Stuck AAR valve '73 1.7, Will this fix it? Options

[EJP914]

I think Brad Meuyer (sp?) told me many years ago, how to free this up.

Remove it from car.

Spray huge amounts of PB Blaster or similar to the inside.

Heat up the outside case of the valve with a propane torch.

May take alot of heat and it will glow red, but eventually the spring inside will release.

Any other ways to fix it? Thanks in advance.

EJP914

[yellowporky]

Yes that is a common cure for a stuck one. Unfortunately i had one that the wire broke off of the bottom and no amounts of PB blaster could fix it.

[JamesM]

First step is test to make sure it still has electrical connectivity. If the wire or one of the resistors has broken it will only partially work.

Then

Fill a small cup with PB Blaster and soak it up to the valve portion upside down for days.

Once a day or so take it out and blow through it with brake clean, then put it back in the PB. lots of crud will come out over time.

The upper connector is just press fit on and can be knocked off, this can help as it allows access to manually move the vane but generally isnt necessary if you soak and flush it long enough.

After a couple of days hook the valve to a battery to warm it up and see if its moving again. This can take 5-10 minutes

[JeffBowlsby]

I've been thinking about a substitute AAR valve for awhile now, let me run this by you.

The factory AAR is a simple electrically-operated valve varying from fully open when the engine is cold, to fully-closed when warm. The electrical heater in the valve conveniently and immediately begins to close the valve, and the heater is on full-time the engine is operating, keeping the valve closed. No wonder they fail electrically. And crud accumulates in the valve causing the valve to stick, requiring maintenance.

Anyone ever considered a manual valve as at least a temporary workaround? Both AAR hoses are 12mm ID. My idea is to use a plastic drip irrigation, header, inline ball shutoff valve with barbed ends. The valves are available with 1/2" OD ends, which should be Plug N Play with the existing hoses. Besides it looking like a hack, an inconvenience is that one needs to operate the valve - open it to start the car, then close it a couple minutes later. Rinse/repeat. Inexpensive, and technically it should work, but I have not tried it.

[emerygt350]

I've been thinking about a substitute AAR valve for awhile now, let me run this by you.

The factory AAR is a simple electrically-operated valve varying from fully open when the engine is cold, to fully-closed when warm. The electrical heater in the valve conveniently and immediately begins to close the valve, and the heater is on full-time the engine is operating, keeping the valve closed. No wonder they fail electrically. And crud accumulates in the valve causing the valve to stick, requiring maintenance.

Anyone ever considered a manual valve as at least a temporary workaround? Both AAR hoses are 12mm ID. My idea is to use a plastic drip irrigation, header, inline ball shutoff valve with barbed ends. The valves are available with 1/2" OD ends, which should be Plug N Play with the existing hoses. Besides it looking like a hack, an inconvenience is that one needs to operate the valve - open it to start the car, then close it a couple minutes later. Rinse/repeat. Inexpensive, and technically it should work, but I have not tried it.

I have had this on mine for years. I use it for troubleshooting. During the cold days I will use it when my aar takes forever to close. I find after the car is a little warm the computer can compensate just fine by richening the mix. Really only need the aar for the first cold start and if you let it warm up a little you can just close it and go on your way. Just don't open it full, that's way too much air.

[DC_neun_vierzehn]

Is there a similar process for getting a decel valve unstuck?

[emerygt350]

I swear I have seen something out there. Perhaps on pbanders djet site? Google pbanders djet

[thomasotten]

I recently opened one up to get it unstuck. It was very stuck and I am not sure that the PB Blaster / Heat method will work every time. There is a cylinder that has an internal cylinder piece with very little gap in between the two. A little corrosion causes them to get stuck. If you do heat it up, I would only heat the top portion, not the bottom canister where the electrical heat strip is located.