Hey guys, ive just been noticing recently that my idle tends to fluctuate and seems lower than usual (usually at 900-1000, now at 800ish).. i have cams and noticed it to be more lumpy than usual, i first noticed this after i got my clutch done about 2months ago but never thought anything of it, but it got to me today when i was reversing up a hill and as i clutched in the revs dropped to about 500rpms.

besides just being more sluggish on hot days today after a decent drive and a few stops the car wouldnt crank the first go. it took about 3 times to turn the key before it would crank over and start, in which the idle was at around 500rpms before i gave it a rev and it went back to normal ?? after i drove home and a few hours later i started it it was fine..

anyone have any idea what is going on with my car ? any feedback or help would be appreciated ! thanks guys !

 

Do a boost leak test. If you don't find any leaks that way, I would look at the intake manifold gasket.

 

ive been meaning to do a boost leak test.. what will that indicate with the current problem i have though :S .. also what am i looking for in the intake manifold gasket

 

Here is kinda the run down on how a boost leak could cause your problem.

Since your car uses a MAF sensor it calculates exactly how much air is supposed to be in your engine. If you have a boost leak (losing air from your engine that your ECU thinks is there) it can cause all sorts of issues.

Boost leaks can also cause other issues in components that run off of vacuum. On my old 97' GSX I had a boost leak around the throttle body. It ended up turning on my CEL and gave me an EGR code. It wasn't the EGR valve that was bad, it was actually not getting enough vacuum because of the boost leak, so it set off the code.

There are a few ways to check if your intake is leaking. The quick way is to turn the car on and spray some starter fluid (be very liberal with it, don't need to douse your whole intake setup cause you risk a fire lol). If you notice a spike in your cars idle then you found your leak.