Idle Problem
 

Greetings,

Some of you know all the work I've put into my car in the past 7-months and I've come a long way and really appreciate the help I've gotten here.

The car is about done now, but I'm having a problem with the idle. I adjusted the throttle cable, and later was told that the idle is set at the factory and the cable should NEVER be adjusted.

Here is how the car acts now. Has a bit of a high idle when I start it. but the CEL is not on and it drives alright. After driving for a while though, when I get to a stop sign the idle drops down about 500rpms and the CEL comes on. When I start off from a stop and give it gas the CEL goes off, and it does hessitate a bit when coming off a dead stop. When I take my foot off the gas now the CEL comes on, but then goes off again when I'l accelerating. When I park it after driving for a half hour or so, the idle drops down to 500/400rpm. The car is a '94 Mazda MX-3 GLS 6 cylinder Automatic.

So how do I fix this and do I need to get some kind of gauge from Autozone to do it? This is the last think I have to do to this car. I'm really excited about my car running well again.

Thanks again for all that have helped me. I have learned a great deal about my car, and have really enjoyed working on it.

It does sound like a vac leak.
When you are at a stop i want you to try something different.
You see, a similar thing happened to me at stops. It was the vac brake booster that was faulty.
So next time you are at a stop, i want to to get your foot off the brake pedal and apply the parking brake. The parking brake is mechanical and not vac controlled like the brake booster. You may also try putting it into neutral as well.
If it only happens at a stop it could be the brake booster or a different vac leak
OR as the engine isn't revving hi enough the vac leak can actually affect a rough idle, and when engine revs higher the small vac leak has no overall affect in as there is more air flow.
You may also clean your throttle body.

Hey BengalBrad! Good to hear from you.

Noggin is giving you some sage advise. Now the brake booster and booster hose are not the only possible sources for tiny vacuum leaks. It is also possible that another issue is causing you almost dying idle. In fact I have experienced the same with the '98 Protege. It is solved now but I don't know what exactly solved it. Please read my "Unofficial User's Guide to the 95-98 Mazda Protege". It is a sticky thread in the "Protege Forum".
(If you like the guide you may give it a yellow star or two).
Cleaning the whole intake system, the EGR system, and in particular the Idle Air Control Valve are things that contributed to fixing the issue.

just one question: when you adjusted the idle, was the engine in operating temperature? remember, after the engine warms up, the Intake Air Control valve (IAC) will lower the engine revs, and also compensate for when the AC compressor kicks in. to make things more interesting, there is an air valve that works only when the engine is cold. if you have no vacuum leaks, make sure the idle is adjusted at engine operating temp. the idle is always a little higher when cold and go down when warm. the idle should be at around 750 rpm, 650-750 rpm. another note. if problems persists, look at the throttle position sensor. it might need a little adjustment. of course, make sure you dont have any vacuum leaks.

Ok, so I decided to work on the timing. I thought I found the "one" screw to loosen the distributor cap, however, I had bang on the distributor cap to get it to move.....It never did. I did something to the distributor cap, there is an electrical connect on top that I believe I cracked.



Here is a pic of the cap, can someone please let me know how to rotate it?

The car doesn't start now. I did bang with a rubber mallet on the top of distributor cap on the electrical connection at top of Distributor Cap. The car was running while I did this, while I was hitting the top of the side of the the car it stopped running I get zero codes when I do the paperclip test. I am stumped here, can someone give me an idea of what is going on?

Did you check if there is a second bolt?
I suppose the distributor could be stuck caused by corrosion. You could try WD 40 at the base or use a oil filter wrench around the metal base for leverage.
One of the best penetrating concoctions is acetone and tranny fluid 1:1. The acetone penetrates and takes the tranny fluid along.
It sounds like you need a new cap.

Yeah, there is a second bolt, it's at the bottom of the distributor assembly. What I have seen and read said there was only one bolt and I found that and loosened it. It is a new distributor cap. I took a rubber mallet to the top right side of the distributor assembly; actually it is a black electrical connector that was the only thing I could find to hit with the hammer. See Picture. i gave this a good whack and the car died. The distributor cap DID NOT MOVE. The car cranks now, lights/radio come on, so it's not battery. Also, when the car died the pos cable on the battery jumped off the terminal..... so there must have been a surge of some sort. The main fuse is also fine.

I get no CEL... I am stumped here

for the picture, it looks like the distributor cap for a 6 cylinder engine. i did not know the 1994 mx3 had a 6 cyl engine. if it is a 4 cylinder, it has 2 bolts. here a picture of the part.

Juanky: The 6 cylinder was an option. It has 1.8 L of displacement. The 4 cylinder has 1.6 L and it is the same as in the 323. BengalBrad is referring to the bolts at the distributor base, not the cap.

BengalBrad: The picture does not show the connector well enough. But you may want to look if an individual pin or wire has been damaged/ bent. You may be able to jury-rig the connection.

I think you don't get a code because the damage occurred when the engine went off. Therefore the computer did not receive enough data. Go and check for spark. I bet you don't have any and the reason is the damaged connector.

ok. there is always something new to learn! thank you tankprotege,
i stand corrected.

And let me correct you again! :p
Tanprotege :eek:
He likes to soak up the sun while on his computer! :eek:

I think something happened to distributor when it got bashed with hammer.
Is this car timing belt or timing chain? ----- time to change?
Mileage?

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/...43_468x389.jpg

Jealous, Noggin?


http://www.bubblews.com/assets/image...1385296552.jpg

Ok, dumb question..... where and how do I test for a spark? I know rookie question. I've learned a lot here, but still have my moments.

When I was in college I was taking a course that dealt with the thinking process. The prof gave us what he called the "Peanut Butter Sandwich" test, in which we were to write down how to make a peanut butter sandwich. We all failed.....the reason being none of us mentioned taking the lid off the peanut butter to start with. That is where I am sometimes here, I can't assume anything, but I'm learning.

O.k. I am not going to be as detailed as your professor was.

You probably have a spark plug lying around. If it is a good one pull one plug wire (only pull on the boot! not the wire itself) and put the spare plug on it. Have someone turn the engine over while you hold the plug against ground.

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/i...5kVgXWuYBPSQPk

If you don't have a plug lying around, pull one from the engine.

Yes, I wanna watch the beach babes, in the sand, the sand on them!

http://img.bnqt.com/CMS/bnqt/network...e-c8d7a9ef.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Q4UzrPNi4...ch-Babes-1.jpg
http://markenperformance.com/files/U...erformance.jpg

I hear you, loud and clear!

Wow, you guys make it hard to concentrate on the topic at hand. First time in my life I actually wished I was grains of sand.

But I digress.

Been for a few week, even went to Cincy for the playoff game. Storm came through Indiana as I was trying to make it back to Wisconsin and got stuck in Lafayette, IN for a couple of days. I know you're all envious aren't ya?

ok, back to the task. I haven't had time to do the spark test, or take apart the distributor yet. I did notice I damaged a hose coming from the air cleaner. I have a picture of it here. Is it possible to just purchase the air filter container, or maybe just get the hose connector? I circuled it in red. Another thing, the big opening facing the camera coming from the large hose that goes from Throttle body to air cleaner. I had oil or something oily around the inside of that opening.

Another thing that I really like about this car. When it's not in operating condition, it is impossible to shift the car into gear (I have an automatic). Today I went out for a short while and I can't shift it. Mostly all signs point to I damaged the distributor as I was trying to move it with a rubber hammer.

Let me know about the hose connector.

You are a cheese head from the land of cow pies and beer farts and you are rooting for the Bengals? What's wrong with you! And I thought Noggin is freak! I am resetting my benchmarks!

I don't like that oil in the air intake hose. Most likely source is the PCV, positive crank case ventilation. Replace the PCV valve with a new one. I don't recall if you ever made a compression test, it may be worthwhile. If the rings don't seal against the cylinder then you have blow-by and that increases the flow of gases through the PCV taking oil with it.

You can try to find a air filter box in a junk yard. If it were me I would go to Lowe's or another hardware store and find a suitable nipple to bolt or plastic weld in there.

Well first off I'm from the Cincinnati area and have had and still have Bengals season tickets each year. What can I say, I'm loyal.

I did replace the PCV valve, but in learning where different hoses fit, I did put it in and out more times than a pimply face 16year old boy and a $5 whore. So the ring could be shot.

If that hose is not connected to the air cleaner, would that cause the engine not to kick over?

About the Bengals: nothing wrong with being a loyal fan. I just was surprised. On the way to NC we usually stay in Georgetown KY. The Bengals have their training camp there.
Once we stopped in Cincinnati for some famous BBQ....

Pimple face: You have some metaphors!

I don't know what this hose connects to, so I don't know if it could keep the engine from firing up. But you can experiment: Duct tape the hose on.
Besides I seem to see a connector just above the intake hose that has nothing attached to it?

So, I took apart the distributor (well almost completely apart) and noticed and O-Ring (or gasket) was broken. I have pics here for you to look at and see if you notice anything besides the o-ring is out of place.

I don't see anything beyond the gasket.
Picture 2 is a bit blurred. Is the tab at 12 o'clock the piece that got the treatment with the hammer ? or is it the one behind at 1 o'clock?

But keep in mind distributors are finicky. Defects are often not obvious to the eye.

Its actually at 5 O'clock. The one in the picture is the one that I didn't see the first time. The one at 1o'clock is the one I took the rubber hammer too. The car was running when I did it, I had hit it a few times. And then I gave it a wack and the car died. I hoping the final wack tore the gasket and its that simple to fix.

So I'm having a hard time finding the gasket. Can I use the old one and put sealant around it?

Bengal:

Sure you can seal it with a silicone. But: the sudden death on the whack leads me to believe that this caused an electrical disruption. Take the connectors off and look for a problem in there.

I once stumbled on a report where a guy took the dremel tool to a MAF sensor. He found that there was a wire inside the casting that developed corrosion. By grinding away the plastic he was able to solder the thing , then he put silicone on it it and it worked just fine. He saved about $400, that's how expensive a replacement would have been.

You are looking at a similar situation, only it's not corrosion or moisture, it is most likely a torn wire possibly hidden inside the plastic casting. Find out how much a new or used distributor would be and then decide if you want to replace it or hack the broken one. I would be a hacker first....what would I have to loose?

Thanks Tan, I'm going to check that out in a minute. I'm going to gave to replace the gasket. I put sealant around it Then as I was placing the gasket on the distributor it broke in a different spot.

About the spark plug test, I'm assuming that if I go through all six and they all create a spark then the distributer is working properly. .

About the spark plug test, I'm assuming that if I go through all six and they all create a spark then the distributer is working properly.

That's right. The coil, distributor and wires would be proven good.

I've had the same problem (98 Protege LX). Simple solution: get a Mass Air Flow Sensor cleaner spay. Do not use anything else! Spray the s..t out of the sensor (follow the instructions). Done.

balintkp, did you read all the posts in this thread?

When I go back and see all the threads I've started concerning my car, I wish I would have kept it to just one.

BengalBrad: look what I found:Curbside Classic: 1992 Mazda MX-3 GS – Smallest Production V6 Engine Ever? (Now Updated)

Tan: Thanks a lot, what a great web page! Mine is a '94 but I don't see anything that differs that much. One thing I regret, when I was sanding and painting the drivers side door, I messed up the "GS" logo. I'm hoping to be able to redo it, I'm just missing the top of the "G".

I was hoping you could spy your mystery pipe in one of the pictures.

If you are trying to adjust the spark timing you will wanna leave the dist. cap on. the adjusting bolt you found is the first bolt the other is down underneath and fastens to the crank housing. once you get that loose it should spin free, i have to adjust mine all the time because the rumble of my ZE somehow moves it over the course of six months. what you want to do though is set it by spinning it towards the car all the way and then pulling it back about 1/2 inch and tighten that top bolt (not all the way, just enough to hold it there) and put it into diagnostic mode with a paper clip in the 10 and GND terminal in the diagnostics box (do this before turning car on)to set the idle. set the idle to 800 (do this when the engine is at running temp) with the screw on top of the throttle body. let is run for a bit and listen to her for any abnormal park ignitions, listen for small detonations and adjust the Distributer little by little untill it stops. once you find that sweet spot tighten the top bolt first and use a 9" extension with a 12mm to fasten the bottom bolt. shut the car off and remove the paper clip. give her a bit to rest and fire it back up. the K8 is exactly the same as a KL just with a smaller bore, stroke, and displacement. also double check your coolant level in the radiator not just the overflow that also cause low and spaz idle.