Annoying idle and starting issue

wolfie1 · August 13, 2012, 09:35:13 PM

i change my plugs every 2-3000 miles, you are using rotary specific ones i thinks off the top of my head they are bur9eqp

wiggman2030 · August 14, 2012, 06:02:11 PM

Quote from: wolfie1;832763i change my plugs every 2-3000 miles, you are using rotary specific ones i thinks off the top of my head they are bur9eqp

Yeah that\'s what I use. Do they really only last 3000 miles? That doesn\'t seem very long lol.

wiggman2030 · September 29, 2012, 04:04:40 PM

Right ok, time for an update lol. I had a vacuum test done using a smoke machine just in case I was missing something. There were no vac leaks so that\'s out of the question now. The MAP sensor is ok. I did the test that Indian suggested and it idled a lot worse with it not being connected. Finally I adjusted the air screw under the elbow. This made a big difference to starting the car from warm. It fires up almost everytime now. The screw was out by 3 turns so I wound it in until it was about 1/2 a turn out and that has made it much better.

The idle itself seems a lot better now but it does tend to be worse with electrical load (lights and stuff). The idle still seems to drop a little too low when coming to a stop at lights etc. It soon bounces back up and then settles at 1000rpm again though. I think i\'m just being fussy now though. I guess it\'s better than it was. Thanks for the help guys. If I get it perfect again or if it gets worse i\'ll keep you informed :-)

Indian · October 27, 2012, 09:45:56 AM

hey Wigg, hows the car going so far. For the load issue, if you have a good battery, poor ground areas can cause the issues you are experiencing with electrical load.. clean them up and see if that helps. FD\'s are notorious for poor grounding issues

wiggman2030 · October 27, 2012, 10:10:26 AM

Well it\'s still not perfect. I cleaned up the ground points but they were already quite clean so it hasnt really made any difference. I\'m starting to think its compression related as my omp failed. I have been running premix since but I think it may have done some damage before hand. I\'m currently trying to get hold of a compression tester. Mazda want Â£95 to do a test so I\'m looking elsewhere. It\'s a Shame cause the engine has only done 8,000 miles or so since it was rebuilt :-( once I get a test done I\'ll let you know the results.

Indian · October 27, 2012, 10:22:36 AM

make sure you check the ground point from the bottom of the engine to under the fuse box.

Also, if you want less accurate but doable compression testing, you can get/borrow a regular compression tester, remove the valve and cycle the engine as if it was a regular tester. Have a friend look at the tester, it should "bounce" each time an apex seal cross the spark plug. have them or you just guessmitate how much each bounce is going up.. Not the best way to do things, but still a way

wiggman2030 · October 27, 2012, 10:42:07 AM

Ok will do. I have probably missed that one. I will try an ordinary compression tester first as a guide and then see if I can get a rotary one. Cheers for the help :-)

wiggman2030 · October 29, 2012, 01:23:00 PM

Still haven\'t been able to get hold of a compression tester yet but until then, what is the best way to check the coil packs/leads for a good spark? I tried taking the plenum off but there is so many hoses connected to it and I don\'t want to mess something up if I can avoid it. I\'m guessing it\'s the only way to get to the coil pack but if someone has any advice that would be great :-)