Ignition Module and other thoughts

[Laird Scooby]

Assuming that you've successfully cleaned the idle Control valve and not just loosened/moved the dirt then all the obvious things like air leaks and so on.

Also check you haven't caught the throttle cable and made the throttle slightly open - sometimes the cable can snag itself on the edge of the drum/quadrant it sits on at the throttle body end of the cable causing a high idle. It's one of those things that if i was in front of it, i'd probably spot quickly but from this end of t'internet i've got to try and guess what i'd be seeing if that makes sense?

[James_N]

I wasn't tight using the carb cleaner! Dont get me wrong ts not spotless but I'd class it as very clean now. Same with the ICV.

I'll check the throttle cable tomorrow and all of the hoses. Maybe I should try the old MAF again? However the car doesn't cut out with this new one on so that's a victory.

I'm surprised how big a difference the cleaning has made. Its gone from not ticking over and struggling at 500rpm to ticking over at 1800rpm! I'd rather have it ticking over high rather than low.

Its a shame I can't take it out for a good drive which is probably what it needs now after being off the road the best part of 12 months but hopefully in the next 6 months I can put that right too. Family holidays and a new kitchen have put paid to extra expenditure for now

I've got some time tomorrow so I'll have a another check over and sort the coolant leak and see how it runs then!

[Laird Scooby]

I think i'd try the original MAF so that things are as they were before you cleaned the throttle body and ICV. Not suggesting you were tight with the intake/carb cleaner but sometimes when they are as dirty as yours were they need a second go. Used to see similar throttle bodies/ICVs on Pug 205s, especially the GTi models very often, sometimes every service! They were heavy breathers though, especially if they were driven hard.

Quite often they'd come in with idling problems, give them a clean out, idle seemed ok, take it for a test drive, come back and the idle would be all over the place again!
Another clean usually sorted it though.

[James_N]

Original MAF fitted. I can adjust the tickover a little via a little screw type thing on the back of the throttle cable housing, so ive done that, fixed the coolant leak, and to be honest, it runs like a dream now.

Very slight rev counter needle movement still on tickover, but again i'm not too fussed about that, its running! Ive driven it a few hundred yards (about as far as i can go within the law!) and its absolutely fine.

Just need to get some brakes and rubber on it, then tax, and MOT!

My only other slight niggle is that the thing that all the belts sit on (the harmonic balancer thing) is a little noisy. Do these require replacement over the years? Its not really loud, just niggly!

Thanks for your help Dave and everyone else much appreciated.

Thanks
James

[Laird Scooby]

Can you get a photo of the screw you've adjusted the idle speed with James? There are two screws that will do it, one can be adjusted to get the correct idle speed, the other needs to be adjusted to get the correct base idle speed first after shorting a special wire to earth to disable the ICV temporarily.
Also the second screw can effect the position of the TPS idle switch which can throw the emissions out and/or cause erratic idle.

Is it the harmonic balancer that's noisy or is it the belts? Very often if the car has been sat, the belts will have "settled" in a certain shape and are noisy until they "work themselves out" again.

[James_N]

its the bit circled in yellow that i turned slightly:



I'm fairly sure its the balancer thats getting a bit worn, its been slightly noisy for a while now but i think the car needs a good run to see whats what.

Need to get some front brakes and tyres on it then get it MOTed!

[Laird Scooby]

You need to reset that then. What you've adjusted there is the throttle cable and there should be a tiny amount of slack in it. In effect, what you've done is to hold the throttle pedal down a little under all conditions.

That means the ECU will never know the engine is idling so won't switch the mixture control over to idle. In turn, that means your emissions may not pass the MoT test.

I'll have a look later and see if i can find the right photos to show you the only screw you should touch for the idle speed, it's known as the idle air bypass screw generally although Volvo may have put their own spin on it and called it something else eg Idle Volume Screw.

[James_N]

Thanks Dave, i'll return it to normal then. i only turned it a few turns, so easy enough to move back, at least its running OK now and not cutting out!

Thanks
JAmes

[Laird Scooby]

That's good news James. If it does start fluffing around again then i'd suggest re-cleaning the ICV and throttle body, if you can with the engine running but that can be tricky at times.

[James_N]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

That's good news James. If it does start fluffing around again then i'd suggest re-cleaning the ICV and throttle body, if you can with the engine running but that can be tricky at times.

Deffo, i will do. Its so much cleaner than it was, i'd hazard a guess at saying its not been cleaned for 10 years or so if not longer! i'm glad to finally get it sorted as its been going on for far too long!