Are your plugs in good shape? Also, how about your factory O2 sensors? If the O2s are going bad (run any leaded gas?) then the car will run poorly in closed loop but still pull fine at WOT.

 

I'm still using the stock DV. Do you think that needs to be changed even though there is no leak?

 

I just changed my plugs on Dec. 5th from Denso IW24 gapped at 28 to NGK BR7ES gapped at 23(Al's reccomendation). Shouldn't I be getting a CEL regarding the O2s going bad?

 

I use the same plugs, I gap at .025 or .026

its possible the .023 gap is too small, though doubtful.. Can you tell if your getting alot of misfire at idle?

Also.. the DV question I had before, Basically I was asking because I discovered quite accidentally that if the DV is venting air all the time into the intake tract, under certain circumstances it can disrupt the MAF airflow reading and cause the car to idle poorly.. Since you said its stock, its likely not the problem..

However if the idle problem is reproducable when the car is sitting, (Don't drive the car like this!) remove and plug the vacuum line to the DV and see if the idle stabilizes and stays that way.. If it does, then its possible the engine vacuum is drawing the DV open and its venting back into the intake at idle.

I doubt thats the problem, but its worth looking at since its simple enough to test.. and its easy enough to replace the DV with another new stock one. Sometimes after they have a few miles on them, the diaphragm breaks, or the spring becomes weak and won't hold boost correctly, but a side-effect of that is it tends to be drawn open under idle due to positive pressure in the upper intercooler pipe, and the vacuum line to the DV..

Just suggesting a few simple things to look at..

 

Malibujack... Do you have any reccomended DV/BOV other than the stock? When Al was tuning my car, he asked if I already changed the stock DV. I didn't know I had to change it.

BTW, what cam set up do you have?

 

I have HKS 272's

Its not essential that you change the DV, it really depends on the boost levels your targetting. I have heard a few people having good success with the JDM Evo MR valve, I was using a crushed 1G (first gen eclipse) valve with mixed results.. So far I've tried 4 different DV's both recirculated and not, and they all have their tradeoffs. I think so far the Greddy Type-S that many people are using with the spring mod (do a search for it) may work for you.

I currently have a weird configuration that no longer requires I use a recirulated BOV, so I have a HKS SSQV, its the only one that hasn't leaked under boost, but in my case, it doesnt vent enough air and causes other problems for me (besides being annoyingly irritating sounding)

Some have had decent results with the Forge recirculated DV but it may take some trial and error to adjust it so it opens without causing much compressor surge.

Like I said, I can only offer some suggestions since what your describing as a problem with idle seems "out of place" for these cams.. You might want to check that the timing belt didn't shift at all during your cam install if your really stuck and just can't find anything else..

 

When Al came to Houston, another Evo owner who pretty much have the same mods that I have had the same idle as I did. We were helping each other out adjusting our vacuum. If I assume correctly, EVOTEXAS had the same thing before his TT flash but no idea on his supporting mods.

I am 99% sure that the belt did not skip a tooth during the install. We zip tied each gear in 2 places and marked it.

I guess I'll leave everything as is for now. I'll order the HKS gears first thing tomorrow and install it ASAP. If everything smooths out, I guess it is just in the timing or if not then it is another reason that supports my theory of "Evos are not created equal." I'll keep y'all updated.

 

My car had a skip in the idle even when stock. Now I have 264's, HKS intake, exhaust, Greddy Type S, etc etc. I used to have the MR valve also. It had always done it until the TT custom flash.

 

Vishnu told me -2/-2 for hks 264's.

I currently have stock cam gears with 264's, the car doesnt idle that much different from stock. I do have an xflash for my total set-up, dont know if that made a difference?

 

The idle screw should never be touched. Doing so will usually cause more harm than good. The idle screw should be set exactly where it was set from the factory.

HKS 264s do not give enough duration to benefit from split settings (e.g. -4/-1).

If the car does not idle properly after installing HKS 264 cams, it is more than likely due to one of two reasons:

(1) There is a vacuum leak.

(2) There is a problem with the ECU tuning, and a reflash is in order.

 

When Al tuned my car a few weeks ago, there was a problem with the idle before, during and after the tune. I have a shop do a boost leak test while Al was still in town and no leak was found. The only thing that was changed that weekend were the spark plugs. I went from Denso IW24(28) to NGK BR7ES(23). I just ordered the HKS gears and MR DV. Hopefully it will help with the problem so that I can turn the vacuum screw back to its place. For the mean time, I'll leave the screw on "the spot" since I don't feel like having a vibrating car while waiting at a stop light.

 

Did it idle rough before the flash? Also, was timing pulled when you had it flashed ala EVOTEXAS?

 

Kind of....I know that isnt very descriptive / informative. I can say the idle has never been great, even when 100% stock.

As far as the idle screw / air bleed....I changed my setting about 1 month after ownership & I havent changed it since. This is all while being 100% stock.

The idle would stabilize @ ~600 revs, too low for my preference. I tweaked the screw & raised the idle to ~900/1000 revs. It's been that way for ~10k miles.

Your results may be different, this is what I expereinced. The idle still hunts occasionally, but for the most part, it lives @ 900 revs.

Are you certain your cams are installed correctly? I aplogize if this question has been asked to you multiple times.

 

No need to apologize, you are the one trying to help me here. I am about 99% sure that we installed the cams correctly. We followed Evomoto's how to. We zip tied the gears at TDC and even marked the belts and the gears just in case.

Edit:

Here's some pics of our install by a buddy of mine, IamHung:
http://www.evospeed.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=253

 

Unfortunately, modding a car with a preexisting condition will usually make things worse, not better.

You may want to think back to when you car was running well and think about what you did between then and now. Also, you may want to double check that the cams were degreed properly.