school me on the high idle solenoid...

[colbystephens]

i think in the body swap (i just put a '73 onto my '83 frame/engine), i may have disconnected my high idle solenoid and now it's idling real high all the time. is it the little cover right smack on the front of the IP, next to the pink IP wire? i no longer have this cover/switch... lost it in the swap.

i wonder if this solenoid works when not grounded out, and when grounded it is not on? can i find a way to shut that puppy off permanently without that little switch mechanism? or how can i go about finding a replacement easily enough??

 

[4by4bygod]

Colby -

I emailed your question to my friend Brent, who is a mechanic for one of my school districts, and before that, was a GM dealership tech guy..I figured he'd be as qualified of a guy as anyone to ask..here's his reply:

"Most idle solenoids I have seen are on the injector pump, I have a service manual at work for them I will look monday and let you know."


I'll get the rest of answer to you as soon as I hear something.

 

[Russell]

The solenoid you are talking about is the timing advance solenoid. You engage it by applying 12 volts to the post that sticks up and out of it. When it is advanced, the engine will rattle louder.

The high idle solenoid is bolted onto the driver's side of the IP right above the throttle linkage. It is a little canister with a single wire post sticking off of it. When you apply 12 volts to it, it forces a little pushrod down against the throttle linkage and bumps it enough to speed up your idle.

I'd be checking to make sure the solenoid's pushrod didn't seize up in the extended position.

 

[colbystephens]

The solenoid you are talking about is the timing advance solenoid. You engage it by applying 12 volts to the post that sticks up and out of it. When it is advanced, the engine will rattle louder.

The high idle solenoid is bolted onto the driver's side of the IP right above the throttle linkage. It is a little canister with a single wire post sticking off of it. When you apply 12 volts to it, it forces a little pushrod down against the throttle linkage and bumps it enough to speed up your idle.

I'd be checking to make sure the solenoid's pushrod didn't seize up in the extended position.

thanks guys! i couldn't tell for sure, but it sure sounded to idle a bit lower today... then again i haven't heard it normal in a while....

 

[6.2Blazer]

If the high idle is working correctly is should be very obvious....when you start it up cold it will idle high for a few minutes and then suddenly drop down.

 

[4by4bygod]

Colby - check your email, if you haven't already..hope it helps.

 

[protechk5]

sorry to hijack, but do you really even need one, will it harm anything not having it on? i disconnected mine b/c it use to make it idle way to high, like red line. it would slowly get higher and higher until red lining. so when i start it up now cold, i just hold the gas for a minute or two, is this bad?

 

[6.2Blazer]

sorry to hijack, but do you really even need one, will it harm anything not having it on? i disconnected mine b/c it use to make it idle way to high, like red line. it would slowly get higher and higher until red lining. so when i start it up now cold, i just hold the gas for a minute or two, is this bad?

I don't see any reason why it would hurt anything. All the high idle does is physically push the throttle linkage down a tiny bit just to keep the vehicle running and warm up slightly faster when you first start it (in below zero temps my high idle will stay on for maybe a couple of minutes, basically to the point when the temp gauge first barely moves).

 

[maynardogle]

Mine hasn't been hooked up for years... I just hold my foot on the pedal about 1/2 inch for the first 15 seconds on those cool mornings... Of course it never gets below about 40 degrees here.