UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

mmm.
been fine for 2 weeks and then she has decided to not idle when cold. Just keeps cutting out. But after about 2 or 3 mins of driving, she's all fine like there is nothing wrong.

Is this a bang the air filter, wiggle the leads, change the blue temp sensor and adjust the idle screw thing?

yeah go clean everything out in the engine, as in first try the air box, then get some carb cleaner, I haven't done this personaly but I've heard it helps.

Then if all that fails change your leads.

yep its a change the headlight fluid, peer cluelessly inside the dizzy cap and kick the sump problem

when you say cutting out, you mean instantly? or running slightly rough at idle and then randomly dropping dead after a few seconds?

it's cutting dead first time you try it. you have to keep your foot on the accellerator for a couple of minutes then it will go to a choppy idle. After a while it will just idle like normal.

found out what it was.
(after spending 40 quid on new leads, dizzy cap and rotor arm)

There's a little solenoid type thingy on the side of the throttle body to increase the revs if cold... like a choke type thing.
Anyway, me dad pokes it as he has come outside to see what I am messing with and hey presto, it was stuck.. the little rod comes out, increases the revs and stops it from stalling.

i squirted it with loads of WD40 and it's working fine again now.
hoorah.

So those with idling problems, give this a check

I think that's you ISV you are describing there. It commonly gets stuck and causes problems. Not just on Polos, as my dads Vectra had the same problem. It got so bad that it wouldn't idle at all.

You did the right thing anyway, by cleaning it out with WD40.

ahhh, the idle control servo thingamabob..... tis interesting to watch it at work if you're playing with the airbox off and tweak the accelerator cable which'll be why you had to use the throttle manually to keep it alive.

propping it open all the way isnt the best idea though, i dont know the reasoning behind it but if you're having mk3 polo engine troubles surrounding getting started/keeping running, pushing it to the floor seems to have worse effect than doing nothing. cant give you theory, but have plenty of experience - it'll catch better with a smaller opening.
doesnt help if you run out of petrol and have to try and nurse it along til the bubbles are gone either somewhere between a quarter and a third will easily get the revs quite high (and noisy, fumetastic!) to fill in the missing gaps between sucessful detonations in most circumstances - leads, sticky idler (the very slightest pressure on the pedal would probably do, just to get ~1000-1200-1500rpm depending on temperature), petrol...