Cold idle

[dougster]

Since last year, a while after I installed the cruise control (not immediately), the idle after I start the bike has not been good. It is consistent, for the most part, but too slow. It was not like that before. Now, I always have to pull the "choke" out for awhile to keep it running at idle. After awhile (10 miles or so?) I can push it back in, and the idle is just fine.

On my last long trip, I got good mileage of around 40 mpg.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

[schoeney]

Dougster. I would clean the throttle bodies (see gadget's site for instructions....very easy. 5 min job). I do this at every oil change. Makes idle smoother.

Good luck.

[ringadingh]

That sounds like what it needs.

[macmac]

Is this a real cruise with engine vacuum vac working it? If so I would be checking ALL vac lines and pods.

[dougster]

Thanks for the input. Cleaning the throttle body is the first thing I intend to do. Also running a batch of seafoam through the gas.

Mac, Yes it is that Audiovox CCS-100 we were all buying last year. Checking the vacuum lines was what I also plan to do. But, it idled fine after I installed it. And, it idles fine when it is warmed up. So, would a vacuum leak behave like that?

[macmac]

It could act just like that. Cold rubber tubings is expanded more than it is warm. Rubber is more like water that way. Cold rubber is looser. Many vac leaks are there just cold and as things warm up appear to go away. Till next time.

[dougster]

Then I will definitely check the vac lines. What is your method for checking them? I know you have said before, but I am not remembering what you said. Sorry. ::)

[missilemech]

I had the same problem and I adjusted the idle up a bit (knob located under the right air cleaner cover) and I don't even need the choke anymore and it cranks right up. :)

[dougster]

I will adjust it up if I have to. But first, I would like to make sure it is not something that needs to be corrected. Especially since the idle when it is warmed up is just right.

I ran a batch of seafoam through it, and that seemed to help. But I plan on checking the vacuum, and cleaning the butterflies.

[ringadingh]

Originally Posted by MissileMech

I had the same problem and I adjusted the idle up a bit (knob located under the right air cleaner cover) and I don't even need the choke anymore and it cranks right up. :)

Usually thats only a temporary fix, after you give the throttle body a good scrubbing with carb cleaner you will notice that you will have to turn the idle back, as it will be revving far to high.
And it improves your fuel mileage considerably as well.

[macmac]

Cleaning the TBb fer sure could help in general over all, but it won;t fix a bad vac line tubing, bad capped off port, or a leaking vac pod "IF" there is one.

The best method is to use a hand operated vac pump, which looks like pliers with a gauge where the jaws should be.

The next best method is by mouth, no joke. And of course visually.

Visually tubings can be seen as swollen, cracked, overly brittle, especially neat heat sources, and can become slightly loose, so will leak air untill maybe they are warmed up.

Once the tubbing get worse they tend to leak air all the time.

The way i do this is find a tubing that goes to a vac pod, and draw hard on it by mouth, and then when I have block the tubing off with my toung. If the tubing lets me go either the tubbing is bad or the vac pod is.

Then I swap the tubbing end for end and do that same thing again to test the other end of the tubing.

There is a 50/50 chance the swap will prove the vac pod is bad if this method leaks again.

To be sure i get new tubing at that point from a NAPA car parts store. (usually I have some in different sizes hangin' around, not yet used)

On any system you must locate all the vac pods.

The stock bike has just one. I have no idea how the cruise is set up, I just know that if it is a real cruis it must have a vacuum resevoir somewhere, and a few other vac pods to hold throttle. More or less a scaled down version a car would have.

The vac pods are all suspect as is the vac res itself, and all the tubings on the system.

[dougster]

Well, the idle seems to be fixed. I ran two tanks of Sea Foam through the bike, and I cleaned the throttle bodies, and put in new spark plugs. It now runs as it should. Oh, Mac, I also checked the vacuum, and it seems to be fine.

[macmac]

Well that otter be a lesson in how important a clean T body is.

[cactusjack]

I give my throttle body a good cleaning every time I change my oil. The techs at my dealership didn't even know about this. I took my bike in for an oil change and the tech mentioned to me that the idle was too low and he bumped it up a bit. A few days later, I read a post here about cleaning the throttle body, so I tried it. Afterwards, my bike must have been idling at about 1200 RPM. It really does make a difference.

[dan55128]

Thanks for the great info in your posts. I'll be cleaning my Nomad's throttle bodies in the very near future.