Is this normal?

[audicdl]

Hello, I have just bought a 1989 3.2 Carrera and have noticed something which I don't believe it should do. When it's cold, for the first mile or so, dip the clutch when coming to a stop and it stalls. When it's warm, dip the clutch in a similar manner and the engine revs drop really low for approx 1 second then it reverts to normal idle speed of just over 800 rpm.
Is this a characteristic of the car or a fault?
Thanks
Chris Lindley

 

[Booman]

lindleburger, i wondered how long it would take you to get on here after your recent purchase[].

welcome dude, all you have to do now is sell the red shed eh[:'(](and the rest of the garage contents)

as for the tickover, its probably your driving style[]

g

C2'S'

 

[plhorner]

Its the idle stabilisation valve that needs a clean, they often get sticky if the cars been sat around for long periods without being started. 10 minute DIY job, its the big solenoid valve top middle of the engine bay. Disconnect it and spray WD40 inside the valve ports and give it a little shake....Bingo You should hear it start to 'plop' freely, I say plop as you'll hear what I mean when it happens!!!
Good luck,

 

[audicdl]

Thanks Glenn, not. Thanks Phil it's on my "to do" list for tommorow whilst child minding at the same time!
Chris

 

[Jacob]

Welcome to the forum Chris.

I have heard all about your new purchase from Glenn and I am looking forward to having another 3.2 owner on the runs out in Yorkshire (I thought we were a dying breed!)

You have a common problem and as Phil has said it is relatively easy to fix yourself.

Good luck

 

[J50]

Missed opportunity. Big time.

Could you not have told him that a full engine rebuild was probably necessary but only after the new clutch and gearbox were fitted?

[][][][][]

 

[Beaky]

Do you have a pic that shows the location of the stabilisation value, thx

 

[Steve Murley]

Here's the idle valve, 2 jubilee clips either side, a metal band clamp holding it in place and a connector,
take note of the arrow direction on the body for when you put it back.

Steve

 

[audicdl]

Typical of my luck, I've cleaned the valve twice now and it's definitely plopping freely but if anything it's probably made the idling a little less stable. I think I will probably need to buy a new one although J50 has got me thinking! Does anyone know how to test the electric part of the valve prior to my probable purchase please?
Oh, and Jacob , looks like I won't be able to afford to drive it yet!
Chris

 

[zwhitea]

It might be worth checking teh vacuum pipe, from the vacuum near the oil filler, to the back of the intake manifold, this is just a small tube which is a push fit, and cracks at the ends over time, thus allowing air to be sucked in totally messing up the idle. Its a 2 second check which costs nothing and can be fixed for nothing by just cutting the end off the pipe and pushing it all back together...

Adam.

 

[audicdl]

Thanks for that Adam, I've just been out and tried that but alas it hasn't cured it.
Chris

 

[plhorner]

There is a test procedure in the Bentley manual which I can dig out, it'll be a week however as I'm just about to head of on holidays....packing to be done[]

 

[graham tompkins]

Hi Chris,

I had excactly the same thing on my car. I followed all of the advice looking for vacum leaks etc, and cleaned the ISV a few times. This made no difference, and it was driving me nuts.I then took it to Steve Bull who recommended having the injectors checked and cleaned, which I did and that made a reasonable difference, but it still did it occassionally when cold. One thing Steve did say was that infrequent use and low grade fuels do not help, so I have been using Optimax since as it contains cleaning additives.
What fixed it totally?
Steve Wong Chip.
Runs sweet as a nut. Since fitting it a week ago, I've been on a couple of long runs and its like a different car. There is a thread on the go at the moment about the chips so worth a look.
regards

 

[Guest]

I found the AFM on my car needed replacing at 70k miles - surprised nobody has mentioned that. They are often associated with unstable idle and hunting around idle.

 

[graham tompkins]

good point Richard. The AFM was on my list to change in my attempt to cure the problem, but as its expensive, it was well down the list.I did the chip first and that seems to have fixed it. (a chap on rennlist mentioned he'd had the symptom until he fitted a chip and it sorted it for him too).