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Hi all !
i’m having an annoying high idle issue since cleaning my throttle body a few weeks ago ( see topic : http://www.ericthecarguy.com/kunena/8-Service-and-Repair-Questions-Answered-Here/57751-weird-stalling-issue-on-a-manual-2005-saturn-ion)
Now, the car is Idling too high…
when hot, it stays at around 1500 rpm
when I drive and pres the clutch, it stays at around 2000rpmI’ve seen somewhere on the internet that there is a “relearn” procedure for the throttle body, but it does not seems to do anything or work at all…
I just hope there is a DIY solution for this, dealer wants 200$ to reprogram the ECU…
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Since this condition occurred after removing the throttle body for cleaning, the first thing to do is ensure the reassembly was done correctly. Check to make sure all electrical and mechanical connections are secure. Make sure all vacuum hoses are connected to the correct ports and devices. Make sure the throttle body isn’t leaking air at the intake manifold. Use the carb cleaner/propane test to look for air leaks around the intake/throttle body.
Ok, just to clear things up a bit (more details can’t hurt), I did not have to disconnect any hose, other than the air intake tube on the throttle body itself to be able to remove it, and the MAF sensor connector on the air box
I can’t find any air leak on the car with the “spray cleaner” method or the grand father “cigar smoke” method.
As for correct reassembly, 1 electric connector on the throttle body (Throttle Position Sensor), one on the air box (MAF sensor) and 4 bolts on the throttle body doesn’t seems to require special talents or tools. Adding human errors to the equation is a possibility here in fact…
i’ll remove it once more (the air tube) to double check things under there… I do hear the throttle flaps opening and closing when I turn the key on, but it does it only once…
[b]
EDIT [/b]: just got an email from a friend who works at a gm dealer as I was typing this :Throttle Relearn procedure for GM “ecotec” engines
Description
The engine control module (ECM) learns the idle position of the throttle plate to ensure the correct idle. Anytime the throttle body is cleaned or replaced, the ECM must learn the new throttle position. The idle may be unstable or a DTC may set if the throttle position is not learned.
#1 Start and idle the engine in PARK for 3 minutes .
#2 With a scan tool, monitor desired and actual RPM.
#3 The ECM will start to learn the new idle cells and Desired RPM should start to decrease.
#4 Ignition OFF for 60 seconds .
#5 Start and idle the engine in PARK for 3 minutes .After the 3 minute run time the engine should be idling normal.
Important: During the drive cycle the check engine light may come on with idle speed DTCs. If idle speed codes are set, clear codes so the ECM can continue to learn.
#6 If the engine idle speed has not been learned the vehicle will need to be driven at speeds above 70 km/h (44 mph) with several decelerations and extended idles.
After the drive cycle, the engine should be idling normally.
If the engine idle speed has not been learned, turn OFF the ignition for 60 seconds and repeat step 6.
Once the engine speed has returned to normal, clear DTCs.
That makes me think you need a professional level scan tool to enter the “learn” mode. Maybe do some more digging online to see if there’s a manual method. Apparently my Dodge has one and I had to find one for a Nissan once.
After a week or so, it still idle way too high… attempted both relearn procedures a few times and it does not seems to work… damn it !
I do not recommend removal of the throttle body to clean them. Too late for that advice now I suppose, sorry. By the sound of it you’ll have to relearn it with a scan tool if you can’t find a vacuum leak or other issue.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-idle-problems
Good luck and keep us posted on how things turn out.
I’ve been trying to remember all things I have done, rechecked every single plugs, hose, tubes, while under the heavy rain yesterday (thanks for well placed tree…) and I wasn’t able to spot where it all went wrong, until I started laughing alone in the driveway (looking like a total psycho for the ppl next to me…
Can this all be like that, because I DID NOT unplug the negative wire on my battery ?
Oh god… Tell me it’s not just that…
You see, in all my other cars (1990 Pontiac Tempest, 96 Pontiac Sunfire, 2002 Mazda Protegé), , the battery was next to the engine, so I did not have to think to unplug the battery. With this car, it’s in the trunk… I tend to bypass things I do not see sometimes when i’m in a rush or when I have other things in mind, and I just did it with the battery cable this time (shame on me !!)
So… i’ve been driving my car like that for days, wondering where the air leak was, or what sensor(s) was causing this, and since there is no check engine light on, the sensors are not reporting bad readings… I’ll unplug the battery cable tomorrow to reset the ECU and i’ll attempt the 3 minutes idle, 1 minute off then 3 minutes idle method once more…
If it works, i’ll gladly wear a donkey hat for punishment and put a picture here 😆
Ok… bit of an update…
As days passed and as my day job starts before the dealer opens and as it ends after the dealer closes, I drove the car like that…
Now, I finally was able to go to the dealer and after 1h of trying, they were unable to get the computer to do a proper throttle position relearn…
As soon as the guy plugged the Tech2 scanner, idle dropped to normal 750ish rpm…but it would not “relearn” the new position… i’m very sure the tech didn’t had a clue of what he was doing… I told him about the service bulletin speaking about the procedure, but oh no, I surely don’t know what i’m talking about… They say it’s good to buy locally, it helps the businesses… What if they just don’t know what they’re doing ?
I’ll just go to a bigger dealer out of town (1h drive), where I went for my 3 recalls in fact… The local dealer told me it would take 1h+ to do the recalls, and the bigger dealer did them in 20 minutes… ooooookay…
Long story short, drive by wire throttle bodies SUCKS hahahaha 😛
Hey all !
I totally forgot to put an update on this topic…
OOOOOkay…. where to start.. Life took a turn, I had to stop working because of a knee operation that went wrong and did not drive the car for over 4 months because of that and started my own computer repair shop this summer… Yeah… quite a busy spring I had…
So long story short, the big dealer ended up the high idle drama in 15 minutes…
They tried a TPS relearn with a Tech2 Scanner (god I want one of those loll), did not work
They tried a new throttle body, and it started idling normally…
They tried a used throttle body that they knew was good and it was idling just fine…
They reinstalled the old one and it started to idle high againProblem solved then, faulty throttle body…
I ended up getting the new throttle body in exchange for a computer replacement at a lower cost, i’m fine with that 🙂
Now I have a “working normal” car and business discount on parts and labor there, and a new client for my business, it’s really a win-win situation for me hahahahaha !
The tech there told me that when I reconnected the throttle body, I might have shorted something in it because I did not disconnect the battery first… Oh well.. my bad then…
cool, thanks for the update. sorry to hear your operation had some complications, but it seems you’re doing better now. glad to hear that everything worked out … and you made new friends too. awesome!
Yeah, the knee operation is something i was waiting for (on a wait list…) for like 1 and a half year so I was more than happy when they finally called…
They tried to reconnect a torn ligament and it did not work that good, It was too painful to walk on it and since it’s the clutch foot, that was not an option to even think of driving… They eventually had to redo the whole operation and that time they got it straight… Maybe the surgeon did not had coffee the fist time hahaha
Now I can walk, sit, climb ladders, get on my knees and drive like i’m 20 again…well more like “before I screwed my knee 2 years ago” 😆
For the car now, the only few bits I need to fix are the front right shock absorber that is completely shot and the sway bar links… those noisy little bastards 😛
and find why the shifter is so hard to get in 5th or reverse… Like I have to really push hard on the stick from neutral to reach the 5th or reverse “gate”…
There is a bit of slack in the shifter when it’s in gear, like left-right play, so I suppose it could be worn bushings or the shifter linkage pin on the end of the shift arm attached on the transmission… I’ll have to have a look at that when the temp ouside will get hotter than -12C… 😆
Happy new year btw ! :woohoo:
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