A really bad idle

when i start my car it starts idling at 2,000 rpms. It takes a while for it to go down. what im thinking the problem is, is that the temostat sensor is off making the car think its cold and having it start at a high rpm to warm the engine up but im not sure if that could be it.

Also after its really starts to idles funny...it'll jump from 1000 to 2000 rpms, back and forth like every second. does anyone know why its doing this?

Maybe bad oxygen sensor. If the problem persists when trying to rev the engine, check the connection on the Air Flow Sensor as well. If problem is only at idle, but disappears when you open the throttle, it might be the idle control valve.

What about the idle adjustment screw, that caused some problems with my brother's DSM a while back. Corey, I want to play with it some tonight, see if we can figure something out.

-Derek

yeah derek we should go ahead and do the things buymeabmwm3 said, then check the vaccums for any loose connections. And also the idle adjustment screws...its HAS to be one of them things.

Me you and Jung should look at it tonight, I'll ask my brother what he thinks also. But in the mean time, check the manual, read through the trouble-shooting section and see what you can find.

-Derek

this will fix your problem!!!! if it's a si..

on the intake plentem... behind the tb spacer is your coolant controled fast idle contoler. take off the 2 screws to remove the round cap. down in there is a plug with a large slot in it. this threads down into this cavity. just get a prybar or large ft blade screw driver and tighten this plug. if not you can remove it and change the o ring...

are you ure that the coolant wont spew out when i take the cap off?

once my home site is back up.. i'll post you picks

yes it would spill out if you took it out completly, but your going to tighten it.

btw the cap with 2 phill screws in not the seal that leaks, it's a cover!

once it's up go to RPR (http://www.redpepperracing.com/forums/index.php?) it's all 1G crx's and 3G civic and should be back up today or tomarrow

hey man mine does that 2 but my fi light comes on after awhile i think its the same prob me and my father figure its the filters or what hes talking abotu cuz ive been reading on my book alot and was goign to change out both and fix it so if u do it befor eme let me know if it fixes it thanks.

also check your coolant level, thermostat (consistant temp on gauge) and i'd also bleed the head to make sure you don't have a air bubble in the head.

Alright thanks...ima try to do something about it today. i'll let ya'll know how it goes and yes if i figure it out then i'll tell you what i did.

Hey I just got a 87 4-DR civic and it has a lot of mileage and I was wondering if I could do a engine swap without costing me an Arm and a leg, cause it's only supposed to be a temporary car but I kind of like it... So do you think it would be better to put a engine in it or just buy another car? the only reason I cant really buy a new car is cause I just got my license back and the insurance right now is 200 a month for minimal coverage......... any suggestions will be greatly appreciated

infamythig, shouldnt this be a new thread? And yes, it will cost you an arm and a leg. Or both.

yeah I guess I should of made a new thread but oh well, I guess I'll just buy another car as soon as this one dies, hopefully not soon

heh i don't mean to turn my own post into an engine swap thread but yeah you can go a straight ZC bolt on im pretty sure without changing ECU's or engine mounts...or im pretty sure so you won't have to pay much. thats what im THINKING about doing.

well um... i bet the swap would idle better lol. i'm just kidding, what happened with the idle?

you could use a brown top 86-87 integra motor but would have to add wires or swap harness and use the teg ecu. this is not a true ZC, the usdm model has about 111hp where as the ZC has 130

spdracr87>> when the pgmfi light is on look under the pass seat FT under the carpet flap is you code window. it should read by the led's burning solid not flashing. there are 4 led's.. starting from the drivers side is 1/2/4/8, add them up and you have your code. but i can say almost for sure that it's a code 1 which is your o2 sensor found on the exsaust manifold.

"well um... i bet the swap would idle better lol. i'm just kidding, what happened with the idle?"

haha you know what i bet you ti would stop...just cause its the last thing i would think of doing to actually fix it. but yeah yesterday i just ripped my muffler off cause i need to replace almost my entire exaust system. Gheez i wasn't really calling this a project acr but thats what its turing into...haha kinda fun.

i just bought an 87 crx si a few days ago and it has this EXACT problem.

let me know what you found out, that's the only engine problem this car has, so i'd like to take care of it.

thanks

it's simple, take off the 2 phill screws on the back of the plentem... it the fast idle controler. it has a little set screw beside the quarter sized cap your removing. then you'll see the black plug with a slot. tighten and you done!!

thanks, i will try that tomorrow:smile:

so did it work man

not really. it still revs high at startup (when cold) but instead of the revs jumping after awhile, it idles kinda low...like...if you hit the gas in neutral or with the clutch in, they'll drop to like 300 for a sec, then go to around 500. and the car now wants to stall if you idle with the a/c on.

they are supposed to rev abit upon warm up... that's what the fast idle controler does.

like i said. make sure your thermostat is working right and blead the head (could be a air bubble) on the low idle, i bet you put a cai on didn't you? when i did i had to adjust the nut on the throttle arm. it's a little set screw that allows you to adjust the throttle stop. honda put a little yellow dot on this nut to aid in finding...

check it out!

hey squall ishida i got a question. after a while it does go down right? well when it goes down does it jump around a rev itself like mine does? haha sounds kinda weird but yeah it revs itself.

I have an 85 crx and mine did some crazy idling too, first when I'd start it it would idle high then it would rev from 1000 to 1500 constantly back and forth. I blew the original engine when my timing belt broke and when I put the motor I got out of a wrecked car it did that. I never found out what it was and never will because I blew the motor again just the other day. Now instead of wasting money on another si im going to go with an 86-87 acura zc, it'l be fun.

yes that problem is very common in early fuel injected hondas. for starters, the 2000 rpm at start up is normal. that is the fast idle speed for your car. once it warms up, the normal controls take over and it surges. now i have access to mitchell on demand and all data and there is a honda technical service bulletin for this problem. it states: "a leaking fast idle control valve may cause a surging idle speed on 86 civic models with PGM-FI(or any other early pgm-fi equiped hondas. the 86 is what i have therefore that's what it says.). Check the basics first and make sure the idle speed is correctly adjusted then check fast idle control valve. REMOVE THE COVER. WHEN THE ENGINE IS HOT THERE SHOULD BE NO AIR FLOW AT THE FAST IDLE CONTROL VALVE. IF THERE IS, REPLACE THE VALVE." that is what i found out i just need to check it on mine.i will let you know how it goes. sorry no pics to help.