Why does my 2002 dodge stratus 2.4 idle high and chug ?

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Asked by bdub51 Mar 18, 2013 at 07:55 PM about the 2002 Dodge Stratus SE Sedan FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

15 Answers

Ah, gotcha. The o2 sensor may be going bad and you are running lean, causing the high idle..or a vacuum leak..can you hear a vacuum leak, all hoses look ok, no cracks.. and all have a 'home', none dangling or nipples with nothing attached on a vacuum source?

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I checked all the hoses ..y doesn't the 02 come up on the codes? Could the pcv velve cause that

If an o2 sensor fault didn't show on the scan, then it's probably OK, and not the problem. Now PCV, well that is (you probably already know this) sucks air out of the crankcase, in to a full vacuum source to, well, ventilate the crankcase. A stuck closed PCV valve will cause the blowby from normal engine running to build pressure to the point of blowing the PVC valve right out of the valve cover, where it is on many engines. That is why it is not attached, pulls right out. In your Stratus bdub, I am now thinking more about EGR. An inoperative or clogged EGR valve will result in a rough idle, poor fuel economy and possibly a loss of power. Loss of power is especially prevalent with valves that are stuck open, as this will permit hot exhaust gases to constantly enter the combustion chamber when they are not needed. And it IS an emissions part. It helps remove NOx form escaping in to the air. It can get clogged with carbon build ~up.

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Got more. You got me going on this bdub. In addition to the MAS, test the manifold absolute pressure sensor, or MAP sensor, The MAP sensor measures air pressure inside the hose that feeds air to the engine and compares the reading with the outside air pressure. Then the MAP sensor sends this information to the computer. The computer uses the air pressure information to determine the proper amount of fuel to inject with the air entering the engine. A proper mixture is needed for smooth vehicle performance. It also falls in to emissions systems category. THEN, it has an ISV, Idle Speed (control) valve. The idle air control valve on your car or truck works by adjusting the airflow inside your vehicle's throttle body in order to control the engine idle. The idle air control valve commonly develops problems due to carbon build-up and blockage caused by exposure to the gases and debris from the engine's operations. You may notice several different problems with your vehicle in the event that your idle air control valve stops functioning properly. This image is the Idle Speed control

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and is here and all included in emissions systems in addition to just fuel/air/idle

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That makes a lot of sense to me now..when it is running with the hood open it will idle high and go down and I can hear a velve or somethin opening or closing on the front left of the engine and didn't know where it was coming from ..but when I could hear that is when it would idle high and miss ...ill try that ..thanks for your help

Hey, you're welcome. I am always happy to hear when I am of some help. lots of people never even say that even when I do a lot of work with what I already know and research. My pleasure indeed.

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also look for a small piece of plastic inside the idle air port on the throttle body, have seen many covers from the intake air temperature sensor break off and get lodged in between the casing and the sensor plunger and do what you have described.

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10/4 ..thanks for all the help guys..ill let u know tonight if it works

I had the same issues with mine... Turned out that the butterfly rod that goes through the throttle body was broken when a butterfly set screw goes through and was causing a vacuum leak and causing throttle body to stick.

I just wanted to say thank you as well I was having the same problem with my '02 stratus Iceman

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