Car keeps cutting out

Thesnipergecko

Thesnipergecko

Thesnipergecko

Soldato
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
7,488
Location
Stoke-on-Trent
Symptoms:

When sitting idle, sometimes it revs slightly on its own between 1-2000 rpm.
Sometimes when sitting idle it just drops revs and cuts out.

When it drops revs i hit the accelerator to try and keep the revs up but it just doesnt want to know, it revs a little bit but then cuts out anyway.

Cars a 2.0 Peugeot 306 Xsi 1999 V reg.

Ive cleaned all the air filter out but its still doing the same.

Paul ...
 
some random person said:
Usually Idle Problems can be attributed to the Idle Control Valve, Carbon
Buildup on Inlet Valves, Incorrect Spark Plug or too narrow gap, Valves
set too tight, Worn Distributor Cap or Rotor, or intake air leaks.

The Idle Control Valve (ICV) is probably the most common cause of
problems as it's soul purpose is to control idle speed and is constantly
adjusting itself to correct for different operating conditions.

A common problem with these is a sticking air valve which can be cleaned
with carburettor cleaner to make the mechanism work freely again. But
once the ICV becomes VERY worn, it will typically cause the car
to stall at traffic lights. The only solution is replacement. Leading
up to this severe failure, you will typically experience idle speed problems
as the mechanism gradually wears out. Eg. idle becomes too slow. (can
also be caused by intake air leaks)

It's a good idea to take a look at the ICV whenever you have idle
problems. Taking the time to clean the valve and make sure it's operation
is unrestriced by dirt, gum, etc, is good preventative maintenance.

If your car is idling too slowly, because the ICV is worn, the ICV can
be twisted around and this will let the car idle a little faster, or slower,
depending on which way you rotate. To allow this rotation, prise open the
crimped lugs that hold the steel motor housing to the aluminium valve housing.
Only loosen it a slight amount, too much and the motor falls out and it's
difficult to replace. Mark the original location before you move it, so you can
return it if necessary.
Click to expand...

No idea depends if its a unit that can be changed independently or if its fixed to a bigger bit.
 
Firestar_3x said:
No idea depends if its a unit that can be changed independently or if its fixed to a bigger bit.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that mate, sounds like thats my problem, ill do some reading up on where to find the ICV and give it a clean tonight. If that doesnt work then it looks like a replacement.

Paul ...
 
Mate its either your MAP sensor or idle control valve. Common on these cars, get over to 306gti6.com and look in the forum FAQ, show you what you need to do. If your lucky they just need a clean with some WD40 ;) albeit they will be guides for a gti-6 for you ll get the idea.
 
Nathan said:
Mate its either your MAP sensor or idle control valve. Common on these cars, get over to 306gti6.com and look in the forum FAQ, show you what you need to do. If your lucky they just need a clean with some WD40 ;) albeit they will be guides for a gti-6 for you ll get the idea.
Click to expand...

MAF?

If its the idle control valve this also went on my Focus, when its warm does it idle okay?

Sometimes they get junked up, so if you can remove it, you can clean it in spirit or something.
 
Its done it today and the temp outside is 30c :p does that count haha.

It also did it the other day when we had plenty of rain, i just thought it had gotten damp.

Ill have a look under the bonnet tonight, not sure what im looking for but ill have a look :)

Paul ...
 
Last edited:
I recently had ignition problems, idle speed went a bit funny. In the end it was a component in the distributor that was damaged. The cause was a crack in the distributor casing causing voltage fluctuations. High voltages in the distributor (stepped up I guess) were trying to jump the slight gap in the casing.

If you can find your distributor cap, should be near your engine with wires etc check it for physical damage i.e. any hairline cracks or splits in the casing.

I'd go and get it checked properly, when I looked into it fixing ignition problems was pretty complex. Even replacing parts could mean re-adjusting ignition timings I think.
 
Thesnipergecko said:
When it drops revs i hit the accelerator to try and keep the revs up but it just doesnt want to know, it revs a little bit but then cuts out anyway.
Click to expand...

While I don't have any direct experience with the 306, I'd say that it's unlikely to be a problem with the idle stepper motor as opening the throttle will normally stop the car from stalling if you are quick enough. Also if the problem does lie with the idle stepper motor it will most like stall when the revs are falling back to idle instead of just randomly as the OP seems to imply.

Because the revs rise and fall on their own accord I’d say that the problem is probably caused by a faulty or perhaps just dirty MAP sensor, shouldn't be too difficult to clean if you can find it, I’d also take at the MAP sensor plug too as I know they can cause problems on some Citroen and Peugeot engines.

Hope that helps
 
Defo sounds like the idle control valve (or stepper motor as they're known).

As said there's a very good guild on www.306gti6.com on how to remove and give it a quick clean. This sometimes does the trick but it might need the unit replacing.

Guild can be found here , it's for a GTi6 but the engines are very similar so should be fine :)

EDIT - As said above, could possibly be the MAF, simple to change, sensor can be found here Again it's for a GTi6 but it should be very similar on the XSi.
 
Had a similar problem on my Vectra , it was the air hose from the filter to the inlet body. It had cracked/split and the air leak was screwing up the mixture depending on car position/air temp.
 
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