idle surges when headlights on???

We may earn a small commission from affiliate links and paid advertisements. Terms

V

vtec_me

New Member
I just picked up a eg hatch, and found out that when ever i turn on the headlight my idle surges, but when its off it does not do it. does anyone know whats up? could it be poor ground or battery?
 
Maybe give that a check. Your Idle Air Control Valve (IACV) might not be working right. Does this happen when you turn on anything else (defogger, A/C) ?
 
A grounding kit took care of my surges. Also try cleaning out your throttle body. Helps a bit. Prob your IACV though.
 
One of your wires could be exposed too, so when you turn the lights on it reacts with something else or grounds out. It wouldn't hurt to trace the wires and make sure there aren't any exposed parts.
 
i would just check the battery if its below 12.4 volts then your going to have problems where things start acting up like that just check that first before doing anything else and make sure ground to battery is clean of rust or anything i don't think its the iacv, should be around 4.5v no more .5volts GL!
 
no not solved yet still doing this i havent checked my iac valve yet, but when its cold it surges pretty bad too drops almost to 400-300 and goes back to 1100 last time i check battery was at 11.8 ill clean off my grounds and see waht happens
 
it still sounds like a grounding problem like your lights are grounding off something i had this problem once and my grounding wire for my light was corroded but its looked fine just looking
 
Check the output voltage from your alternator. It should be around 13.5 to 14.3 volts. (you should be able to do this with a basic multi meter or bring it to a local auto parts store that offers free diagnosis)The symptom your describing sounds like a charging issue. Most all components are designed to run off a full 12 volts. If it falls below that, it can affect the engine idle circuit.

It is similar to jump starting another car that has a dead/weak battery. Once the cables are connected, you will notice the engine in the car delivering the charge decrease RPM's to compensate the load.
 
^^ That would be my first guess. Weak alternator. Next would be the ground thing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top