hey guys, I just did the head gasket in my 95 civic with a d16a6 motor in it. timing looks spot on and everything else seems to look good, but it will not hold a steady idle. it surges up and down, and surges really fast if i put it in gear. if i just barely touch the gas, it revs pretty high. any ideas??


P.S. Would a bad intake manifold gasket cause this??


thanks,

Bill

 

A bad IM gasket could cause a vacuum leak, which could cause your surging problems. Any CELs?

 

no CEL....yet :/

 

What ECU? OBD1 or OBD0?

 

eh, a vacuum leak is easy to fix, they can just be hard to find. The best way I've found is to take a bottle filled with lightly soaped water and spray it wherever there might be a leak. It'll make the leak visible.

 

Or use brake cleaner, but do not over due it, spray around the area and if you hear a change in sound that is your problem, sometimes it will stall out.

 

How could soapy water help to pinpoint a vacuum leak?

 

OBD0. I'm really leaning towards the intake manifold gasket. I'll post later after I try a new one out.

 

Sorry, I forgot to get back to this...it was the intake manifold gasket causing the surge. all better now.

Thanks for your help and ideas!!