Holley Sniper EFI IAC Surge - Idle Air Control Problem FIXED! Try this before sending it back!

[@ultra4suzukisamurai679]

Holy crap! I’ve been fighting with a bobble in my idle for 2 years. I watched your video and went out and set the ac kick to 0 and it idles amazing now, THANK YOU!!!

[@HFG]

I'm so happy that it helped you! That's awesome 👊🏼👊🏼

[@morganwadsworth9275]

Setting my AC kick to 0 hasn’t helped. I’ll give the ground wires a try, but I’ve had a full year of IAC jumping all over the place. The weirdest thing is that if I turn on heat and lights the idle smooths right out and the IAC reading stabilizes at about 5 or 6. So strange.

[@HFG]

Is the sniper wired into the harness? Try giving it it's own power and ground. That's a weird issue.

[@morganwadsworth9275]

@@HFG It's been super frustrating...loving the start up but once warm its surging like crazy. I'm going to try a ground wire from the throttle body direct to the battery, but as for the wiring its the BBD Sniper on my Eagle Wagon (4.2L) and is wired as the instructions lay things out. I'm not controlling spark or anything like that either. I do still need to check the timing and see if that's an issue. Other than that it could be a vacuum leak but we've gone over all of the lines. Really want to get this figured out so this old Eagle Wagon can fee reliable. Cheers!

[@HFG]

@@morganwadsworth9275 With all of the issues people have had with these Snipers, I'd recommend separating as much of the Sniper wiring into it's own unit as you can. Turning on your fan and stuff is strange. Almost like it's being over voltaged. Not sure though. Maybe a bunch of electrical noise in the system. The fan control is a resistor usually which can clean up the noise. That could be something.

[@ckubinyi]

Thanks! This was exactly my issue! Went through all the same wiring changes you did and still did not get anywhere. Changed the AC setting to 0, problem solved. Put it up to 50% and the issue came back immediately. Your video was super helpful!

[@HFG]

Wow!!! Thank you so much! I'm really glad this fixed your problem. I don't know why Holley doesn't turn that off by default. It seems like that's the main source of a lot of people's problem. I talked to several Holley reps and they never even suggested to do this 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@spades262]

This is a BREAKTHROUGH!! My 73 regal hasn't been right and sure enough your ac kick down method fixed my rough idle and sucking noises immediately. You da best !!

[@HFG]

👊🏼👊🏼 glad it helped!! Have fun with the Ragal!

[@dougsciullo4060]

THANKS! I just installed a Sniper 2GC and after the 2nd test drive it started surging at idle. I spent some time studying the manual... but then found your video. IT WAS THE A/C KICK UP. I changed that from 50 to 0 and did nothing else. FIXED. Thanks again.

[@HFG]

Love to hear that!! Glad it worked for you 👍🏼👍🏼

[@cli55er]

Holy….SHeeeeeeeeeyyyyyttttttt!!!!!!!!! Bruh….. this completely solved a bunch of idle dipping issues and crappy ramp down issues when coming to a stop. It also seemed to stop my hanging at 2000 rpm randomly…. I checked the secondary blades and wound the spring one extra turn trying to fight that and it didn’t work…..how the heck does this ac kick to 0 even work!!!!! I even have the ac kick disabled via the laptop and unassigned to an input. Holy smokes dude! This is amaze balls!!!! Thank you!!!

[@HFG]

👊🏼👊🏼

[@s30blazer]

I was adjusting my IAC yesterday. Spent hours struggling. So.. today, I checked my plugs. Yes, they were fouled. So, don't forget to check your plugs. Now, clean plugs installed and back at it. I'll try your technique. Wish me luck.

[@HFG]

Good luck! A lot of people have messaged me and said that changing this setting fixed their problem. I hope it fixes yours too. 👍🏼

[@roncarguy72]

I agree with all the comments! The A/C kick to 0% was to silver bullet. I'm so happy that you posted that and that I stumbles across your video. THANK YOU

[@HFG]

I'm super happy that this fixed your issue. Awesome 👊🏼👊🏼

[@roncarguy72]

@@HFG As I read this back, I have no idea where my grammar was. Chuckling... Either way, thank you again. I helped a friend with that problem and he was very pleased to get it fixed. He reached out to me today saying the power was breaking down on the high end. I'll investigate that tomorrow. No idea if it's losing fuel or ignition. I might reach out to you for advice if I can't narrow it down.

[@HFG]

@@roncarguy72 right on. I don't know if I'll have the answer to the other problems, but I can try.

[@HughPhillips-h8u]

Thank You! I've been chasing this since my install [like a year], why was it so hard to find an answer? I looked all over and found nothing; forums, chats, Holley tech, etc... i thought it was my lumpy cam but it was the A/C kick. You rock my GMC runs great!

[@HFG]

That awesome to hear!! I'm really glad it was helpful. I went down the same road trying to figure it out. Holley told me the unit was potentially faulty and wanted me to send it back. It was crazy. I don't even remember how I ended up figuring out it was the AC Kick

[@briankinnear7461]

Thanks for sharing. Lots of good information. Glad the problem was resolved. Look forward to the next one. Be safe and stay well.

[@HFG]

Thanks! You too

[@fast67falcon]

I have been fighting a low rpm backfire and surging the last year. I took that ramp down adjustment for AC from 50 to zero and problem solved. Thanks for an informative video!!

[@fast67falcon]

Subscribed!!

[@HFG]

I'm glad that fixed your problem. It's weird how the Holley techs never even mention that setting.

[@kellymeade4587]

When everything is working perfect… it is awesome ….Had a high-performance 302 ‘65 2+2 mustang with one… it wasn’t exactly happy all the time , much better with a tuned and correctly jetted carburetor… and a lot less to worry about going wrong ! I know they’re good when they’re working correctly working…. but man…. it’s hard to beat the old mechanical Holley four barrel…. when it’s working good too.

[@HFG]

Carbs are definitely less to go wrong with for sure. Here in Detroit we get a lot of really crazy temp swings so tuning a carb to work well here is an uphill battle.

[@larrycooper4016]

Just found your video. Your ramp down solution solved my idle surge issue completely. Thanks for your help.

[@HFG]

That's awesome!! I'm glad it helped.ypu 👍🏼👍🏼

[@moparnut6286]

Great video I would never run EFI cause of the stone dependablity of the carbs and there easy of repair... But I get it people want gas mileage and ability for the system to adapt to weather conditions... But if I would make the move to EFI it would be multipoint injection this way it solves mileage tunabilty and also the classic fuel distribution problems that all mopar carbureted small blocks have when cold. But good to know info on electro magnetic energy. Not to mention a carb fuel pump is a 30min fix no tank needs dropping.

[@HFG]

It's definitely not for everyone. I got it because my dad thought wanted the reliability sin e he's older. Here in Michigan, the temp differences can swing 25° from morning to night sometimes so keeping a carb at peak tune is pretty hard. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@440phoenix]

Glad you got it sorted out👍

[@HFG]

Thanks! It's been running great ever since 👊🏼👊🏼

[@ryansgreer1983]

Add me to your list of folks you’ve helped!! Solved my problem immediately! Thank you so much!!

[@HFG]

That's awesome!!! I'm super happy that it's helping people with this frustrating problem! 👍🏼👍🏼

[@Niqui78]

Thanks a lot from France. Your video helps me fix the issue I had on the 3 sniper EFI I installed. Same issue as yours on the 347, 351c and 390w. I tried to fix it with Holley hotline but it seems they don't much about issues except the well known injector stuck or vacuum leaks......I changed the settings AC Kick to 0 ans it works perfectly. Did the opposite and it turns heretic again, so for sure you get THE solution men. Stay safe

[@HFG]

👍🏼 That's awesome! I'm happy it helped.

[@callofgeorge]

i have that same flashlight too :p - btw, you can foot to floor when you key on or crank to enter "flood clear" where it shuts off the injectors. comes in handy when you're cycling the key and don't want to hit the intake wet shot during prime.

[@HFG]

Ahh! Awesome! I didn't know the Holley had Flood Clear programmed. I'll use that for sure next time 👍🏼👍🏼

[@callofgeorge]

@@HFG yup, i think by default its 60% on the TPS. also, if you have a no start issue, verify the TPS doesn't show over that % if it's failed because it'll kill the injectors.

[@HFG]

@@callofgeorge good to know. Thanks for the info 👍🏼👍🏼

[@jeremybradshaw6154]

Thanks my friend, you fixed a problem I’ve been chasing for over a year!!!!

[@HFG]

That's awesome. I'm really happy that it helped you!

[@RegardlessofWhere]

Sure enough, my AC Kick was set to 50%. The car has AC, but it doesn’t work so I removed the compressor. Car has been funky and these surges are so random. Based off what your video shows and what others are commenting, stoked to get her on the road tomorrow to see where we stand. Will follow for more! Cheers 💪🏻

[@HFG]

Let me know how it goes. Fingers crossed. It might take a min to settle in. 👍🏼

[@RegardlessofWhere]

@ well so far so good! Drove to the airport to pick up my buddy then cruised around so roughly 75 miles or so in total and no high surge. I checked and adjusted my target idle speed to be 800 (as it was 700 before). Still having some popping (not as loud as backfire) from the exhaust, but a buddy of mine mentioned this could be an ignition timing issue. Otherwise car seemed to be pretty happy! Will refer back later on any other tweaks made.

[@RegardlessofWhere]

@ IAC showing 1%. Was told anywhere between 0-10% at idle once warm is fine.

[@HFG]

Nice. Glad it helped. I don't know what your cruise afr is or any of that, but sounds like you've gotten part of the problem solved 👍🏼

[@HFG]

Nice. Glad it helped. I don't know what your cruise afr is or any of that, but sounds like you've gotten part of the problem solved 👍🏼

[@Farmerwes]

Just had to say thanks. I’ve been trying to smooth out my idle and after watching this video I checked my ramp down and it was set at 50% out of the box…

[@HFG]

I'm glad it helped. They can be pretty frustrating.

[@boundtightwallets1748]

Hey, good info, Ive to done the beads, i think they are good house keeping. I do have a suggestion though, Your coil is way to close to the sniper, that thing needs to be 18" away from the sniper, its sitting right beside the IAC, that much energy will not help your IAC surging issues. I bet if you move it like suggested you see another big difference.

[@HFG]

Thanks. Moving the coil was on the agenda but I haven't had any issues at all since this, so I've put if off until I change all of the wiring in the engine bay. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@billbill6655]

Ac kick was definitely an issue for me. Turning it off was the only thing to do on a non ac car. Grounds are a necessity as well.

[@HFG]

I hope the video was helpful 👍🏼

[@shanemcmillion159]

So where did you the fairrite

[@HFG]

I bought the cheapest ones off Amazon. eBay has them as well. Just search for "Ferrite Core" or "Ferrite Choke"

[@shanemcmillion159]

@@HFG thank you for the information

[@HFG]

@@shanemcmillion159 you're welcome. Good luck 👍🏼

[@travismopargarage4949]

i didn't know you had a sniper on your truck we may need to talk the A/c setting on mine was at 50% so i set it to 0 thanks for the tip

[@HFG]

Right on. I'm glad it helped you out 👍🏼👍🏼

[@halfwitlabs]

Did you do a full send/ret fuel line system? And what kind of lines did you use? PTFE? Rubber? Thanks! Good vid!

[@HFG]

It's a return system. I think I did both in 3/8 full aluminum. There's a few videos on the modded tank that I built.

[@halfwitlabs]

@@HFG good deal. I have a sniper throttle body. Don't have wiring and control screen but I can get those later. Planning on using it with a 454 big block I picked up.

[@HFG]

@@halfwitlabs Nice! I look forward to seeing your project!!

[@dannyclick-d7i]

I changed the air conditioner to 0 and it fixed my surging problem

[@HFG]

Excellent 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@AndysDogHouse]

Hey half. Good video. I always learn something when I watch your videos. Thanks for sharing.🍁🍁👍

[@HFG]

I appreciate it 👍🏼👍🏼

[@johnrodriguez473]

So the surge you had is more than not likely from the ac kick. The 10-pin connector orange wire has to make contact with ground to actuate the EFI to ramp up. Make sure it is not touching ground, or if it was, then it was your issue. On my sniper, the rear driver side injector was not plugging properly and my vehicle would start to surge driving down the road, never idling. The one thing that people need to realize when they put one onto there vehicle is that they will require the manifold signal to reach the whole base of the throttle body. Duel plane with no notch crossing both side together will require you put a notch or you put a open spacer on to work properly. I've been playing with the progressive setting on my unit. Might try it on your truck.

[@HFG]

I haven't had any issues since changing the grounds and AC kick so I've been focusing on other things. I might revisit some fine tuning down the road once I get a few more of the bigger things done first. 👍🏼

[@WolfgangReinke-hx7yr]

Had the same problem with my 81 vett Was told to ground aluminum intake and aluminum heads to frame. Move the coil away from the distributor and sniper then waited tuning I was told Giuseppe hair on zero fix the problems couldn't keep it running before was backfiring raising all kinds of hell just saying

[@HFG]

There are more engine grounds behind the engine that you can't see. I haven't had another problem since this 👍🏼

[@RodeoRanger]

I installed a Holley Sniper and after 2 years of messing with it to get it to work properly I took it off and went back to trouble free Carburetor.

[@guyhaydu364]

Yeah the sniper system is junk I'd rather have a Carter glass body from the 80s

[@arizonarider6998]

I just set mine to zero . Did you experience a flutter like cutting out while under load after it got hot ? All of my injectors are working .

[@HFG]

I noticed it more at idle. It did weird stuff at random times though, but I don't remember it dropping out under load.

[@SkullJewelry]

Giving this a try on my 1965 Impala SS.

[@HFG]

Hope it works for you 👍🏼

[@SkullJewelry]

@@HFG I’ve had two incidents where the RPM has revved so high I was worried I was going to blow the engine.

[@HFG]

Wow! That's pretty insane. Mine never got that high but high enough that it would push through the brakes unless I was standing on them.

[@dr.stephenk5892]

Gooooood Stuff!

[@HFG]

I'm glad it was helpful 👍🏼👍🏼

[@andycarranza4125]

I have a vintage air unit. Does anyone know where my AC kickdown percent should be at?

[@HFG]

If the vehicle runs fine with the AC kick at off, then just leave it. Otherwise, incrementally increase the kick until you get the desired performance.

[@andycarranza4125]

Will do thank you. I'm having a low rpm at a stop lilight with AC off. It idles at like 550 to 650 rpm with iac at 100. Do you think this is also caused by ac kick? I don't know where it's currently at. I will check in the morning though and get back to you.

[@esmeraldazamora3655]

2012 dodge avenger I turn ac car turns off

[@HFG]

That would need to be diagnosed by a mechanic that could see the car.

[@jgvford]

well my sniper just started turning on my radiator fan #1 when i start the car . then the car will not idle ...

[@HFG]

Maybe check over the wiring and make sure nothing has rubbed through. That's a strange problem to show up.

[@MuscleCarSolutions]

Good info!

[@HFG]

Thanks!!

[@MrBlackbutang]

Don’t forget to feed the ferrite! ❤

[@HFG]

I feed it dirty Chrysler electricity ;)

[@CCAutoWorks]

I can honestly say that's why I would never buy one all the simple problems

[@HFG]

Now that I have the issues fixed it's great.

[@elwaupo1]

This is great advice!

[@HFG]

Thanks!! I'm really happy that it's helping people 👍🏼

[@jgjays6525]

Damn mines was @50%

[@HFG]

Did changing it fix the problem?

[@jgjays6525]

Holly shit it did I just tested it today and I pulled the major wires to the side plus I had a sticky throttle so someone on you tube sprayed wd40 and pulled it a couple of times and my throttle was smoother thanks bud , you made my day bro, it’s been months with my problems 🙏🏼

[@HFG]

Hell yeah!! 👊🏼👊🏼 I'm glad it helped you!! Be safe and have fun!

[@jgjays6525]

thanks bro!

[@HFG]

@@jgjays6525 👊🏼👊🏼 Anytime

[@callofgeorge]

well at least you admit that it's a rats nest lol. btw, overgrounding can be more harmful than helpful. its better to have "good" grounds than a lot of them.. high quality welding cable, copper terminals, clean metal where they attach. battery to block, battery to frame, frame to block, frame to body, make sure heads/intake/sniper have practically 0 resistance to the block. no need to ground the sniper direct to the battery. also, along with setting AC kick to 0% - if you're not using it, depin the wire. 90% of the time, AC kick isn't required anyway. depin any wires you don't use. if you only have 1 fan, disable that and depin as well. and while ferrites and delrin filter rod and so on may fix the issue you're having. it's like putting bondo over rust. the problem is still there. you really want to find the root cause of the interference which is usually poor grounding, faulty ignition wires, noisy distributor due to a bad rotor/cap or poor rotor phasing, etc.

[@HFG]

Yup. You're right. Most of the excess wiring in the engine bay is actually not connected or disabled (old emissions stuff etc) but I didn't want to get crazy with it until I had time to install a new, less brittle harness. It works for now, and the truck runs great, so I can start picking away at the details little by little. I don't have much free time so I do what I have time for 👍🏼👍🏼

[@ricardomoreira6639]

Dear @callofgeorge.. how do we disable the outputs / fans on holley sniper? I don't use the sniper to control fan in my car and I am having the IAC surging issues. Also checking the ground between battery, car structure, engine, holley... everything is OK and grounded, checked with multimeter that all is OK.

[@HFG]

@@ricardomoreira6639 did you disable the AC Kick?

[@richardmathern900]

First take that hand held and throw it away. Get a laptop and cable. You will access so much more

[@HFG]

That would probably be better but it's not a racecar. I don't need to tune it much. Seems to be running fine now.

[@DirtySideGetsDown]

If you don't have AC the AC kick needs to be disabled. If you do have AC and have the AC kick wire connected you won't get the interference issues with it cause it's connected to something. It amazes me though what people consider "far from ignition wires" cause all of your high voltage ignition is way too close. The coil and spark plug wires can transmit interference to the fuel fitting you have real close to them.

[@HFG]

Yup. I plan to make/buy a new harness that will resolve that, so I did what I could with what I had at the time. Time being something I don't have a lot of, unfortunately.