my car is loco

toofastforyou · 03-01-2010, 04:33 PM

ok first about 3 months ago i notice that both my "check batterie light" and CEL lit up as i driving and a loud rattling noise coming from under the car. I pull over and took a look,i see the heat shield from the cat is hanging and scraping the pavement. What i didnt see is that at the same time it was cutting into the wire of the primary o2 sensor. Well i proceed by removing the shield. It didnt slice the wires, came really close though.
Next thing i know everything electrically start to slowly die. Next the car is stalled. I look at the fuses and found that the alternator fuse is blown so i replace it with the extra one in the fuse box, recharged the battery and away i went. Now both lights are not on anymore (cel and battery).
FAst forward to a few weeks ago, CEL comes on again, wtf. Everything seemed normal working order and thats why i didnt get it checked for a code.
Yesterday im driving around and go into a store. When i come out I start the car and realize that the CEL isnt on anymore, how can this be. I didnt have it reset nor did i remove the negative terminal of the battery.
Today i open the hood and i see yet another clue as to what might have been causing this crazy CEL to come on and turn off when ever it felt like it. The air sensor of my cai was not in the rubber hole, it was just hanging in the air. So i place it back in the intake.
Now i just came back from a drive and ive been noticing that my idle is hovering really low, between 400 and 500 rpm. At cold starts its ok around 1600 rpm.
Also, the engine temperature gauge in the dash board is weird as well, going at the most up to a little more than a third of the way up, i always remembered this needle being really close to half way.

Now i cannot plug it to a code scanner because i dont have no CEL on.
Since my cables under the car for the primary arent slashed i dismiss this to be the cause.
I plugged the air intake sensor back in its rubber grommet, but i didnt reset the ecu and didnt let the car idle for like 15 minutes like i did when i frst installed the cai, im not sure if this would be necessary.
As for the low idle, when im stopped at red light the idle being really low, i guess i can always clean the IAC valve, i dont know what else i can try.

As far a mods, its a 2003 type s, injen cai , full cat back, no k pro or boost. Cant say i did anything complicated as to mess with sensors. This car is almost stock.
Before these problems started to show up everthing always ran smoothly for 3 years straight.

Sorry for the long thread and i did alot of searching before i wrote this thread but with all thats happened in the last few months i needed to ask directly for my specific situation. Reeding random threads didnt really shed any light on my particular issue.

So what do u guys think i should do and also not do, next?

**NotQuiteRite** · 03-01-2010, 04:34 PM

at your title.

So basically, you don't have a check engine light on anymore and your car has a low idle? It doesn't bog or have a rough idle or anything?

guswaym · 03-01-2010, 04:47 PM

check to make sure you throtal cable is within spec

toofastforyou · 03-01-2010, 05:31 PM

no idle isnt rough while driving the car. its only low when at a complete stop. no weird noises or anything noticeable.
Is it possible that a cel goes away on its own without a reset? Now that the light is no longer there does that mean that i dont have a problem anymore? Like its not sensing what ever it was anymore.

toofastforyou · 03-01-2010, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guswaym

check to make sure you throtal cable is within spec

why u think that might be causing the low idle? Also where would i find this cable?
Is cleaning the IAC valve only done for turbo or supercharged cars? Will it beneficial to have it done on my car.

What can happen if i keep driving with a low idle?

toofastforyou · 03-01-2010, 05:46 PM

I was thinking about the air sensor that came out of the rubber grommet on the cai. Would it be a cause for a CAI to suddenly appear. The sensor is still functional only thats its not reading the air inside the cai but instead inside the engine bay. It might confuse the ecu with a different reading of temperature but still that wouldnt be considered a problem, would it?
Anyways, the CEL went off on its own before i reinserted the sensor back in its place, so i guess that could probably be checked off the list of potential problems.

v3ngence · 03-01-2010, 06:19 PM

I would clean the IACV, if you didn't notice the air sensor wasn't in your intake for a while you could have sucked in dust that might be messing with the IACV.

But try the idle relearn procedure too for good measure as the sensor being unplugged could read differently than the sensor reading the intake temp which I think the idle depends on
-idle learn procedure
-Make sure all electrical items (A/C, audio, rear window defogger, lights, etc.) are off.
-Reset the ECM/PCM with the HDS. Or just unhook the battery for a min.
-Turn the ignition switch ON (II), and wait 2 seconds.
-Start the engine. Hold the engine speed at 3,000 rpm without load (in Park or neutral) until the radiator fan comes on, or until the engine coolant temperature reaches 194 ºF (90 ºC).
-Let the engine idle for about 5 minutes with the throttle fully closed.
NOTE: If the radiator fan comes on, do not include its running time in the 5 minutes

toofastforyou · 03-01-2010, 07:13 PM

can anyone else vouch for the cleaning of the IAVC? it sounds like something that should be done in any case, but just want to be sure.
And can anyone say for sure that i need to reset the ecu and redo the idle procedure of the ecu having to re learn the new air sensing temperature.

toofastforyou · 03-02-2010, 03:13 AM

bump for solutions

toofastforyou · 03-02-2010, 01:38 PM

proplem still exists bump

v3ngence · 03-03-2010, 01:25 AM

1) disconnect/reconnect battery and let it idle

2) clean IACV

#1 takes less than 10 minutes and #2 is a good bet if your idle isn't being controlled correctly...

03-01-2010, 04:47 PM	#3
guswaym Special Olympics Winner Join Date: May 2008 Location: Regina, Sask. Posts: 3,028 iTrader: (1)	check to make sure you throtal cable is within spec __________________ 2010 Honda Civic SI Sedan! 2003 RSX Type-S SOLD 1989 Honda Accord SOLD

03-01-2010, 05:46 PM	#6
toofastforyou Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 373 iTrader: (1)	I was thinking about the air sensor that came out of the rubber grommet on the cai. Would it be a cause for a CAI to suddenly appear. The sensor is still functional only thats its not reading the air inside the cai but instead inside the engine bay. It might confuse the ecu with a different reading of temperature but still that wouldnt be considered a problem, would it? Anyways, the CEL went off on its own before i reinserted the sensor back in its place, so i guess that could probably be checked off the list of potential problems. Last edited by toofastforyou; 03-01-2010 at 05:48 PM.

03-01-2010, 06:19 PM	#7
v3ngence Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 56 iTrader: (0)	I would clean the IACV, if you didn't notice the air sensor wasn't in your intake for a while you could have sucked in dust that might be messing with the IACV. But try the idle relearn procedure too for good measure as the sensor being unplugged could read differently than the sensor reading the intake temp which I think the idle depends on -idle learn procedure -Make sure all electrical items (A/C, audio, rear window defogger, lights, etc.) are off. -Reset the ECM/PCM with the HDS. Or just unhook the battery for a min. -Turn the ignition switch ON (II), and wait 2 seconds. -Start the engine. Hold the engine speed at 3,000 rpm without load (in Park or neutral) until the radiator fan comes on, or until the engine coolant temperature reaches 194 ºF (90 ºC). -Let the engine idle for about 5 minutes with the throttle fully closed. NOTE: If the radiator fan comes on, do not include its running time in the 5 minutes Last edited by v3ngence; 03-01-2010 at 06:26 PM.

03-01-2010, 04:33 PM	#1
toofastforyou Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 373 iTrader: (1)	my car is loco ok first about 3 months ago i notice that both my "check batterie light" and CEL lit up as i driving and a loud rattling noise coming from under the car. I pull over and took a look,i see the heat shield from the cat is hanging and scraping the pavement. What i didnt see is that at the same time it was cutting into the wire of the primary o2 sensor. Well i proceed by removing the shield. It didnt slice the wires, came really close though. Next thing i know everything electrically start to slowly die. Next the car is stalled. I look at the fuses and found that the alternator fuse is blown so i replace it with the extra one in the fuse box, recharged the battery and away i went. Now both lights are not on anymore (cel and battery). FAst forward to a few weeks ago, CEL comes on again, wtf. Everything seemed normal working order and thats why i didnt get it checked for a code. Yesterday im driving around and go into a store. When i come out I start the car and realize that the CEL isnt on anymore, how can this be. I didnt have it reset nor did i remove the negative terminal of the battery. Today i open the hood and i see yet another clue as to what might have been causing this crazy CEL to come on and turn off when ever it felt like it. The air sensor of my cai was not in the rubber hole, it was just hanging in the air. So i place it back in the intake. Now i just came back from a drive and ive been noticing that my idle is hovering really low, between 400 and 500 rpm. At cold starts its ok around 1600 rpm. Also, the engine temperature gauge in the dash board is weird as well, going at the most up to a little more than a third of the way up, i always remembered this needle being really close to half way. Now i cannot plug it to a code scanner because i dont have no CEL on. Since my cables under the car for the primary arent slashed i dismiss this to be the cause. I plugged the air intake sensor back in its rubber grommet, but i didnt reset the ecu and didnt let the car idle for like 15 minutes like i did when i frst installed the cai, im not sure if this would be necessary. As for the low idle, when im stopped at red light the idle being really low, i guess i can always clean the IAC valve, i dont know what else i can try. As far a mods, its a 2003 type s, injen cai , full cat back, no k pro or boost. Cant say i did anything complicated as to mess with sensors. This car is almost stock. Before these problems started to show up everthing always ran smoothly for 3 years straight. Sorry for the long thread and i did alot of searching before i wrote this thread but with all thats happened in the last few months i needed to ask directly for my specific situation. Reeding random threads didnt really shed any light on my particular issue. So what do u guys think i should do and also not do, next?

03-01-2010, 04:34 PM	#2
NotQuiteRite Troi duc oi Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Burbank, CA Posts: 4,041 iTrader: (5)	at your title. So basically, you don't have a check engine light on anymore and your car has a low idle? It doesn't bog or have a rough idle or anything? __________________ flickr *Viet Crew Member #4* HotAvy&SigKrew Member Last edited by NotQuiteRite; 03-01-2010 at 04:37 PM.

03-01-2010, 05:31 PM	#4
toofastforyou Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 373 iTrader: (1)	no idle isnt rough while driving the car. its only low when at a complete stop. no weird noises or anything noticeable. Is it possible that a cel goes away on its own without a reset? Now that the light is no longer there does that mean that i dont have a problem anymore? Like its not sensing what ever it was anymore.

03-01-2010, 07:13 PM	#8
toofastforyou Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 373 iTrader: (1)	can anyone else vouch for the cleaning of the IAVC? it sounds like something that should be done in any case, but just want to be sure. And can anyone say for sure that i need to reset the ecu and redo the idle procedure of the ecu having to re learn the new air sensing temperature.

03-02-2010, 03:13 AM	#9
toofastforyou Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 373 iTrader: (1)	bump for solutions

03-02-2010, 01:38 PM	#10
toofastforyou Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 373 iTrader: (1)	proplem still exists bump

03-03-2010, 01:25 AM	#11
v3ngence Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 56 iTrader: (0)	1) disconnect/reconnect battery and let it idle 2) clean IACV #1 takes less than 10 minutes and #2 is a good bet if your idle isn't being controlled correctly...