Idle Hunt

[sjbsuperman1425]

replaced the plugs and fixed the rich condition i was having. narrowband still says too rich, but im not buying it..drives/boost fine.

basically when it starts, it idles really low (500-600) and i have to give it some gas to get the idle up and it'll stay around 800-1000, but it'll flucuate between the 800 and 1200rpms at idle with the vacuum going from about 16-17 to 19-20. after i drove the car, and parked it, it was a stable idle with vacuum at 18-19. Mode III pulled code 55. any ideas? i haven't checked the timing but this just started. the other day it would start just fine.

[ca18detgabby]

sounds like a vac leak.

[sjbsuperman1425]

checked all vacuum/boost sources, no leaks. i didn't check the Brake Booster though. could this be the cause? also, could the ignitor not being mounted on a clean ground be the cause?

[sjbsuperman1425]

and i almost forgot, my F.I.C.D plug is broken off..idk if that'd cause this problem?

[bentvalves]

FICD is what the AC idle up plug? Usually its that long plug pointing towards valve cover off plenum that gets broken, is that the one? If it is thats your AICV, and yea it would cause an issue. If its not, loosen the 8mm nut on your TB stop screw, take a small flat head and raise the stop a little and see what that does for you.

[rico05]

A broken FCID will not affect idle if just the plug is snapped. You should cleanly ground the ignitor just for good measure.

A hunting idle will 99% of the time be either a vac leak as Gabby stated or a TPS issue. Check your TPS resistance and hunt for vac leaks after the TB.

[sjbsuperman1425]

the F.I.C.D bumps the idle when there is a load right (ie an electric fan being turned on drawing ALOT of amps?)..but idk my problem kind of just went away. i thought i felt some air coming out of somewhere by the "T" for the Air Regulator and i moved the lines and i didnt??? so idk. all i know now is that on initial start up i pull around 16 or 17 for vacuum and then after a short drive, i pull like 18 or 19 steadily..

i want to ground the ignitor, but should i use the thing its bolted too and then clean the paint off the grounding area, or just stick a bolt through the ignitor and mount it? thanks guys. and im going to clean the AICV just incase

[bentvalves]

it pulls better vaccuum after a short drive cause the engine warms up and the pistons expand a little.

[sjbsuperman1425]

it pulls better vaccuum after a short drive cause the engine warms up and the pistons expand a little.

yea that makes more since now. I guess my engine runs fairly well then, seeing that i haven't replaced my Water Pump, timing belt, or head gasket (timing belt probably coming soon)..im still worried a little about the head gasket, but it isnt' leaking, i dont have alot, if any white smoke (except on startup today but its 39*).

[sjbsuperman1425]

there is one more thing though.. idk if anyone has ever experienced this, but when i shut my car off, it takes a second, and shakes really bad?

[sjbsuperman1425]

well i did ground the ignitor. i think i have a few possibilites for vac leaks, but just have to check them out some more. i ran a Mode III check last week which came up code 55, but i'll do it again tomorrow was well. i think it may something to do with the line leaking going from the coldpipe to the air regulator, or the ghetto rigging of a hole on the coldpipe, either way, i'll report back tomorrow.

[sjbsuperman1425]

well i think i found a small leak in the piping where i had to block a HUGE hole. its not that big, but i think it could be causin a problem. sometimes during starting it wont idle right unless i rev it a bit (sounds like air regulator?) but after i get it idling good, it pulls 19"HG all day and again no codes. im really puzzled here. all the exhaust gaskets are fine and there are no leaks going to the O2 sensor.

im going to fix up the small leak i found, then go from there. I'm also running kind of rich again, could that be caused by a dirty MAF? im guessing its from the small hole in the IC pipe but im just curious. will post again tomorrow after doing that. Thanks!

[dattodude]

If you have a spare coolant temp sensor. I'd replace that if you can get one cheap.I used a rb30e one on my CA18 and it worked, but that only cost me a dollar from the wrecking yard.

[sjbsuperman1425]

i got code 55 in mode III, so it shouldn't be the temp sensor. would a dirty MAF do this though? i mean i pull 19"Hg all day now and it still runs a little rich and hunts a little bit. can i use regular electrical cleaner, or do i have to use MAF specific cleaner?

im thinking that maybe an injector is sticking open.. i cleaned the exhaust yesterday and now its black, so idk what the deal is. im stumped!