Hi guys,

My G/F owns a 1995 Sidekick and she's been having some trouble getting it started on cold mornings. It seems to flood itself out.

I noticed that the vacuum solenoid (located right near the timing belt on the right side of the head) isnt doing anything on cold start. When I pull the line off, the truck idles right up. It's a tbi and it's got that vacuum actuated fast idle gismo.

Any idea what could cause this solenoid to malfunction? I assume it's grounded through the ecu. the solenoid will work if I manually ground it out.

Thanks
Brandon

Possibly a problem with the coolant temperature sensor or maybe just a bad vacuum pipe. IIRC the throttle opener should be actuated by default and then pulled back by the ECU.

I tried to upload some images from my 92 tracker FSM with the diagnostic procedure but I get this message:

An Error Has Occurred!
Your attachment couldn't be saved. This might happen because it took too long to upload or the file is bigger than the server will allow.

Please consult your server administrator for more information.



If any admins can clear this up and Msg me I'd love to post this info. Thanks.

I replaced the CTS over the weekend and still no luck. Does anyone know off hand where the ecu ground points are? I have 12v there but the computer isnt giving a clean ground on startup. If i manually ground the solenoid it clicks and bingo fast idle.

Thanks
BRandon

There is a common (aka "ground") wire from the back of the engine to the firewall you should check/clean.

I've found that can "look" fine, but the firewall connections has corrosion built up. Check that the connector is good, clean both the connector and firewall mounting, and reassemble (I like to spray some silicone after assembly to help "weather proof" the spot).

BTW, this is a very important connection!!!

Woohoo, pic posting works. Hope this applies to the 95's.

If your diagnostic routine leads you to the ECM, it could be leaking capacitors.  See this:
http://www.kick-fix.com/ECU/ECU.html

Hey Guys,

I hadn't checked this thread for a few days and now I see some more very useful replies. Thanks a ton!

SnoFalls - I'll check that ground point tonight.

SquirrellyFella - Thanks for the test procedures that is great. I'll certainly start from scratch following the chart.

I'll report back after I give it another try. Thanks again guys

Brandon