hello, i'm new to the forum.. I've gotten an chevy caprice classic it's an 89' and it idles pretty high i was wondering how i could adjust the idle to see if it helps any?!? I looked all over for it and couldn't find anything, enless you turn the distribitor like the old cars, but i dont think you do, do you?

Thankz

- Clayton

there are idle adjustment screws but you need a special tool to adjust them.
there is the thottle positioner. check to see that it isnt screwed too far out.
you may look for any vacuum leaks.
other than that... not much i think.

how high is it idling?

is it idleing real fast like its warming up? even after the engine is hot is it still idling fast?

My did do this, my choke kickdown wouldnt let the idle settle down after being warmed up. real headache.

make sure your kickdown isnt causing problems, its on the left side of the carb, after the engine is fully warmed up, and is idling fast try pushing down the tab like thing and see if it slows down.

well the idle has slowed down a bit after i cut the muffler off.. It dont idle nearly as high, but it used to rev up quiet a bit so i'd tap the throttle to see if it'd go back down and it did nothing but go up even higher.. I couldn't even find idle adjustment screws on it anywhere, what kind of tool would you need for it?

your cat is probly plugged.

the idle adjust screws are on the front of the carb under the mess of epoxy they use to keep you from messing with the settings.
you would need a screwdriver thing that has a special fitting to fit into the top of the screws...
dont bother with it. i've heard that you cant really adjust it back to running right if you mess witht he screws.

check that cat tho.

ok, i was talking to a friend about it, and he said it's prolly a sensor... cause when i rev up my car it blows out black smoke, well it did when i had the exhaust on it.. Now i dont know if it dose or not.. He says it's prolly an oxygen sensor, so how can i check that? '

they are like $15 to replace and a huge pain to check...
pull it out and see if there is carbon all over it. if there is, scrape it off and put it back in.
there is a whole procedure for checking one, but i dont remember it other than it took up a page in my haynes manual, and i got lost halfway thru when i realized that they were really cheap to replace.

i dont think thats it tho.
an O2 sensor wouldnt make an engine make lots of black smoke.

is it still idling high?
how much smoke is there.

well i dont know about the black smoke anymore but i do know that there is alot of white smoke when i rev it up... what is the sensor thing that is in the, air pan thing.. theres a wire that runs up and connects to the bottem of it.. i need to get a haynes manual for my car it'd help me out alot! Also i've been meaning to ask how do i get the radio out, i can get it pulled out about an inch then it gets stuck, there is a wire on the a/c/heater controls that gets stuck and wont let it go any further.. How do i dissconnect the a/c controls?

well i dont know about the black smoke anymore but i do know that there is alot of white smoke when i rev it up
thats prolly ok as long as it goes away after a while

what is the sensor thing that is in the, air pan thing.. theres a wire that runs up and connects to the bottem of it
hmmm. could be the O2 sensor if the 'air pan thing' is the exhaust pipe. could be a knock sensor if its the engine block. if its on top of the engine its self it could be one of many various sensors... can you be any more specific about where it is?

i need to get a haynes manual for my car it'd help me out alot!
yeah... i would suggest getting a haynes manual on computer codes. that will have ALL the sensors and things that are in your car, along with listings of all the trouble codes and how to pull them. VERY USEFUL.
after that, if you still need a chiltons, get one in your specific make model and year.

Also i've been meaning to ask how do i get the radio out, i can get it pulled out about an inch then it gets stuck, there is a wire on the a/c/heater controls that gets stuck and wont let it go any further.. How do i dissconnect the a/c controls?
it depends on what year you have. you shouldnt need to disconnect any AC things. if it is a 80's car with the stock radio, then it just pulls out i believe.

just saw that it was an 89. not sure if its the same, but for mine, i took the dash apart. (there are a few screws under the cigarette thing, one under the clock, and some back behind attached to the radio its self it think)
once you have the dash thing off, the radio is exposed, along with all the AC controls. the ashtray thing was in the way of mine coming out so i snapped the piece in back of the ashtray that you would normally scrape the ash off a cigarette with... i dons smoke so i dont miss it.
then the radio has 2-4 screws holding it in. disconnect the wiring too.

sorry i wasn't more specific about the "air pan thing" the bottem half of the air cleaner.. there is a wire that connects to it, i was wondering what that was..

on the radio like i said i can get the radio and the ac controls out about an inch to an inch and a half.. but the cable that connects to the cold-hot switch keeps me from pulling it the rest of the way out, is there a way i can just pull the radio out... Also if i'm correct you didn't have to break that peace off the ashtray, just push down the the shiny metal peace and pull out and it should come right out..

It sensor in the air cleaner is the AIT. Air Inlet Temperature sensor.

You mentioned white smoke when you rev the car up. Does this happen all the time? White smoke, unless it's cold outside and you have just started the car, is not a good sign. It usually means you are getting coolant into the combustion chamber.

it happens alot when it's cold, but when it warms up a bit and i rev it up it still puts out a big cloud of white smoke but i havn't got it warmed all the way up yet... Usaly i'm just starting it and moving it from my house to my shed witch isn't far at all

i just broke mine cause i was pissed at it... LOL

that sounds like oil coming in thru the valve seals.
i remember i was real worried about it when i first got the car, but its mostly normal.
is it sweet smelling, like perfumy, or is it a burning oil smell?
if its sweet, then you have problems.

its not sweet smelling, it's more oil smelling but it smells like it's burning bad gas at the same time... only white smoke i do enjoy is the smoke that rolls off my tires :D i just cant get enough of that lol