2006 rough idle

[shaynefamous23]

Im having issues with my 2006 M45. driving last night the car was just fine. when I went to start it this morning, it was idling rough and trying to stall. when I put it into drive it would seem to idle fine for a few seconds, then start to flutter between 600-1000rpm. I drove it around the block, while driving it seemed ok, however, anytime I came to a stop the rpm would rapidly drop below 600 and begin to flutter again. any ideas? no leaks or unfamiliar noises I can see or hear.

[atlM35]

How long has it been since the plugs have been replaced? Did you fill up the tank last night? could be bad gas.
Could also be coil pack(s), vacuum leak, MAF going out, faulty injector, etc...
Do you get any trouble codes?

[elwesso]

First question would be is if you got a check engine light at all.. That's a critical piece of the puzzle.

[shaynefamous23]

No check engine light.

[shaynefamous23]

How long has it been since the plugs have been replaced? Did you fill up the tank last night? could be bad gas.
Could also be coil pack(s), vacuum leak, MAF going out, faulty injector, etc...
Do you get any trouble codes?

Plugs were replaced earlier this year along with the entire 120k check. Filled up 3 days ago. Down to 3/4 of a tank. No trouble codes. Not sure exactly how to go about getting those.

[elwesso]

Perhaps something like this could be caused by a dirty TB. Since the idle is controlled by the throttle actuator, a sticky throttle body would not allow the system to control the idle without it fluctuating quite a bit. Also makes sense if the car drives normally other than at idle.

If it was a coil pack, vacuum leak, or crank position sensor you would most likely get a code.

[shaynefamous23]

Perhaps something like this could be caused by a dirty TB. Since the idle is controlled by the throttle actuator, a sticky throttle body would not allow the system to control the idle without it fluctuating quite a bit. Also makes sense if the car drives normally other than at idle.

If it was a coil pack, vacuum leak, or crank position sensor you would most likely get a code.

How complex would it be to clean the throttle body? Also, I just read about a recall for my car.

"According to the NHTSA bulletin and documentation (PDF) submitted by Nissan, over time, the accelerator pedal sensor signal may deteriorate, “resulting in the output of an incorrect signal causing the engine to go into fail-safe (limp home) mode.”

In such a fail-safe mode, the automaker said, “throttle valve deposits may cause the engine to stall when the vehicle is coming to a stop or at idle, increasing the risk of a crash.”

Could this have anything to do with it?

[atlM35]

Most auto parts stores will read your code(s) for free.

[shaynefamous23]

Do u think the car is ok to drive? Or should it be towed? I don't want to cause any further damage if it's something simple.

[elwesso]

I don't think you'd have any problems driving it... Cleaning the throttle body is pretty simple, all you're really doing is undoing the intake tube and spraying carb cleaner on the throttle plate. You can get it pretty clean on the car, but the ideal situation is to take it off the car.

Since the recall deals with "throttle valve deposits", that would seem like a very likely first place to start.

this will give you an idea of the level of complexity. This is for a G35, but the M45 will be very similar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIjOhJSJN_8

[shaynefamous23]

Thanks for all ur help guys. I'm gonna give that a try. See how it works.

[FlawleZ]

If your still having trouble try posting a YouTube video from inside and outside the car for us to better diagnose.

[svard75]

Do you have a K&N air filter? Did you just clean it and oil it? Did you dry it with compressed air or a hair dryer?

[TXT]

I had a similar situation in my 1999 Acura TL. Although I had a check engine light come on, it indicated one of the coil packs was bad.

While driving, the car was fine but once I got to a red light, it would idle horribly, to the point it felt like it would turn off. I actually let it sit to try and have the car shut off on its own but it never did, just kept idling horribly and sputtering.

Saw this video a while ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7YMMlR8wc4

Might be an easy way to test it out. I didn't do any research on the tool he used so I'm not sure whether its available easily or low cost, but that's something I skipped and instead changed out ALL coil packs (expensive).

This might not be your problem though....

[shaynefamous23]

Found that the sensor was out of my cold air intake. It was just a small issue. Engine didn't know it was getting air. Lol. But thank you guys for replying.

[svard75]

Reminds me of a funny thing a buddy of mine and I did to his ford probe gt. We decided to build him a CAI out of his stock unit and we thought what is this thing (the MAF) that looks so restrictive. We cut it out and left it disconnected. After starting it up it was super rough idling.

In hindsight it's funny but at the te we were pretty pissed. Ended up getting a used intake pipe with MAF from the wreckers for$25.