hey all, having the annoying idle surge problem, and after cleaning the egr system, fitv, and iacv, as well as checking for any obvious leaks, the problem went away for about a day, then returned with a fury....when i got to work today with the car surging, i removed the intake tube and plugged the top hole in the throttle body (for the iacv), and the surge stopped...the fitv port has suction like its supposed to, so i know thats good, but the iacv is a used one that i cleaned really well before i used...so im guessing the iacv i got is bad? any thoughts? are these things repairable? this is driving me nuts!! thanks for any help...i searched but all i came up with searching is to clean everything ive already cleaned...
oh, and i also noticed that if the a/c button is pressed, usually the idle surge goes away....related?

 

We need the year, make, and model of your car as well as mileage and engine size. I believe you need to replace the IACV with a new OEM Honda part.

 

You need a new IACV. Sorry, I know they are a buttload of money.

 

IIRC the FITV should not be sucking that much, if any, air when the engine is hot/up to operating temps! It is used during cold starts to allow more air for quicker engine warming. As the engine heats up, it should start closing. I would look at trying to adjusting the FITV before you spend money on an IACV.

 

1995 accord ex, 2.2l vtec, 5 speed, 158k...the fitv was sucking in enough air to suck my finger into the port, so i checked it, and the thing was still clean as a whistle, and the wax plunger was all the way in still...i swapped it out with a known good one, and so far today, no idle surge...i think if it comes down to it, id rather just live with the stupid surge rather than shelling out all the cash for the iacv...

 

nope...still surging...grrr...

 

have you checked for vacuum leaks?

 

should be doing that this weekend hopefully...

 

Please also, if you have not alreay, check the PCV....It can also cause the surge.

 

If you block the IACV port will the engine continue to run? If so you have a vacuum leak somewhere. Also, disconnect the IACV electrical connection with the car running at operating temp. This should drop the idle to about 650 rpm, but it should still run. If it is higher then you have a vac leak or it is misadjusted.

 

pcv valve is new..working as it should..with the iacv wiring disconnected, it runs, but very poorly...it surges like im slamming the gas then letting off...i dont think the idle in my car has ever been lower than 1000rpm...with the idle screw all the way in.

 

Sounds like a vacuum/gasket leak.

 

^^ for sure, that or the fitv. Time to bust out the starting fluid and find that leak!

 

i did finally get around to checking for leaks around the intake manifold gasket by spraying the area with carb cleaner, and when i sprayed near the vtec solenoid, the idle dropped....i tried filling the area with atv, but no good. when i went to try and remove the intake manifold, the bolt snapped right there. sooo....i guess the car will just continue the damn surge....f#@k this beater...

 

I had same problem with surging from 1000-3000 in park. I was thinking vacuum leak on the top plenum, since I could not change out new gasket. Anyway, more research and found that sometimes air needs to bleed out. Didn't make since to me, but only takes 10 seconds to try. I opened up bleed valve for 2 seconds good flow of coolant and blocked off. The swinging stopped. So must have been something with that. Look up thecarguy on You tube. Has several good videos on Honda repair.

 

Stupid question: Did you scan for codes first?

 

my car never threw any codes...but i did finally discover that the source of the leak was a bad egr valve gasket...i replaced it, reset the ecu, and voila, no more surge....thanks for the help, all...

 

^^ Nice. Those vacuum leaks can be a PITA sometimes.

 

yeah, but at least it was a cheap fix...i was really worried not really knowing the past of the car when i got it, and the motor is stamped with a different vin than the car...its all good now though...