RE: [DML] Re: a little more idle work needed

["John Hervey" <john@xxxx>]

Andy, It is strange that the vacuum would vary. You can tell if the idle
speed solenoid is working by touching it and tripping the Idle speed switch.
You will feel it switch.
You can also hear it.
John Hervey
www.specialtauto.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Soma576@xxxx [mailto:Soma576@xxxx]
Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 9:15 PM
To: dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [DML] Re: a little more idle work needed


In a message dated 10/9/03 10:34:51 PM Central Daylight Time,
Soma576@xxxx
writes:

> Tonight after work i checked my ignition timing just for the heck of it.
> At idle with the car fully warm, it was advanced!!!
> I pulled the vac hose off the ignition advance and there was no vacuum!
> Just
> a popping kind of sound when i first removed it, but no sucking. i put it
> back on, checked the timing again, it was back to normal. it seems like
it
> is
> going back and forth on its own. the solenoid is new.
>
> what gives? i redid the wires on the idle speed switch and they aren't
> loose
> anymore. what is going on here?
>
> how do i hook up my multimeter so i can tell if the switch is operating
> correctly? it is being engaged and disengaged when it should be.
>
> i'm really confused now....
> Andy

OK List,

Another update. with help from another DML'er on the instant messenger i
started checking my idle speed switch.

Here is how it was wired up first.
from the wiring harness covered in black electrical tape, there were two
wires, a black one and a black/green. the black one went straight to the
bottom
connector on the idle speed switch. the black/green went into a red
splitter
which turned into yellow and black/green. the yellow one went to a noise
eliminator on the base of the air meter while the black/green went to the
top of
the switch.

My dad and I looked at the wiring diagram and saw that it seemed like all
three of those wires should be going to the same connector on the switch,
while a
4th wire went straight to engine ground. my dad tested the switch and found
that with an ohm meter's needles on each of the switch connectors, the
switch
made a circuit when the switch was depressed (at idle). this would mean
that
at idle, the switch would make a ground as shown in the wiring diagram for
the
other wires on the other side. In addition, when one needle was on either
connector and the other needle was on the brass mount for the switch (or the
screws that hold the switch to it), it never makes a complete circuit in any
position - only when each needle is on each connector, which implies that
the
switch requires its own ground to work right.

So, this is what we did:
We took all three wires and crimped them together to the top tab of the
switch. we ran a wire to the block from the bottom tab. When we put it all
back
together and started the car, the ignition advance had disappeared! i
checked
my base timing which was off about 4 degrees and corrected it. when i
remove
the electrical connector from the advance solenoid, it goes into an advanced
state.

Here is what i need to know now:
1. is what we did ok? i don't have another car around here to check and see
if this is how it should be. for all i know, the previous owner replaced the
microswitch with a different one, rewired it, who knows what.
2. if this isn't right, won't really work, goes around a different problem
or
whatever, how should it really be wired? seems to work ok now though.
3. i think my only problem now is setting my CO. i believe i have a vacuum
leak in the A/C system somewhere because when i switch on the A/C, the car
runs
rougher. how can i get the CO set while blocking off the vacuum lines up
front, in case they are affecting idle quality?
4. i bought a dwell meter and put one clip on the orange wire for the
diagnostic plug and the other to my battery aux post. the instructions for
the meter
don't say anything about this use for it, so i have no clue what i am doing
except for info i found in the archives. anyway, i set it for dwell, 6 cyl.
when i put the green lead from the meter on the battery and the black lead
on
the orange wire (shop manual says this is the lambda readings), it makes the
needle go to around 30 deg and doesn't move. when i turn the CO screw, i
replace the rubber cap and observe the meter. after enough tweaking it goes
to
oscillating between 40-45 in a rhythm. however, the car seems to run
somewhat
rough and the exhaust smells rich. also, when i give it some gas, i hear
low
thumping kind of sounds from the exhaust as it returns to a crappy idle. i
have no
idea how to use this thing or what i am doing. i think i need some real
instructions. it is actually running worse now that i started playing with
the
mixture screw than it did two days ago.

well this post is really long with a lot of information in it. i know i
have
been posting a lot lately, but i really want to get this solved before
winter
storage. where i live, in Fargo, ND, there are no places to take my car and
no one has an exhaust analyzer like this anyway. closest one is 300 miles,
which i am willing to visit but only once i have exhausted all my options.
i'm
pretty much on my own and rely on the DML to get things running ok.

I hope there is someone out there patient enough to help me figure this out!

Thanks,
Andy


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