poor idling at start-up

[ryanthelion]

I'm getting really bad idling for my 914-1.8L. When i turn the ignition, i have to gas the accelerator in order for the engine to not die. The engine must "warm up" like this with my foot slightly on the gas for about 5 minutes until i get a steady idle. This must be done when the car has been parked for a good amount of time (e.g. overnight or during work). The idle is good from then on and the engine does not die while i am driving.

Another problem i've noticed is that as i slow down and am about to come to a stop, i hear a sputtering sound coming from what i think is the exhaust.

One more problem is that when i start from 1st gear and step on the accelerator pedal to go, the car goes really slow at the beginning and all of a sudden (after 5 seconds) the car speeds up and revs really loudly. The acceleration is not smooth primarily in 1st gear.

I'd appreciate all the advice i can get to help solve/troubleshoot these problems. Thanks

[stevedee]

In my case, it was just the dwell and timing.

[pbanders]

Assuming your mechanicals and ignition are in order, rough running at start that requires a lot of "pedal" to keep it going is a sign of either insufficient air bypass and/or lean mixture. Check your aux air regulator, engine temp sensor (1.8 wizards can comment, I'm a D-Jet guy), etc.

[Alfred1]

Here's an L-jet troubleshooting guide.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Testing the AAR, as Brad suggests, is done a little differently on an L-jetronic car than on a D-jetronic car.

Remove the hose that goes from the rubber "intake boot" (the part from the air flow meter to the throttle body) to the AAR. Use your fingers to plug the hole in the intake boot that the hose was plugged into, and to plug the hose. You should feel suction on the hose going to the AAR when the engine is cold. After about 5 minutes of driving, there should be no air getting sucked into this hose. The AAR is not functioning properly if either one or both of those tests fails.

You will have to pull the hose off and plug the holes quickly to avoid stalling the motor, as the mixture will go very lean with two large air leaks like that.

Speaking of air leaks, 1.8s really hate those. Check for them using WD-40 or carb cleaner. Spray at a suspected leaking area while the engine is at idle; if the idle changes then the "stuff" is getting sucked into the engine. There is probably a leak at that spot.

--DD

[ryanthelion]

Thanks for the tips... i'll give it a try when i get a chance over the weekend and post my results.

-Ryan

[bd1308]

also check and see if the OIL FILLER CAP IS ON SECURELY