OK, I have had a (very) slightly rough idle for a while which I assumed was injector connectors as they were very much the worse for age. I have since replaced them and also the coil pack connectors which made no difference at all. Now I am starting to find that every now and then my idle just drops down, sometimes just down to five or six hundred rmp, sometimes right down to four hundredish and occasionally so low it just stalls. It always starts up again straight away but it is a bit worrying. I had a look through the tech section on idleing, most of the stuff there seems to relate to high idle but I thing I am going to have a go at taking the IAAV off and cleaning it up. Has anyone done this and do they have any advice? Is it particularly difficult? (keeping in mind my somewhat novice mechanical skills) Are there any other things people can suggest I try? Thanks
wierd idle... pete, my car has had a similar issue for the last 3 years, one that I have never been able to resolve... essentially, the idle will become a little rough (revs drop to about 650rpm).... but it only does it in the warm up period, and after a few minutes of driving the problem dissapears.... its also worse if I have the headlights on, as the added electrical load seems to effect the idle even more... Anyway, never been able to solve it and now I dont really worry about it... I too have change all the connectors, along with the IACV. Which leads me to your question. Removing the IACV is not too difficult. But as with everything in the zed, there is not much room and everything is tight. You really do need a small socket set, as a large ratchet just wont fit behind there and still give you enough room to move around.... I would suggest removing the battery to give you more room, but it can be done with the battery in place. Just disconnect all the connectors, and then undo the bolts that hold the IACV in place.... Cheers
Mine occasionally drops much lower than that, it has dropped low enough to stall a couple of times in the last month so I am pretty keen to find what is causing it. I think it keeps doing it after the engine has warmed up too, last time it stalled I had driven at least 10kms. Thanks for the advice, it does indeed look tight back there, my socket set is not too big (I got a kinchrome set for Christmas, I was very pleased) but I may need to head off to Bunnings for a smaller ratchet. On the subject of which (sort of), what do you use to get at the idle adjust screw? There seems to be too much stuff in the way to get at it with a normal screw driver. I got a kind of screw driver thing with a right angle bend in it but that only does a quarter of a turn before that hits a pipe too. I could probably get at it reasonably well with the battery out but I would like to be able to adjust it with the engine running to get the idle level set how I want it without having to take the battery in and out dozens of times while I fine tune it.
to adjust idle... I just use a normal screw driver... its at an odd angle, but I manage... as for removing the battery, yeah I only suggested to remove the battery when taking off the IACV.... but yes, to adjust idle, the car must be running to fine tune it.... Just make sure you disconnect the connector on the AAC before you adjust the idle... You need to disconnect the connector to take away ECU control. Tune it. Then reconnect. Its also good to disconnect the TPS (throttle position sensor) plug for 30 seconds to also reset the system. Cheers
I may have to look into some different sized screw drivers, none of mine come close. The huge great bundle of wires at the thick end of the loom pretty much completely covers my idle adjust screw and really does not want to move even after I have unclipped the clips holding it in place. Thanks for the advice on the stuff to disconnect too, there always seem to be so many little things I don't know. The TPS connector is just near the throttle body on the passenger side isn't it?
TPS... yes, you want to disconnect the grey plug that has the three wires going in to it, not the black plug tha connects to the TPS directly and is held in place by one of those annoying spring clips. Cheers
Thanks, one less little thing I don't know Your car sounds great by the way, almost good enough to get me to reconsider my complete aversion to getting cannons. (almost)
cannons?? oh no, I dont have cannons.... I got rid of the cannons a few years back now as they were god awfully loud, louder than my current exhaust.. What I have under there now are two large oval mufflers that do a great job at reducing cabin drone. In the future, I want to get some more oval mufflers to replace the shitty resonators I have there at the moment (behind the oval rear mufflers) and possible a UAS centre resonator / Xpipe. All in good time.. Cheers
Yeah, I am not a huge fan of loud exhausts on street cars, it was more the tone of yours than the volume that I liked. I am still dead set on dual tips rather than single ones and am definitely getting an x pipe when I get around to replacing my system.
Very true, though as there are so many possible causes listed in the tech section I was hoping for someone with a similar problem to give me some hints as to where to start.
Thanks, I had my CTS die a few months ago and replaced it with a new one (along with the spark plugs which it killed by running way too rich) so hopefully that is all good. If it was not working it would show up on ConZult, wouldn't it?
That's correct... It will show up on datascan as code 13 from memory. It doesn't have to be a fualty sensor, it could also be a dirty, or not tensioned plug. Mind you, if the ECU isn't getting a signal from the CTS, the aux fan is constantly on.
Thanks, I had no error codes last time I checked and I had the idle problem then too, though it has got a little worse since then. I had the CTS connector replaced at the same time as I did the coil pack connectors and injector connectors as the rubber boot had split and the connector was not in the best shape either. I might check again if I get time over the weekend just in case. What would I be looking for to find out if I have a leaking injector?
Sorry if some1 mentioned this b4, cbf reading all the posts but i serviced the air flow meter in my car on the weekend, and it made a huge differance in idle. It was pretty dirty with crap. I used some electrical parts cleaner and it worked a treat, maybe something 2 look at. I had 2 decrease my idle and runs a dream
For the love of god, try new spark plugs!!!! Pete, I had a VERY similar issue to yours up until last Friday, except my car wouldn't stall but would occasionally drop a cylinder. Turned out to be a faulty spark plug. Always worth trying something simple before going nuts....
Many years ago, I had a screwdriver set (spade tip and Phillips head tip) where the screwdriver shafts were made up of multiple strands of spiral wound wire, which made them very flexible, and ideal for getting into just the sort of spot that you need. I forget where I got them from... it might have been K-Mart or similar, because I remember they were very cheap. Unfortunately, I've misplaced them and haven't been able to find anything similar in any of the usual tool supply stores. Quick Google found this: Here so they're still around.
What was wrong with the plug? Mine are OEM plugs and are about 3000km old but I might have a go at pulling them out and having a look.
