Hey guys..question about 87' vert idle control valve and the 'penny hack'

[nyvram]

i had a bad idle control valve, replaced it and the used one worked for about a year before it started messing up.

So I have 2 (original & used) that i can play around with..maybe try the penny trick..and I ordered a $30 aftermarket unit from Ebay. It seems you can pay $30 or $700 for OEM and there's no in-between.

Does anyone have any experience with the aftermarket units? This is the older "L" not the newer "T". I don't expect it to be perfect but I have a hard time justifying $670 more for a slightly smoother idle.

Or is it possible to clean an existing old OEM unit and get it back to working condition. Is the penny trick really just a temporary fix or would a penny-hacked OEM run better than a new aftermarket?

I'm a little leary of used units after my bad experience and know next to nothing about all these aftermarket brands on Ebay.

Thanks!

[richardodn]

They don't go bad often. Most of the time they're simply dirty and sticky. Spray some cleaner on the insides and you're good to go. The "penny trick" simply does away with idle control.

[msservices]

I would first try to rule out vacuum leaks before doing anything with the icv. You could have developed one (or several minor ones) since the last time you worked on it. Then I would suggest the penny trick since you are obviously curious about it and it only costs a penny. I do agree that the Ivc could use a cleaning, but I am also cautious about spraying carb cleaner into an old part if said part was in fact working fine to begin with. I know that’s how everyone suggests cleaning them but I’ve never seen the internals to know if there are any plastic/rubber parts that could be affected by carb spray

[superj]

its a metal plunger looking deal that moves, if I remember right. it does get some carbon looking junk there and spraying clears the slide area and closing point.

what is the penny hack?

[nyvram]

its a metal plunger looking deal that moves, if I remember right. it does get some carbon looking junk there and spraying clears the slide area and closing point.

what is the penny hack?

its verrrrry old. dates from at least 1995. here's the original thread on it.

http://www.verrill.com/car/e30_idlefaq.shtml

Scroll down towards the bottom of that wall of text.

- - - Updated - - -

I would first try to rule out vacuum leaks before doing anything with the icv. You could have developed one (or several minor ones) since the last time you worked on it. Then I would suggest the penny trick since you are obviously curious about it and it only costs a penny. I do agree that the Ivc could use a cleaning, but I am also cautious about spraying carb cleaner into an old part if said part was in fact working fine to begin with. I know that’s how everyone suggests cleaning them but I’ve never seen the internals to know if there are any plastic/rubber parts that could be affected by carb spray

thanks! ordered a complete vacuum hose kit because..well they're 30 years old and likely have developed problems somewhere along the line. i'll do both at the same time.

[superj]

that penny hack is very similar to something else I had read. I just took the icv line and icv out of my track car and drilled a small hole in the throttle plate. same effect, just less junk in the engine bay afterwards.

[DRVN2WN]

If you think it's actually bad, there's still some remaining stock of the the Bosch L-style ones around: https://www.autohausaz.com/pn/0280140512

[msservices]

I’m glad you mentioned vacuum hoses being original. I had idle issues that I could never resolve until I eventually had replaced all the engine seals, o rings, and gaskets while in the process of swapping the head (broken rocker arm) and servicing the trans(slipping). I have a vacuum gauge that never read close to 15hg, and the range at idle is supposed to be 15-20hg. I tried changing hoses, etc, individually to no avail, because every gasket/seal on an m20 will eventually leak air (and oil) if not replaced. Once mine were all replaced throttle response and idle improved almost %100, (not to mention the oil leaks are gone)

[nyvram]

thanks guys!