Rough idle rapidly alternating between 400-800 RPMs, possible blown head gasket

Tiny
KIWASABI1
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE
  • 2.6L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 230,000 MILES
Starting today I got a very rough idle where the RPMs are rapidly alternating between about 400-800 RPMs. The car isn't quite getting low enough RPMs to stall out but it's getting close. When it's actually driving then I don't have any symptoms like this, only while idling. Years ago, I was told the head gasket is leaking, and I've had a small loss of coolant that I've had to periodically refill. Occasionally I've had a similar issue where the RPMs bottom out to 400 RPMs and jump up and down a few times, and then it would stop. Now it's persistent though while idling, it never seems to want to smooth out. It's not the same as a misfire as it only happens while idling. If it was caused by coolant in the cylinders though I'd think there would be bogged down acceleration and other drivability problems, which I didn't experience that I know of.

I have had some slight overheating issues along with the loss of coolant, but never to the point of it becoming a problem. Generally, if the coolant is low the temperature needle would start getting a little over the halfway mark, which was usually my tip to refill it. This has been happening some lately as well. Again, not to the point of substantial overheating though.

When I had a similar rough idle issue in the past it was because the throttle body was bad. I replaced it with a good working used throttle body in 2020 and never had that problem again. When I was having throttle position sensor issues causing idling problems, it was causing it drop to 400-500 RPMs and staying there, not rapidly alternating like it is now. So, I'm leaning towards either throttle body or head gasket issues. What do you guys think?
Saturday, March 12th, 2022 AT 12:24 AM

11 Replies

Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
Good morning,

I would start with a compression test to check for any internal engine damage.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-engine-compression

Then you need to do a leak down test on each cylinder to see if any cylinder is leaking compression into the coolant system

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test

I would start there.

Roy
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Saturday, March 12th, 2022 AT 5:12 AM
Tiny
KIWASABI1
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Thanks for the response, Roy. I spoke to my mechanic this morning and he told me to make sure it had enough coolant, which I've topped up twice, and ran it for 10-15 minutes. This second time that I topped it up and ran it, it was idling smoothly until it warmed up, then it started the misfiring behavior and stalled out. I checked the codes and got a P0300 Multiple Misfires code that was new. Did a little searching online and it said it could be caused by bad coil packs. I actually have all the spark plugs, wires, and coils to completely swap them all out. Is that something I should try out? I don't have the equipment necessary to check for the compression or head gasket. Although it would appear that the coolant is not decreasing faster than it had in the past, so I'm leaning away from it being the head gasket. Also, the misfiring doesn't happen right at startup, only after it's warmed up, which would seem to rule out the compression problems.

My mechanic said it could be the throttle body, which has a coolant line going through it to help warm up the air going into the engine. I had similar symptoms in 2020 and replacing the throttle body fixed it, although we put in a used part, and it could have gone bad again already. So, I'm thinking it's easier spark plugs / wires / coils related, or throttle body related. What are your thoughts on this, and what would you test in regards to these?
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Saturday, March 12th, 2022 AT 4:45 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
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You can rent the tools at a parts store.

I would start there.

Roy
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Saturday, March 12th, 2022 AT 4:57 PM
Tiny
KIWASABI1
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Strangely the P0300 code is now cleared, but I have two P0135 codes: O2 Heater Circuit Bank 1 Sensor 1. I read that it can cause a rough idle on startup, although I've had this code for many months at this point. Here's the freeze frame data from the latest P0135 from when I was idling it after adding coolant:

Fuelsys1: OL-Drive
Fuelsys2: N/A
Load Percentage: 23.5
ETC: 171
Shortft1: 0.0
Longft1: 0.0
RPM: 707
VSS: 0 mph

Again, the rough idle only starts when the engine is warm, at which point it's quickly stalling out now. My mechanic will check the head gasket and compression on Monday. I'm just testing what I can now with the limited equipment that I've got, so please bear with me.
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Saturday, March 12th, 2022 AT 6:02 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
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I would check the fuel pressure to be sure sufficient fuel is being delivered to the injectors.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-fuel-system-pressure-and-regulator

I attached the spec below for you.

Roy
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Sunday, March 13th, 2022 AT 1:48 AM
Tiny
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I towed it in to my mechanic's shop today, and it's a cracked intake manifold. We're having a heck of a time finding one that will fit a 4 cylinder engine, most are 6 cylinder. He's going to see if he can repair it with some sort of sealer.
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Monday, March 14th, 2022 AT 12:45 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
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I found pages of the manifolds for you. I attached them below.

No, to the repair. There is no sealer that will work as the manifold expands and contracts and the sealer will fall off.

Roy
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Monday, March 14th, 2022 AT 12:49 PM
Tiny
KIWASABI1
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Thank you for that recommendation on where to get the part, I ordered one for $40.00 plus shipping. So hopefully once it's installed my car should be all good to go again.
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Monday, March 14th, 2022 AT 4:04 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
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You are welcome.

Please keep us updated with the results.

Roy
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Tuesday, March 15th, 2022 AT 2:01 AM
Tiny
KIWASABI1
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My apologies for the late reply to this topic. I wanted to give a conclusion for anyone who might find this thread looking for a solution. My mechanic put in the used junk yard intake manifold which lasted me about 6 months before it completely snapped off at the throttle body. So, I ended up buying a brand-new OEM one for $500 from Mitsubishi Parts Now (OEM part 1540A182) and this fixed the bad misfire I was having.

I'm still dealing with some rough / hunting idle and vibration issues, which I'm hoping to solve with a new OEM EGR valve. All the symptoms seem to align with that being the cause of the issue. Plus, I've already replaced pretty much everything else that seems to be a possible culprit (Throttle Body, TPS, IAC, Intake Manifold, ECT, O2 Sensors, Fuel Pump, Fuel Pressure Regulator, etc.).
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Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023 AT 12:52 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
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Hi,

Thank you for that information. I'm sure it will help others. Also, if you have a chance, I would love to know if the rough idle issues are fixed by the EGR.

Take care,

Joe
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Friday, August 25th, 2023 AT 7:55 PM

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