my car's idling LOW!... could it be my system?

[allyourblood 10+ year member]

i've got a '97 Civic LX, and my system's in my sig... i finally got everything running nicely, at 660wrms total (Profile CA800 & CA440), and just within the last two days i've notice my car is idling really low. it doesn't happen all the time; it's more sporatic -- she usually sits at about 500rpm (i would guess, from looking at the gauge) in Drive, and a bit higher in Park.

now all of a sudden, i get to a red light, and my car's shaking mildly, and i'm just hovering around 100rpm (again, according to my gauge). if i fiddle with something electrical (play with my windows, or locks) for even a second, the rpms come up to a normal level... that is, until i stop again at another light.

could this be related to my sound system? maybe it's my alternator? my alt is only around 65amps, but i'm not throwing that much wattage at it, so i haven't been too concerned, and it's not shown any signs (besides this) of malfunction. i should also add that my headlights and displays do not dim, even with the volume cranked. heck, they don't even dim while my car is idling, so i can't figure it out! anyone heard of this?

abe m.

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[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

If the engine RPM comes up a lot when you shift into park (basically disconnect the xmsn from the engine) you may have a problem with your tranny. When was the last time you had it serviced? The clutch plated could be bad, the fluid might be dirty, the valving might be dicked. I would have that looked at first.

 

[allyourblood 10+ year member]

no, not a lot. just a little higher in Park. i'll look into the tranny... any other thoughts?

abe m.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

The only other thing I would suspect is the engine control unit or one of the sensors hooked to it.

 

[BearND171 10+ year member]

Your idle controler is probibly bad. Has your engin over heated lately cuz sometimes they go bad when it gets to hot. it happened in my old car and the part was like 60 $

 

[allyourblood 10+ year member]

nope, no overheating issues thus far. i just drove again tonite with the wife for about 20-30 minutes, and it didn't occur again. i hate when that happens...

abe m.

 

[ParkRat 10+ year member]

Your O2 sensors going bad may cause this.

 

[Berry47 10+ year member]

You could just mess with the idle speed controller.

 

[wErd 5,000+ posts]

do your rpms drop and rise when you are in one place? if so you might want to check your injectors.

 

[allyourblood 10+ year member]

werd: that's what i was thinkin... it didn't do it today either.. D'oh! (i guess i should be happy, but you all know how i feel)

abe m.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Did it only do it the first time your ran the car after having disconnected the battery to do the install. If so, it is entirely possible that the computer just needed to recalibrate itself and it won't give you problems again.

 

[allyourblood 10+ year member]

helo: no, it did it the first day we worked on my new amp, about 4 times over a 4 hour period. then it happened about 1-3 times a day, the next couple of days. it did it yesterday about 3 times total. then, it didn't do it at all today. i'm hoping that's a good sign. maybe something just needed to "settle" or somethin'. i appreciate your concern, very much, gang!

abe m.

 

[InhumanAcura 5,000+ posts]

Do you have any wires tie wrapped to components under the hood?

Most likely whats wrong with it is you have something limiting your throttle linkage. or you ICS idle control sensor is going bad somethimes hondas will get mess up in the throttle bodies "confusing" your ecu. I would make sure everything is clear of the linkage, its happened in my legend a few times. just comes and goes.

Do not start messing with any of the screws around your throttle body or your going to be paying the dealer to work on it. Messing with the air/fuel is very bad if you dont know what your doing.

I would bet somethings on the throttle linkage, just check under the hood when its doing it. mess with the return spring on the throttle bodie (dont take anything apart)

 

[InhumanAcura 5,000+ posts]

helo: no, it did it the first day we worked on my new amp, about 4 times over a 4 hour period. then it happened about 1-3 times a day, the next couple of days. it did it yesterday about 3 times total. then, it didn't do it at all today. i'm hoping that's a good sign. maybe something just needed to "settle" or somethin'. i appreciate your concern, very much, gang!
abe m.

9 times out of 10 things dont go away they get worse. And, turning the radio up as my girlfriend likes to do also solves nothing. Getting things fixed as they appear is more cost effective than waiting. You car running at 100 rpms is not good, the stock oil pump is fighting to put pressure out to the top end while the top end is starved for oil, despite what anyone says oil is the life blood of your motor (the most important thing). When your at 100 rpms that clanking noise is metal on metal, not good. Look and see if somethings on the cable.......

 

[allyourblood 10+ year member]

i've checked it more than once. thanks though, inhuman. i know stuff generally gets worse, and doesn't magically go away; that was just a bout of wishful thinking. i won't put off a repair ever, but if i don't know the cause, i can't come up with a solution. so i'm just driving, and using trial and error until i can pinpoint the problem. that's why i hit you guys up for advice: to gather ideas, and try them out.

abe m.