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Idling low and almost stalling.. A lot!

89K views 29 replies 17 participants last post by  mrjuicyfruit 
#1 ·
Hey all need some advice

I recently started noticing that my Mazda 3 2005 2.3 was not starting as enthusiastically as it used to. I ended up changing out the battery just cuz I haven't changed it in almost 5 years. After putting in re new battery it began starting up quicker/nicer. But now I am idlng very low. I used to idle at like 850-950rpm and now I idle 750 and below and I feel the car shake as the needle kind of dances between 500 & 750. And the other day it actually stalled. I brought it into the dealership who said that the CPU brought back no problems/errors. I have a CAI and custom exhaust. What do u think it can be? Dealership will not help me sent me away saying they see no problems and idle at 750 is normal. I really don't know what to do and I don't want to prolong this and hurt my car further. Thank u very much in advance!
 
#3 ·
The car is suppose to idle at 750. That is normal for it. 1k seems really high except for on a cold start. But once it is warmed up it should be at 750. now 500 is way to low and will stall you out. Have you checked your MAF wires? One or more of them may be pulled. Also, have you tried running some fuel system cleaner through your car? Mine was having the same kind of issue but mine never sits at 1k at idle. I ran seafoam through it and it starting running like a brand new car again :)
 
#5 ·
Prototype.. Thanks for the quick response. I'll try the fuel cleaner stuff. Now I am really not to savvy with cars. The MAF wired I'm assuming will be located on the sensor that is on the CAI? Also. uve seen a CAI on a 3. LOL it's like a snake trying to hide up in my car. I'll look into it. Thank u again. But if not that any other ideas? What's the fuel cleaner u used?
 
#6 ·
[quote author=prototype99 link=topic=136112.msg2931722#msg2931722 date=1234454350]
Also, have you tried running some fuel system cleaner through your car? Mine was having the same kind of issue but mine never sits at 1k at idle. I ran seafoam through it and it starting running like a brand new car again :)
[/quote]

I agree, try Seafoam. It's inexpensive and might do a lot of good if you haven't done any fuel system treatments in the 5 years mentioned above.

http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=111632.0
 
#11 ·
thanks for all the suggestions guys! .. the car seems okay now after the dealership .. its idling steady at 750 .. buuuuuut .. now its like a reverse effect whereas before it was idling too low .. now, while im driving and im coming to a stop, as im stopping.. and when i stop it stays idling at like 1,250 - 1,500 which actually sounds as if i was revving it a little bit ... lmao! in any case its not stalling any more haha! it eventually kicks back down to 750 tho and no lower
 
#14 ·
they said they replaced the throttle body ... *shrug* .. when it idles like still at a dead stop it idles nice at 750.. but its odd.. .. ok i'll give you the virtual experience.. your driving.. regularly.. comin up to a stop sign so you kick it into neutral and let it glide, heavenly, and as its still rolling (while in neutral) its at 1500-1750 rpms and sounds as if im revving it myself. its not until i come to a dead stop that the rpms drop down to 1000 then to 750 slowly.. its a little annoying.. dont think its really harmful (and hopefully gets fixed over time) cuz its just the car readjusting to a (reset battery if they did) and also the new throttle body .. kind of like a person would be with a organ transplant im assuming..
 
#15 ·
i idle at 650... sometimes dips to 600 or 700.. but between 670-630 all the time
 
#18 ·
anyone know if they can do an idle air volume relearn? i am a nissan mechanic and on nissans with E-throttles we do an idle relearn as well as clean out the throttle body.

"blindchild" if you dont mind, please take a look at your repair order and see what all is listed on there. i would imagine some sort of "relearn" is present. i am just curious.
 
#19 ·
Very interested in this, as i have the same model/year car(auto, though) and it does exactly the same thing.

It threw a CEL once and it was the maf sensor, so i switched back to the stock intake, reset ecu and it went away. for awhile. Now it does it occasionally and usually only when it's hot outside.

I've checked the maf wires and they're not loose. My next step was going to be replacing the maf sensor, but if it's the throttle body causing the problem, i'll check that first.
 
#20 ·
Try a fuel system cleaner like seafoam. Will probably fix the problem. If not then you probably pulled one of the wires on your MAF. When mine was acting up (right before I extended the MAF wires) I couldn't tell if the wires were pulled or not but with the motor running just a slight tap or wiggle of the wires would stall the car. Cut the whole harnass off and re-did all the wires and was back in business without any issues. Knock on wood....
 
#21 ·
My '05 2.0l has been stalling sporadically. Always when making a right turn from a stop, always when I'm first in line (ie, Im accelerating from 0 while turning). I just ran fuel system cleaner through it (had same problems with some rough running in the 500-700rpm range), but no luck, it stalled again yesterday. What has been people's experience with warranty repair on this? I dont want to get charged a ton for a false claim if they can't reproduce (which they likely cant). It sounds like there have been a lot of problems with MAF wires (admittedly I had to google "maf"); is it an easy diagnostic and fix if the wires are indeed slipping in the harness? Thanks all. Love my Mazda, just want to keep her running...
 
#22 ·
[quote author=rsd212 link=topic=136112.msg3266134#msg3266134 date=1249567607]
My '05 2.0l has been stalling sporadically. Always when making a right turn from a stop, always when I'm first in line (ie, Im accelerating from 0 while turning). I just ran fuel system cleaner through it (had same problems with some rough running in the 500-700rpm range), but no luck, it stalled again yesterday. What has been people's experience with warranty repair on this? I dont want to get charged a ton for a false claim if they can't reproduce (which they likely cant). It sounds like there have been a lot of problems with MAF wires (admittedly I had to google "maf"); is it an easy diagnostic and fix if the wires are indeed slipping in the harness? Thanks all. Love my Mazda, just want to keep her running...
[/quote]

Any mods?
 
#23 ·
[quote author=prototype99 link=topic=136112.msg3266138#msg3266138 date=1249567712]
[quote author=rsd212 link=topic=136112.msg3266134#msg3266134 date=1249567607]
My '05 2.0l has been stalling sporadically. Always when making a right turn from a stop, always when I'm first in line (ie, Im accelerating from 0 while turning). I just ran fuel system cleaner through it (had same problems with some rough running in the 500-700rpm range), but no luck, it stalled again yesterday. What has been people's experience with warranty repair on this? I dont want to get charged a ton for a false claim if they can't reproduce (which they likely cant). It sounds like there have been a lot of problems with MAF wires (admittedly I had to google "maf"); is it an easy diagnostic and fix if the wires are indeed slipping in the harness? Thanks all. Love my Mazda, just want to keep her running...
[/quote]

Any mods?
[/quote]

None. Engine is totally stock, and only thing I did to it was install a carputer at one point (and that has been since removed).
 
#24 ·
[quote author=rsd212 link=topic=136112.msg3266134#msg3266134 date=1249567607]
My '05 2.0l has been stalling sporadically. Always when making a right turn from a stop, always when I'm first in line (ie, Im accelerating from 0 while turning). I just ran fuel system cleaner through it (had same problems with some rough running in the 500-700rpm range), but no luck, it stalled again yesterday. What has been people's experience with warranty repair on this? I dont want to get charged a ton for a false claim if they can't reproduce (which they likely cant). It sounds like there have been a lot of problems with MAF wires (admittedly I had to google "maf"); is it an easy diagnostic and fix if the wires are indeed slipping in the harness? Thanks all. Love my Mazda, just want to keep her running...
[/quote]
try cleaning egr solenoid i as well have had rough idle and stalling and tried everything, cleaned the solenoid with pb blaster and problem gone
 
#26 ·
[quote author=prototype99 link=topic=136112.msg2946971#msg2946971 date=1235053656]
Try a fuel system cleaner like seafoam. Will probably fix the problem. If not then you probably pulled one of the wires on your MAF. When mine was acting up (right before I extended the MAF wires) I couldn't tell if the wires were pulled or not but with the motor running just a slight tap or wiggle of the wires would stall the car. Cut the whole harnass off and re-did all the wires and was back in business without any issues. Knock on wood....
[/quote]
 
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