has anyone ever cleaned your Auxiliary Air Valve?

Mike Kast · Mike Kast's Garage

I have reason to believe mine is stuck. This is from this CIS site.

http://www.auto-solve.com/mech_inj.htm

This item is a device to aid the engine when cold by opening a small port to increase the engine's idle speed. The fast idle control is achieved by the port being held open by a bi-metalic strip that when heated by it's own heater element, or via natural heat soak from the engine, the port closes. The voltage supply to the air valve is the same as the feed to the fuel pump and the warm-up-regulator. If it is found that the idle speed will not reduce and that the speed is maintained artificially high when warm, clamp the rubber pipe between the air valve and the inlet manifold. If this action causes the engine rev's to return to normal, the fault is within a sticking auxiliary air valve.
It is worth cleaning the valve, lubricating it and re-test it's operation. The internal heater element can also be checked for continuity using a multimeter.

It is riveted together. I was thinking of drilling out the rivets and using nuts and bolt to reassemble. I was going through receipts and it appears to be the original that has lived in the car for 230,000 miles.
Thank you

jeff m · 12-28-2003, 12:22 PM

I cleaned one (not on a 911, but it was a bosch on a CIS) I removed it, hit it carb cleaner, hit it with carb cleaner again and again. gave it a little help with dental pick and it began to move. Held it over the gas and it started to close. Let it cool down to make sure it was operating ok.
Jeff

Mike Kast · Mike Kast's Garage

thanks Jeff, you didn't open it up?

jeff m · 12:40 PM

Mike,
My AAV if cold can be checked by taking off the two hoses flashlight one side and with help of a mirror etc etc, but I took it off, either to change it or clean it. I just filled it with carb cleaner and shook it, poked it, but did not dissassemble.
If mine hadn't worked consistantly it would not have gone back on the car. That was over a year ago,
Jeff

anh911 · 12-28-2003, 12:50 PM

I've both cleaned them and taken them apart. It's not really necessary to take it apart though, just hit it with brake clean and let it dry out well before using. You can tell for sure if it's working by looking through with the hoses off cold/hot and comparing. You'll see the difference if it's working (small opening hot, large when cold) It's never wide open though, so don't expect to see that.

Mike Kast · Mike Kast's Garage

sounds like a plan. I'm heating it up to see if it closes. It is out of the car. I'm not sure how I could have looked inside of it with it in. It's a tight spot. Anyway, I'll give it a shot. I'm pretty sure it is stuck half open. But the valve does move. So maybe it is electrical. It is stone cold but only half open, the same spot it was in when it was warm. I will report back.
Thanks

Bill Douglas · 12-28-2003, 01:00 PM

I drilled the rivets out and pulled it apart. It had some oily gritty stuff in it, so I cleaned it out and re oiled it. To put it back together I just bolted it up and it works well now. Like the guys said test it by looking through it when cold and after a current has run through it for a minute or two.