Idle problem

[sliseno]

I just bought a 2001 pt non turbo with about 84000 miles. Replaced plugs,wires pcv valve and hose,tps, iac valve and changed the oil and filter w/mobil1 5/30. Every now and then the idle will go from about 850 or so and rev to 1500-2000 rpm. Doesnt do it all the time, mosly after driving for a while. Im stumped. Took off throttle body and did major cleaning. Any ideas? Not throwing any codes. Its a 5 speed and also bucks a little going down the road. Possible vacuum leak? Any help would be great. I am going to be driving from FL. to MN. in about 2 weeks and want to make sure it will make it. Thanks.

[Hooligan]

sliseno, welcome to the Forum!!

You said you changed plugs, first question would be did you gap them at 0.40 instead of 0.50 as it is on the sticker on the hood. Chrysler changed the specs. in 2003 or 2004 to the 0.40 spec.

Secondly, it may be time to change the timing belt as it may have stretched some and that sometimes will cause the engine to surge.

Where are you located?

[sliseno]

Yes, I gapped them at .40 like I found here at the forum. The dealer did a diagnostic and said it was the tps, thats why I replaced it but didnt help. Im in Deltona FL.,about midway between Orlando and Daytona. How big a job would it be to replace a timing belt on these things? Or how expensive.

[Travis2k7]

Originally Posted by sliseno

How big a job would it be to replace a timing belt on these things? Or how expensive.

Unfortunately it's one of those PITA jobs that doesn't come cheap.

Ballpark figure would be $1000 due to the labor... seen some people say they got it for $800 others have said $1200.

Best to change water pump,serpentine belt, etc at the same time being that they are all in the same area. If you don't and one of them goes out you'll be facing the labor charges all over again.

Not looking forward to having to do mine in another 30-40k miles.

[CREWZIN]

You mentioned a vacuum leak and you might be right. This is from PT Do-It-Yourself.net

An EGR that's not sealed will yield a huge vacuum leak that will result in a high and erratic idle. The EGR is a hole directly into the intake manifold. It must be fastened correctly.

So check the hose from the manifold to the air intake and make sure the EGR tube in the back of the manifold is on right and tight. There's two different nuts (8mm and 10mm) that have to be tightened down just right or the tube won't fit right and could cause a leak.

[sliseno]

Originally Posted by CREWZIN

You mentioned a vacuum leak and you might be right. This is from PT Do-It-Yourself.net

An EGR that's not sealed will yield a huge vacuum leak that will result in a high and erratic idle. The EGR is a hole directly into the intake manifold. It must be fastened correctly.

So check the hose from the manifold to the air intake and make sure the EGR tube in the back of the manifold is on right and tight. There's two different nuts (8mm and 10mm) that have to be tightened down just right or the tube won't fit right and could cause a leak.

Ill def. check that first.I did remove that when I changed the plugs and wires so there is a very good chance I didnt get it back on right. Quote from dealer for timing belt,water pump etc. was $1200. OUCH! Is the car worth it?

[geronimo]

you can only answer if it's worth it for yourself. Personally, I would say yes. For $1,200, suppose you get another 89k with that belt and pump. That's $0.013 per mile, not much when you put it in those terms.

The car isn't very mechanic friendly. Replacing the belt and the water pump is a tedious task, but it can be done if you'd like to do it yourself to save some money. I've done the belts and pulley myself and I'm by no means a certified mechanic.

[sliseno]

Im pretty good when it comes to fixing cars, ive done a ton of work on my jeep, but im a little nervous about this because its so tight, and the car was from canada and there are some rusty bolts under the hood. I would do it myself if I had someone with experience on these things to help me. I know the car is worth it, that why I bought it. Ive always wanted one, I just wasnt expecting the wrenching so soon.

[Carl48]

Take another look at the EGR valve and make sure it has no carbon build up that is causing the plunger not to move freely...it doesn't take much to stop things up. Clean all the carbon out of the EGR valve with WD40 or something similar and reinstall carefully as mentioned.