OK... so lately it seems that if I leave my DA at idle for more than a minute or two (only when warm), the idle drops and the car begins to stutter. Now, if I give it gas in neutral, it revs, but revs choppily as if it's swimming in fuel. Once the car gets moving and hits about 4k rpm, the stuttering clears up and it drives normally. I'm running Uberdata, but for time being it's running on a stock map. So, fuel/timing from the ECU shouldn't be the problem. I even burned a map with less fuel and more timing at idle but it didn't help.

I'm beginning to suspect a problem with my main relay as I can't figure anything else out. After a drive back to my house from my parent's for the weekend (~250 miles), I shut my car off and tried to turn it back on but it just cranks. So I'm letting it sit for a little, assuming the cylinders are flooded. Main relay would stop me from starting as well. The weather here is ~100 degrees F, if that affects anything. Any ideas other than the main relay?

 

bump boys and girls

 

main relays are notoriuos for failing in hot weather. I resoldered all the connections on my civics relay as well as the wifeys DA and it has never happened since.

 

Yeah but can a damaged main relay dump TOO much fuel or cause fuel heavy starts? I'll take a look at my relay tomorrow, but any other thoughts?

 

i am having the same problem when i turn my AC on.

once i turn my ac on, the rev drops and car starts to stutter and rattle badly.

 

Then what gives? How many miles is on your DA, confucius? I know the main relays like to fail around 100k and on, so... I'm a little overdue at 156k.

 

i own a 93 da.that same **** happened to me. look start off by checking ur fuel press vacum hose all the way at the end of the fuel rail and dissconnect it .....anything happened . change ur pcv valve it could be cloged. replace ur fuel filter. check all ur vacum lines.replace ur spark plugs. after u do all of that and its still doing the same ****,drive 2 the nearest discount auto parts or w/e auto parts buy a can of SeaFoam dissconnect that same vacum line agian at the end of the fuel rail dip that vac line in the bottle slowly and have some1 revving the car up so it wont shut off only do like half a can and pour the rest in ur gas tank.if u think all this **** i just said is pointless then go ahead but try what i told u.

 

I'll try some of that stuff tomorrow afternoon.. but I just don't get how any of that could do it. I mean, when the car's cold it drives normally. Even when the car is warm it drives normally. It's only when the car is warm and it sits at idle for more than like 10 or 15 seconds, and sometimes on starts. Actually, come to think of it, it's been giving me more starting problems lately. The main relay is coming out tomorrow and we'll see what the deal is.

Plugs and wires are new, fuel filter has about 10k, and the whole engine is sitting about 15k on a full rebuild. I took my turbo off a while ago and it's been quirky ever since. Makes me wonder if I left a vacuum line loose or cut somewhere... oops..

Bump for more ideas.

 

didnt get to read just thought i would chime in quickly... i ran into two cars with similar problem which both i changed fuel filter but one of mine might have also been a wiring problem with my vtec controller but im not sure cuz i did both took out controller and changed fuel filter at same time. but any way both cars run fine now. might want to look into that fuel filter only because it is cheap and simple to change out.

wait i can count for 3 because this cherokee pulled into work and her car died on the lot we did fuel injection service and swapped out fuel filter and it was fine after that.

 

nm you just replied about the fuel filter. ill just leave it for others to read.

 

Do you have the oxygen sensor closed-loop feedback turned on?

 

i have 155k miles on my teggy.

wtf is the main relay?

i need help QUICK!

its hot and i can use my AC.

the mechanis is telling me its the Compressor.

I DONT KNOW man.

 

oh yeah, my PCV valve is BURNT OUT.

i didnt replace it yet cuz its 180 BUCKS. I replaced it a year ago and it burnt out 2 days later.

So thats why im not planning to replace it. something is wrong with the electricals.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by confucius &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">oh yeah, my PCV valve is BURNT OUT.

i didnt replace it yet cuz its 180 BUCKS. I replaced it a year ago and it burnt out 2 days later.

So thats why im not planning to replace it. something is wrong with the electricals.</TD></TR></TABLE>

PCV valve doesn't have electricals... go to Checker and buy a replacement for like $3.

About the closed loop feedback, I'm almost positive that it's on.. I'll check my chip today. The O2 sensor has been through hell too and I know it's black as all hell. Maybe it's time to replace it

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by confucius &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">oh yeah, my PCV valve is BURNT OUT.

i didnt replace it yet cuz its 180 BUCKS. I replaced it a year ago and it burnt out 2 days later.

So thats why im not planning to replace it. something is wrong with the electricals.</TD></TR></TABLE>
That better be one hell of a nice crankcase ventilation valve. I've seen some real nice billet ones for like $30-40. As stated above they are more like $3 at autozone.

 

well im talking about the purge control valve. its the black metal unit that sits on top of the throttle body.

an electrial harness is connected to it. and it has a tube connected to the valve cover.

it lets air go in and out.

mines are burnt out and is staying in the closed posistion.

 

can u tell me what the main relay is?

if it helps, i'll take a pic of what i think is the purge control valve.

 

the relay is on the passenger side shock tower that black box

 

main relay looks like this

and should be right next to your steering column under the dash.

 

Update on my situation...My car went straight downhill from decent starts to long starts to no start. When I drove to hardware store after I got outta class and bought a cheapy soldering iron, I came outside to find my car wouldn't start at all. So at that point I'm thinking... main relay. It says main relay all over it.

So in the parking lot of the hardware store I'm soldering my relay... I got the weirdest looks from everyone who drove by and walked by. Classic photo op... But anyway, with a fresh bead of solder on every point, I plugged it in and wallah! Started right up after some gurgling. Even better, the idle/rich condition problem is gone. When I got back home, I restarted the car to make sure all was well and sure enough - one crank and it fired up.

So chalk this whole thing up to the main relay... one of a freaking million cases of a failed main relay. I suggest you other guys take a look at your relays if you're having starting problems... And to the guy talking about the black thing on top of the TB... I think you're referring to the IAC, idle air control valve. But if your car stutters at idle, check your idle speed and adjust it if needed. Turning the AC on should make the revs drop slightly as the compressor engages, but they should pop back up once the ECU catches up.

 

so what is it?

in the black box under the hood or near the steering column?

 

Take your driver's side kick panel (right under the steering wheel) off. It's three screws. There should be a metal plate, but look behind it and you'll see a small box with three or four wires coming out of it. Right behind that is the bigger main relay. The relay should have a big plug with about 8 wires coming out of it. Get a ratchet with extensions and a 10mm socket and pull the bolt off that's attached to the bracket. Both the smaller box and the main relay can be pulled down, then you can unplug the relay.

http://www.markl.f9.co.uk/howt...y.htm