Idle control valve issue or something else? Engine dying after starting

[EmB]

Morning

I bought my 2001 1.4 Desire about two months ago and it started making a loud whine in first gear after a couple of weeks. It only does it when the engine is cold.


It also sometimes starts, revs really high and then dies. And the revs can be a bit wobbly when it's idling.

So I asked my garage to replace the idle control valve (I am a proper noob at cars - only recently passed - and wanted to do it myself but was baffled by Haynes and the car was going in anyway for new brake pads and discs). They said they took it out, had a look and said it wasn't that dirty so they just cleaned it up and put it back.


The noise is still there, though it's a bit better, but the problem with it dying hasn't gone away. It did it twice yesterday, once when the engine was warm.


A mate says I should replace the valve, because it's obviously faulty.


Does anyone have any experience of this? Am I barking up the wrong tree with the valve and if not, do you think it should be replaced or is that good money after bad (hello motoring )??


Thanks in advance

[aldred309uk]

My 1.1 desire has a wobbly idle, another saxo I've had in the past had a wobbly idle too. I think that's just a saxo quirk. Cars normally cut out because of a lack of air, fuel or spark. I would probably rule out air because that shouldn't just die out for no reason. When I've had coil pack issues on my 1.1 it was misfiring and spluttering, not just dying.

Has the car been sat for any long periods in its lifetime? Does it fire back up happily after the engine cuts out or does it sometimes refuse to restart?

Hopefully we can all get to the bottom of this without you having to spend loads of money!

[aldred309uk]

Is there any warning before the car cuts out? Can you stop it from cutting out by using the accelerator? Does it cut out when idling or when returning to idle?

[EmB]

Thanks so much for replying! Good to know that a wobbly idle is maybe just one of those things.

Originally Posted by aldred309uk

Has the car been sat for any long periods in its lifetime? Does it fire back up happily after the engine cuts out or does it sometimes refuse to restart? !

Yes, it has sat around not being driven quite a lot in its life - has only done 22k, which I thought was a really good thing but it has had rusty brake discs and apparently I need to do a lot of rapid accelerating to clear out the cobwebs - what a shame An old dear had it for a long time and only did about 100 miles a year, then the man I bought it from had had it sitting about for a bit.

It does start up again happily on the second try.

Originally Posted by aldred309uk

Is there any warning before the car cuts out? Can you stop it from cutting out by using the accelerator? Does it cut out when idling or when returning to idle?

It revs really high and makes the whining sound but there's no warning apart from that and I haven't been on my toes enough to try the gas before it dies. It hasn't cut out when idling, no.


It's a bloody brilliant little car and I love it

[aldred309uk]

When I got my 1.1 desire about 5 years ago it was a pretty weak engine. It was on 20 odd thousand miles, like yours. It was only just happy doing 30mph in 4th gear. I now comfortable sit at 30mph in 5th gear at 1500rpm.

If you're looking into learning car maintenance etc then the saxo is an ideal car to learn with. If the rust on the brake discs is much more than surface rust it could be worth looking at replacing the pads and discs in the not so distant future, so long as you can get a grasp on the stalling issue.

My saxo is now on 70k+. I would be thinking about the timing/cam belt. It will probably be original and may want changing soon. I think the timing belt interval on the 1.1 is 70k or 10 years. So the age may make it want changing.

The idle valve may be worth changing, if it isn't too expensive, that is. Throwing money at a problem with part after part gets expensive in the end but the saxo is cheap enough that it doesn't get too crazy too quickly.

I would get the timing belt looked at or changed for my piece of mind then start working the engine harder over time when it's warm. Because mine did so little before me the engine was very tight. I just built up the revs over a couple of weeks, mainly when joining the motorway or going from a 30 into a 60. I would rev to 4000 then 4500, 5000, 5500 then I would try and hit 6000rpm at least once every few days. Keeps the engine clear of cobwebs.

I've waffled on enough, hope it helps. Keep the post going and if you fix it, let us know.

[EmB]

Thanks @aldred309uk, that's all really helpful.

The pads and discs were changed recently and the former owner did the timing belt two years ago, so that's all good.

That kind of acceleration is exactly what I've been advised to do, so thanks for confirming that.

An idle control valve is only £20, so it's just a question of seeing if I can do it myself or get a mate to do it. I hear what you're saying though - can see how this would mount up.

I'll do it at some point and let you know if it helps

[aldred309uk]

If the garage has had it off recently to clean it and you know where the part is, it should come off quite easily. You know it isn't stuck on!

When you start using more and more revs, make sure you're always up to operating temperature first with a little bit of driving too. Then just take the revs higher and higher over a couple of weeks. If you drive it a lot, you can obviously do the process quicker. You should start to notice it will climb hills easier and maintain speed better on motorways and dual carriageways up the hills and can cruise in a higher gear in 30s etc. Enjoy the process!

[EmB]

I've no idea where the part is (next to the inlet manifold if I remember rightly but that's still a mystery!) but I'm sure if I bust out my Haynes manual and buy my friend a drink he will give me a hand.

Thank so much - that is really helpful advice, I appreciate it massively. I've tried to do that thing where you get thanks but I can't figure that out either. Blimey.

[aldred309uk]

I think the thanks button is basically just the like button on Facebook if that's what you meant. Once you get the replacement part in your hand it makes it a lot easier to figure out what you're doing!

[EmB]

Ahhh, thanks