LX model ...beautiful car ... i love it...Im the second owner...1st owner stated the biggest job done was brake pad replacement...70000 mi.. This car wil start only if I keep feeding it gas by slightly depressing pedal...stalls out quietly and easily as if the idle is too low...this occured yesterday,the first frost below 32degrees...my wife stated it happened in the summer but started and ran after a few tries. Anyone have experience with this problem? I'm thinking the fuel pump is going...but maybe i should check the coil packs and wires first? Thanks Rob
With no further info, I would replace the IAC (idle air control). Fairly inexpensive and a common cause of this problem. It is most likely gummed up which is common at that mileage. Fairly easy replacement in under 10 minutes once you locate it. You can try cleaning it by soaking in a good throttle body solvent overnite. This is hit and miss on success. You should also clean the throttle body and the MAF sensor while you are there. There are several sites complete with instructions and photos to do these things.
Thanks for your help fellas....I cleaned out the IAC and there was no change and really didnt have time to remove the throttle body for a cleaning but with a little luck I;ll find the time on saturday....in the meantime I raised the idle speed via the throttle stop screw on the throttle body.I set it pretty low...sounds and feels like the
800rpm it should be at...I'll post back sat. after i clean the body map sensor and perhaps check for vaccum leaks..again thanks for your help.
Tha idle stop screw is used to stop the throttle blades from contacting the bore of the throttle body and obtain a base idle speed specific to each application. If the engine will not idle with the IAC unplugged and everything turned off, it may need to be adjusted but, that is rare. The IAC is used to maintain the idle speed predetermined in the ECM programming. The throttle body usually needs cleaning to correct this. Another common problem is the PCV and it's tubing becomes clogged and must be replace or cleaned. The elbow near the throttle body is a favorite point of clogging or failure. A non-functioning PCV system can result in idle problems, oil seal and gaskets leaking and oil consumprion. These are all maintenance points and should be regularly addressed t ensure proper operation. The PCV is easy by simply pulling from the cam cover and checking for flow. The pcv should have already been replaced at 70k miles. Isuggest the IAC be unplugged while the engine is running and everything off. The engine idle speed should drop noticeable but, continue to idle especially if the engine is warm. If this does not happen, the IAC is dead and in need of replacement. It can be checked electrically for around
9-11 ohms. Correct impedance does not guarantee operation. The ECM only knows a couple of things to set a IAC fault code. Most of them are not directly indicting the IAC.
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