Rubntugdug

I've been driving an automatic 1990 Honda Civic DX for 2 and a half years.
The Car has been great, but always idles really high before it is warmed up.
Especially if not used for a couple of days.
I realized that it will idle higher than normal when cold, but this is
really high, and I have to keep my foot on the brake pedal or it will take
off on me until warmed up.
Through reading forums and and other internet sources I have reason to
believe it may be the Fast Idle Thermo Valve. I realize there are other
possibilities!
I have seen a write up on other forums with pictures, and they show how to
screw in some kind of plunger in said FITV.
The problem is that the pictures show an Integra engine bay, not a Honda
Civic.
Apparently the FITV loosens up over time.
I have the Haynes manual, and have looked under the hood for the FITV, but
cannot find the damn thing!
I am not a mechanic, and have only done basics like 02 sensor, Cap, rotor,
ignition coil and spark plugs, etc.
Does anyone have a link with a picture, or a diagram or description for this
year(1990) Honda Civic in regards to the FITV?
Thanks.

jim beam

Rubntugdug wrote:
> I've been driving an automatic 1990 Honda Civic DX for 2 and a half years.
> The Car has been great, but always idles really high before it is warmed up.
> Especially if not used for a couple of days.
> I realized that it will idle higher than normal when cold, but this is
> really high, and I have to keep my foot on the brake pedal or it will take
> off on me until warmed up.

presumably an automatic.

any idea what the revs are? [you can buy an instrument cluster from a
junkyard, with tach, for about $40 these days.]

higher revs are normal - ~1500. and at that speed, the torque converter
will pull quite strongly. are your brakes good?


> Through reading forums and and other internet sources I have reason to
> believe it may be the Fast Idle Thermo Valve. I realize there are other
> possibilities!
> I have seen a write up on other forums with pictures, and they show how to
> screw in some kind of plunger in said FITV.
> The problem is that the pictures show an Integra engine bay, not a Honda
> Civic.
> Apparently the FITV loosens up over time.
> I have the Haynes manual,

that's 99% of your problem right there.


> and have looked under the hood for the FITV, but
> cannot find the damn thing!
> I am not a mechanic, and have only done basics like 02 sensor, Cap, rotor,
> ignition coil and spark plugs, etc.
> Does anyone have a link with a picture, or a diagram or description for this
> year(1990) Honda Civic in regards to the FITV?
> Thanks.

first stop is tegger.com for the faq's and links to factory workshop
manual downloads.

next step is check all your hose connections, then test fast idle and
iac valve operation per the manual.

Rubntugdug

Thanks for the reply.
Can anyone tell me where FITV is in the engine bay?
I've looked around the intake manifold but cannot see it??!
"jim beam" <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote in message
news:XqCdnZipkYGiVrrVnZ2dnUVZ_qXinZ2d@speakeasy.ne t...
> Rubntugdug wrote:
>> I've been driving an automatic 1990 Honda Civic DX for 2 and a half
>> years.
>> The Car has been great, but always idles really high before it is warmed
>> up. Especially if not used for a couple of days.
>> I realized that it will idle higher than normal when cold, but this is
>> really high, and I have to keep my foot on the brake pedal or it will
>> take off on me until warmed up.
>
> presumably an automatic.
>
> any idea what the revs are? [you can buy an instrument cluster from a
> junkyard, with tach, for about $40 these days.]
>
> higher revs are normal - ~1500. and at that speed, the torque converter
> will pull quite strongly. are your brakes good?
>
>
>> Through reading forums and and other internet sources I have reason to
>> believe it may be the Fast Idle Thermo Valve. I realize there are other
>> possibilities!
>> I have seen a write up on other forums with pictures, and they show how
>> to screw in some kind of plunger in said FITV.
>> The problem is that the pictures show an Integra engine bay, not a Honda
>> Civic.
>> Apparently the FITV loosens up over time.
>> I have the Haynes manual,
>
> that's 99% of your problem right there.
>
>
>> and have looked under the hood for the FITV, but cannot find the damn
>> thing!
>> I am not a mechanic, and have only done basics like 02 sensor, Cap,
>> rotor, ignition coil and spark plugs, etc.
>> Does anyone have a link with a picture, or a diagram or description for
>> this year(1990) Honda Civic in regards to the FITV?
>> Thanks.
>
> first stop is tegger.com for the faq's and links to factory workshop
> manual downloads.
>
> next step is check all your hose connections, then test fast idle and iac
> valve operation per the manual.

bi241@scn.org

On May 11, 11:32 pm, "Rubntugdug" <Nos...@nospam.net> wrote:
> I've been driving an automatic 1990 Honda Civic DX for 2 and a half years.
> The Car has been great, but always idles really high before it is warmed up.
> Especially if not used for a couple of days.
> I realized that it will idle higher than normal when cold, but this is
> really high, and I have to keep my foot on the brake pedal or it will take
> off on me until warmed up.
> Through reading forums and and other internet sources I have reason to
> believe it may be the Fast Idle Thermo Valve. I realize there are other
> possibilities!
> I have seen a write up on other forums with pictures, and they show how to
> screw in some kind of plunger in said FITV.
> The problem is that the pictures show an Integra engine bay, not a Honda
> Civic.
> Apparently the FITV loosens up over time.
> I have the Haynes manual, and have looked under the hood for the FITV, but
> cannot find the damn thing!
> I am not a mechanic, and have only done basics like 02 sensor, Cap, rotor,
> ignition coil and spark plugs, etc.
> Does anyone have a link with a picture, or a diagram or description for this
> year(1990) Honda Civic in regards to the FITV?
> Thanks.

Unless the idle speed will not come back down after warm up, then i'd
suggest you leave the FITV as is, it serves a purpose.

When engine temp is cold, the valve opens to allow more air to enter
the intake manifold (behind the throttle plate) to increase idle speed
and reduces warm-up time. It utilises a form of controlled vacumm
leak, similar to that of the PCV valve

And also by allowing more air to enter, it helps offset the harmful
effects of the rich mixture caused by the IAT sensor during the warm
up period.

Now you just want to drive right away, of cource you can shut the damn
valve closed permanently by doing such modification so that the
transmission and the brakes are not subjected to too much unnecessary
stresses.

But why would you want to put your engine under load, any load, when
it's still cold?

The warm-up period is the nastiest condition that an internal
combustion engine has to endure. Uneven distribution of lubricant,
concentration of heat, wet mixture, low fuel burning efficiency, off
valve timing... blah blah... and God created the FITV