RE: The questions never end...

[Aleksander Mierzwa <alex@matrix.com.pl>]

Ben wrote:

	>The car idles (when warm) at about 500 rpm.  It feels a little
too 
	>low.  Where's it supposed to sit?  At high altitude the car
idles way 
	>way low.  Can I adjust something to make it behave better high
up and 
	>in the cold?  I spend most of my time in lower, warmer climes.

Yes, it's too low. Correct idle speed is 800-900rpm. You can adjust the
idle speed: connect the current meter in series with the ISV and turn
the idle screw (on top of the throttle body) to achieve 430mA current
flow through the ISV. If it fails (you can't achieve the required
current flow or the idle speed still isn't correct), the ISV may be
clogged with dirt and requires cleaning with carb cleaner. If cleaning
the ISV doesn't help either, there's probably some electrical problem in
the idle stabilizer circuit or the ISV is faulty itself.

	>Turbo boost has never gone above 1.4.  Is this normal?  Idling,
it 
	>sits around 0.3, and in normal driving I have rarely seen it
exceed 
	>1.0.

It's perfectly normal for an unchipped 200

	>When the engine reaches 3500 RPM or higher (gradual change, but
not 
	>noticeable below 3000 or so) there is a great deal of vibration
if I 
	>am giving it much gas.  It feels nasty, but a friend assures me
that 
	>this is just the inherent imbalance of the I-5.  ?

Your friend is wrong. Check the engine and transmission mounts. 

Aleksander Mierzwa
Warsaw, Poland
mailto:alex@matrix.com.pl
87 Audi 5000CS turbo (mine)
88 Renault Medallion wagon (mom's)
91 mountain bike (just in case both cars broke at the same time :-)