Thread: Engine stalling when cold + declutching

For stalling, the FIRST thing to check is base idle speed. What happens is that a deposit builds up in the throttle body that reduces the amount of air entering the TB at idle -- the way you compensate for this is to adjust base idle (or clean the TB and then adjust base idle speed). Put the ECU in base timing/idle mode and check base idle. Set it to spec.

I'm not not promising that this will solve all the idle issues, just saying that it's not likely that you will be able to fix it if the base idle is too low.

Well, I just checked my injectors and they are neither leaking nor clogged. So the search goes on as to the root cause. Anybody else find anything?

I have been searching the web for other people who have had similar problems. I found a thread on another forum where someone had the exact same issue, but with a Honda engine. Here's what he said he did to fix it:



Link

Problem is, I have no idea what any of that means or if it is applicable to an SR20. Can anybody translate that into how to apply this to our cars?

Edit: Other people have found that a tear/leak in the intake piping can be causing this. I have significantly changed the intake system on my car (JWT pop charger, removal/blockage of resonators) and I wonder if I screwed something up in there when I was fiddling. I'm going to see if I can find a complete stock one locally to swap in to see if this fixes it...

sounds like something you would need tunercode to fix..

As I sat there inspecting the intake tube for little cracks, it dawned on me that it was probably fruitless. So what if there was a crack or two, it isn't exactly a sealed system with that big honking JWT Pop charger sitting there open to the air. Unless someone here tells me otherwise, I'm thinking that's a dead end.

I've got a used TB, IACV, and MAF on the way and I'm going to switch those in one by one to see if they make any difference.

Anyone have any ideas how to turn on the "invert purge valve" or adjust the IACV duty cycle on our cars without tunercode? How likely is this the issue if I've never fiddled with these things before nor replaced/piggybacked the ECU?

I finally got around to taking a few vids of my issue. The first one is me backing up and then pushing in the clutch while rolling backwards, resulting in the stalling of the car. The second one is what happens at idle and then when I rev the engine and the take my foot off the gas. You can see that it idles fine, but coming down from the revs it almost stalls and bounces around before it settles at a decent idle.

ok, this issue is very very identical to a leak in your intake. You guys should spray down your whole system with starting fluid or carb clean, and see if if you've got any leaks. Any kind of leak's effects will taper off after it warms up due to the change in hot air volume, and you'll forget about it. Check the simple stuff first. Working on bikes for years has shown me the funky funky stuff a vacuum leak can cause. Cars are no different. If it still persists, like it was said before you're going to want to bump up your idle to compensate for the cold temps.

Unfortunately, my car will do it whether it is warm or not. Actually, the cold idle boost usually keeps it from stalling when declutching, but upon first start up I sometimes get a wildly fluctuating tach, sweeping between 300rpm and about 2000 rpm.

mmh, tbh yours sounds more sensor related than a leak...but you probably already thought of that

Trust me, I'm a newbie when it comes to many things related to auto repair so the obvious to many would likely be new to me. What sensors would you check? I know my MAF is fine, but that's all I've tested. Oh, I got my carb cleaner today and when it stops raining I'll check everywhere for vac leaks and report back. My car stalled 4 times on a 20 minute drive this evening, so this is not fun for me...