4age Idle Hunting

[Johno]

Hey, I had a idle hunting problem when i installed the 4age and fixed it by bleeding the cooling system. It just started hunting again a few days ago and got really bad tonight.

 

The temp is up slightly. I tried to bleed it again.

This is what I did and no luck :hmm:

 

I parked the car on a hill with the front of the car facing up hill

I opened the radiator when hot - all good

I cut a coke bottle open and used it like a funnel

I taped it to the opening of the radiator so there were no leaks

 

I turned the heater on and started the engine..

 

The radiator filled the bottle up about half full with coolant,

The car started to idle hunt 1000rpm to 2000rpm repeatedly

I stood there and watched all the bubbles coming up..

I waited... And waited...

 

15 mins later, still waiting and seeing bubbles come up. The radiator would suck alot of water in then spit it back out with a few bubbles.

 

How long do i have to keep doing this and why would it be hunting now? I didn't touch the cooling system and just the last 2 weeks is had to be toped with about 1 litre of water.

 

I don't mind waiting around but its concerning me that there is no improvement after 15mins. I googled and couldn't find much to my problem. Some say to open the bleed valve but i don't know if 4ages have one. Should i have started the procedure when the engine was cold or is the way I done it ok?

Or is it another problem alltogether? :yes:

Edited May 11, 2010 by Johno

[Hiro Protagonist]

Hey, I had a idle hunting problem when i installed the 4age and fixed it by bleeding the cooling system. It just started hunting again a few days ago and got really bad tonight.

 

The temp is up slightly. I tried to bleed it again.

This is what I did and no luck :(

 

I parked the car on a hill with the front of the car facing up hill

I opened the radiator when hot - all good

I cut a coke bottle open and used it like a funnel

I taped it to the opening of the radiator so there were no leaks

 

I turned the heater on and started the engine..

 

The radiator filled the bottle up about half full with coolant,

The car started to idle hunt 1000rpm to 2000rpm repeatedly

I stood there and watched all the bubbles coming up..

I waited... And waited...

 

15 mins later, still waiting and seeing bubbles come up. The radiator would suck alot of water in then spit it back out with a few bubbles.

 

How long do i have to keep doing this and why would it be hunting now? I didn't touch the cooling system and just the last 2 weeks is had to be toped with about 1 litre of water.

 

I don't mind waiting around but its concerning me that there is no improvement after 15mins. I googled and couldn't find much to my problem. Some say to open the bleed valve but i don't know if 4ages have one. Should i have started the procedure when the engine was cold or is the way I done it ok?

Or is it another problem alltogether? :blinks:

 

If you've had to top up the coolant then something is wrong - somehow coolant is getting out of the system and being replaced by air. Headgasket?

[Johno]

I hope not :blinks:

 

The old 4ac that I pulled out had a blown head gasket. One thing i'd like to ad is i can hear running water under the dash (ie heater core) its the same one that was from the 4ac. Do you recon that could have something to do with it? There is no leaks on the floor and i only hear the water when the engine started idle hunting

[Trev]

There is no bleed valve, what did the mechanic do to the engine exactly?

 

Do a reverse flush of the cooling system, I normally do this by taking the heater hose off of the thermostat housing and putting a hose into the hose and you can use your thumb on the pipe you got the hose off to allow the water to flow through the block, head and back through the radiator, You can also undo the bottom hose at the thermostat housing to make sure you flush all of the bottom of the tank, I do this every 6 months and it is good to see the amount of crud it removes.

[Johno]

I payed my mechanic to change the waterpump when the engine was still out of the car, he never touched the car really, just tested the car for the RWC. I fixed most things, well f@$ked them up more like it.. Lol.

 

So take the hose off that goes to the thermostat and flush the water back into the heater tap? I'll give it a crack after the car cools down some more :blinks:

[Trev]

Yeah the one on top of the thermostat housing that goes to the heater tap, make sure the heater tap is open too.

[Johno]

Bled the cooling system, bubbles eventually stopped and hunting has stopped.

When i quickly rev the engine bubbles still come up though. Oil still looks good.

 

The idle is still very high as well. Cold Idle 2,800rpm. Warmed up anywhere between 1100 and 1500rpm.

Ive adjusted the idle screw on the TB next to the air intake. Unscrew it and it revs up, screwed all the way in and its still on 1200rpm.

I took the air box hose off and looked at the butterfly to check nothing was blocking it and its closed all the way and clean.

I fiddled with the accelerator cable and the little 8mm screws the the cable harness sits on has got all the clearance it needs so I'm stumped.

Even when it had the ADM ecu in there it was still idling at 1100prm

 

So its kinda a topic change, why is my idle still so high?

[Johno]

Went for a good drive this arvo, Just checked the oil cap and..

 

Blown head gasket :blinks:

[Evan G]

gayyyy!!!!

[Trev]

Went for a good drive this arvo, Just checked the oil cap and..

 

Blown head gasket ;)

 

Just be 100% sure before you go pulling it apart, get a tee kay check done on it.

[Johno]

Sorry, I'm a bit of a noob. I had to google "tee kay test" So i take it to my mechanic for that yeah?

Symtoms i got are..

 

Running water sound under dash

Milky oil cap

Steam from exhaust

Air in the cooling system

[Evan G]

teekay tests how much carbon monoxide is in the coolant. (or some chem like that)

 

exhaust fumes in coolant = blown headgasket but milky is a giveaway

[Trev]

Depends how milky it is though, A lot of older cars are know to condensate under the cap, John I just don't want you to pull it all apart and find it is fine.

[Johno]

Yeah its cool, i'll get it done soon. ;)

The engine only had a head done 40,000 kms ago. Fords last 100,000km

I'll have to change the heater core too, the 4ac that was in the car before had a blown head too. Maybe dodgy heater core?

 

Cheers guys ;)

Edited May 13, 2010 by Johno

[Johno]

Bump. Its still doing the idle hunting thing :D

 

Problems i got are...

 

Its always idle hunting now

it over heats

its loosing water from somewhere

its got air in the cooling system

the oil cap is milky some times then clears up again but the sump is always nice clear oil

 

anyone got any ideas??

 

I didn't do the TK test but did a compression test and all 4 cylinders are about 185