Lancia Motor Club

the idle control valve on my lancia prisma is faulty.
can i use one from a delta to replace mine?

What's the problem? Have you tried cleaning it ??? if not send me a private message & I'll explain how.

Brian
8227 8)

As Brian says they are relatively easy to clean so long as you take them apart carefully.  Count the turns on the tiny nut and make sure you catch all the springs which may shoot out; afterall you want it to go back together the same way.

Clean the inside with solvent to get rid of the soot which will have collected there.

It's actually more difficult to take the vale off the car than it is to clean it!

By the way, there's one of these for sale on Ebay at the moment.

Neil

Hi Neil,
I don't usually bother to take them apart, I turn them upside down, fill with WD40, Plus gas or similar, leave overnight then work the valve up & down with an old valve stem, needs plenty of pressure, empty, flush out again with whatever & that usually works ;D.

Brian
8227 8)

Worth a try Brian before tearing it apart.

The other cause of problems is in the connector on the top.  The pins inside get a bit corroded (the AMP connectors seal quite well but these cars are 20 years old now) so a clean with fine wet&dry paper and a spray with contact cleaner can make a difference.  Just taking the connector off-and-on several times has worked for a while.

The rubber boots perish on the connectors too and new AMP connectors are quite hard to find if you only want one.  So go around a breakers yard and cut a few off a BMW.  It should be possible to find several tidy ones.  Cut the old connector off the Lancia and solder the new ones on.  Use glue filled heat-shhrink sleeving to keep the wet off your solder joints or you'll soon be in a worse state that when you started.

Neil

Hi Neil,
I think that completes a comprehensive list of what you can try before buying a new Idle control valve ;D Considering the cost of a new one, well worth the effort.
And I've learned a couple of new tricks!

Brian
8227 8)

If the sympton is varying/hunting engine revs at tick-over, or possible engine stalling when coming to a halt, there is a simple test you can perform when the engine has reached optimum operating temperature. With the engine still running, all ancillary devices switched off (ie. minimum engine load) and the car suitably restrained if you're attempting this on your own (hand-brake on and wheels blocked), simply disconnect the electrical connector from the ICV. The revs may alter slightly up or down, but should they then become stable, the ICV is at fault. If engine revs are still all over the place, the fault lies elsewhere. This was on an integrale by the way, but I'm sure the above will still hold true.

Thank You Richard,
Another snippet added to my file on idle control valves ;D

Brian Hilton
8227 8)

Cripes! I thought I was up late when I submitted this!
Are you going to Goodwood Track-Day? If so, see you there.