280 - high revs when warm

280 - high revs when warm

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440Interceptor

Original Poster:

636 posts

161 months

Saturday 28th July 2018
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Hi guys, the car has started idling at 12-1400 rpm when it warms up. Where should I look first? Air leak in intake?

Thanks.

mrzigazaga

18,623 posts

179 months

Saturday 28th July 2018
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Hi matey


Yep check for air leaks in intake hose and the rubber cap for any cracks...also check the auxiliary air device..it may be stuck open when warm...

RCK974X

2,521 posts

163 months

Saturday 28th July 2018
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Also, remember the aux. air valve is ELECTRICALLY HEATED, so it could be a dodgy connection in the plug too, or a wiring fault..
WD40 and a clean of both ends normally helps.
check - when engine is running, there should be 12 volts across those plug terminals.

madformotors

125 posts

96 months

Saturday 28th July 2018
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Hi, you could also check the vacuum pipes to distributor and warm up regulator, I had your symptoms when a pipe came off at the WUR end.
Ian

440Interceptor

Original Poster:

636 posts

161 months

Saturday 25th August 2018
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Sorry it's taken so long to get back to this, finally got back to it yesterday. Thanks for the suggestions, I've worked through them.

Engine still idles at 14/1500 rpm when warm.

I've checked for air leaks, none found. If I squeeze the hose from the AAD to the throttle body to reduce airflow, the revs come down to normal. That shouldn't happen if the engine is warm.

I couldn't get any voltage reading from the plug contacts but I switched it with the power supply for the engine temp sender unit and temp gauge still shows a reading so I think I have power to those plugs.

Then I took the AAD off the engine and stood it in some hot water. The bimetal strip works and the aperture closes, however, it won't close on the car. Took the car for a drive, then idled it for 10 minutes. Revs didn't budge from 1500. Turned off the car and removed the AAD hoses and looked through it, still fully open.

Wondering if the heating coil in the AAD could be faulty. Might it need the coil and engine heat to close? Do we know at what temp it closes?

madformotors

125 posts

96 months

Saturday 25th August 2018
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Hi, looking at RCK974X's excellent guide as to how CIS works, I see that he says of the AAD " It's mostly electrically heated, but some are bolted to block
(Wedge one isn't really warmed by engine much)."

If you suspect the heating element has failed, perhaps you could check this by putting a 12v feed to the AAD and see if this causes the shutter to close?
Ian

440Interceptor

Original Poster:

636 posts

161 months

Sunday 26th August 2018
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Yep thanks, sounds like a plan. Will find local auto electrician and get them to test it. Looks like finding a new one could be interesting..

mrzigazaga

18,623 posts

179 months

Sunday 26th August 2018
quotequote all
440Interceptor said:
Yep thanks, sounds like a plan. Will find local auto electrician and get them to test it. Looks like finding a new one could be interesting..
I might have one in my box of 280i bits....Ill have a look and get back to you...If I can I will have a looksie today...smile

madformotors

125 posts

96 months

Sunday 26th August 2018
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mrzigazaga said:
I might have one in my box of 280i bits....Ill have a look and get back to you...If I can I will have a looksie today...smile
And if there should be some red wheel nuts in there....hehe
Ian

mrzigazaga

18,623 posts

179 months

Sunday 26th August 2018
quotequote all
madformotors said:
mrzigazaga said:
I might have one in my box of 280i bits....Ill have a look and get back to you...If I can I will have a looksie today...smile
And if there should be some red wheel nuts in there....hehe
Ian
biggrin...I still cant find them....I have a feeling I may of put them in the BBWF raffle...However if I do find them....they are yours..smile

madformotors

125 posts

96 months

Sunday 26th August 2018
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No worries, I was just being cheeky!
(And butting in, I know)

mrzigazaga

18,623 posts

179 months

Sunday 26th August 2018
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madformotors said:
No worries, I was just being cheeky!
(And butting in, I know)
laugh...Well I had a look and couldn't find the spare AAD....Or the nuts...(Doh)...Its driving me bonkers not knowing what happened to them...silly

madformotors

125 posts

96 months

Sunday 26th August 2018
quotequote all
440Interceptor said:
Yep thanks, sounds like a plan. Will find local auto electrician and get them to test it. Looks like finding a new one could be interesting..
Hi, if it turns out that the AAD is u/s you could try www.caprigear.co.uk for a used one - they were very helpful when I was after a WUR - another once common but now hard to find part. Ian

RCK974X

2,521 posts

163 months

Tuesday 28th August 2018
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Have just seen the latest responses ....

If valve is not closing then it almost certainly means the unit is not being heated. Either the unit has no power, or the heating element is faulty.

If you have a test meter, the plug should have 12 volts supplied to it when engine is running. Use a couple of small nails or wire or something to insert into connectors.
BUT - if it's a dodgy earth or something - an ordinary 12v sidelight bulb may be a better test. Make sure it lights up properly.

You should also be able to see that the unit itself has a measurable resistance across its terminals - after all it's simply a heater....not anything fancy.

The connectors can get quite grungy with all the temperature cycling...

for info -

That warm up unit doesn't do anything to the fuel injection at all, it's just a 'cold engine speed up' by letting more air in.
Hell, the engine might even idle OK when stone cold, and you can then block the pipes off !

440Interceptor

Original Poster:

636 posts

161 months

Friday 7th September 2018
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Thanks Andy. I took the unit to the auto electrician who set it up with a 12 volt feed and it closed just fine, thanks goodness, they're not cheap.

So it must be the supply. i checked that earlier on and got nothing at the plug but I'll d it again to be sure, There supposed to be a safety switch that needs bypassing but I can't see it where it's supposed to be. Shouldn't matter if the engine's running though I think.

I think that circuit also has the warm up regulator on it. There is a fuse but it fuses the fuel pump too and that's fine so it can't be that.

I pulled the plugs out yesterday and they were filthy dirty with soot. Theory: if there's no power to the WUR or the AAD, then the engine will run rich even when warm and.. soot. Sound reasonable?

mrzigazaga

18,623 posts

179 months

Friday 7th September 2018
quotequote all
The Auxiliary Air Device should be bolted to a plate that has water going through from the top water housing...


You are better off heating it with a heat gun and then once its closed up put it in the fridge for half hour to see if its closing again..have you cleaned it at all?

RCK974X

2,521 posts

163 months

Friday 7th September 2018
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There is a thermal switch at the front (the one which looks like an oversized temp sender) but this is only the control for the start up injector (on the side of the plenum box), so that this injector does not inject when engine is warm/hot.

have a look at a wiring schematic of 'K' injection (there's several on the web), as I remember, there is no switch in the air device circuit - it just goes straight to ignition feed, so it should have 12 volts supplied to it whenever key is 'on'. As I remember there is a join in the loom on that side - 12 volts (ignition feed) goes to the thermal switch at the front of engine and to the air device, so could be the join has got corroded ??

Or wire could be broken somewhere, or if it's been rewired, it's possible it's been done wrong.

And don't forget to check the earth return wire(s) too.....that can also be dodgy

440Interceptor

Original Poster:

636 posts

161 months

Tuesday 11th September 2018
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Success!

I traced the wiring and found the warm up regulator and the AAD were using the same earth which went into a new looking 10 pin plug but..there was no earth wire coming out the other side of the plug... Then I found an unused earth wire with a spade socket sliced into an existing earth..put em together and bingo car now idles at 1000rpm give or take when at normal operating temp.

Must have been done when I had the auto electrician get the car ready for licensing. I've had the car since early 2000s and I definitely didn't do it. Wouldn't have known how! I'll get it tidied up properly when I next see them.

I don't think it's running rich now either, will put the meter on the WUR plug and check spark plugs after a few more kms.

Thanks for your help gents.

I have a list of other things that need done before it goes on the market... Shame after all the work I've put into it but I bought its very big brother (still a wedge of course) and I'm only allowed one! First and most important is a gearbox rebuild, but I'll start another thread for that so others doing similar work can look it up later if they wish. .

mrzigazaga

18,623 posts

179 months

Tuesday 11th September 2018
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Hooray....party....woohoo

440Interceptor

Original Poster:

636 posts

161 months

Tuesday 11th September 2018
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Cheers Zig. K Jet is so simple but ingenious. Gonna miss it..