I guess thats what I should expect listening to something told to me by a parts house employee...
? about the tensioner
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2006
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From: sw Ohio
Thanks for all your input. I'm still not 100% convinced its the tensioner but I wont rule it out as a possibility. If i've exhausted all options in the FSM then I guess i'll just buy a good used one like Midnight did. My idle always seemed to bounce around anyway.
Pro
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 541
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From: Kalama WA
Your belt tensioner will not cause idle hunting- unless the bearing is frozen or something else in your belt train has issues. Idle hunting is due several possibilities- IAC, MAF, etc. If you have an FSM it is a matter of rule outs. Vacuum leaks are the number 1 cause of poor or rough idle and or performance. If you have poor fitting aftermarket intake parts or heads- that would be a good place to look.
Race Director
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From: The Top of Utah
There is no way belt tension can affect the idle. Get real! It didn't cure the idle for Midnight 85. It just gave him a S.O.T.P. improvement. If the spring tension on the idler pulley is weak, an erratic idle, as it surges, could cause the pulley to move up and down. But it is the idle that moves the pulley, not the other way around. And if you can easily move the idler pulley by hand, the spring is weak.
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Le Mans Master
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From: Less Talk, More WOT | Houston TX
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: port charlotte fl
There is no way belt tension can affect the idle. Get real! It didn't cure the idle for Midnight 85. It just gave him a S.O.T.P. improvement. If the spring tension on the idler pulley is weak, an erratic idle, as it surges, could cause the pulley to move up and down. But it is the idle that moves the pulley, not the other way around. And if you can easily move the idler pulley by hand, the spring is weak.
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Drifting
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From: Downriver Mi.
Last edited by MR NICE; Jun 3, 2007 at 11:52 AM.
Drifting
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From: Downriver Mi.
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Thread Starter
Team Owner
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From: sw Ohio
Yes, the car ran great after I put it all back together. I didnt get up on it a lot either. I would love to have a good mechanic work on my car to tell me what the problem is, but that is the my biggest problem of all. I've tried many mechanics and they get progressively worse every time i'm recommended to a new one. The last guy broke a valve cover bolt off IN my head and left it there. I'm afraid to take it a specialty shop because of getting ripped off. Dealership is out of the question.
Team Owner
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From: San Diego , CA Double Yellow DirtBags 1985..Z51..6-speed
Team Owner
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 24,337
Likes: 25
From: San Diego , CA Double Yellow DirtBags 1985..Z51..6-speed
Yes, the car ran great after I put it all back together. I didnt get up on it a lot either. I would love to have a good mechanic work on my car to tell me what the problem is, but that is the my biggest problem of all. I've tried many mechanics and they get progressively worse every time i'm recommended to a new one. The last guy broke a valve cover bolt off IN my head and left it there. I'm afraid to take it a specialty shop because of getting ripped off. Dealership is out of the question.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Phoenix AZ
2021 C4 of the Year - Modified Finalist
tensioner
first, the tensioner should be replaced because the spring is weak.
second, the tensioner possibly could be playing catchup, and jerk the belt, but all that would do is slip on some of the reverse rotation pulleys.
Third, vacuum leaks don't cause surging, but
A. dirty ioc's do,
B. poor connections on the oxygen sensor does,
C. loose connections at the distributor does,
D. Intermitent heavy electrical loads do,
E. dirty fuel socks in the gas tank do, etc.
second, the tensioner possibly could be playing catchup, and jerk the belt, but all that would do is slip on some of the reverse rotation pulleys.
Third, vacuum leaks don't cause surging, but
A. dirty ioc's do,
B. poor connections on the oxygen sensor does,
C. loose connections at the distributor does,
D. Intermitent heavy electrical loads do,
E. dirty fuel socks in the gas tank do, etc.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2006
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From: sw Ohio
OK a little update guys. I decided to test the Ignition Coil and the pickup coil since it seems like a possible cause. Sure enough the coil pack failed the test so I bought a new one. It didnt help though.
with Coupeguy2001 that vacuum leaks will usually cause it to stall out, rather than cause a hunting idle. All my vacuum lines are good as i've probably checked them all at least 5 times by now. He also mentions that a bad connection with the O2 sensor can cause it. This concerns me because the day before it started running like this, the wire was laying on the exhaust pipe and it was smoking. I looked at it and it seems ok, but doesnt mean that it is.
with Coupeguy2001 that vacuum leaks will usually cause it to stall out, rather than cause a hunting idle. All my vacuum lines are good as i've probably checked them all at least 5 times by now. He also mentions that a bad connection with the O2 sensor can cause it. This concerns me because the day before it started running like this, the wire was laying on the exhaust pipe and it was smoking. I looked at it and it seems ok, but doesnt mean that it is.