Strange Idle
 

Hello 2nd Gen experts ;)

I have an annoying problem and wondering if anybody can help. Got an 88 Se, and I can drive around and get my temp up to about 1/4 the way up and everything is great. Get out and get a burger (or whatever), come back about 15 minutes later, start it up and it just doesn't want to idle. It wants to die on me, I have to work the throttle to keep it going. After a few minutes it seems to be ok, but its a real pain and starting to annoy :)

Thanks any input would be great :)

monger,

Usually the full 60K mile service/tuneup will take care of most of these problems.

If your TPS (throttle postion sensor) has more than 90K miles on it, you might want to get that replaced as well.

Finally, if the OEM exhaust has more than 100K miles on it, I'd recommend upgrades including downpipe (replaces 1st catalytic converter), performance main catalytic converter (rated for rotary engine's heat output), and catback exhaust.

For me that cleared most of my idle, fuel economy, & rough acceleration above 6500 rpms.

Sometimes my car does similar things...I'll start it and it idles up fine and drops periodically like it's supposed to. When it settles to like 900 where I'd tried to set it a million times (since the underdrive pulley likes to idle there at night since the voltage won't drop as much at a 900 idle compared to a 750 idle.) Anyway, throughout warmup the car idles fine, then somtimes when it's fully warmed it idles at 1100 at lights, other times at 700 at not NEARLY as smooth as when it settles right after warm up. I have no airpump or ACV or cats as far as emissions goes and haven't ever touched the TPS. I'm putting in a TB in a week or so that already has the mods done to it and I'll set the TPS then. I know this is a VERY common discussion but with an 88SE, what is the best way to set the TPS and is this the source of my problem. I'd seen the awesome writeup by RETed about the TPS but it seemed to apply to the Turbo II. Has anyone had similar problems and fixed them?? BTW, the idle speed screw is nearly all the way out so my intake makes a lot of sucking noise at idle and it STILL won't idle @ 900 consistently like I'd like it to...

O2 sensor should be replaced and TPS shold be checked.

What can a bad O2 sensor do to performance/gs mileage? Thanks.

it would send false readings to the ECU which would then send the wrong signals to engine sensors etc.. I think :) My O2 is only like 10,000 miles old but I DO know when we put it in last time the wire cracked near the sensor and we put a connector between to fix the gap and re-attach. I read on the forum someplace that this could be bad though since the wire for the O2 is grounded...any of this make sense to anyone in terms of O2 performance and how could this effect my idle?

The 02 does not in anyway effect idle. The 02 wires center conductor should never be grounded. The original 02 wire was a shielded wire. The outer shield is indeed grounded near the ECU but the center conductor,or if you will, the wire that runs inside the shield is never grounded. Make sense???? 02 sensor is not in the loop so to speak when the car is at idle. Neither is it in the loop at full throttle. Just inbetween. Monger's idle seems to be related to the bac in some way. Perhaps its connector is half ass on???? Does your idle drop if you pull the bac plug off at idle???? That or its possible the dashpot is possibly giving you a fit. Not to hot on the dashpot idea though. Yeah. BAc problem. indeed. Read this article, the part about how the bac works http://www.teamfc3s.org/info/articles/idle.html