Idle valves

aj_johnson
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aj_johnson

Idle valves
October 27, 2013 12:25AM

Registered: 01/07/2011
Posts: 1,381

I've seen some people saying ditch the idle valve and adjust the throttle stop. Is this the general consensus of the forum?

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john vanlandingham
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john vanlandingham

Re: Idle valves
October 27, 2013 12:44AM

Registered: 12/20/2005
Posts: 14,152

Quote
aj_johnson
I've seen some people saying ditch the idle valve and adjust the throttle stop. Is this the general consensus of the forum?

That people that say that are stupid.

John Vanlandingham
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aj_johnson
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aj_johnson

Re: Idle valves
October 27, 2013 12:49AM

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Just checking.

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heymagic
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Re: Idle valves
October 27, 2013 10:53AM

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Actually it can go either way if wanted. Idle valves can and do fail, artificially raise the idle or prevent drop throttle from occurring. Base idle should be sat up a bit anyway.

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deaner
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Re: Idle valves
October 27, 2013 04:48PM

Registered: 07/07/2013
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Ditch it and tune around it.

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Robert Culbertson
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Robert Culbertson

Re: Idle valves
October 28, 2013 10:10AM

Registered: 08/15/2010
Posts: 1,236

Like Gene mentioned, you can go either way. If you are using the factory engine management then it might be better to stick with the IA valve. Some OEM ones are prone to chronic failure. VW and Focus are the ones that I am intimately familiar with. They tend to get sticky and cause all sorts of fun issues. Hunting idle, hanging idle, no idle.
If you are going aftermarket engine management, then a simple needle valve can be used. This is much less likely to fail, and you can set it up how you like. If it's really cold out, you just turn out up a few more RPMs to compensate for rough idling/stalling issues.
If you are for the challenge/joy of tuning it then great. If you want something stupid simple, I would just use a needle valve and some tubing to bypass the throttle plate and control idle that way.