I am replacing the wiring harness and removed what I think is the Aux Air Valve. I have a few questions about it. I tried to pull the wire /plug out of it and for the life of me I can get the plug/insert to turn but unless I use Superman force possibleClick to view attachment breaking it, it does not want to come out. Is it kept in place with something ? I then decided to bench test it and assumed the wire is for positive and the body of it is negative. Am I correct with this assumption and that it will actuate if I place 12 volts across it ? Also is there a way to clean / lube it ? I was planning on using some carb cleaner followed by WD 40. Any thought or suggestions will be appreciated.

Wire is soldered to the bottom, it won't come out. You'll break it if you try.

Wire goes to a bimetallic spring that, when heated, closes a slide valve in the unit. Cold/open slide valve allows more air to bypass the throttle body, idling up the car. At the bimetallic heats and the slide valve closes, that aux air is blocked and all intake air goes through the throttle body.

It's connected to keyed power, because you have to maintain 12+V on the bimetallic to keep the valve closed. 1960s technology...

The only way to get inside is to pry open the flange around the edges of the top.

Lot's of threads on the AAR.

it is connected to the fuel pump circuit so it will only get power if the car is running, and a short pulse of power when the key is turned to the on position. The body is grounded the wire heats up a bimetallic strip that operates a revolving door to shut as the engine warms and cuts off the cold running vacuum leak. If the engine is warm the bimetallic strip has already closed the door without the necessity of power to heat it

WD 40 won't do anything.
Fill with PB Blaster and let sit for a while and cross your fingers.
The engine I'm working on now has the same issue. Its 50/50 ......

we rebuild them,. most of the time just stuck, but when the element is bad, we put a modern one into the valve

I'd like to see someone design one normally-closed, with some kind of timer/latching relay to open it for warm-up.

Mine's long gone, replaced by a minute or so of tickling the throttle to keep it running. Then that is replaced 3-4 minutes later of tickling the throttle for 2-4 minutes to keep it running after the CHT tells the ECU that it's all warmed up when it's not...50 year old technology, yay! lol

I just tried to test this unit and evidently it has a short in it for it melted my test leads. Looks like I am in the marker for a good one and glad to see this problem before I install my new wiring harness and have it toasted. Thanks to all for your help with my problem.

The resistance through the heater coil is about 13 ohms. It is possible for the wire to short on the case, which would be a resistance of about 0 ohms.

--DD

Do all AAR's close completely?

I have one that closes completely and another that is nearly closed when 12 V applied. I can't even get it to completely close with a heat gun.

I know there is an internal adjustment and didn't know if the factory adjusted them all the same.

Open it up and clean out the rust that stops the rotary valve from spinning

has to completely close or you will have a vacuum leak and lean running when the engine is up to temperature