I found out something really weird on my truck the other day. (At least I find it really weird.) If the car is running and idleing fairly well, and I pull the dipstick out, it starts to run like crap. Is this normal?

Sounds like a problem...

PCV ????



Repo

It's normal. That's why there is a seal on the handle end.

That's so weird. These engines have to really be sealed up that tight in order to run?

why pull the dipstick when its running?

See the first page or two of this thread: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f5/2...-wierd-141477/

See the rest of above thread for hours of off-topic hilarity.

So would a tiny exhaust leak at the manifold to exhaust tube cause the car to idle rough too?

It's not helping but probably would not cause rough idle. Timing and or vac leak will, as well as bad plugs/wires/cap/rotor.

And from what i've read, the easiest way to find vac leaks is with carb cleaner?

I'd do the other stuff before I started hunting a vac leak.

Smoke test.

ok, i was going to do all that stuff this weekend to. If that doesn't fix it up... vac leak? and what's a smoke test?

not cap, dipstick. lol sorry if there were already alot of those.

Actually, it does create a small vac leak. If you run a google search on EFI vacuum leaks and do enough poking around for the info, you'll find that is one source for a potential leak. Probably not enough to really cause an issue, but maybe enough to compound an already minute existing one.

Oh, DeathPansy. Where for art thou DeathPansy?

but why pull the dip stick when its running??????

why remove the oil cap when its running??????