Really high idle speed problem?????

cadillacdon

Registered User
Went to gas up the Bird and on the way home the engine started racing. Iwas only a couple of blocks from home. When I pulled up in the drive and put the car in neutral the engine would on idle between 2000 and 3000 rpms. I let it cool off and tried again and it still idles in the 2000 and 3000 rpms. Can anyone offer suggestions as to where to start to fix this idle problem??
 
Could be a bad IAC. You could always try unplugging it and making sure the connection is clean, plug it back in and see if it helps. Or it may have just gone bad.
 
Does not appear to be a sticking throttle pedal or cable. What is an IAC??? I notice that you guys use a lot of abreviations to identify a lot of parts, but I am from the old school (65 years young) before all the elec. componets. And, by the way, thanks for the quick responses.

Don D.
 
The IAC is the Idle Air Controller, I think that's what the acronym stands for. It's the bigger of the 2 black plastic things on the throttle body (it has a connector with 2 wires that plugs straight down into it). That's the connector you might want to remove and check to make sure it's clean.

The computer can control the idle speed by how much power it sends to the IAC. The IAC is just a little solenoid valve that can bypass air around the throttle blade. I think if the IAC has no power being sent to it, it's wide open, which would raise the idle to around what you speak of.
 
that stands for idle air control.it's the front unit on the side of your throttle body with the electrical connection.the one further back is the throttle position sensor.
 
Hey. I had this exact problem with my old '94. Throttle wasn't stuck at all either, though it was my first guess. I'd start the car and instantly it would take off to 3,500 rpms and hold there. Had to drive the thing through town to get to the highway to drive 70 miles to my preferred shop at the time. Was having to neutral drop at every stoplight to stop from frying my brakes and drivetrain. Painful.

I think these guys are right about the IAC. My memory is a little fuzzy 'cause this was a couple years back. But, if that doesn't work, you could check out your voltage sensors. I know the same shop replaced that as well, but I think it was later when I was having issues with my brake pedal going solid on me. In winter at that! Turns out it was a simple vacuum manifold. I haven't been back to that shop since.

But yeah, I feel the hurt...
 
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