has been on for months now, and the car has been running fine. it passes all other areas of smog, except the light. is there any way for me to solve the problem without replacing the part?


Thanks a lot.

I love this car! Please help me out because i can't spend a lot of money right now. :(
 
have you changed your 02 censors?

How did you use seafoam , I dont think your exhaust manifold is what needs cleaning. it your intake

here is a pic of IMRC dosen't look that bad to do ?? just guessing

imrc1.gif
 
I had the same problem,I spend $300 to clean the IMRC. Give a seafoam another try. where do you put the seafoam from?(just asking)
 
i meant intake manifold. ;)

ive done two applications of seafoam through the brake booster line. got lots of smoke, but the light stays.

ive also tied the imrc switch to stay closed then reset the computer. i drove for 30 miles with the light off and then shut off it off. When I turned the car on again the light came back on.

ive checked the hoses going from both imrcs, they are fine.

the smog guy and another mechanic say something is probably broken but of course they are gonna say that lol. but i have tried all the simple-fix i could find with no luck.

$70 to get it diagnosed w/ an estimate for repair.

id do it myself but if the job requires taking anything major off i wont be able to. the job would be a good learning expierience, but i need this as a daily driver right now. :)

anyone have anymore ideas before i take it in to get looked at?

Mostly all I can find on the internet are big parts like intake manifolds...nothing as specific as imrc stuff itself. where is a good place to find cheap parts like these?

Thank you to everyone for your help.
 
subzero24 said:
i meant intake manifold. ;)

ive done two applications of seafoam through the brake booster line. got lots of smoke, but the light stays.

ive also tied the imrc switch to stay closed then reset the computer. i drove for 30 miles with the light off and then shut off it off. When I turned the car on again the light came back on.

ive checked the hoses going from both imrcs, they are fine.

the smog guy and another mechanic say something is probably broken but of course they are gonna say that lol. but i have tried all the simple-fix i could find with no luck.

$70 to get it diagnosed w/ an estimate for repair.

id do it myself but if the job requires taking anything major off i wont be able to. the job would be a good learning expierience, but i need this as a daily driver right now. :)

anyone have anymore ideas before i take it in to get looked at?

Mostly all I can find on the internet are big parts like intake manifolds...nothing as specific as imrc stuff itself. where is a good place to find cheap parts like these?

Thank you to everyone for your help.
Click to expand...
well seafoam is the only thing I know for this problem. Try running your car hard, maybe you can get the vales to open. Now you said that you didn't get any light for 30 miles and then when you started your car again,and the light came back. I don't think the light will come on just after starting your car again. Did you go over 3000 RPM?(after you started your car again) cause your vales open at 3000 RPM.
this is what you need to do
http://www.svtmustangcobraclub.com/media/pdfs/tech/IMRC_Cleaning.pdf
 
i ran both seafoam apps pretty hard, but ive got one last bottle so i will give it another shot.

the light comes back on as soon as you accelerate. it did not go anywhere close to 3000.
 
subzero24 said:
i ran both seafoam apps pretty hard, but ive got one last bottle so i will give it another shot.

the light comes back on as soon as you accelerate. it did not go anywhere close to 3000.
Click to expand...
so even if you accelerate at 1500, the light comes?
 
OK, so I've got the same diagnosis from two different shops :

Right Side IMRC Diaphram/Motor Fail

Any ideas on where to get one for cheap?
 
1537 is on the left side????

I have the same problem. I understand the 1537 code to be the left side. It appears to be the left one on my car. I have applied vacuum to it and it will not budge. The right side appears to work correctly. The cheapest ones I have found are between $330 and $500. I hope you have better luck.
 
Two years ago he could have bought one a bit cheaper from Ford...

If have this problem currently and don't need to pass emission you can put a 93-95 IMRC on your car, mechanically it will work, electronically it won't read to your 96's computer.
 
the left side(drivers) one is still available but the right (pass) is NOT. There are 5 dealers in the country that have the right side.
l/s is a f6ly-9s514-ba list is $513.62 and LVC cost is $333.85. the other side used to be 403.78 but now it is whatever they think they can charge
 
If both imrc's move by hand, it is the sensor portion which is bad. IN order to find out which on, you must pierce 2 wires in the connector c118. This is the engine harness connector on the drivers side rear. If you look where the harness enters the connector, you will see positions 1 and 10. These are ground and sensor signal feedback to the computer. You can then read the voltage which is being returned to the computer with the key in the on position. First disconnect the imrc connector on the drivers side rear head. Then apply vacuum to the passenger side imrc. When you read the sensor wires, you should see no voltage. If the imrc linkage moves, and you still see voltage, that is the bad sensor. When the sensor is closed, the voltage is stopped. YOu should read infinite. When the imrc is open, thats when the sensor bypasses voltage. This way you can determine exactly which imrc is the cause. With the experience i had with my car, I don't trust the codes to be that exact......Check the wires for voltage.

ONe other possibility, is that one of your imrc controls has a massive leak thru the internal seal. In that case, if you apply about 15 to 20 in of mercury vaccum, and it doesn't move, you will still know which control is bad.
 
buddylee said:
have you changed your 02 censors?

How did you use seafoam , I dont think your exhaust manifold is what needs cleaning. it your intake

here is a pic of IMRC dosen't look that bad to do ?? just guessing

imrc1.gif
Click to expand...

Pardon the hijack, do you happen to have this pic for a 98 Mark?
I sure could use it.
 
96RedMarkVIII said:
I have the same problem. I understand the 1537 code to be the left side. It appears to be the left one on my car. I have applied vacuum to it and it will not budge. The right side appears to work correctly. The cheapest ones I have found are between $330 and $500. I hope you have better luck.
Click to expand...

Psychostang said:
:q:q:q:q, I didn't notice the post was brought up from the dead!!!
Click to expand...

I believe you are posting to RedMarkVIII who searched to find this problem. Nice that a new member found this while searching...
 
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