The Official Fast Idle Control Device (FICD) thread

[exister99]

So here is the premise.

 

I went to the junkyard and pulled a carb that looked exactly like the one in my '84 GL wagon. Rebuilt it and swapped it in.

 

After setting the idle and all that it runs good once warm. Gas mileage is great and I passed emissions like a champ.

 

The only issues I have are the following: The car idles really low in the morning cold and when I turn on the A/C the rpms go down instead of up like they should. I located the FICD Actuator. It has a rod that gets sucked in when the AC is on. This rod is supposed to hook on to an arm that stick out of the throtle linkage and increase the idle speed when the AC is on. The problem is that when the AC is off the contact portion of this FICD rod is about 1/4 inch away from the throttle lever. Then when I turn the AC on the contact portion of the rod moves and touches the throttle lever but doesn't actually move it.

 

So, a couple of questions to toss out there:

 

Is the FICD responsible for increasing the idle speed during a cold start as well as during AC operation?

 

Why isn't my FICD actuator pulling on my throttle lever? Do I need to adjust the position of the throttle lever? Wrong carb model perhaps? Do I need to tweak the FICD Actuator?

 

Any input is appreciated.

 

Sincerely, Runnin' lean and mean in Idaho