Strange idle problem, searched...
 

What's up guys. I just brought my girlfriend home, let it warm up for like 2 mins before I started driving. It had just started to snow. ANYWAY.

So I'm on my way back to my house, and coming to a stop sign, so I slow down, no problems. I look at my tach, and start to listen and my car feels like it's getting like 15% throttle, then off, then 15% throttle, then off, etc. This happened the entire ride back home.

This has never happened to me before. The way my intake sits, the AFM is tilted SLIGHTLY downward (s4 Flapper door style) and I've had no trouble with it for at least six months, which is about the amount of time it's been like this. I popped the hood, when I got home, no twigs or any thing stuck around the BAC or TB, which I thought could be it, because I don't have the undertray on my car at the moment.

Which also led me to ask this. I have a RB exhaust on my car, and the way the O2 sensor is the wire is kind of just hanging with the exhaust, it's not clipped to the undercarriage or anything. Since it's been windy as fuck, and half the roads around here have got twigs and branches on them due to crazy gusts of wind, do you guys think a cut O2 sensor wire could cause this? I'm sure I ran over small branches and stuff, which were unavoidable tonight...

I don't think it's the AFM, but I will take a better look tomorrow. I doubt I have any vacuum leaks, I drove the car like 60 miles all day today, but I will check for those when I get a chance. Last idea would be a cut O2 sensor wire. Could that cause this erratic idle? That would cause it to stay in open loop, but would it cause the idle to fluctuate as it is? The idle is from 1500-around 1800, pulsing.

Sorry for the long post, but I wanna know if any of my guesses are correct, and I want to get this shit taken care of.

Thanks,
James

this could be your mass air senser

or u mit have the subzero senser in the oil pan mit b unpluged

Hasn't moved since I put my intake back together 3 days ago, and I've driven it every day of the last 3 days.

Think that could be it? I do have a sensor on my oil pan disconnected...

try leveling your afm out..I'm sure i read something about it in my "travels" on the forum threads..it will throw the engine out of whack..also what was stated in previous post..check the underside wiring..

After a little more research I think it has to do with me not having the oil thermo unit connected. When I replaced my oil pan gasket, which was a giant pain in the ass in itself, the wire going to the oil thermo unit was so fucked and brittle, it ripped right out from the sensor. And since this is the first time the car's been driven in such harsh weather conditions, I think it has to do with that. I haven't driven her in snow since last year, when it was still connected (barely!)

Thanks for the tips guys, I think this is the culprit...although I will check for vac leaks when it's decent outside. Hopefully this stupid little problem will rid itself when the weather warms up.

Thanks for the quick help,
James