GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Didn't really know what forum to post this under but I figured this would do. I know I've prolly asked this before in some sort of shape or form but as everyone prolly knows that when you start up your Vibe the rpm's usually jump up then go down after so long. But my question is, how long does your car idle at high rpms until the rpm's finally jump back down to being "normal." I started my car this morning and it was up at 2100 rpms for quite some time til finally after about 3 or 4 mins it went down to its usual 1200/1400. It was about 36 degrees out this morning and thats prolly the coldest its been in a while so idk if that was a factor or what, but i was just wondering what everyones "average high idling" is...if you get what i mean. If there is another thread with this, please direct me to the right spot.

12 to 1400 is still a high idle for a vibe...

I wouldn't worry. Most of it is the cold weather. Yesterday morning mine was idleing at 2300 before it warmed up. But your warm idle should still be below 12-1400.

Wow, that seems high to me. Do you have auto trans or stick?BTW, you can keep your cold weather up there, thank you!

mine idles at like 1800 or so then drops to about 900 after about a minute or so... that is kinda high? might just be its trying to warm up to optimal temperatures for your weather

I'm an auto. But most of it is the fact that it was like 33 degrees here!

mine idled just slightly above 500 after i installed my CAI

Thats about where mine idles after it is warmed up.

Quote, originally posted by K-NINE »Wow, that seems high to me. Do you have auto trans or stick?BTW, you can keep your cold weather up there, thank you! I have an auto. And yes, BTW, i'm sure soon enough that cold air will come wander your way So no room to talk there mister...j/k.Normally my car will idle that high for like 3 or 4 mins, come back down to about 1200/1400 or whatever but once the engine is warm like it should be it usually idles pretty low at 600/800 rpms. So thats the good thing. But my worry is, is why does it idle so high for so long? I usually will not put my car into reverse until it at least drops down to 1400 b/c i'm not to sure if its good for the engine to be putting it in reverse when its at 2200 rpms.

When the car is cold it will idle high, however it does not hurt it to shift into gear when its at that RPM... its designed to work that way. My manual transmission Vibe does the same thing. The RPM drops because your putting a load on the engine. My car can take 5 mins or more depending on the weather. I can drive for 10 mins with the engine all warmed up, come to a stop and it will idle around 1000rpm. However once the temp is around the half way point my car idles at about 600-700rpm.Of course if I turn on my A/C it will idle at about 1000rpm.I'd say yours is working just fine.

Subject: Cold Engine Idle Speed Information - keywords 1.8 controls DTC flare high LV6 LNK #PIP3471 - (06/16/2005) Models: 2003-2006 Pontiac Vibe --------------------------------------------------------------------------------The following diagnosis might be helpful if the vehicle exhibits the symptom(s) described in this PI.Condition/Concern:A momentary engine idle speed of approximately 2,000 RPM may be experienced after cold starting the engine. As the engine warms up, the engine idle speed will slowly decrease.Recommendation/Instructions:If there are no DTCs stored, use the Tech 2 RPM Control feature to command the engine speed from minimum to maximum RPM. If normal operation is confirmed with the Tech 2, this should be considered a normal cold idle characteristic of the vehicle. Please follow this diagnostic or repair process thoroughly and complete each step. If the condition exhibited is resolved without completing every step, the remaining steps do not need to be performed.

Usually too it depends if you have your fan on. For instance this morning was -3C so I drove the 30 minutes to work but it was still idling around 1400 because I had my heater on. If I turn my heater off it immediately goes down to around 900.

I'm still new to my Vibe, but it's idling around 1200 cold, and I live in Maine. Stop lights are usually around 900 rpms warm. Loud noise from front of vehicle at start-up, but the manual says that's due to the ABS regulating itself. Winter should be interesting as it fast approaches...!