Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) stalling cold

[datablitz]

When my truck is cold, first 5 min after starting about..... if i have to give it power, up to about 1500-1900 rpm, if i just let off the pedal, the truck dies..... what could be causing this?

 

[Andy Morrison]

when I start mine in cold weather I wedge a long handled ice scraper between the seat and the throttle to keep it at about 1000RPM till it warms a little. If I let off the pedal before it runs a few minutes it always quits when very cold.





Andy

 

[Jdimig]

datablitz-



my 97 does the same thing when it's cold, and i really have not found out why it does this, but my guess is the engine is soo cold that when you put a large load on it, like driving it, it won't stay running when you return to idle so quickly and that the rpm's drop so quickly that the engine does not have time to regain idle, and stalls. ive had some emmbarssing moments when my friends are with me and i take off and it stalls

 

[esommer2500]

Same here. Until some heat builds, she'll stall if I just let off the throttle to idle.



Eric

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

What is your idle speed? A low idle speed can cause this to happen.



Trent

 

[datablitz]

it normally idles between 500 and 600 i believe, when its cold it can is sometimes lower

 

[anomad]

I have a "custom" dowel rod that I cut to fit between the steering wheel and the accelerator pedal. A cold start doesn't happen without the my fast idle tool. Fire her up, adjust eh idle to 1200 or so, set the heat on recirculate, and go inside for a cup of coffee... .



At cold temps the combustion just isn't efficient enough to idle at low rpm's. If you leave the truck idling, after driving, without kicking the idle up it will start smoking like all get out when its really cold out as the engine temps drop. (really cold is -30F or less)

 

[JohnE]

Use a combination of all the previous suggestions.



If you have a stock torque converter, up the idle a few hundred RPM and it should help with the stalls and also help on cold starts.



If you're going to idle the truck, set the park brake and drop the selector to neutral and use the stick to get the idle above 1,000 rpm. It helps warm the engine and transmission fluid.

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

Definitely bump up the idle speed, it should read ~ 750 in drive. This alone will make a huge difference with your problem.



Trent

 

[SOOT]

Mine does not stall when it's cold if I let off the throttle. But I also bumped the the timing and that made a huge difference in cold weather performance.