If the idle motor and associated systems are correctly set up the car won't run good unless the brass screws are LIGHTLY seated closed. If they are not then the car is not set up right. Check to see if they aren't seated keeping track of how much you are turning them so you can put them back if necessary. Make sure that the idle micro is properly adjusted and actually working, use a meter to test it while moving the gas pedal. On letting up and returning to idle the micro should have continuity. You should also notice a change in the engine when you click the micro as it's running. To get the motor to run right on the idle motor you cannot have any vacuum leaks. Many mechanics unfamiliar with the Bosch system will try to adjust out a rough idle by twiddling anything they can adjust and those 3 brass screws look so easy to turn! It is a lot harder to find and fix the vacuum leaks but the idle motor can't modulate the idle with them. If you have a hissing mode switch start there but you must inspect every vacuum hose, removing them if you have to, to see if they are brittle, cracked, disconnected etc. David Teitelbaum vin 10757 --- In dmcnews@xxxx, Soma576@xxxx wrote: > Hey all, > > i just read on a website that the DeLorean engine doesn't use the three brass > idle screws on top of the air induction manifold right next to the > microswitch. when my car wouldn't start due earlier this year i watched the > mechanic tweaking these three screws. i don't know if he used them to get it > to run, but i remember watching him play with them while trying to get it to > idle correctly. he eventually figured out the problem was the brass tube > from the idle speed motor wasn't lined up well giving me a huge vacuum leak, > and after some CO tweaking (i had played with the CO myself before that) he > got it running again, and it's been ok since, with the exception of a rough > idle sometimes. > > what would happen if someone did play with these screws on a healthy DMC > motor? would it hurt anything if i checked them and screwed them down like > they should be in the DeLorean application? or should i just leave 'em be? > > Andy > > Soma576@xxxx > 1982 DeLorean DMC-12 VIN#11596 > Fargo, ND 58102 > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]