Would a faulty Split Air Solonoid Valve cause hard starting problems when the engine is hot? Apparently this is the valve that the ACV attatches to (or hangs from) Tell me about this valve.....

 

the acv has 2 "valves" in it, when there is no vacuum applied to either one the air pump air is vented to the out side. when you apply vacuum to the split air "valve" with the solenoid the air pump air will go to the main cat, when you apply vacuum to the other one the air pump air will go to the exhaust ports.

 

The Split Air solenoid only pulls in or is engergized when the car is in fifth gear on a series four car. It feeds air to the catalytic converter.

The AIR CONTROL VALVE has no effect on starting the car or the operation of the engine when it starts. The one exception is upon deceleration when the AntiAfterBurn valve in the ACV will open and feed fresh air into the intake manifold to prevent.......afterburn. Sometimes after decades of use, the antiafterburn valve will leak a touch and cause an unauthorized air leak into the intake manifold causing a slight idle problem. Even in that case it shouldn't cause starting problems.

Look elsewhere for your starting problems. Or if you insist...then blockoff the airpump hose going into it and the splitair pipe leaving the intake manifold. Just stuff something into the hoses. Then try starting the car. It most likely will not have had any effect at all.

 

When you say Split Air Solenoid Valve I trust you are referring to the one that screws into the side of the ACV. Right? Yes, right. Or are you talking about the solenoids on the drivers side of the engine? The Blue or Grey one? Relief and Switching solenoids. Anyway, your answer was answered about whether the valve can cause a starting problem.

 

whoops i'm talking about the relief and port air ones, sorry

 

I figured as much, thats why I wrote the above. Bottom line is his problem lies elsewhere, in my opinion. The chances are slim or none that the acv could cause the car not to start.....unless maybe the checkvalve was left out AND the gasket was really bad and leaking b/t ports/holes/etc on the engine side of the acv. Not likely.

 

i had an 83 that had a piece of the airpump jamming the acv open and it would barely barely start, but its really rare that that happens (only seen it once).

usually it just a vacuum leak, and the car will start ok and idle low/rough

 

Thanks for all of the great info guys! If I don't figure out my hot start problem soon, my next step is to yank all the emissions crap out. I just smogged the car and when the next smog is due, I am yanking the motor anyways so that smog crap will do me no good.