Hiace Idle Stalling

My 2001 Toyota Hiace with a gasoline engine is giving me fits. The check engine light is on, and the error memory keeps throwing up a code related to the idle air control valve. The worst part is, the engine stalls at idle! I suspect a heavily contaminated intake, but I'm no mechanic. Has anyone else experienced this?

4 comment(s)

I had similar issues with my Hiace. Does it only happen when the engine is warm, or does it stall even when cold? Could also be a vacuum leak somewhere in the intake system, although that would be rare.

Good question! It seems worse when it's warm, almost like it can't handle the heat. A vacuum leak, you say? How would I even begin to check for that?

The stalling when warm points to the IAC valve itself being faulty, especially since you're getting an error code for it. Though a vacuum leak could cause stalling, the code points pretty squarely to a bad IAC valve. I'd advise getting it checked professionally if you're not comfortable replacing it yourself. Replacing it yourself isn't too hard. But the area around the throttle body needs to be cleaned well. The air valve itself usually is beyond repair.

Thanks for the tip! I took it to a workshop and they confirmed it was the IAC valve, just like you said! They did a complete cleaning of the intake, replaced the valve, and now it runs like a charm. Cost me 425€, but it was worth it to get rid of that headache.

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