Engine idle problem on non-turbo sz auto

[Martin F]

Not sure what year your car is but if it's OBD1 then you don't need a computer to read error codes.

Just follow the below:
http://www.mkiv.com/techarticles/eng...bd1_codes.html

You really need the error code to narrow down the fault finding.

[magic]

il hav a look at that , thanks .

isn't the price of fuel great at the moment , im thinking of buying a pushbike

[magic]

i tried the safety pin across e1 and te1 in both the diagnostic points but all that happened is the o/d light flashed continously on the dashboard am i doing something wrong ?. after trying that on numerous occasions i decided to pull the efi fuse . i then tried it , to begin with it wouldnt idle but after a couple of goes it works but sounds awful as it did when i bought it home from the garage on friday. could it be the unleaded fuel when it first happened it was sainsburys unleaded£20 , then the sainsburys super £20 seemed to make it run better and i thought it was cured then i put tesco unleaded £30 and it was when i try to restart the car after id left the petrol station the problem re-occured and worsened?

when i first had the car 8yrs ago i only ever put super in it but then i bought a house 6yrs ago and unleaded became the favourite with occasional superunleaded treats . and then i hit that water and it all went wrong .

[Martin F]

If you've pulled the EFI fuses you may now have erased any codes

Did you connect the link between E1 & TE1 when the ignition was on?

Does your warning triangle in the middle illuminate normally when you start the car?

If you want to eliminate the petrol then i'd just go and fill up at a mainstream petrol station (after checking your bank balance!). But I don't think it will be down to petrol.

[magic]

i connected the e1 and te1 when the ignition was on. The triangle in the middle of the dash has never worked. I didnt pull the efi fuse until the very end after having no success with the code reading. The engine management light has come back on so there still will be a fault code but i understand that the history of when the fault first occured has gone ,d'oh!

Is it worth stripping it and selling the parts lol!

[Martin F]

Originally Posted by magic

The triangle in the middle of the dash has never worked.

This is why you are not able to read the fault codes. I'd make it a high priority to get that working (it's an important light anyway) then you can pull the codes and go from there.

[magic]

ive now got the exclamation mark warning light working , there was no bulb or even bulb holder in there. And for some reason the handbrake one had been removed to, so ive replaced that also.

So now both the warning lights are working ive shorted e1 to te1 or whatever it was , all that happens is the o/d light flashes continously, the exclamationmark stays on and so does the mil light if the fault has occured before it.

Am i definately shorting the right 2points together , the car is a 93 imported sz auto???

[magic]

secondly ive worked out that all i have to do to get the yellow mil light on is to turn the key so the dashboard lights up , leave in this position for about 4mins turn it off and then back on to the same position and the yellow light comes on, im not even starting the engine??

All im wondering is when the first fault occured back in december they bypassed the fuel pump ecu because the volts were cutting out and therefore the car causing it to cut out when driving . And because there is now a continous feed to the fuel pump when u turn the ignition to the point where the lights come on , is this bypass causing a fault in the main ecu. I think il try and put it back as it was originally and see what happens, maybe i need a new ecu ?

[magic]

btw i mean the triangle light now works not the exclamation mark.

With this now working when the car starts ok , this light stays on continously?

[Martin F]

Originally Posted by magic

ive now got the exclamation mark warning light working , there was no bulb or even bulb holder in there. And for some reason the handbrake one had been removed to, so ive replaced that also.

So now both the warning lights are working ive shorted e1 to te1 or whatever it was , all that happens is the o/d light flashes continously, the exclamationmark stays on and so does the mil light if the fault has occured before it.

Am i definately shorting the right 2points together , the car is a 93 imported sz auto???

If both lights are coming on together (where exactly is the handbrake light, as I thought it was just the exclamation light!) then looking at the circuit for these lights it may well be that you either have the car in Park still or low brake fluid.