Can't get the idle up

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Gypsie
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Can't get the idle up

Post by Gypsie » Sun Mar 27, 2011 11:45 pm

I'll start with the basics-
1980 type IV 2L FI.
fairly fresh rebuild- New heads with less than 5k and fresh grind on valves and seats (within 100 miles)
New P&Cs less pistons (same 5k with new rings within 100 miles
New cam and lifters (webcam107i)
bearings (mains, cam, rods) less than 5k
Fresh perishables (plugs, rotor cap yadda yadda yadda)
Auto Tranny
Timed to 28*btc at 3000

I can't get the idle speed up when the throttle is at full rest. It floats around 500 (when it doesn't die). After it warms up it dies less.

I turn the idle speed screw out (ccw) all the way (till the damn thing is in my hand) and it still won't come up.
I have put near to a whole can of carb spray into a vacuum leak hunt. None found.

with an LM1 I get decent readings anywhere above throttle at rest. If I hold the throttle up to get rpms to 1000 lambda is 14-15 but as soon as it drops below 1000 Lambda soars above 20 (very lean).
In park, Lambda is in the 14-15 range throughout the spectrum, with short drops to 12-13 with gooses to throttle.
Under driving conditions lambda is in the 11-12 range under load and settles out to 14-15 when it is up to speed.

I try to get it to do the 'fuel cutout' with the engine at high rpms and sharp decel but it stays rich (12-13's) while decelerating.

I am thinking that my mix adjustments may be whack (static and dynamic) from before the rebuild. I was doing some major adjusting before tearing it down this last time and discovering a flat cam lobe. I have made some adjustments since rebuild but don't feel comfortable making too many til I can get a consistent idle near spec (900-1000).
I do feel like I will need to make some major mix adjustments to get the afm into spec.

Scratchin' me pate. Hoping for some ideas from y'all...

It may be the web cam doesn't like the idle area but I should still be able to adjust idle speed... shouldn't I?
So it all started when I wanted to get better gas mileage....

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ruckman101
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Re: Can't get the idle up

Post by ruckman101 » Mon Mar 28, 2011 1:15 am

I still feel inadequate trying to adjust my carb, so no help, good luck.


neal
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dtrumbo
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Re: Can't get the idle up

Post by dtrumbo » Mon Mar 28, 2011 6:16 am

I'm sure you have, but have you nudged the wiper in the AFM while at idle? Is it begging for more fuel? Since you've douched the whole thing with carb cleaner it sounds like a vacuum leak is not likely. Perhaps it just isn't getting enough fuel at idle. Maybe your AFM is all wonky after the "enhancements" you made to it prior to the most recent rebuild. Injectors all good with good connections? I suppose it could be that radical cam you put in :geek: and I'm now officially at the end of my knowledge. I'll shut up now but hopefully my un-educated response will trigger a useful synapse fire in your own bean that will lead you to the answer.

Good luck, my friend!
- Dick

1970 Transporter. 2015cc, dual Weber IDF 40's
1978 Riviera Camper. Bone stock GE 2.0L F.I.
1979 Super Beetle convertible.

... as it turns out, it was the coil!

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Amskeptic
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Re: Can't get the idle up

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Mar 28, 2011 8:56 am

Gypsie wrote: Timed to 28*btc at 3000
idle around 500 warms dies less.

Under driving conditions lambda is in the 11-12 range under load and settles out to 14-15 when it is up to speed.
I try to get it to do the 'fuel cutout' with the engine at high rpms and sharp decel but it stays rich (12-13's) while decelerating.

It may be the web cam doesn't like the idle area but I should still be able to adjust idle speed... shouldn't I?

You have inadequate airflow at idle with some aggravating factors, like additional friction from new rings and possible cam overlap with the Web cam.

You need to "tighten up the cog" a good bit until you get fuel shut-off when coasting down above 1,750 rpm. If that means 6-8-12 teeth lean, so be it. I did not see any mention of your idle mixture adjustment at the AFM screw, but if you have to crank it all the way down "rich", do it.
Under full throttle at 50 mph in 2nd gear you should see 12.7 to 13.0. When you shift to 3rd at 50mph, you should see 12.5 under full throttle with a light trending towards leaner as you bring it to 70mph. When you release the throttle at 70, you should see a jump to 21-22 all the way to 30-40 on the LM-1 that then hits 16 or so as the fuel is turned back on. .

After you have found fuel shut-off with your successive tightening of the cog, you can adjust the wiper to full throttle mixture. You need to know that the AFM is out of the picture above 3,800 rpm under full throttle, at this point the spring/cog is done and only the wiper adjustment has any effect. This is critical. At maximum torque( 3,000 rpm), your engine should not be leaner than 12.5- 12.7.

There are whacko spots on the fuel mixture map where you will get leaner as you hit the gas (wtf?) and richer as you release. The bad news is that it is our own f**k-ups I am afraid, where we get out-of-phase with our adjustments. Think of all the different parameters coming to this immediate snapshot:

Fuel quantity = airflow @ throttle position @ rpm

Let's say that you are catatonic behind the wheel and have not moved the accelerator in the slightest.
The wiper position is our constant:
Is the engine on decel? (what happens to mixture as the revs increase under engine braking?)
Is the engine on a hill (what happens to mixture as the revs decrease under load?)

Now imagine that your rpm is constant at 3,000 rpm, but car has come to bottom of hill and now is going up the other. You the driver are so smooth with your application of accelerator that the engine has maintained a perfect 3,000 rpm. There is no rpm variable for the ECU. But now it has a wiper movement to read. Lean-to-rich as we intuit.

So here is the question that seized SGKent's mind on theSamba:

Why does your engine, as you noted! get leaner and leaner as the idle speed drops? Did you, Gypsie, note that if you move the wiper CCW rich at your pathetic idle speed of 500 rpm, the LM-1 reads leaner still?

I think the ECU has a serious anti-flooding circuitry, because flooding is much more difficult to "reset" than a lean stall, yaah? Makes sense? Go experiment with wiper position.

So, to overcome this lean-out, we have to improve airflow through the AFM and it must be verified by decent rpm signal at the ECU. Please read the AAR adjustment procedure and get yours way open when cold and see if it gives you a decent cold-start. If you have a spare, it would be nice to rig it slightly open for ring break-in. Later, after 1,000 miles or so, if you now have too frisky an idle, you can reverse your steps.

What does the Vanagon use for an idle stabilizer for the AT? Vacuum valve? Please also answer if your throttle plate has a hole drilled in it. I believe the AT engines all are supposed to have a holy throttle plate. Also, do you have the 5* AFTER TDC timing specification?
ColinCurious
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Gypsie
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Re: Can't get the idle up

Post by Gypsie » Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:37 am

Great feedback all. I will think on it some.

I drove it to work today....first time in 10 months...Yeah!...I think I will show up at the Lab tonight in a VW....

The quick and dirty responses to some of these queries is I agree that AFM mix adj is wonky after last year's desperate attempts to 'correct' wonky mix that was sure to be a result of a cam lobe being eaten' away.

Idle mix was one turn out from seated when I started this round of fine tuning. I have since set it to 4.5 turns out from seated and did some testing at 'idle' by holding the throttle to 1000ish. The "colin method" (aka vulcan mind meld with engine, aka wiper manipulations and rpm monitoring) put me in the general area of 'good' when I am holding the throttle to get an idle. Seemed a little lean across the spectrum so I enriched app 1/2 cog static. Then 3 clicks lean (CW) for high rpm mix correction. I 'feel' like high rpm needs more leaning (the 6-8-12 range sounds about right) which may in turn demand more static enrichment.

Q-since I am trying to find a 'starting point' for the adjustment settings. Where would be a good point to start with the idle speed screw. It is practically at full out and still will not bring idle up above 500 with throttle at rest. I would like to set it to a starting point so the other settings will get set to a workable starting point.

When I let the throttle sit at rest the idle drops to the point of allowing the wiper to 'bounce', eliminating any semblance of consistency and no ability to make noticeable adjustments. This makes me feel like I am not making adjustments that will be useful under normal conditions as I do not want to have to hold my foot on the accelerator to keep an idle.



I think the ECU has a serious anti-flooding circuitry, because flooding is much more difficult to "reset" than a lean stall, yaah? Makes sense? Go experiment with wiper position.

This feels right. when I was testing mix the ultra low idle did not respond to manual enrichment. it stayed in the 20's (lambda)
So, to overcome this lean-out, we have to improve airflow through the AFM and it must be verified by decent rpm signal at the ECU.
Mhmmm, yep. Nodding agreed.
Please read the AAR adjustment procedure and get yours way open when cold and see if it gives you a decent cold-start. If you have a spare, it would be nice to rig it slightly open for ring break-in. Later, after 1,000 miles or so, if you now have too frisky an idle, you can reverse your steps.
get it way open to keep it lean when cold? I think I may have a spare. I will check this out though I think I will attend to cold start after I have resolved some of the 'warm engine' specs concerns.

What does the Vanagon use for an idle stabilizer for the AT? Vacuum valve? Please also answer if your throttle plate has a hole drilled in it. I believe the AT engines all are supposed to have a holy throttle plate. Also, do you have the 5* AFTER TDC timing specification?
I will pull the s-boot off to get a look at the throttle plate. I presume it is what is supposed to be there as it has worked in the past. Timing spec for idle is 7.5 btc, though this is out the window since I am setting to high rpms. Webcam and Webcam users have recommended this. I seem to recall it is sitting in the general area of 0-5 btc, though I am not certain since idle wants to be so low when at rest. I focused on high rpm settings when adjusting.

Good question about the idle stabilizer. I have no idea whatsoever. SVDA dist.
So it all started when I wanted to get better gas mileage....

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Amskeptic
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Re: Can't get the idle up

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Mar 28, 2011 1:29 pm

Gypsie wrote:
mix was one turn out from seated when I started this round of fine tuning. I have since set it to 4.5 turns out from seated and did some testing at 'idle' by holding the throttle to 1000ish.
Seat the mixture screw now. See if it improves your idle *speed*. A uber-lean mixture will drop rpms all by itself.
Gypsie wrote: Q-since I am trying to find a 'starting point' for the adjustment settings. Where would be a good point to start with the idle speed screw.
The answer is "whatever works". It is actually the very last adjustment in the daisy chain. You clearly have an issue upstream. Friction/wrong throttle plate/incorrect timing at idle (that you do not want to correct by stealing advance from the upper end).
Gypsie wrote: When I let the throttle sit at rest the idle drops to the point of allowing the wiper to 'bounce', eliminating any semblance of consistency and no ability to make noticeable adjustments.
Hode on a minnit here, bowah.
Bounces? It flaps back and forth at idle? It "vibrates" at idle so bad you can't figure out what the mixture request is?

Gypsie wrote: get it (AAR) way open to keep it lean when cold?
No, this is what increases your idle speed above and beyond your idle speed screw and more importantly **improves air flow through AFM** which automatically enriches idle mixture as anti-flooding circuitry calms down. Seems counter-intuitive, but follow this: the additional air that the AAR takes in is downstream, AFM-metered air. It is fuel-compensated air.


Gypsie wrote:I will check this out though I think I will attend to cold start after I have resolved some of the 'warm engine' specs concerns.
It is a worthy experiment for a warm engine if you have no other option for getting the idle speed up, but you will need to adjust it towards more open. Can you get a 1,200-1,400 rpm cold idle right now? Like you are supposed to?
Gypsie wrote: I will pull the s-boot off to get a look at the throttle plate.
I presume it is what is supposed to be there as it has worked in the past.
Let's not :flower:
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Gypsie
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Re: Can't get the idle up

Post by Gypsie » Mon Mar 28, 2011 3:27 pm

Seat the mixture screw now. See if it improves your idle *speed*. A uber-lean mixture will drop rpms all by itself.
Copy that.
I've made the static enrichment adjustment after making this idle mix adjustment.

Will I ultimately be correcting to middle ground so I have adjustment room in the future (ie as the engine breaks in)?

The answer is "whatever works". It is actually the very last adjustment in the daisy chain. You clearly have an issue upstream. Friction/wrong throttle plate/incorrect timing at idle (that you do not want to correct by stealing advance from the upper end).

I would agree that this would be the last adjustment though I feel like I should be trying to find a middle ground for a starting point since all the parameters are new (tight rings, yada yada..), with a big variable of the aggressive profile cam. As well as the idle speed timing that may not like the new zone it is left in with a properly timed high rpm.
Though I am on the side of confirming what variables will get me to where I want to be (ie an adjustable idle speed at 'throttle rest'). I will keep backing it out after seating the idle mix screw to see wha-hoppens.

It really is a huge difference from 700 rpms (a loping, sputtering dies when cold but will keep loping and sputtering forever when warm) to 1000 rpms that is smooth and responds to afm manipulations.

Bounces? It flaps back and forth at idle? It "vibrates" at idle so bad you can't figure out what the mixture request is?

Yep. Trying to manipulate the wiper either way has no effect other than making it die. More so when making it leaner. it 'bounces' in a very consistent manner. as if each cylinder gulp pulls the flap open.
at 800 and above the wiper settles down to a consistent position.

Can you get a 1,200-1,400 rpm cold idle right now? Like you are supposed to?
No. cold idle, warm idle, any idle where the throttle plate is at rest, the idle speed screw comes all the way out without bringing it up above 700 or so, though I have made some adjustments to other parameters that may have changed this. I will do some testing and adjusting and let you know what I find.


Let's not
presume :flower:

Yessir...unnerstood...


(admittedly, in all the confusion of engine rebuilding in the past few years I am not certain if I have used the original plenum with attached throttle body when I tore it down a couple years ago and had to rebuild with multiple engine parts....Pretty sure but not absolutely certain...) could have been a switcheroo in there...I'll let you know...

Any ideas on the 'idle stabilizer" mechanism? Could it be built in to the ecu computations?

Thank you for all your guidance and feedback.

-GrasshoppaGypsie


I want to take a quick moment to encourage all who like to putter with the engine to consider installing a starter button in the engine bay. It has been a lifesaver for this process and took very little $$$ or skill. 'Tis the cats pajamas to be able to start it back up without going back to the front of the vehicle....
So it all started when I wanted to get better gas mileage....

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Amskeptic
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Re: Can't get the idle up

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:21 am

Gypsie wrote:
it 'bounces' in a very consistent manner. as if each cylinder gulp pulls the flap open.
at 800 and above the wiper settles down to a consistent position.

Can you get a 1,200-1,400 rpm cold idle right now? Like you are supposed to?
No. cold idle, warm idle, any idle where the throttle plate is at rest, the idle speed screw comes all the way out without bringing it up above 700

Any ideas on the 'idle stabilizer" mechanism? Could it be built in to the ecu computations?
Bounces are bad. On a stock cam profile it is a giveaway that one cylinder is deeply unhappy. With a performance cam (recommended against for good reason) the AFM is getting beaten half to death by exhaust scavenging. Your particular symptom is, at this time, an unknown.

Go immediately to the AAR and make sure it is opened fully, allen wrench loosen adjustment locknut, pry open etc., it is all in the write-up.

Idle stabilizer is either a vacuum valve or timing adjusted. Does your Bentley tell you to remove an idle stabilizer plug pair and plug them in to each other before timing adjustment? Can you SEE your timing light advance the timing if a coordinated assistant lightly lets out the clutch in 4th gear to slow the engine? heck I forgit, you have an auto. What I meant was, does your timing advance when assistant shifts from P or N into gear?
ColinOldDistractedWet
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Gypsie
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Re: Can't get the idle up

Post by Gypsie » Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:46 pm

Did some investigating and testing.

AAR-it was open a little when cold (the center of the cutout was just the other side of halfway; more closed than open). I loosened the adjustment screw and wriggled things around. It doesn't feel like it loosens the rotating disk from the bimetal spring from "lock down". Rather, it feels like it is still being held by the bimetal spring as there is resistance to turning the disk and it will spring back to it's original (more closed than open) position if I am not holding the disk open with a lever in the hole. However, I held it open while tightening the lockdown nut, and it held the plate a bit more open than before (just the other side of halfway, more open than closed). Seems like it helped a little little for cold start though it's hard to tell since it is just that cold start time....

checked both of the throttle plates I have. Neither of them have a hole in the plate. I forgot to write down the part number on the throttle body assembly on the engine now. I will compare numbers when I do to see if they are different.

As a test after warm up, I screwed the idle speed screw in toward bottom out. The engine bogs down and dies before it bottoms out. To obtain the smoothest idle (with throttle plate fully seated) the speed screw must be almost all the way out. The idle speed will come up if the screw is so far out that you can hear a vacuum leak around the threads (ie when you can wriggle the screw around with your finger and hear the difference in the hissing sound as the vacuum leak is adjusted by the movement of the screw.) This tells me that it likes more unmetered air. I am not comfortable leaving the screw this loose because it feels like it will fall out as the only thing holding it in position is the vacuum created by the running engine.

Q- are we certain that Automatic transmission FI aircooled vanagons were to have a hole in the throttle plate or is this just an educated guess? I have searched around and found that many folk have added a hole to a throttle plate to assist in resolving stumbly idles esp. with performance cams. In the performance engine world, not specifically aircooled vw's, this is a fairly common practice. I also spoke to my local VW mechanic resource who asked me if I had a hole in the throttle plate and suggested I make it larger if I did or add one if I didn't.

I don't have a hole there now and would not be averse to adding one (Maybe start with a 1/8" or a 1/16")? I do want to understand what I am doing by doing this though.

Tell me if I am close with this theorizing:

By adding a hole in the throttle plate, I will be allowing the engine to breathe better at the lower speed, a symptom that is likely being impacted by the new cam. This is unmetered air (side Q-where does this air come from, crank case?). The better breathing will increase air flow through the afm which will bring the wiper up to a smoother more tuned (ie proper) mix because it will not be bouncing away at a lower (leaner) position on the wiper board (due to such a low flow of air being gulped by the engine). This will allow me to adjust the idle speed and idle mix with the respective screws and will leave the rest of the mix spectrum in it's current mix position (which is pretty good across the spectrum).
Nervous about drilling holes in these parts.

In essence, the added hole is like holding the throttle plate open an eensy-teensy bit, which right now is what I have to do to get a workable idle speed.

I do believe this could do the trick. What say ye anyone?

I believe the idle stabilization for this beast is in the timing/idle speed interplay. everything seems to be fine if the idle speed is above 800ish. 1000 is almost perfect except I currently have to manually open the throttle a scosh to do get it to 1000.

Bentley suggests that the final idle speed adjustment is with the accelerator linkage (Ie the spring on the shaft that allows for kickdown at WOT is adjusted so that the pressure it places on the throttle holds the throttle open to bring up the idle). This just feels wrong because there are three springs putting tension on the throttle plate shaft and that's just alot of viariables to call it a scientific/mechanically sound adjustment.

Idle speed should be adjusted with the throttle plate at rest/fully seated. Fine adjustments to airflow (and thence idle speed) are made from this position. IMO

I will keep looking for alterations to throttle plate holes. If anyone knows where I can find good info please post it.
So it all started when I wanted to get better gas mileage....

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Amskeptic
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Re: Can't get the idle up

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:30 pm

Gypsie wrote: checked both of the throttle plates I have. Neither of them have a hole in the plate.
The idle speed will come up if the screw is so far out that you can hear a vacuum leak around the threads
This tells me that it likes more unmetered air.

I don't have a hole there now and would not be averse to adding one

By adding a hole in the throttle plate, I will be allowing the engine to breathe better at the lower speed, a symptom that is likely being impacted by the new cam. This is unmetered air (side Q-where does this air come from, crank case?). The better breathing will increase air flow through the afm which will bring the wiper up to a smoother more tuned (ie proper) mix because it will not be bouncing away
This will allow me to adjust the idle speed and idle mix with the respective screws and will leave the rest of the mix spectrum in it's current mix position (which is pretty good across the spectrum).
This is all metered air, Gypsie.
Add a hole. Start with a 1/16" work your way up as needed. You do not want the idle speed (bypass) screw about to fall out, of course. Count turns in from almost falling out to seated. Back out 1/2 the distance. Do your drilling for 900 rpm here. Fine tune with the screw after you have nailed 900. Once you have your correct idle speed, the mixture screw will be available for adjustments. It is only when things are really out of whack that the mixture screw would ever affect the idle speed appreciably.
Gypsie wrote: Nervous about drilling holes in these parts.
If you have two throttle body assemblies, you can relax a bit. Just go incrementially and drill the hole midway from edge to shaft. It is helping the idle speed screw feed the insatiable appetite of your engine for air at idle. The AAR adjustment is indeed to help the above + insatiable appetite for air when cold. I had to shove open that disk inside of the AAR with a 3mm allen wrench while getting the locknut/screw to slide where it would hold the disk.
Colin
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Gypsie
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Re: Can't get the idle up

Post by Gypsie » Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:35 pm

Ok. Resolved the CV issue and came back to dealing with a low idle.

I drilled a 1/16 hole in the throttle plate. It did seem to help, though it still did not like having the throttle plate fully closed (at rest). Idle smoothed out a little but still did not want to come up over 800 without the idle speed screw being almost out. I was able to screw it in approximately 2 full turns in from the first thread bite but any further in and the idle wanted to drop down below 600 and would be extra lean with no response to idle mix adjustments.

Drilled to 3/32 and the idle became adjustable. I am now about 4 turns in (out of 11 full turns) on the idle speed screw. I am able to impact mix, and speed at idle and still have a pretty good spectrum of mix at working loads (high 12's to mid 14's coming up to and at speed). It needed a little idle mix adjustment to where I am nearly seated on the mix screw. I also backed off a cog on the wiper spring and the idle mix came up into the 14's in neutral with very little impact on the high rpm mix. In D or R idle drops into the 800's and mix is in the 17's. Fine tuning can now happen.

I still have a little tension on the accelerator link spring that sometimes allows the throttle plate to close fully and sometimes holds it open just a scosh which keeps the idle up in the low 1000's in D. I am hoping to eliminate any tension on the spring so no pedal means no throttle and Idle will be a true idle, if you catch my drift.

It feels strong. Good kickdown. Head temps (for the short runs I have been doing) are good.

I may go another step up for the throttle plate hole but I am going to let this settle in a bit and see if interplay adjustments will do the trick.

I am avoiding sending any vibes into the universe that would appear to show pride or mechanical ecstasy so's I don't jynx anything...but it is starting to feel ok...Shhhh...don't tell the universe...
So it all started when I wanted to get better gas mileage....

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Gypsie
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Re: Can't get the idle up

Post by Gypsie » Fri Apr 15, 2011 1:18 pm

You can bet that putting the drill to the throttle plate was a nerve wracking moment. "No turning back now..."

Started every evening this week. starts good. Cold idle drops down after a minute or so.

Several test drives, including a couple with some severe inclines, are reassuring me every day.
So it all started when I wanted to get better gas mileage....

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Gypsie
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Re: Can't get the idle up

Post by Gypsie » Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:53 am

So I'm wondering if I should pull off the nicer parts for resale before I torch the vanagon?....

The beast won't run proper. I went to take it to work today and it wouldn't get further than a block away. I had to nurse it back home (in reverse). It wouldn't stay running. I would put it in gear and it would die.

I will begin the process of going through the basics but I am getting this close to scrapping the whole friggin' pile of it.

I have gone up another size on the throttle plate hole to 1/8". Can't tell if this helps or not cause it won't stay running to a warm up point.

No campout for me this week. Gettin sick of wrenchin' on this machine.
So it all started when I wanted to get better gas mileage....

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vwlover77
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Re: Can't get the idle up

Post by vwlover77 » Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:49 pm

You know, I had a situation similar to yours when a "good VW shop" rebuilt my engine.

The damned thing wouldn't idle because the #4 bearing was not seated properly on its dowel pin when the case halves were reassembled. That caused a little extra drag that made for problems at idle....

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Re: Can't get the idle up

Post by hambone » Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:39 pm

I'll bet it's something minor. Go back and check the basics, don't freak.
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