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Seafoam/tuneup question...


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..so I FINALLY find Seafoam... after MONTHS of searching for it :banana:

 

I searched, but didnt really find any good information :confused: A couple things that sorta make me NOT want to use it :-\

 

But, how would I use this stuff exactly??? I have a crappy LOW idle... maybe Seafoam will clear it up? Ahhh I'm so sick of the low idle and sputtering...

 

So far I've changed:

 

Air filter

Fuel filter

PCV valve

cleaned MAF, replaced and adjusted TPS, cleaned IAC

NGK plugs gapped to 0.041

Borg Warner wires

disty cap and rotor

ran STP fuel treatment the last few tanks

 

NO CEL anymore... D-check only throws a VSS code... speedo cable's clicking though :rolleyes: probably needs some grease, maybe I'll have to replace it... :-\

 

I'm also going to change the oil and coolant. My radiator is turning GREEN in the corner and the fins are caving in! :eek: I've gotta pony up the $90 or so for that eventually, right now the car's not being driven THAT far..so I'm not extremely worried about it.

 

Is there anything else other than the Seafoam I should do... while I finally have a good day to work on the car? :burnout:

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I seafoamed the car. It smoked like a bat outta hell. Pretty cool!

 

Ran decent for maybe 10 minutes, then threw a CEL.

 

TPS, again :banghead::banghead: Now D-Check turns up VSS AND TPS codes.

 

Idles high when warm in Park. About 1500 RPM. Kicks down if I pump the brake pedal.

 

Turn the A/C on, the little thingie on the compressor (the clutch?) does NOT move at all. It used to blow freezing cold, not no more. Turning the air on sometimes drops the idle.

 

The secondary fan is on no matter what, A/C or not. Cold or warm. Hell, the car doesnt even have to be running, and the fan is on.

 

It passed emissions... the "emissions" part at least... just failed the idle speed test.. :-\

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  • 2 weeks later...

It passed the smog check. I left the TPS's bottom screw off, and I loosened the top one, moved the TPS around until it idled. I removed the CEL bulb. (Not that they knew that) Went into the smog place, passed.

 

Right after, it started messing up again. Maybe 3 blocks after getting my smog paper, idled at 1500 in neutral. Oh well.

 

I cracked open my TPS... there's little "feet" on the "volume dial".. and where those feet sit on the board at idle... well the board is all scratched up... probably why the problem is intermittant... sometimes it gets a connection, sometimes it doesnt. Either way, I have to get another good TPS, and the car should be fine...

 

Still cant figure out why pumping the brake pedal messes with the idle... also the A/C... cant figure that out either.

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Pumping the brake creates a mock vacuum leak. The power booster uses engine vacuum to create the boost. The A/C has a solonoid on the throttle that opens it up , and bumps up the idle when the AC is on. It does that so the engine has a touch more power to turn the AC compressor, and that more coolant and air is flowing to keep everything cool.

TPS first, then check for vacuum leaks.

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As for the brakes, the booster should only use a very very small amount of vacuum and shouldn't affect idle perceptibly. If the brakes are making a big difference in how the engine runs, your booster diaphram (the rubber cone that holds the vacuum in) may have a tear in it, creating a vacuum leak when you use the brakes.

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