Erratic idling / stalling

[miniad]

I've got a '92 Cooper SPI and its causing me some right grief at the moment. Sometimes the car will idle at 1500 rpm after a blip of the throtlle it will fall right down to 500, try to pick itself back up and then stall. 9 times out of ten it stalls rather than sticking at 1500 Rpm. I've just givent it a service to try and cure it (plugs, leads, dizzy cap + rotor, air filter, fuel filter, oil filter) But its stil doing it. Also put some injector cleaner in but still no joy. Im starting to think that its a sensor problem now - telling ECU duff info. Its running incredibly rich - with black smoke and usual popping + farting coming from the exhaust. Does anybody have any ideas on what could be wrong??

[phil hill]

Could this be another idle-air control valve problem ?? There is a valve mounted on the bottom of the inlet manifold which controls the idle speed on the engine. The valve often gets stuck, gummed up with stuff, the hoses split, the motor fails etc. This could be causing you problems, it's a pretty common fault on injected Coopers.

Also it might be worth checking the Lambda probe is still connected and fucntional, but my guess is idle air control valve.

[miniad]

Thanks phil - someone else has just suggested this to me elsewhere. I'll have a check tonght and see if i can sort it,

[jeffriesmullet]

i had this pronlem with my 98 mpi take off the idler air control valve and clean with carb cleaner and all will be right with the world

[miniad]

Hi all!!

Just been looking for the idle control valve, but as its an SPI it doesnt have one!! apparently they only appear on MPI.

Ive been trying to test the vacum pipe that runs from the ecu to the inlet manifold to see if its leaking. Its fine from the ECU to the fuel vapour trap - but the little 3 inch piece from the trap to the inlet manifold has one of the ends missing (one to the manifold). Ive been hunting around for the connection to the Inlet manifold , but i cant find it for the life of me. Can anybody post a pic or give a resonable description of where this little piece connects to the manifold?

Cheers.

[miniman]

Not sure this is from MPI or SPI, but it might be of some use:

[jeffriesmullet]

thats an mpi set up

[phil hill]

Ahhhh, so the MPI has an IACV and the SPI doesn't !! OK, I stand corrected.

I can't help on the location of the vac pipe either, but it sounds a likely candidate for poor running. Seem to remember someone else commenting about this now I come to think of it.

Good Luck !!

[Cooperman]

I'm glad my Minis both have carbs!

[miniad]

Thanks for the help chaps!!!

Just sorted it with 2 new 'L' pieces and a piece of vacc hose.

Ticks over like a dream now!