PCM Diagnostics & Tuning HP Tuners | Holley | Diablo

Why does my car keep dying at idle?

Old Aug 19, 2010 | 07:36 PM
  #1  
Gatsby's Avatar
Thread Starter
12 Second Club
iTrader: (7)
 
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 406
Likes: 1
From: Baltimore, MD
Default Why does my car keep dying at idle?

Hey folks, I just did a torquer V3 install on my 99 A4 ls1. I just got HP tuners to do the tune for it and i'm having great luck so far with everything EXCEPT the idle.

I know I have a lot more playing to keep the rpms from hunting or surging at idle and thats fine. My problem is, when the engine is cold the car starts great (first crank everytime) but will immediately die. I HAVE to give it 5% throttle (1200 rpms ish) for about 2 minutes until it gets warm. THen when I let off the rpms drop to like 400 and MAYBE it'll live, maybe not.

WHen the engine is hot, it starts up really well and only dies sometimes. When I make sharp turns at low speeds or if i come to a stop at a light it'll die usually.

So is this completely tuning? Is it mechanical?

What should I look for? I'm not throwing any DTC's at all and the car runs great otherwise.
Reply
Old Aug 19, 2010 | 07:58 PM
  #2  
BLK02WS6's Avatar
9 Second Club
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 2,583
Likes: 1
From: on the dyno tuning in MD
Default

Have you tuned the fueling with a wideband? You have to get the AFR, timing, and running airflow right for it to idle properly. You will have to open the throttle blade more (and do a TPS reset) as well.
Reply
Old Aug 19, 2010 | 08:07 PM
  #3  
Gatsby's Avatar
Thread Starter
12 Second Club
iTrader: (7)
 
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 406
Likes: 1
From: Baltimore, MD
Default

I don't have a wideband hooked up yet, i was just doing some PT and idle tuning so far.

I already cracked the throttle about 4% and did a TPS learn (HPTuners shows it at 0% so it worked).

DO you think that proper A/F tuning will fix that problem? Should I play with the throttle cracker/delay settings?
Reply
Old Aug 19, 2010 | 09:11 PM
  #4  
MUSTANGBRKR02's Avatar
12 Second Club
iTrader: (91)
 
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 4,599
Likes: 5
From: Maine
Default

Post your tune.
Reply
Old Aug 19, 2010 | 09:25 PM
  #5  
Frost's Avatar
FormerVendor
iTrader: (45)
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,913
Likes: 2
From: Richmond VA
Default

Get the car to full hot idle. Adjust the TB until you get about 50-70ish counts on the IAC (with the TPS reading 0%). After that, do your Park/neutral and in-gear idle airflow logging. You will have to fine tune it later but that will yield the largest improvement. Unless things are way off; your idle should be pretty solid after that. If your MAF/VE are not yet tuned, make sure that you have closed loop enabled. The area beneath it's operation will change once your MAF and VE are tuned, so keep that in mind.
Reply
Old Aug 20, 2010 | 11:54 AM
  #6  
Gatsby's Avatar
Thread Starter
12 Second Club
iTrader: (7)
 
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 406
Likes: 1
From: Baltimore, MD
Default

I read that if I get the IAC counts in line using the TB screw and the TPS voltage is above .6, that's bad. My IAC counts are in line, but I'm at .78v on the TPS voltage (TPS 0% though).

It's getting better, I just started and it started up and alllllmost held idle. On the second start it was great.

This is pretty stupid but how do I know if I'm in OL or CL without forcing it into one or the other? What parameter tells me that?

Thanks for the help for a newbie tuner guys.
Reply
Old Aug 20, 2010 | 12:01 PM
  #7  
Frost's Avatar
FormerVendor
iTrader: (45)
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,913
Likes: 2
From: Richmond VA
Default

Look for moving STFTs (vs sitting at 0) to tell you that you ar ein CL, or add the CL status bit.

Get the car to FULL hot idle before adjusting the TB. Not close, not almost; make it about 200degF. You can reach the top end of the posted range. As long as the TPS resets to 0% without doing that 0-1% flicker, you are good.
Reply
Old Aug 20, 2010 | 02:41 PM
  #8  
edcmat-l1's Avatar
Banned
iTrader: (10)
 
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,782
Likes: 4
From: Va Beach
Default

Most of the time, if your idle airflow is right, and it still wants to stall when hot, it's either too much fuel, or not enough spark, or a combo of both. Tune the fueling first. Set your spark tables up so your idle spark is around 22-24 degrees.
Reply
LS1 Tech Stories

The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time

story-0

Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

 
story-3

Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

 
story-7

10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Five Reasons the Camaro Was the Most Pivotal Player in the Pony Car Wars 2.0

 Brett Foote
story-9

10 Reasons the LS7 Is GM's Most Extreme Naturally Aspirated V8 Engine Ever

 Verdad Gallardo


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:36 PM.

story-0
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:57:02


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-16 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-2
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

Slideshow: Top ten most powerful Chevy trucks ever made

By | 2026-03-25 09:22:26


VIEW MORE
story-3
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

Slideshow: Hennessey has turned the Silverado ZR2 into a 700-hp off-road monster with supercharged V8 power and a limited production run.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-24 18:57:52


VIEW MORE
story-4
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-23 18:53:41


VIEW MORE
story-5
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

Slideshow: A heavily reworked 1972 K5 Blazer swaps its off-road roots for a low-slung street-focused build with modern V8 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-09 18:08:45


VIEW MORE
story-6
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There are thousands of used Camaros on the market but we think you should avoid these 10

By | 2026-02-17 17:09:30


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

Slideshows: Which one of these myths do you believe?

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-28 18:10:11


VIEW MORE
story-8
Five Reasons the Camaro Was the Most Pivotal Player in the Pony Car Wars 2.0

The world was a better place when it was still around.

By Brett Foote | 2026-01-23 09:20:37


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Reasons the LS7 Is GM's Most Extreme Naturally Aspirated V8 Engine Ever

Slideshow: The 7.0-liter LS7 was designed for absolute cutting-edge performance.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-07 18:36:00


VIEW MORE