car 1990 integra
problem: idles around 500-600rpm when headlights are on.

the car idles just fine when headlights are NOT on. another thing i've noticed is that when im driving with headlights on, i have the clutch in to come to a stop, the idle would drop almost to 0 then back to 500rpm or it would just die. it doesn't have this kind of problem when the headlights aren't on. any ideas? any help would be great...thanks!!!!

 

Can you start it back up immediatly or do you have to wait a while to crank?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JasterM5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Can you start it back up immediatly or do you have to wait a while to crank?</TD></TR></TABLE>

i can start it right back up with no problem.

 

how long has it been doing this? and have you done any recent work to it? if so then what?

 

Check your ground wires

 

well, i did an auto to manual swap over the summer and it took about 2 months so my car was sitting there for 2 months. i also moved the battery to the truck to have more space in the engine room.

battery:took it to autozone had them tested and recharged.
ground wires: as of right now, i have the one from the radiator support to the valve cover, and the body frame to the tranny.
i tested/checked both of the grounds and they are fine...maybe there aren't ENOUGH grounds?
i guess i'll just get a set of those hyper groud wires and see if it helps.

i know that its normal for idle to drop when headlights are on but i don't know why when clutch is in the idle would drop to almost 0 and dies.

 

do you have a aftermarket flywheel?
i would put some more grounds.
how's your a/f?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mmuller &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">do you have a aftermarket flywheel?
i would put some more grounds.
how's your a/f?
</TD></TR></TABLE>

yes i have an aftermarket flywheel. can you explain what light weight flywheel have to do with it? thanks!!
a/f: no idea its a little bit on the lean side.

 

Sounds like your idle air control valve may be malfunctioning. Or the ground connection between the battery negative post and the alternator case is poor, causing the alternator to have to apply a stronger field (which will load the engine) to "push" the electricity through the system into the battery. The voltage regulator monitors charging through a small 12v wire. The large 12v wire is what the alternator uses to create the magnetic field which induces the charge back through the negative ground. Electricity actual flows from negative to positive. If you have a set of jumper cables long enough, connect to negative battery post, then other end to engine block, and re-check idle w/ headlamps on, that would be a good quick ck for bad ground.

 

Where on your valve cover is the ground?

 

thanks for all the help! once i have time i will try checking ground and the IAC sensor. its a good thing i don't drive at night time during weekdays

still wondering if it has anything to do with lighter flywheel?

 

I am wondering if it has something to do with you moving the battery to the trunk. Maybe a connection just isnt quite right. My guess is something with the negative connection to the battery.