High idle on cold start?

Lysander · Post by **Lysander** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:01 pm

Hey guys and gals! Our 'new to us' 2005 Vibe (base) 5-speed idles at ~1800rpm on cold start for several minutes before dropping to warm idle. Is this an appropriate cold idle speed for a manual trans 1.8L or do I need to start cleaning the IAC and checking for vacuum leaks?This car has 57k miles on it. I admit that this is my first 4-cyl car, coming from a world of V6 and V8 applications. Thanks in advance, Justin

zionzr2 · Post by **zionzr2** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:20 pm

I'm not sure about your case but it is pretty normal on these cars to have a bit higher idle in cold temps till the car reaches normal operating temps and then it settles back down.

Lysander · Post by **Lysander** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:30 pm

All cars do that, but 1800rpm seemed high to me. I can drive the car without using the throttle at that idle speed, lol!

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:38 pm

It is a tad excessive but that's what the engineers wanted. it's hard to hold the car back sometimes, it just wants to go. Just be thankful you don't have the automatic, another cold-start quirk is that it makes itself a 3-speed automatic until it's good and warm. blah!

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:38 pm

should let it warm up lol mine takes about 1min to drop from 1800 to 1300

Truckin1999 · Post by **Truckin1999** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:02 pm

Ya it sounds normal to me. I always let mine warm up until that stupid emissions pump thingy turns off and it idles down.

THE VIBERATOR · Post by **THE VIBERATOR** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 1:52 am

If you do the coolant bypass mod, cold start idle in cold temps brings you an idle above 2 grand

The baby just purrrs itself to sleep

Lysander · Post by **Lysander** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 8:40 am

Great, thanks for the quick replies!

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 9:40 am

yup my 2004 did that, normal as you can get

Lysander · Post by **Lysander** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 9:19 pm

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â» Just be thankful you don't have the automatic, another cold-start quirk is that it makes itself a 3-speed automatic until it's good and warm. blah!Hehe, I doubt it actually holds out on 4th! The transmission probably shifts to 4th gear but doesn't allow lock up of the torque converter clutch until the transmission temperature reaches a certain value. The TCC locking up can *feel* like an extra gear, though.

vibebob · Post by **vibebob** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 11:12 pm

I have a Cosmo CAI and when it is cold, under 40F, (hey I'm in Texas) my 05 will idle at 2100 rpm for a minute then start down

ned23 · Post by **ned23** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:19 am

This can also be a symoptom of failing ignition wires. Especially if you notice the problem more on wet days than dry ones. Do you still have the original wires on the car? If so, then they're probably overdue for a change anyway. Get nice aftermarket wires. Makes a big difference in cold engine performance.My '94 Escort GT did that after it was about 4 years old. Changing the wires lowered the cold idle speed.

BoostFrenzy · Post by **BoostFrenzy** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 3:27 am

changing what wires ?!?!?! it's coil on plug, no plug wires!

ned23 · Post by **ned23** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 4:02 am

Quote, originally posted by BoostFrenzy Â»changing what wires ?!?!?! it's coil on plug, no plug wires!Coils then. Whatever the ignition spark current carriers are. If the problem is more noticeable on wet days than dry ones it can be an ignition issue. That's what I was saying.

vintagegz · Post by **vintagegz** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 1:20 am

for those of you with 2009 2.4 automatics, how long do you wait to put the trans in drive? The engine starts idling at 1500 rpm and will not go below a 1000 for at least 5 minutes, I hate to think what happens when we engage drive at 1200 rpm each time.

Lysander · Post by **Lysander** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 2:12 am

That's not a problem, your torque converter is there to provide the slack.

H20Hardcore · Post by **H20Hardcore** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 10:23 am

Does any one know ehat the norm idle @ driving temp is supposed to be for my 03GT? Just wondering cuz mine seems high like 1k?

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:50 pm

Quote, originally posted by H20Hardcore Â»Does any one know ehat the norm idle @ driving temp is supposed to be for my 03GT? Just wondering cuz mine seems high like 1k?I know on my 03 base warm idle is about 800, higher if I have any load, such as blower motor, AC, headlights, etc. 1K seems a bit higher than I'd expect in a GT, but don't know for sure. Don't think there's an easy adjustment. there are a lot of "idle" threads, one was http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=32668, but I can't find one with a reference to a standard 03GT warm idle speed.

High idle on cold start?

High idle on cold start?

Re: High idle on cold start? (Lysander)

Re: High idle on cold start? (zionzr2)

Re: High idle on cold start? (Lysander)

Re: High idle on cold start? (Lysander)

Re: High idle on cold start? (Lysander)

Re: High idle on cold start? (ColonelPanic)

Re: High idle on cold start? (Lysander)

Re: High idle on cold start? (Lysander)

Re: High idle on cold start? (ned23)

Re: High idle on cold start? (BoostFrenzy)

Re: (vintagegz)

Re: (H20Hardcore)