imran wrote:
> i am having the same exact problems you are. i have brought it back several
> times. first they told me that it was normal for a 4 cylinder, although it
> certainly was not like this when the car was new. next they found a bad
> ignition wire and then they played around with the motor mounts. it does
> not do it all the time, so maybe they did not get the right feel. i think
> it is definitely one of the sensors but it is also weird that the slightest
> elec. surge can throw this car out of whack. must be a bad design. i am
> going to try one more time and if i can not get it fixed, then i am
> switching to Honda. i am out of patience.
Their recent story is that it is a problem of unmetered air leaking in from the plastic box placed right after the computer. This would explain the fact that the idle is rough during cooler days or when the engine is not hot yet. They tried to seal the box without replacing it and it slightly improved for a few days but now it is getting worse. They tracked the air leak by listening to and following a subtle whistle with the engine at idle. It is something you may want to consider and suggest to your mechanic. However, I am not really sure that this is the only problem. Still no theory on why the idle is so sensitive to any electric load. Do let me know if this helps. Lastly, did you have the O2 sensor replaced?