yet another idle problem - help a n00b!
 

maybe there's too many board members but it's sooo slow trying to search on this site so I am going to rely on experienced folks to help me out on this...

my car idles funny. sometimes, it'll idle normally at around 700-800 rpm, sometimes it'll idle really low around 400rpm and feels like it wants to shut off and red warning lights on the water temp and oil press will slowly show itself. any tips?

Have your alternator tested.

you think the car doesn't have enough juice?

Is it street ported? You also might want to try turning the idle screw clockwise a bit.

thewird

the car is stock with intake/exhaust...i kinda want to stay away from turing the idle screw as that probably just masks a problem...if there is one.

I would start by having the alternator tested at AutoZone or some other shop. One of the tell-tale signs of the alternator going is the dash lights coming on but dim.

Since you said it idles fine sometimes at 700-800 rpms, see if there is something in common as to when the RPM's drop (i.e. is it as you approach a light? foot on the clutch? etc).

My car, STALLS when i put the clutch and brake in at the same time around turns and up to lights...I set the idle screw up some it helped but it still does it

and ever since i installed the Purple Box PFS thing....i cant run the A/C at idle or the car hunts and stalls

At 400 RPM, even a good alternator might not have enough output to do any good. Maybe his battery is bad. The battery is what keeps the voltage up during high loads at idle rpm, at below-idle rpm, or obviously, start-up.

Therefore, I would suspect a separate problem causing the low idle, and/or a weak battery or grounding, etc., problem causing the flickering lights.

Dave

ok, went to autozone and got the alternator and battery tested. Turns out everything is working normally. Any other ideas?

Do your lights dim when the engine bogs down?

Like Mahjik said, can you tie the bogging to anything like brake, clutch, a/c, or cooling fans coming on?

Warm up your car fully by driving it around and then adjust the idle screw to ~800-900 rpm. It sounds like your having the same problem I was having. The idle screw sometimes gets loose and turns on its own.

thewird

I have been experiencing the same exact proble except for the lights coming on. Turned the screw a bit up to 900rpm and for now it has not done it any more. Still testing though.

the battery does nothing when the car is running it only starts the car and give you juice when the motor's off. the idle should only drop a tiny bit when you hit the brakes. pushing the clutch should do absolutely nothing, but letting the clutch up could drop the rpm's even in neutral. just make sure your idle is at 800 or so. and oh yea..make sure the motors not blown...that will lead to low idle and of course low compression which in turn would make it almost stall when you turn the wheel or turn on the a/c, or even apply the brakes.

no need to take alternator out to test it.....just start car...unhook negative cable, if car dies your alternator is not charging, simple as that. maybe you battery is not holding a charge. put a load tester on it, the auto parts stores just hook it up like a booster pack. the battery is one of the most neglected thing on a car.

Drew

He already had the alternator & battery checked at the auto parts store...

hmm, i dont think the engine is blown and I will try adjusting the TPS as my last resort - I just think adjusting the idle only masks the problem, if there are any.

I can't really tie the idle/warning light issue to anything...most of the time, the car idles fine, but once in a while, it would idle really low and causing the warn lights to slowly appear. With AC on, the car actually idles fine...though I wish the AC can be colder hehe.

if the a/c doesnt affect the idle then the load compensation and isc are working fine...have the alternator checked if you havnt already.

I do sometimes haev the same problem (sorry if I am thread jacking, just don't want to make another thread), my cars idle is very unstable, when I start it on a hot/medium day, it will rev to 3k for about 10 seconds, then move to about 1.2k idle until the engine is warm, then it will go down to 850-900 rpm and idle, then after a bit of driving it will start going crazy.. Today when I coasted in neutral turning into a parking spot, my car died out, can that be the result of an alternator also?

RE-Mamamia, ask a mechanic to check if your injectors. My mechanic just told me today that the injectors are short-circuited and are firing at the same time instead of alternating which is making my car run super rich at 50/50. No wonder it was smoking like a beast before it warms up...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=XzsNIjoi5-c

thewird

yes. goto autozone, or have a palce like midas run a charging system diagnostic on it..usually free..

im surprised your injectors didnt fry...thats 100% duty cycle christ

It's been running like that for 2 months and I've pushed it hard on several occassions and still runs great. I guess it helps when you take your car to a rotary specialized shop (Mazdee's) only. It does backfire quite a bit though which I thought was normal for rotary's.

thewird

If it were only that easy. Let me tell you from my personal experiences that this sounds like a classic case of a failing (not toally failed) alternator. I had the same initial issues where the alternator would initially begin to show signs of failure, such as stumbling idle, all the warning lights coming on, etc.

I had the entire electrical system tested by a few auto stores and all turned out just fine. I also had the alternator and battery removed and tested individually. All the tests said both components were tip-top. I began to search to see what the issue may be, it turned out people with similar issues resolve the problem by replacing the alternator. I decided to have mine rebuilt. It resolve the issue for 6-8 months, but the issue eventually came back.

What was the problem? The alternator again. The rebuild that was done was not a comprehensive rebuild as that would cost almost as much as a new alternator would cost. I opted for a OEM Mazda remanufactured alternator from Malloy Mazda and have never looked back. Two years later, it's still working great.

Cliffs: Replace the alternator!:icon_tup:

lol that 9 minutes is a very long 9 minutes..makes my stomach churn in thought of coolant seals...did you do bubble test? it doesnt look like thats normal condensation, it goes away fairly quickly...actually it looks like its gettign worse the longer it's running...bad coolant seal usually makes it run worse once it's warmed up, since the coolant pressure builds and starts to push more and more coolant into the combustion chamber...