how smooth is your idle?

[noodles]

ok, just wanting a sanity check to see if I am going mad or paranoid or both! but my idle seems to be fairly erratic, but only by a small amount! The rev needle dips a little at idle, but you can also feel/hear the engine have a little slow down. I would expect a modern car like this to be so well managed that it would be constant (as per the missus' new fiesta).

Is this just a characteristic of the octy 1 or should I get it looked at?

[EddyH]

Is this with the climate on or off?

[noodles]

climate off. its smoother with the climate on, and of course revs a little higher above the 1k mark.

[EddyH]

Is this when warm or cold and does it speed back up after the slow down?

Idle problems can be caused by a faulty coolant temp sensor IIRC.

[noodles]

when warm, although when cold, it still feels a bit 'lumpy' at the higher idle speed until it warms up.

It slows down for a fraction of a second, to only a small degree and then bounces straight back up again. Its more of the classic 'hunting' type behaviour than a definite slow down, but I just think that newer engines should probably not do this, maybe I should try posting a video?

[TKW]

Mine does the same. Changed temperature sensor. Seemed a little better for a little while when I changed the MAF (for a different reason).

When stone cold it's very stable, but when warm it sometimes hunts in a 150RPM range.

No fault codes except one relating to the infamous intercooler-pipe-with-a-leaky-seal.

[Martin Keene]

Mine does something very similar and has had the leaky intercooler pipe fault code as well. It's going in for a service next week and they *will* be restoring it's original rock steady idle.

[noodles]

mine had the leaky intercooler pipe fault a while back, but this was replaced... ah well service is up soon and its under warranty, we will see. but interesting to know that other people do have a completely stable idle speed with no variations. I didnt want to make a fuss about a minor problem when ever octavia is the same! Will see what they say and what free parts I can get while I am at it!

[HodgyVRS]

My VRS idle's exactly the same. Changed the intercooler pipe at the weekend and also put on a new MAF, forge dump valve and green cotton filter, and guess what................... still idling the same! The car is definately running smoother but the idle is still by no means constant. Maybe it's just a trait of the car and I've decided I'm gonna live with it before the problem solving spending becomes an obsession and I end up re-building the engine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Martin Keene]

The car is definately running smoother but the idle is still by no means constant. Maybe it's just a trait of the car

It's not a trait of the car. I remember because in the first couple of weeks with mine, I was blown away with how smooth and quite it was at idle, not only could you not hear it, you couldn't feel it either, it can most definately be felt now...

:(

[HodgyVRS]

how many miles have you done? I've just hit 60K and wondered if the age/miles has anything to do with it?

[noodles]

Mine is at 56k, I guess with wear and tear, and degradation of the sensors etc, plus the air route to the engine is not exactly the most simple of things in the 1.8T when compared to simple na basic engines, so like hodgyvrs, think I am just going to live with it!

[HodgyVRS]

Just out of a matter of interest after doing the work I described, I didn't dis-connect the battery to reset the ECU. Does anyone know whether I should have done this seeing as I have put some new/modified parts on? Maybe this would help the idle?

[CazzaVR]

Mine's done this since day one. It's nearly done 8K now. Thought it was just a characteristic of the car, but had it RR'd the other day and it's down 10bhp & 10 lb/ft, so something must be amiss. Think the two maybe connected.

[jimmyskeen]

ive an octy 2001 vrs at the mo my idle is perfect with no variation in idle speed - i have had problems with the idle in the past ive cleaned the throttle housing and maf and that usually cures it.

[Goochie]

Mine has done it for some time, and its arrival seems to have coincided with my MPG isues.

So far I've changed;

All 4 coil packs

The MAF sensor

2 Vaccum hoses

Spark Plugs

Air filter

Intercooler hose

DV

None of them have had any effect what so ever.

[Hans Freikit]

Watched my vRS idling with VAG-COM yesterday, cold started at 1200rpm then settled to about 800rpm after a few minutes. Nice and smooth.

Si

[sman]

My 2001 vRS with 70k on the clock has had a jumpy idle since I bought it nearly 2 years ago (@50k). At different points its hunted when warm by anything up to 3-400 rpm but at the moment it's just an occasional blip when sitting stationary at junctions etc. It's a pain cos the rest of the time its pretty solid but that moment where it dips sends a noticeable vibration through the car which makes me check the revs just to make sure.

I also think theres something not 100% with the car but in the time I've owned it I've done the MAF, throttle housing, 2 coolant sensors, 1 air thermostat and various other things - including the infamous intercooler pipe and not one of them has made it disappear. Like some of you others I'm sort of resigned to it. Although the thought that it could be down on power is now tempting me to re-open the investigation!