Idle control valve

[John Wilson]

I've just taken out the idle control valve because of occasional idling issues. I know there's other pics of how to do it but I was still unclear so heres some pictures of how I did it.


This is the inlet manifold which you take off first.


It pulls out of the hole at the top in this photo. There are 2 allen head bolts that hold it where the brass holes are. They are number 5 allen heads. The rubber boot now has to come off. The smaller branch of the boot is attached to the idle control valve so thats what you're looking for. In the photo I've taken off the rest of the inlet section with the MAFF. The boot is a bit of a pain to get off depending on where the jubillee clips are located, but I got at them eventually.



This shows where the idle cotrol valve fits into the engine. It's that white hole at the top. It just pulls out from that hole after removing 2 of those allen head bolts and a 10 mm nut.


Theres the idle control valve on top of the engine. The inlet can be seen pointing towards you. There is an outlet opposite it which pushes into that white plastic hole in the engine. You can see there is a bracket on the front which comes off with it. I didnt bother removing this as I wasnt replacing it. The bracket contains the trottle cable holder. The trottle cable is removed just by pulling the adjuster towards you and moving to one side. Dont forget to return it when youve finished.


Theres another one of the valve itself (sorry- a bit blurry). You can see both the inlet and oulet here. Theres other links about cleaning by spraying carb cleaner in, shaking and letting it drain out.
I cleaned the inlet manifold before putting it back as it was a bit gritty.
It was really worth doing the job. I have had idling issues since I bought the car and now the idling is steady as a rock.
Oh I forgot to say, the car is a 2 litre year 2000.

[bertiejaffa]

Hi, saw this thread from the other one recently - can I ask what your idling issues where exactly?

[John Wilson]

Since getting the car, I had an annoying problem after the car had warmed up. The revs would sometimes rise and fall on idleing and then often the engine would cut out. It would happen when driving somewhere and then trying to park somewhere, it would stall. After removing and cleaning out the idle control valve, the problem had completly gone away and the idle is always rock solid.

[bertiejaffa]

Cheers - I had a similar issue with reversing but it was more a case of getting a poor bite point due to sticky throttle - since replacing the cable its been great, however, this looks like a good piece of knowledge to have in future - maybe even a little something extra to add to the service if it is as easy as you say.

[John Wilson]

It's these small things that make such a big difference to the experience of Z ownership. Replacing a sticky throttle cable has such a big effect for such a small outlay and not much trouble to fit. Just curing a niggling little problem like poor idling is the same. You dont realise how irratating it is until its cured. Getting to grips with sensors is another thing. If you are driving and in the back of your mind you are wondering if the ASC light is going to come on and power reduced because of a dirty wheel sensor, it just takes away some of the pleasure. It wouldnt matter so much with an ordinary car thats just for getting from A to B, but the pleasure of the driving experience is a major part of Z ownership.
Other similar things are getting the seat bushes done to stop them moving.gummi pfledging he rubber seal around the roof, sorting out water getting into the boot, fixing the seatbelt guides, etc. Not much else though. Then just sit back and enjoy.

[bertiejaffa]

It's these small things that make such a big difference to the experience of Z ownership. Replacing a sticky throttle cable has such a big effect for such a small outlay and not much trouble to fit. Just curing a niggling little problem like poor idling is the same. You don't realise how irritating it is until its cured. Getting to grips with sensors is another thing. If you are driving and in the back of your mind you are wondering if the ASC light is going to come on and power reduced because of a dirty wheel sensor, it just takes away some of the pleasure. It wouldnt matter so much with an ordinary car thats just for getting from A to B, but the pleasure of the driving experience is a major part of Z ownership.
Other similar things are getting the seat bushes done to stop them moving.gummi pfledging he rubber seal around the roof, sorting out water getting into the boot, fixing the seatbelt guides, etc. Not much else though. Then just sit back and enjoy.

John - I couldn't agree more. Such small issues that are huge when you first experience them. Then you see this forum and learn how to do it and how easy it is and the satisfaction of fixing YOUR car makes the experience of ownership so much more. Like you I have experienced these issues, and in fact I am currently about to clean my ASC sensors again due to the pesky light - like you say, the fact that we read this forum and experience the issues before means that this time I have the knowledge to know the fix and not worry that it is going to cost me ££££s .

[Wookee]

It's these small things that make such a big difference to the experience of Z ownership. Replacing a sticky throttle cable has such a big effect for such a small outlay and not much trouble to fit. Just curing a niggling little problem like poor idling is the same. You don't realise how irritating it is until its cured. Getting to grips with sensors is another thing. If you are driving and in the back of your mind you are wondering if the ASC light is going to come on and power reduced because of a dirty wheel sensor, it just takes away some of the pleasure. It wouldnt matter so much with an ordinary car thats just for getting from A to B, but the pleasure of the driving experience is a major part of Z ownership.
Other similar things are getting the seat bushes done to stop them moving.gummi pfledging he rubber seal around the roof, sorting out water getting into the boot, fixing the seatbelt guides, etc. Not much else though. Then just sit back and enjoy.

John - I couldn't agree more. Such small issues that are huge when you first experience them. Then you see this forum and learn how to do it and how easy it is and the satisfaction of fixing YOUR car makes the experience of ownership so much more. Like you I have experienced these issues, and in fact I am currently about to clean my ASC sensors again due to the pesky light - like you say, the fact that we read this forum and experience the issues before means that this time I have the knowledge to know the fix and not worry that it is going to cost me ££££s .

I too have experienced one or two 'issues' and I might have to admit that I sometimes enjoy fixing the problem more than driving it.....that only lasts until I drive it again obviously . Until I read this I forgot I had to add the sticky throttle cable issue to my to-do list, I had just got used to it and completely forgotten it was a fault.