Car has always runs perfect. Just drove 300 miles last night. Wouldn't start this afternoon. Actually when starting if I hit the gas it will run (although rough) but as soon as I let off the gas it dies. No previous warning signs of anything going bad. The only thing I did out of the ordinary was fill up at a no name gas station last night halfway into my trip and park on the road last night where they did a lot of work/leaf blowing this morning. Any ideas. I feels like there is either a problem with the air or fuel intake when starting not a spark or coil problem.

Thoughts:

. Siphon out the bad gas.

. Replace the fuel filter. Should be done every 30,000 miles.

. Replace the Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) Sensor, which affects fuel injector pulse width. The ECT Sensor is a temperature dependent resistor (thermistor), whose resistance decreases as the engine coolant temperature increases. It provides a richer mixture when cold, leaner mixture when hot.

. Check for codes and pending codes with an advanced scan tool. This may indicate an issue with the MAF Sensor.

. Clean the throttle plate and throttle body with Valvoline Throttle Plate & Throttle Body Cleaner. Afterwards, clean the air box and replace the air filter.

. Clean/replace the Idle Air Control Valve (IACV).

. Replace the Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor. The CMP Sensor provides camshaft position information, which is used by the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) for fuel synchronization.

It is definitely the Idle Control Valve I have a 2002 Lincoln Continental as well and I had the same problem with mine 2 days after you posted you suggested problems and I just took it to a Ford/Lincoln dealership to have it checked and I was told the Idle Control Valve wasn't responding AT ALL