Did a forum search but couldn't find what I was looking for....read lots about the imrc and it playing up so thought I would open mine up and give it a clean up and lube....what should I do when I have it open what should I clean/lube and what lube is the best to use? I note some people move them what's involved? Once I have cleaned it etc do I have to use sealant on the box or just bolt it back together?
Cleaning imrc
- Thread starter Wellerman
- Start date
IMRC failure is usually down to the transistor, not a mechanical problem. To be honest I've never seen or heard of an IMRC failing for any other reason than an electronic overheat. The mechanism (a wormscrew drive) is 100% reliable and I've seen more CC cables fail than IMRC ones.
You need a soldering iron, not lubrication.
'How-to' for checking the IMRC is here:
https://forums.ukcougar.club/threads/7293-Check-IMRC-components
https://forums.ukcougar.club/threads/7293-Check-IMRC-components
Mine is on the original wiring and is happy under the battery tray.
Others have found that it doesn't quite reach, so it seems that it depends on how much copper was available in Flat Rock that day.
No drilling at all. All I needed to do was re-route the IMRC wiring, but keep it well away from the water pump belt.
Also, it wasn't *directly* under the tray - it was inboard of it. When you try to set things up, it should be fairly obvious.
:edit: Depending on your IMRC, don't expect this to fix your problem entirely. If your transistor has overheated and blown its encapsulation material, there will always be a risk that it'll fail on you, wherever you mount it.
The permanent fix is the uprated transistor.
I never understood this they had a perfectly working vacuum unit on the mk1 mondeo and replaced it with an electronic unit which was prone to fail.
On my previous cougar when the imrc failed I cable tied the secondarys open with no problems
others have said this can damage your engine though
others have said this can damage your engine though
It will certainly reduce your low-down torque, though depending on how you drive it may not be noticable.
On the other hand, I don't know if the IMRC position affects the fuel map. If it does, then I suppose there's the potential for over-fuelling and bore-wash. But I don't know enough about what the ECU does with the position sensor information. For what it's worth, some of us have driven with a slammed open IMRC (instead of closed, which is how it usually fails) for some time with no obvious adverse effects; Dave's engine blew for...other...reasons.
I have moved it towards the rear of the engine bay just temporarily for now until I can find a permanent spot for it....any suggestions as to where and how you secured it would be appreciated
There's a bracket with a hole in it on the inboard side of the battery tray. I suspended mine from this with a couple of heavy-duty cable ties through the bracket and one of the bolt holes in the IMRC shell.
I then ran another cable tie through one of the other bolt holes on the IMRC and attached it to one of the hose stays that run past it so it wouldn't swing around all over the place.
I had to do this because I have an ST200 airbox and the lower snorkel stopped me from doind what Steve Morris did, which was to bolt the unit directly to the battery tray through that same hole.
::EDIT::
Apologies for the potato quality; smartphones really don't like cramped conditions, but this should give you the gist:
Basically it's the front left corner of the battery tray if you're standing in front of the car.
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