Hi, my name is Mushfiq and I am writing from Dhaka, Bangladesh. I have a JDM spec 1997 Toyota Starlet with a 1.3 liter 4E-FE engine.
Recently, during the first start in the morning, my car idles very poorly. The rpm stays between 600 to 700 in neutral but in gear, it falls below 600 and the car shakes and it feels like it might stall any moment. However, as the engine warms up to operating temperature, the idle remains fine within the 750 to 1000 rpm mark and idle fines with no symptoms as mentioned earlier (But occasionally, the poor idle does comeback during the day while driving but not as severely as cold starts during the mornings). I have also noticed smell of petrol around the engine bay near the fuel pressure regulator and exhaust which also disappears as the car warms ups.
Parts I've changed recently:
- Spark plugs and wires (Denso iridium with OEM plug wires)
- Coolant temperature sensor
- Fuel filter
Serviced:
- Intake manifold
Any suggestions in this regard would be of great help! Thanks a lot in advance.
Check your air filter and check if the throttle body is gunked up, both can cause rough idle.
Thanks. I will try changing the airfilter although it was changed a month ago during the oil change. The throttle was also serviced during that time.
Did you inspect air filter and throttle body? When you say intake manifold was serviced, what was done?
I will check the airfilter but it was changed a month back during the oil change. The throttle body/intake manifold was serviced by a local mechanic. He opened it and cleaned with woth some cleaner.
Also, be sure there are no vacuum losses from loose or cracked air hoses.
Thanks for your comment. I will look into this.