Idle Control Valve fix..sort of

So I have been having intermittent erratic and dipping revs over the past few months. The 348 had even started dying at stops. I have tried all sorts of things to remedy this issue, like fuel pressure regulators, check fuel pressure, checked electrical etc. I then got to the idle control motors and valves. I checked with a meter to see if the plugs were getting power to activate the motors and that showed all fine. So I concluded the valves or the motors must be shot, checked motors with meter and they were good. I looked into the casting of each tube inlet and outlet and saw a ton of soot and dirt had built up over the years and I wondered if these things were cleanable and not just a replacement part. I ended up going online and finding that these ICV's are almost identical to units used on different BMW models and should be cleanable. I figured I would have to replace them if my experiment didn't work so I gave it a shot. I sprayed MAF cleaner heavily into the openings for the inlet and outlets a few times until I finally saw the fluid come out clear and I could see the valve mechanism inside was clean. The amount of dirt build-up over the years is what starts to make the valves fail.

I plugged both of the units back in and made sure the inlet and outlet hoses were clean and had no holes or rips. The fix worked like a charm! Dead steady idle, no dip in the rpms at lights and the car feels a bit more "freed-up". I highly recommend trying to clean these things before replacing them as they can be very expensive. Welp, that's it. Hope this helps somebody someday.

--Mike

 

THANK YOU!!!! WORKED FOR ME TOO!!! Even my tech hasn't been able to diagnose this.

 

I am so glad this post helped someone. With these cars getting older any little bit of info helps. I am glad to be part of the brotherhood.

--Mike

 

Thanks for the input Mike! I am sure at one point or another, this is going to help all of us in The Brotherhood.

 

Mike, can you take a pic or show me on a parts diagram where the idle control valve is located?
I have a 355 so it might not be the same as yours, I'm just curious to see what this part is.

Glad it worked for you cause there is nothing worse than paying huge ferrari taxes on parts.

 

I looked around for a picture for you but could not find one. If I have a chance I will take one and post it. The part numbers for the 348 are listed below:

Ferrari 142432
Bosch 0280140505

--Mike

 

Is this what you are talking about? I had the same problem about 2 years ago about a month after my purchase. I dipped the tube side in gas, then poured gas through it, then used compressed air to clean it. Reinstalled it, and the next day gave it a crank and idle issues went away.


~

Mario
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I think I'm gonna clean mine this weekend

 

Mike, nice job.

 

Just cleaned mine out today.

 

Doing mine tomorrow It's been on my to do list for a while.

 

I have been having that dip issue on my Mondial T, I had wondered about that Idle control valve.

So what side to I pour the cleaner in.....

I had sourced the part as the same on a KIA....yes I know... But it is. It's still is a pricey item and if it could be cleaned out that is great. So just to make sure all I do is take it apart and pour cleaner/gas into it.

Lino

 

Lino, Could you give us the KIA part number or reference for it? Maybe list it in the sticky part thread. Thats good info.

 

here is what my car does,


http://youtu.be/IU9XGpvuLd0

 

Here is what I matched. Can anyone confirm if this a match?

By the way i can not locate my idle air control valve. I don't see it?

 

Thanks for sharing!

Very helpful, simple and cheap, just how I like.

I will clean mine too, but what side did you put the MAF cleaner?

 

......since the car has been "garaged" for the winter this is something I have to look into.

One Q though........what is MAF cleaner........MAF I know......but the cleaner for MAF´s.......what is that???

//B//

 

You can spray the cleaner into either opening. The ports are big enough that you can look in and see the parts you are cleaning, so its a fairly straight forward job.

--Mike

 

MAF (Mass Air Flow) Cleaner. Example:

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/CRC-Mass-air-flow-sensor-cleaner/_/N-255s?itemIdentifier=36011

--Mike

 

The gold connector kit from Dave Helms (Scuderia Rampante) is something to consider.. Creates a solid foundation for the engine bay harness.. Its a must..

R

 

.....did not even know it existed........but now I know.....Thanks

//B//

 

Cleaned mine tonight --- still have a little rattle so that wasn't it.
BUT, and maybe it's just placebo effect... she seems a little quicker / smoother on throttle.

However, tonight was the first stumble at a light I've had but I think that is due to the fuel regulators which someone suggested replacing due to my more frequent warm start issues.

But this was an easy clean.

Thanks.

David

 

Did you forget to put the KIA part in the post?

 

Hello,
Coming to see the subject, I wondered,
What product do you use to do the cleaning?
Thanks to you for all these very enriching post post.