Ok ive been trying to figure this out for a while now. well before my new alternator my truck would start up and idle super smooth. now since the alternator it starts up and runs a lil rough when sitting for a couple of hours. then yesterday i put the starter on and its running even rougher. but once its warmed up its perfect. im thinking its something to do with either the idle speed or fuel delivery. idk how but it looks like this is all related im not sure though any ideas. also a second question is when its running theres some kind of noise coming from the front end. sounds like something metal is hang loose and rattleing against something. not sure any ideas?

i had some idle issues and was pointed to the IAC.

thats what im thinking. i dont think its so bad yet that i cant just clean it off and it fix it. my dads was just done a few weeks ago on his 95 F150. he would rev it up to 3000 rpms and itd die on him. but mine aint that bad yet. i think ill clean it off and see.

I don't think it could really be related to the alternator or starter-- those sound like just a coincidence. Try cleaning your IAC like Tom suggested, and also try pulling the codes to see if you get something. Could be something stupid like the EGR being stuck open.

yeah i know it dont have anything directly related to the alternator or starter. its just super freaking wierd it popped up after the alternator. then got way way worse after the starter.

www.fordfuelinjection.com to pull your codes with a paperclip...if I can do it then u can too. Post up what codes you get. That site also will tell you what the codes means.......Man ran rough too...turns out it was my EGR. I blocked it off and unplugged it...

If you disconnected the battery to change both the starter and the alternator(I hope), then could the computer be "relearning", when the battery was reconnected?

i did indeed disconnect the batter to change those at their respective times. im starting to now think your right. the later in the day it got and the more start ups i went through it got better.

Yup, relearning. She'll run rich, then lean, then rich again, until it finally retunes the ratio tables. As it "learns", it keeps writing over the tables, and keeps adjusting all the time. Most of the adjustments after 100 miles or so are so minute, you won't notice them, But, disconnect the battery for about 5 minutes, and bingo, base values set next time it's powered up, and the adjustments are a lot bigger and more noticeable. This is actually a good step if you do something like clean the IAC, new plugs, anything that affects the burn rate in the cylinders or fuel mix being delivered. As the weather changes, it will adjust with the weather, and you'll never notice it because it ain't like the weather really changes significantly enough to affect driveability. Most "chips" stop this modification, and allow you to manually manipulate the tables to dial in what you want, which may not always be the most fuel efficient, but may make the truck run like a scalded dog.

There is a driving prescription from a service advisory available to help the EEC learn quicker, but, just normal driving will do it. (Wouldn't you rather your truck learned your driving habits anyway?) Don't remember where I saw it, though. So, if you've ever had your truck in a shop, and got it back with a BUNCH (20+) of miles on it, chances are, the dealer's mechanics drove it long enough to relearn enough so you wouldn't notice it. Manuals seem to learn quicker because WOT in higher gears helps it learn power settings faster without getting you a speeding ticket faster.

If you run across that scrip again Tim...I'd like to see it...always interested in this kinda stuff.

I don't know if it's on this site or not, but here's a good one to learn from. Very detailed info on http://www.fordfuelinjection.com/ for OBDI EEC's in particular. Great site.