Hi. I'm new on here, not big on car mechanics etc. I know the basics but not that much so please bear that in mind if you have any answers for me.
I have an 86 plate K10 which has been doing fine up til now. Recently though it's started making disturbing noises while idling and now it has started cutting out whenever the engine idles. I can start it and even drive it a bit, but it's not fun cause I have to gun the engine quite heavily all the time to stop it from cutting out.
I've got a few friends with bikes and they all told me to check the idle adjusting screw but that hasn't helped. Then I took it to a mechanic who said that everything mechanical in the engine is fine so it's probably an electrical problem. He pointed me in the direction of an auto-electric place but they'll charge me £40 just to check it over plus extra to fit any new parts. I'd rather see if I can fix it myself.
I've come up with one idea of what it could be and I'm hoping that someone here can give me an idea of whether I'm on the right track.
The idea is based on the fact that a week or two before the problem started the rear window defogger button on the dash broke. I read that there's a system in old Micras which links the defogger and the headlights to an idle speed control solenoid valve so I'm wondering whether when the button broke the switch became loose it kept turning on and off at random, even when the engine was off. If this is the case then the constant switching could have broken the solenoid as well.
I've fixed the button now but does anyone know if a blown solenoid could cause the sorts of problems I described? And if so what's the best thing to do, can I replace the part or do I need to rig it somehow so that it's not required?
I have an 86 plate K10 which has been doing fine up til now. Recently though it's started making disturbing noises while idling and now it has started cutting out whenever the engine idles. I can start it and even drive it a bit, but it's not fun cause I have to gun the engine quite heavily all the time to stop it from cutting out.
I've got a few friends with bikes and they all told me to check the idle adjusting screw but that hasn't helped. Then I took it to a mechanic who said that everything mechanical in the engine is fine so it's probably an electrical problem. He pointed me in the direction of an auto-electric place but they'll charge me £40 just to check it over plus extra to fit any new parts. I'd rather see if I can fix it myself.
I've come up with one idea of what it could be and I'm hoping that someone here can give me an idea of whether I'm on the right track.
The idea is based on the fact that a week or two before the problem started the rear window defogger button on the dash broke. I read that there's a system in old Micras which links the defogger and the headlights to an idle speed control solenoid valve so I'm wondering whether when the button broke the switch became loose it kept turning on and off at random, even when the engine was off. If this is the case then the constant switching could have broken the solenoid as well.
I've fixed the button now but does anyone know if a blown solenoid could cause the sorts of problems I described? And if so what's the best thing to do, can I replace the part or do I need to rig it somehow so that it's not required?
gotta love the k10 though (Y) WELCOME!!
