I installed the plenum 3 weeks ago and I'm having an issue at idle. When the car is at idle, it tends to dip below idle as if its gonna die out...if i rev it a lil it will go back to normal idle. Even if i dont rev it, it will go back to normal idle but within 15-20 seconds, it will dip below idle again. I wanted to know if any of you guys are having this problem. I have no CEL and had no CEL even when i turned the car on the first time with the Plenum on. Can anybody help me out with this? Thanx.

 

im not sure about this.. but mine is like on the last line before it reaches 0...

 

sounds like a vacuum leak. did you use a new gasket?

 

Going with my experience over the past year & dealing with Doug at CrawfordZ numerous times......the are several mods that seem like they sometimes need to have the idle bumped after install - not all the time, but sometimes. I bumped after plenum install, pully install, flywheel & clutch install. Nissan's Consult II diganostic tool can bump the idle up in 50 rpm increments - will take care of a low idle - have done it several times. I know the Consult II works on the pre-'04.5 models with the '03 ECU...not sure on the '04.5's with the newer ECU's - no experience with them.

Another thing before going that route...check to make sure there are no leaks around the plenum - call Doug at Crawford & he'll fill you in on what, where, how to check. He definitely DOES NOT want even 1 of these new cast plenums causing problems & will do everything he can to diagnose/correct it. Call him at 615.327.4159 Hope this helps........

 

I didn't use a new gasket. I was thinkin the same thing that there might be a leak somewhere but how do i check for that?

 

I am having a similar problem. My idle is ok, but sometimes when I start my car (when the engine is hot) the rpm's drop to zero and the car will die. I used a new gasket and the existing gasket as instructed by crawford. I am thinking about trying a gasket sealer. I was also thinking about rasing my idle, but I am not sure if it would help my situation.

 

did you remember to take out one of the M braces? on the instructions it forgets to show you to take it out.

 

When I installed my Crawford V5 (non cast), the plenum was a little warp, so I use gasket maker to add extra layer of sealant. See if it helps..

 

I took the M bracket off and my rpms dont drop as low as lafdclass002...my rpm drop is very small but u can feel the vibration and you can hear that the car wants to die out. Also, with the trannies in these Zs you will hear the cementmixer as the rpm dips low. I know if i bump the rpm at idle, the problem will go away but i want to know if i can do anything else.

 

Guys- instead of speculating and trying this or that, why not follow ZCRUZN's advice and call Doug at Crawford's?
Or email him at crawfordzcar@comcast.net and give him a number to call you back on.

I know he'll be more than glad to help in any way that he can.

615-327-4159, M-F, 7:30-5:30 CST

 

did you transfer the little black "tube cap" from the front of the stock to the crawford? i didn't initially cuz it wasn't in the instructions, but when i did, all was well.

 

here are some things that may help out.

instructions

supplemental

the supplemental has everything that you need to check for, from the four cap bolts placed on the lower plenum, to the oil cap lip, etc.

also, make sure you bolt the bolts down well! 40-61 in-lbs isn't gonna cut it. i actually torqued it down to about 200 in-lbs, which is around 17 ft-lbs. don't overtorque it (you're not gonna warp the plenum, but you may break the bolts!). just apply even torque in a criss-cross throughout the plenum and you should be fine.

when i installed mine yesterday, i heard a loud squeel and the car died immediately. i thought i checked everything, but when i called doug, it turns out that i was an idiot and did not remove the M3 bracket. this will actually get between the upper and lower plenum (it doesn't look like it, but it does) and cause a BIG vacuum leak. hope that helps.

n1cK!

 

standalone, so did you get your problem resolved??? when you ask for help, those who offer it usually want to know the outcome.

 

Yeah, I thought it was pretty strange that it didn't come with a cap. After I put everything back together, I noticed that there was nothing to attach to that thing, and I got a bit confused because there was nothing in the instructions explaining what to do with it. Finally, I just looked at the stock one and noticed the black rubber cap, so I transferred it over to the Crawford plenum. It's those little details that really make a difference with instruction manuals.

 

+1


also, my idle dipped a bit after install, running at about 600rpm now, going to up it to about 1000 or 1100 after cams/headers as part of the reflash

 

Sorry, for some reason I'm not gettin e-mail notifications. Anyways, I do have the black rubber piece on there and the M3 bracket is off. The problem still exists. I pmed the guys at crawford but I havent gotten a response. Last night i left the car runnin in the garage for a while and listened to any leaks but I can't seem to find anything. Do you think torquing every bolt to the right specs is significant? would it really cause this problem? Thanx to everybody who is trying to help.

 

i wouldn't torque too hard...the lower plenum is pretty soft.
CALL crawford, talk to doug. he is very friendly and helpful.

 

I called Doug at Crawford. He suggested that I go to Techno Square's website and follow their instructions for resetting my ECU/Idle. Specifically "Idle Air Volume Learning (Throttle Position Learning)" off of the TS website. If that did not work, he then suggested using "brake cleaner" spray around the plenum to check for a vacuum leak. After applying the brake cleaner, any change in idle could indicate a leak.

 

Did you check the throttle body for any leaks as well? Some of the bolts were hard to get to, so if you didn't tighten them down well, there could be a leak there too.

 

Yea I was also told to follow the technosquare procedures but I can't seem to get the timing down and its not workin for me. I was thinkin there is a leak within the throttle body so I'm gonna check that out.