rough idle

Dacket

Dacket

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Hey guys.
Before, when it was hot out, my car would rock while idling, didn't really feel like a misfire. But now that its colder out, it idles smoother than ever. What could be the cause of this? I have a 2000 v8 sport, no mods. Also, my lights kind of flicker when the car is running, but are calm when the car is off. Is that the alternator, battery or both?
 
Yep

Most likely two different issues.....you car is getting old. You need to replace the battery if you have not done it yet. The LS shows odd problems when the battery gets weak. Have you replaced the coils, plugs and engine valve cover gaskets?? Check for oil in the spark plug wells too.
 
That I have not done yet, but it is on my list. But would the cold really effect the coils & plugs?
 
not sure

you have not provided much info about the car itself..........
 
It might not be a bad idea to clean the MAF sensor too while you got the hood up. I think this might cause an idle problem if it was really dirty, and after 8 years it probably is. Good Luck.
 
tireman said:
you have not provided much info about the car itself..........
Click to expand...

It has 124k miles? Oil changes have been regular... what else is there to tell about this car that most of you don't already know? Its not customized in any way, except for the head unit. I haven't done any major service to it since I bought it. I don't really have the space to work on the car myself so I need to wait until I can take it to somebody to look at it... Which will cost me.
 
REDBED said:
It might not be a bad idea to clean the MAF sensor too while you got the hood up. I think this might cause an idle problem if it was really dirty, and after 8 years it probably is. Good Luck.
Click to expand...

I did try taking it off and cleaning the connection. But I didn't notice any difference. I also tried starting the car with it unplugged, also after disconnecting the battery for an hour. Noticed no change at all. I thought maybe my MAF might be bad as well.
 
Did you remove the element from the air intake? Thats the part that needs to be cleaned. Good Luck
P.S. do a search on coils plenty of info about price etc.
 
Go to Pep Boys or similar and have them pull your codes and let us know...
 
REDBED said:
Did you remove the element from the air intake? Thats the part that needs to be cleaned. Good Luck
P.S. do a search on coils plenty of info about price etc.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I removed the whole piece, didn't clean the inside of it, just the electrical connection. It had some dust in it. Didn't really clean the part itself, but I will try that as well. I know I can get some coils for a decent price, but if I'm going to replace the coils, I might as well replace the plugs and gaskets too, right?
 
One other thing odd that happened today... aside from the car running smoother when its cold out. Randomly today, at some point after starting and turning off my car from all the errands I had to run today, it started running A LOT better. I noticed a nice performance increase and smoother shifting for the rest of the day.:confused:

Not to say I'm complaining, but damn.... something has been wrong the whole time I've had the vehicle and I didn't even know it because I have never driven one of these cars before I purchased this one. Now I really need to figure this out...
 
Took it to sears to get my battery tested for free. Turns out my battery is in fact really weak. They said the stealership is the only place I can get one. So here I am, getting it replaced for about $200.
 
I forgot to mention my mpg went up too when my car started to randomly perform better.
 
Sorry to hear you got hosed. Bat should be about 85. Live and learn .
 
Never ever bring you car to a chain for diag, These cars will bleed you dry thats why this foroum is here.Good Luck
 
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