[yamin]

Greetings

My wife has a 2000 ZX3, 140K, CAI. It has had new plugs, wires, at 100K.

This winter, when you start it, it barely runs. If you hold the gas pedal down a bit, it will run but when you realease the pedal it will idle at only around 4-500 rpm. Then, it will suddenly kick in and go to a high idle. The rest of the day is fine. We have sprayed the plug wires for moisture (although it happens when cold and clear also), checked for loose wires, etc. It feels as though a cylinder is not running and then kicks in. The plugs all check out ok.

Any ideas?

Thanks, Peter

[Flofocus]

When is the last time you changed/cleaned your air filter on the CAI?

[PerfectSaiyan]

long tubed CAI?

if so your bottom end gets raped, I sometimes have that problem and I attribute it to the car not receiving enough air during idle with the lag time it has to wait for fresh air from a long-tube CAI.

remember when you add a long-tubed CAI, it lengthens the time it takes for the air to get to the motor than a short ram, the distance is greater and the car is not used to it.

but if you have a short-ram, ignore the top. Really if your car is having a rough idle at a cold start, then runs fine when warmed up, sit there and warm it up for a bit! When I am warming up mine I let it sit for 15 seconds, back out of my driveway, start driving, but keep the car at 2,000RPM in 2nd gear until the end of my street (semi-long) and then its warmed up without having to sit and wait in the freezing cold.

but others warming strategies are different...

I had this feeling HARDCORE one day where it starting bucking and finally stalled out, then I turn the car back on and it runs like a champ..


must just be FORD syndrome.

[nass]

in a long tube header when the pipe is pressurized there is no lag in getting air into the TB. It's always sucking in air so that thoery only works for the first second or so. I would say it could be the IAC or the intake temp sensor cause it works better once the car is warmed up.

[PerfectSaiyan]

nass,Jan 10 2006, 03:23 AM Wrote:in a long tube header when the pipe is pressurized there is no lag in getting air into the TB. It's always sucking in air so that thoery only works for the first second or so. I would say it could be the IAC or the intake temp sensor cause it works better once the car is warmed up.
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well enough, I wasnt exatcly sure, I might be thinking about the difference bewteen long-tubed and short in a SC.

but what you said would attribute to why whenever I launch into first normal driving my engine lags a bit like I never give it enough gas, for the first second or so.

[meford4u]

take a look with a flashlight down at the plugs and see if there is any water, yes water, around the plug.

If you clean your engine bay or have in the past, the moisture could be affecting your plugs.

[nass]

PerfectSaiyan,Jan 10 2006, 03:27 AM Wrote:

nass,Jan 10 2006, 03:23 AM Wrote:in a long tube header when the pipe is pressurized there is no lag in getting air into the TB. It's always sucking in air so that thoery only works for the first second or so. I would say it could be the IAC or the intake temp sensor cause it works better once the car is warmed up.
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well enough, I wasnt exatcly sure, I might be thinking about the difference bewteen long-tubed and short in a SC.

but what you said would attribute to why whenever I launch into first normal driving my engine lags a bit like I never give it enough gas, for the first second or so.
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dood it's just your Zetec kicking in....

[PerfectSaiyan]

Quote:dood it's just your Zetec kicking in....
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BRAHH......ZTEC......BRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.....NOSSSSS......................

ever seen that video? it was classic. but it was actually about a VTEC RSX-S..


bah cant remember the URL but if someone remembers post it here, ill describe it:

2 guys go off in a old beat up Z and pretend they drive a 'high-po' car and drive around calling everyones cars 'SICK' when they are rice powered honda machines or DEATH..

anyone?

[Drivesthebeast]

I have an AEM CAI...it's a long tube, and I agree with the others, it suffers only for a breif moment when at low engine speed or with only partial throttle... Don't forget, it was designed to draw a higher volume of outside air at higher RPM or speeds...Also, the comment about the plugs is a good one to consider too. One more thing...check the connections and wires of your MAF in the intake tube...some people have had MAJOR issues just from a wire or two being loose or broken..

[yamin]

Thanks for the info. FYI - she has a short tube CAI. It only happens when very cold and if plugged in, then starts and runs fine. No CEL, loose wires, water in plugs, etc. so I guess we will live with it until something more shows up. Other than this issue, she loves the car.

[Hockeyman]

yamin,Jan 18 2006, 12:36 AM Wrote:Thanks for the info. FYI - she has a short tube CAI. It only happens when very cold and if plugged in, then starts and runs fine. No CEL, loose wires, water in plugs, etc. so I guess we will live with it until something more shows up. Other than this issue, she loves the car.
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I had a similar issue with my spi wagon... what happend to me is there was so much moisture in the factory muffler that it actually froze and caused the engine to die. Ford's fix was a newer style muffler. Supposedly the baffles in the muffler were built backwards. So you might want to look in to that.

[ANTHONYD]

Put a tank of decent gas in the next time you're oout and add some injector cleaner additive or cold start additive.

It just may be gunk build up.