Low idle speed
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Sometimes. I find myself occasionally blipping the throttle.
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29,081 Posts
People have posted something about the ECU needing to learn and that when the car is new, it can do it. One thing that was posted was to let the car idle when you finished driving, like for 10 minutes.
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751 Posts
My car stalled ONCE when it was brand new after a downshift when I stopped at a light. Every now and again my rpms will dip and then raise when at idle, but it has never stalled since then. I only have 700 miles and have not had my car serviced yet.
-Whit
-Whit
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3,684 Posts
the manual discusses turning the key to the on position and letting the fuel system prime for 10 seconds and then starting and letting the car idle for about 10 seconds before driving. it also mentions letting the car idle for 10 seconds before shutting the engine down. i wonder if following that helps with the ecu issue and helps prevent low idle or stall. i have noticed that i have less idle drop after following the guidelines. i have never had the engine stall but I have at times noticed the idle dip fairly low but it seems to happen less now that i follow the lotus suggestions in the manual. may be coincidental though
I've been wondering if part of the trouble with Elise idling is related to our continuously variable valve timing setup. The idle issue which I have noticed from time to time tends to occur after periods at moderate or more load and cruise or higher RPMs. Then when it is time to idle things can sometimes go awry. But if you turn the car off and restart it the idle is perfect. When you start the car, the cam timing is set to minimal overlap. But at the higher operating speeds and loads the intake cam is set for higher overlap which if used at idle would tend to destabilize it. Just a thought. If this is the case then it could be a simple matter of reflashing the ECU, or it could be something mechanical such as enlarging timing controller orifices. Toyota uses thinner oil in their applications of this engine. Just a thought. It would be cool to datalog the variable valve timing to see if that could be a factor or not. Usually idle woes are traced to other things in any event such as the idle air valve, base idle, plugs, etc.
In looking over the cam timing specs it appears that our small cam has about a 228 degree duration with 7.25 / 7.25 mm lift. The cam phasing can be varied over a 43 degree range. The large cam lobes have 292 degrees duration and 11.4 / 10.0 mm lift.
In looking over the cam timing specs it appears that our small cam has about a 228 degree duration with 7.25 / 7.25 mm lift. The cam phasing can be varied over a 43 degree range. The large cam lobes have 292 degrees duration and 11.4 / 10.0 mm lift.
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There are extensive posts on this subject back when the Elise ws first hitting U.S. soil. Mine stalled the first day I had it but hasn't since. Give it a little time and I bet it will work it's way out.
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3,970 Posts
It's a chronic problem that affects some cars more than others. In my limited experience, even those that don't stall, make you think they might at any minute.
Mine has only stalled on a couple of occasions, but I have had to concsiously change my driving pattern to prevent it. A quick, small blip of the throttle seems to send it right into a stall. Mine seems worse after it has warmed up a bit, but the temperature display has not yet appeared.
Mine has only stalled on a couple of occasions, but I have had to concsiously change my driving pattern to prevent it. A quick, small blip of the throttle seems to send it right into a stall. Mine seems worse after it has warmed up a bit, but the temperature display has not yet appeared.
Mine's died twice at a light. Low idle - but the dealer told me to let it idle at least 15 secs when I first start it and before I shut it off so the ECU can learn something??. I'm doing that and not really unhappy. I think this will go away if we treat her right initially as far as I can tell from the seemingly hundreds of posts on this subject.
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