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Starting problems


CWood

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My '05 1.6k SS has developed a problem when starting. It won't catch without a bit of throttle and then will stall if I take my foot off the gas. Initially it was only when cold but it now does it most of the time. I went out for a run today and was stalling at nearly every junction unless I kept my foot on the throttle.

I did a search and have read about the IACV misbehaving. I've tried an ecu reset, and can hear the valve chattering whenever I stop the engine, but the problem remains. Is it normal to hear an electrical whine from the valve after turning off the ignition? This keeps going for a minute or so.

Is this a classic IACV failure or could it be something else? 

 

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The poor idling was intermittent, but now is pretty much constant.

I'm glad the whine and chatter after switch off is normal - I'm still getting used to all the noises it makes compared to the mx5 I had before.

I had a tinker tonight, and it'll run fine (hunting slightly when cold) if I disconnect the iacv plug. Seems to point in that direction. I'll take the valve apart tomorrow and give it a clean. Is it likely to fall apart all over the garage floor?

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No, remove breather hose and electrical plug, remove two (correction, four) allen bolts to remove the valve. Spray copious amounts of carb cleaner inside, block up any holes, give it a good shake and it also helps to get in there with something like a cotten bud. Keep repeating until the carb cleaner runs reasonably clear.

If this hasn't been done for a while it can only help your idle!

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I cleaned the IACV - it was pretty gunked up. It improved a lot, but was still lumpy and has refused to start a few times. 

After further investigation, I found that the connector to a temperature sensor on the coolant rail was loose to touch, so I separated the spade connector and gave it a nip up. This appears to have made it start on the button both hot and cold. I'll keep an eye on it to see if it solves the problem long term.

Thanks for your input Smiffy - it helped me no end. 

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Seems odd - the temperature sender you tightened up won't have made any difference - the sender with the spade connector is only connected to the gauge on the dash and nothing else! No connection with the engine electrics whatsoever. The one next to it with a two-pin plug feeds the ECU.
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Sorry, didn't mean to sound negative there ... I'm just thinking that it's more likely that your thorough cleaning of the IACV actually did the trick but a bit of residual gunk may have required a couple of cycles of the valve to free everything up again. Good call smiffy7, and glad to hear it's all happy again :)
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Yes, engine electrics.... now that can be a very long road of discovery, ey Revilla!!

Personally, for me, it would be too early to throw in the towel and hand the car over to a mechanic, and I'm not particularly competent with car electrics. I had similar (but probably worse) starting issues on the same engine last year (my first seven too) and with the help of forum members and several months of trying, we eventually cracked it! It was a terribly frustrating few months for me, but in hindsight I'm glad I persevered down the DIY route as I learnt so much about the car/engine and car electrics in general. *thumbup*

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If you are referring to the "ignition on, throttle fully open and closed 5 times, ignition off" procedure, this simply "trains" the ECU to recognise the full and closed throttle voltages from the TPS, to allow for variations between units and exact mounting positions. It should only be needed if the ECU or TPS have been replaced (or possibly if the TPS has been disturbed). Cleaning the IACV should not have any effect on the TPS and the reset shouldn't be needed.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

On a similar but slightly different tack, my 1.6k has done the same thing twice since fitting my aeroscreen. I now realise it is because I have been turning off the ignition and the almost instantly removing the FIA battery key, rather than waiting the usual 30sec it used to take me to get out of the car with the screen and doors on. (I always take the FIA key out every since I got a flat battery). Once it had stalled and I had experienced the same of having people think I can't drive, it would start and idle fine.

Make of that what you will! Jon

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