Idle Problem.. does this sound right

OK I have been having idle problems for a while now (2000 Civic SiR).
First it was idleing low, so the dealership replaced the IACV (idle air
control valve). Problem wasn't fixed. Next I cleaned the black carbon
buildup in the throttle body with some throttle body cleaner. My idle was
just about perfect and I noticed that the throttle (gas peddle) felt like it
was sticking at the very top, so I had the dealership look. They cleaned
the throttle body again and said that the throttle body was pitted. After
this cleaning it seemed to idle higher then normal when worm (between 1000
and 1200rpm) and after driving it for about 3 hours with lots of start and
stops, the engine light comes on and the tach is stuck at 1500rpm. When I
go to step on the gas and let out the clutch the car seems to hesitate ALOT.
When the car is truned off then truned back on the idle jumps from 1200rpm
to 1500rpm a few times then settles at 1200rpm.... after driving (start and
stops) a while it returns to 1500 and hesitation.

My question is, Is this anouther faulty IACV? Would them "cleaning" it
have done something to it?

thanks for any advice

dave

 

OK I have been having idle problems for a while now (2000 Civic SiR).
First it was idleing low, so the dealership replaced the IACV (idle air
control valve). Problem wasn't fixed. Next I cleaned the black carbon
buildup in the throttle body with some throttle body cleaner. My idle was
just about perfect and I noticed that the throttle (gas peddle) felt like it
was sticking at the very top, so I had the dealership look. They cleaned
the throttle body again and said that the throttle body was pitted. After
this cleaning it seemed to idle higher then normal when worm (between 1000
and 1200rpm) and after driving it for about 3 hours with lots of start and
stops, the engine light comes on and the tach is stuck at 1500rpm. When I
go to step on the gas and let out the clutch the car seems to hesitate ALOT.
When the car is truned off then truned back on the idle jumps from 1200rpm
to 1500rpm a few times then settles at 1200rpm.... after driving (start and
stops) a while it returns to 1500 and hesitation.

My question is, Is this anouther faulty IACV? Would them "cleaning" it
have done something to it?

thanks for any advice

dave

 

dave,
I will only try to provide some advice as to the cause of most idling problems:
1. vacuum leaking
2. spark plugs not gapped properly or worn
3. bad spark plug wires
4. incorrect ignition timing
5. defective EGR valve
6. air filter clogged.
7. defective fuel pump or fuel filter needs to be changed.
8. fuel pulsation damper faulty
9. leaking head gasket
I should note that I copied the above list from my repair book--the above
items were on the list of causes of idling problems.

 

Thanks for the info

 

Sounds like you did better than the dealer did!

My evil eye is settling on the throttle body, since this got worse after the
dealer had a go at it. The butterfly may not be closing all the way as a
result of friction, or something may have come loose.

The dealer should get first chance of making it right, and they should be
accepting the look-see as a no-charge follow-up (love those hyphens!) to
their work. No professional wants to lose an opportunity to correct any
mistake he may have made.

If you get no satisfaction there, I think you may as well have a look at the
throttle body again. It's possible the throttle body is not going to work
reliably because of the pitting (corrosion?) they described. If that's the
case, I suggest beating the bushes for a throttle body from a wrecking yard.
There have to be *some* around for a 2000.

The "check engine" light is almost certainly in response to whatever is out
of whack and I doubt the codes would tell you anything you don't already
know. When the symptoms are fixed you can worry about clearing the light...
it should clear on its own eventually if you are patient.

Mike

 

So what's the code??????

We NEED to know this.

 

Thanks for the replies.
Sorry I forgot to mention the code. It is P0505 and in the manual it says
could be the IACV or Throttle body at fault.

dave

 

dave,
P0505 Idle Control System Malfuction

 

That is what I was afraid of - the code tells us what we already know. I
suspected that from the light coming on in the middle of the progressive
failure.

But Tegger was right and I was wrong - assuming the code won't tell us
anything is a good way of overlooking potentially important information.

Mike

 

Mike,
I advise you to buy a repair manual for your car. They sell them at auto
stores like Auto Zone, Kragens and NAPA. The best one according to Tegger
is produced by Helm--Tegger can tell you where you can buy it. I have a
Chilton manual and it has information related to repairing Idle control
problems.
Jason

 

www.helminc.com What chemicals were used to clean the throttle body and
valve. Some of the old ones will destroy today's cars as well as wiping out
the cat...

 

I used Throttle body cleaner (one from Canadian Tire) and I am not sure what
the dealership used.... but I would guess they would use the right stuff.

My new IACV is in and will be installed on April 27th. I will post the
results.

dave

 

So my car went in today to get the new IACV and they call me back an hour
later and say that Honda shipped a used part in a new box and that my car
isn't fixed and I have to bring it back AGAIN when the new one comes
in...... Grrrrrr