[T3] Idling Oddities...

Jim Adney jadney at vwtype3.org
Thu May 19 14:38:03 PDT 2011


On 19 May 2011 at 14:14, J. Jonik wrote:

> [Type III 71  FI  Standard.]
> 
>     Car's been running great since all the troubles with fuel etc...and after replacing the Control Box.
> 
>    But--- the idle is a few notches too high.   I'd lower it, of course, except that once in a while, only noticeable in stop-and-go traffic,  the idle goes down to where sometimes the oil light flickers.  If idle was lower, it would probably stall.  Hasn't yet.
> -   Oil level is good.
> -   Cold start switch etc disconnected.
> -   The Temp Sensor on the Air Distributor is disconnected.
> -   This has happened when car is both cool and after fully warmed up after long drives.
> -   No symptoms when driving along....just when coming to a stop, foot off gas.

That sounds fine, except for the temp sensor, which I would 
reconnect. Leaving that off may be making it run rich, which will 
lead to excessive ring and cylinder wear and poor gas mileage. How's 
your gas mileage?  

>  I haven't started to double check for basic things (timing, hoses,
> etc.) but what are best guesses for a cause? 

Check your throttle cable path: Make sure the routing is good, 
letting it drop all the way back every time you take your foot off. 
You can do this with the engine off and a friend in the driver's 
seat. Pay special attantion to where the cable leaves the pan and 
where it enters the engine.  Also check around the gas pedal for 
obstructions.

It's possible that this is all perfectly normal, except for the fact 
that you've set the idle with the engine cold. It has to be set 
completely warmed up so that the aux air reg is closed.
-- 
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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