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engine hunting at idle!

Stevenash56

New member
Hi I wondered if anyone here has had the same issue and can help me resolve it. I have just started to get a hunting at idle. Hunts between 500 and 900 revs at standstill. I have taken the MAF out and cleaned it with electrical contact cleaner and still not resolved. when the cover was off it sounded like it was having squirts of petrol put through evry second or so. I have noticed a decrease in MPG as well. any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. oh neglected to say that it had a major service 4000 mls ago with no issues.
 

I guess that it's a relatively high mileage car Steve. Sounds as though you might need to replace the MAF.

You could try cleaning the throttle body/butterfly valve - there could be a build-up of carbon deposits - and the Lambda sensors too.

Jeff
 
Jeff

Car has done 86k Lamda sensors renewed less than 12 mths ago. looks like Its a new MAF then. Where would the best place be to get one?

Steve
 

I've not had to purchase a MAF myself Steve but you could try http://www.carparts911.co.uk . Just make sure that you get one with a matching serial number.

As both Paul and I have said, it's probably worth cleaning the throttle body before you fork out for a new MAF though.

Hope that you get it fixed soon.

Jeff
 
Before you rush out and get a MAF there are other things that are free to check first.

What are the details for the car - E-Gas?

MAF has impact up through the rev range so you would have other symptoms if the MAF was faulty - and you dont describe any others.

The 2.5 Boxster had issues with idle speed control valve, E-Gas with gumming of the throttle body, Air leaks into the induction.

First though, what is your car
 
Hi Glynn

Car is a 3.2s built dec 2000 has done 86k fully serviced. I have no other issues than this one, it pulls well has no mis fires everything is spot on apart from the hunting and fuel consumption which i have put done to the hunting at idle. When I cleaned the MAF on replacement I started the engine and tried to disconnect it whilst running and the engine just stopped. Any help would be great. or do I bite the bullet and get local OPC look at it?

Steve

 
OK - Your E-gas, this could be either an air leak in the induction or the throttle body needing a good clean, however, when inspecting the air induction trunking its impossible to tell unless you take it apart so its better to just do the whole job at the same time as cleaning the throttle body.

The butterfly in the throttle body gets gummed up with dirt and oil creating a thick viscous fluid that sticks to the butterfly on throttle closing, the throttle motor opens and closes the butterfly in relation to your throttle input, when closed on decelleration it sticks, as the engine revs fall to tickover levels the throttle motor slightly opens the butterfly to maintain tickover - but because of the sticking it cant do that easilly so it applys more power to the motor which then opens the butterfly a bit too much and has to close the butterfly again - which sticks again - this causes the hunting, Its like a car that wont tickover having to have the throttle applied everytime the engine revs lower to the point of stalling.

The reason for the gum is the AOS - it feeds an oil mist from the oxidised oil in the engine crankcase to the induction system to burn the mist off - this is perfectly normal but this mist does leave some residue over time in the throttle body and impurities in the inducted air stick to this mist and create the sticky gum. ( this usually takes a few years to build up)

To rectify, disconnect the air induction pipes and remove the throttle body (You can clean the body without removing but its a fiddly job, takes longer and you cant be sure you have cleaned all the areas completely)
To clean the throttle body just use brake fluid (but dont splash it on paintwork as it will crinkle the paint and remove it) A good rub will remove the gum and make the throttle body shine- the main part you need to clean is around the butterfly and the surface around the butterfly especially the stepped part of the body where the butterfly sits into. (Its like a door sitting into its jamb)

Reassemble and use a tiny amount of vaseline to lubricate the rubber induction tubing before putting together and securely tigten the clips. (Rubber grease is better but its expensive and not that many people have this stuff lying around so vaseline is a good alternative)
The vaseline will also ensure a good seal between the rubber and the joints

If its the first time you have done this job it will take a few hours
 

ORIGINAL: Stevenash56

Hi Glynn

Car is a 3.2s built dec 2000 has done 86k fully serviced. I have no other issues than this one, it pulls well has no mis fires everything is spot on apart from the hunting and fuel consumption which i have put done to the hunting at idle. When I cleaned the MAF on replacement I started the engine and tried to disconnect it whilst running and the engine just stopped. Any help would be great. or do I bite the bullet and get local OPC look at it?

Steve

At a regional club night we were informed by a Bosch technical manager that their modern MAFs are self cleaning by way of heating the wire. Taking them out and spraying with contact cleaner does nothing to rejuvenate them. Over time the heated wire gets thinner and the MAF starts acting up. They last about 5 or 6 years on a boxster with average use. However, a bad MAF is often manifested by the car feeling a bit gutless above 4,000 rpm. Not so much by hunting at idle.

Glynn is right that air flow and leaks upstream of the MAF can cause hunting/idling problems. This can include a leaking air oil separator. Idling problems can also be caused by a failing oxygen sensor. Or worse still, badly worn pistons and cylinders. Basically, hunting occurs when the mixture is being upset and the ignition is trying to respond to the changes.

At the moment, it doesn't sound like a MAF problem to me because you say it pulls well at high revs. BTW the engine will indeed die if you unplug it whilst running. If you want to check how it works when unplugged, turn the engine off and then disconnect it. Then with the key in the ignition and dash lights on, disconnect the battery for a minute. Reconnect the battery. Wait a minute. Fire up the engine without touching the throttle. Allow to idle for a few minutes and then drive until the engine is warm. You should find with it disconnected the engine will be lethargic in the high revs but it should still idle OK.
 
Just a couple of things there.

The MAF is hot film, not hot wire, so you would have thought that the Bosch man would know better. Maybe he was talking about the old MAF sensors used on the 928 and the like, which were hot wire. Hot film MAFs do benefit from occasional cleaning.

Porsche say in technical bulletins they last for 100,000 miles, but that is highly optimistic in my experience. 50-60,000 is more like it, so I doubt the OP's is original. If it is, then it could well be on the way out.

And I think you mean airleaks downstream of the MAF. [;)]

You don't need to disconnect the battery to reset the adaption values on eGas cars. Just switch on the ignition for 60 seconds, but don't touch the throttle pedal. Then switch off for at least 10 seconds. Job done.
 
He probably did say hot film rather than wire. It was a while ago. However, he was adamant that they're not serviceable by cleaning hence why it's not on the service schedule. I tried it myself when the engine on the previous 986 became lazy at high rpm. Cleaning had no effect but fitting a new one returned it to form.
 
I had, and still have this problem on my '98 2.5. I replaced all 6 coil packs a year before so was pretty sure it wasn't coil related. I searched about on the interweb and happened on a post from the States. It seems this was much more of a problem over there and apparently relates to the software version that was installed on your car (this was apparently unofficially recognised by Porsche USA but wasn't subject to a recall). Re-installing software has helped some, but not all owners. Not sure how reliable this is but thought I would share anyhow. If you're after an MAF, this might be worth a punt

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-911-996-Boxster-Carrera-4-Mass-Air-Flow-Meter-0280218055-98660612500-/120942249368?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1c28b84598#ht_3840wt_952
 
Glynn
Thanks for your advice, I have today done all that you said and removed the throttle body ect. yes it was well and truely gunked up and on cleaning ect my issues have gone. whilst also replacing the airpipes from the MAF i noticed that the jubilee clip was not the right width so i replaced this as well. car nows idles as it should. many thanks again. Steve
 

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