Fixing A Low Idling Car

Fixing A Low Idling Car

Scotty Kilmer, mechanic for the last 46 years, shows how to get your low idling car running smooth again. It can be as simple as cleaning the throttle with a…

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cesar jimenez says:

scotty, i have a 2003 kia sorento that i need help with, i was traveling
around 70mph and decided to turn my a/c on, after a while i noticed the air
was blowing warm air as if it was just the fan on, i messed with the
thermostat and i heard like a snap coming from the hood of the car then
alot of cold air started coming in, my engine then shut off so i pulled
over and ALOT of white smoke was coming out from under the hood i opened it
and noticed all my water was gone and the left side of the engine was full
of oil or water can you please help as to what might have gone wrong?

Peter Kapica says:

Hey Scotty, my 2005 honda odyssey has the srs light on. How do I fix it?

VWGTI says:

Hey Scotty, I`m 43 and looking to go back to school for a career
certificate in automotive. I just get discouraged with all the things to
learn about repairing these new cars. Wish they were like
before……..much easier! 

MattsMotorz says:

It was my impression that you should never move the throttle plate with
your hand on an electronic throttle. Doing so will screw up the electronic
throttle and it must be re-calibrated at the dealership. Why didn’t this
happen this time? Is this not the case for all electronic throttles?

joel pasaraba says:

Sir I really like your videos THANKS

James Encina says:

Mine isles at 500-600 rpm is that too low 

Airwolf2030 says:

I have a 1995 grand voyager 3L V6 van and sometimes or once an while it
only dies when I have the AC or heat on, and then I had trouble starting it
back up because the rpm would reach 0 when I let the van idle, also
eventually it would start up just fine like the van fixed itself, how do I
fix that?

kris200998 says:

what are your thoughts on the 2002-2008 mazda6’s? im looking for a winter
car since my mercedes w123 300d isn’t really practical for winter driving
here where we get a lot of snow and also the rust issues so im looking for
a winter car and for some reason the mazda6’s have sparked my interest 

realkewlmann says:

New entry in my Bucket List:
Meet Scotty.

Ira Friedman says:

Hey scotty is it ok for a 2010 dodge charger sxt with awd 124,404 miles to
burn a little bit of oil? I add some lucas oil stabilizer every now and
then…. im going to have a mechanic remove a spark plug

Edsson L. says:

I have a nissan 87 does this work the same with old cars?

ajuk1 says:

What about the idle air control valve?

jstuttgart says:

Hey +Scotty Kilmer i thought you’d have made mention of your mass airflow
sensor cleaning video too.

donkey1450 says:

Can a certain type of air filter cause low idle? I just tested one of my
panel filters (its a RYCO air filter), by removing it and going for a
drive, it idled so much better without the filter than with it. The filter
i have looks like cloth, not paper :/ No light passes through it when under
direct light. Car is a mitsubishi evo 7. 

ali amiri says:

how about one that idles to fast ? my 2012 honda accord ides around 2000
rpm when starting in the cold in the morning then drops down to the 1000
ish rage when it heats up. 

Ball Daily says:

Hey everyone this is a bit unrelated but I have a Evo 9 and when driving on
the highway I get hot air belowing out from my vents even though I don’t
have the heat on and im not overheating and my ac only works if I have it
on defrost, I have recently turbocharged it and these issues happened about
3 weeks after, any suggestions ?

stupidrelaoded says:

I’ve done all these already and still no luck

Greasy Patatoes says:

hey +Scotty Kilmer I have a 1992 Honda crx that idles so low it shuts off
on me when stopped what can I do?

Scotty Kilmer says:

See how you can fix your car that idles too low

TRiBaL1981 says:

Hi Scotty. My car shakes a little bit when idle. Sometimes not always and
just for a second or two. The rpm needle stays stable. No misfires. My
throttle body is new so is my air filter. Injectors cleaned a year ago. MAP
sensor recently cleaned. Spark plugs, wires and ignition coil all new.
Could it be from a dirty intake manifold? Don’t know what else to think of

Smoofie92 says:

What about a high idle? 1989 2.0 cavalier rs, idles at roughly 1200 in park
but 900 stopped in drive, i know its a bit high so is there anything to do?

Eugene Williams says:

Scotty, question. Are you married?
Thanks.

Cpt MishMash VonRandom says:

You can’t do a repair on a Toyota poor idle without checking the IAC! (Idle
air control, most common cause of idle issues).

The dirty butterfly valve/throttle body doesn’t affect the idle on these
engines unless it’s stuck slightly open, causing fast idle issues instead
of low idle.

You need to start by removing the IAC from the throttle body and clean it
with carb cleaner or similar. Then use wd40 to free up the shuttle inside.
This shuttle rotates to create an air passage that bypasses the butterfly
valve and allows the engine to run while the butterfly valve is closed.
(This is why dirty throttle body issues don’t cause slow idle)

They can suffer from a carbon build up that causes them to stick in the
position they sat in while the engine was warm but this is no good when the
engine is cold and requires more air to run smoothly. This is why the
problem only persists when the engine is cold.

You should also do a simple vacuum leak test before taking anything off the
car so you can eliminate vacuum leaks as a cause. The rubber gaitor that
attaches the MAF to the throttle body on these engines is a common failure
and would also give issues with erratic idle. 

Gabriel Gonzalez says:

I have a Honda Accord 2003 EX and is low idling. I want to know if I follow
your same step I will not have any problem? please help me!

Uncle Grim says:

Wish I had a handy uncle/dad/grandad like you Scotty.

Ivan Rubio says:

Hi scotty, what cause a popping sound at exhaust during deceleration at
high speeds?

Patrick Challita says:

Hi Scotty,

I really love your videos. I have a question regarding my vehicle that’s
idling poorly. Prior to changing the battery, we had to jump start it
several times until we finally changed the battery. I changed it my self
(It’s not that hard) and upon starting the car (I drive a 2001 Ford Falcon
Forte AU II) the car would idle very poorly. When put into D or R it will
jump down to about 200RPM and slowly jump up. If stayed too long on gear
without any gas, the car will die. This has caused me to constantly put the
car in neutral when approaching red lights to prevent the car from
stalling. I took the car to my local mechanic, they said the car needs to
‘re learn its self’ they cleaned the throttle and told me to drive it
around for a couple of hours. Its been 2 months and still not idling
properly. I took it back down to them and they said i need a new throttle
body. I want to check with you first though. Any ideas scotty?

louis pabon says:

Hi, Scotty I really need your help I have a 2000 Mit eclipse gs , I have
two codes p0505 idle air control system and p1400 exhaust gas recirculation
monitor sensor can you please tell me how to fix this and where to find it
I need your help and I’m stuck would be much appreciated it .. I put a new
iac switch still the code comes back when I clear it 

ThatFaceMelter94 says:

Would a gunky intake manifold cause this? I would guess yes. Any way of
cleaning it without taking it out. Maybe with some kind of brush?

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