Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) 1999 12valve will not idle out of ideas

[bryan5150]

I own an old fedex truck that i use for a mobile shop and has been great to us. On the way home from work the thing died at a stoplight and we double footed it home,still has good power and 30psi of boost,,just installed a new fuel filter on my remote, have good fuel pressure...new lift pump last year,she starts right up with a little foot pressure but will just not idle! so far,I've traced and inspected all fuel system lines,changed OFV, removed all injectors and lines for a thorough cleaning. the one big surprise was one of the governor spring was so loose it wasn't engaged to lock into its click indexes on the spring retainer. i matched it to the other side and got a smooth idle for about 5minutes and hasn't idled since. I also did a full turbo rebuild while i was hunched over in there,wastegate actuator was completely blown out. good fuel pressure,oil clean,new pump,spotless injectors,i'm lost. runs great over 1000rpm just falls on her face for idle. any ideas would be greatly appreciated;I'm open to ANY suggestions.
Bryan:

 

[GAmes]

Just for an experiment try tightening the gov springs a click or two.

 

[bryan5150]

thanks for the reply,is there any risk in playing with this spring tension? Seen alot of people with trouble with springs on many other forums,mostly incorrect install of3+4k kits. I do suspect the problem is in that governor after finding a retainer nut about to fall off,not sure where to start a baseline measurement after they tried to disassemble themselves at 80mph

 

[GAmes]

No risk that I'm aware of if you make small changes. Too tight and the throttle will get very touchy. If the results are not satisfactory just loosen the retainers to where you started.

 

[Jeff L]

"after they tried to disassemble themselves at 80mph "

:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf

Not laughin' at your troubles, but gotta tell ya, that was funny.

I plan to follow this thread. My ol' plug is gettin' lazy 'bout startin'. I have to feather the throttle or it won't start. Once runnin' it's fine, but I look like a mad man with a bad twitch when I have to start it; right foot ticklin' throttle, left foot on brake but ready to pounce onto the clutch while twistin' the key, then rebound the left foot back to brake before the beast rolls into some hapless sole just meanderin' by.

True definition of sweated-panick is at the boat ramp.

 

[GAmes]

... then rebound the left foot back to brake before the beast rolls into some hapless sole just meanderin' by.

True definition of sweated-panick is at the boat ramp.

No parking brake? I've always started mine by giving it a 1/4 inch or so of pedal, (fires on the first revolution and saves the starter) but if need be it will start without it, just takes a couple more revolutions. Maybe you just need to adjust the low idle set bolt. With the A/C on about 800 rpm will do it.

 

[mwilson]

Have you checked the shut down solenoid??? The truck ones were troublesome as I recall. Verify that the shutdown lever is getting full travel. Unhook it and temporarily secure the arm to the full fuel position, see if it idles then.

Not like the RAM, all boils down to two different styles. Vertical pull or Horizontal pull.

If it is toast let me know and I will find the kit bulletin to give you the part number.

 

[bryan5150]

the shut down solenoid is about 6 months old and that was one of the first things I checked,at the start of this glitch, I couldn't get the thing to stay running until about 1/2 throttle travel. after finding that retaining nut falling off, it idled for about five minutes and went back to the same crap. low idle screw is almost all the way up and it still falls flat on it's face.yesterday I decided to remove gov spring assy. just to check for binding of broken shims and was shocked to find five frigging springs in there.been through Google and other forums and never saw that many stuffed in there?!? cleaned everything and set to .050 but ran outa time to flip and do other side.driving me nuts..thing was running great until that damn stoplight.maybe I'll go talk to that red light and see if it's something "personal" between us. by the way,vertical shut-off,looks just like a ram but turbo on bottom and different throttle linkage.thanks so much for the help and giving a crap..u guys are great'post some pics if i can figure out how

 

[Jeff L]

No parking brake? I've always started mine by giving it a 1/4 inch or so of pedal, (fires on the first revolution and saves the starter) but if need be it will start without it, just takes a couple more revolutions. Maybe you just need to adjust the low idle set bolt. With the A/C on about 800 rpm will do it.

hmmmmm, Learnin' a lot here - starting with "reply with quote". You describe my ol' plug exactly; with just a smidge of pedal it fires faster 'n' I can let off the key. Without pedal, you needlessly grind away. I'll check the low idle set soon as I get the truck back from the A/C guys. I opted to hire that done, and will have a new system, condenser through evaporator. Havin' a new heater core put in as well, figure now's the time as long as the dash is out. The thing that swayed me to hire these folks? First, I didn't really want to tackle removing the dash; second, they offer a lifetime guarantee on parts and labor. I'll never have to worry 'bout removing the dash again.

Parkin' brake? I already look like crazy man swattin' mosquitos, and you want me add another step to the dance? *grins*

 

[bryan5150]

got angry and just ripped the afc off, checked if everything was freed up and the thing fired right up and got her down to a nice low idle. went and gutted the afc just to use as a cover ,installed it ,which is a real PITA on this truck...making special tools and all that fun stuff...now doing the same crap...nothing till 1/2 rack travel,no idle.local pump place wants 600.00 just to inspect the governor..off the truck!!!

 

[GAmes]

......local pump place wants 600.00 just to inspect the governor..off the truck!!!

In relation to the cost of aggravation that might be a bargain. Just make sure they are Bosch certified. I'm assuming they want the entire injection pump, not just the governor.