Erratic Idle - Not Solved

[camrybartockus]

I cleaned the throttlebody, sprayed about an entire can of of the right type of cleaner, it seemed to clear out some oil matter inside. No improvement though, car is still working properly when cold, but as it warms out, there is an erratic idle in neutral. The gas also does not flow smoothly when leaving a stopped position, but usually gets better when in crusing speed. On the hwy, it works fine, but when you apply gas, it often hesitates at first.

Any ideas would be much appreciated. THANKS

[Fruitbat]

Since it runs fine when cold, it could be the coolant Temp. Sensor - it could be reading it as cold when warm and turning on the CSI, making it run hog rich.

Could also be fuel pump, injectors, plugs, wires... gotta start somewhere.

[sr5punk]

sorry, everyone thinks this is my only answer. Check your spark plugs and wires. make sure they are gapped and seated correctly. make sure that your wires are not corroded. possibly check the air filter to see if that is clogged.

[DFBonnett]

As SR5 noted check out the plugs and wires. If your car also has a distributor, check the cap and rotor. The hesitation from a stop which you describe is often a symptom of ignition components in need of replacement.

[CJCride]

I'm also freezing in TO.
I bet Gas Line Antifreeze will resolve your problem. We had a number of large temperature swings {read: condensation forming in fuel tank}.
Use 1 bottle per fill up.

[Fruitbat]

Originally Posted by CJCride

I'm also freezing in TO.
I bet Gas Line Antifreeze will resolve your problem. We had a number of large temperature swings {read: condensation forming in fuel tank}.
Use 1 bottle per fill up.

I see -30 a few dozen times a year, and -40 at least a couple. I have NEVER had to use gas line anti-freeze.

TO's -20 nightly lows feels like springtime.

[JvR]

Sound like you driving with the choke on......temp sensor??

[Fruitbat]

Originally Posted by JvR

Sound like you driving with the choke on......temp sensor??

Unless he swapped in a 350 with a 4bbl, he'll have a hell of a time finding the choke

But yeah, temp sensor can cause the same problems with the EFI system.

[sampsongrsk]

i ran into a similar problem about a year ago today, it started skipping or dipping in idle, then got progressivly worse. my solution? I had apparently not used the correct grade of spark plug wires, they started dieing 15k into the change. Trust me, change your plug wires even if you think they look fine because they are probably not... BTW some guy in a shop i took it to in tampa told me that i was only getting 14psi in one of the cylinders and it would cost 1200 to repair. I told him "no thanks" and got it done in a parking lot of an auto zone.... long story short, REPLACE YOUR PLUGS AND WIRES