RPM too high?

[Caretaker]

2009 Base Vibe: I've noticed that my rpms stay around 900 even when the car is fully warmed up. The tacometer shows the red needle only one needle width below the 1000 mark. After 15 minutes or so, it finally goes down to around 750 (right in the middle between the half hatcher mark, and the 1000 mark. Can you all confirm that this is indeed normal? It seems that it is reving a bit too high, even when the temp guage is showing the engine is fully warmed up, making it harder to brake the car, and having an unusually "fast" move forward once you take your foot off the brake. Thanks.

[northvibe]

what engine do you have? what car model?Also note that when in Park if its a automatic it will idle different than when IN gear.What temps are you in? how long is "warm up"?

[Caretaker]

1.8 liter base model in 40-50 degree temps, and no, not in Park. Again, is 750 rpms proper for a fully warmed up car. Seems right to me. I just don't understand why it takes 15 minutes or more to get down from 900 to 750, even though the temp guage shows the car fully warm.

[goochsmooch]

I would get it checked. In my experiences, a fully warmed engine should idle at about 500 rpm's. The idling you describe sounds like what should happen when you start it in the cold. This could become a safety issue and it's definitely costing you to burn more fuel than necessary.BTW, I have a 09 1.8L standard and my idling seems in order. Plus I've fired it up in -10 degreee Celcius and it performed as it should.I also wouldn't fiddle with any idle adjustments myself. I tried adjusting the fast idle on my old Mazda Protege and I ended up screwing the entire computer system. Take it to the dealership.

[northvibe]

well I sold the vibe 7 months ago so i cant check for you :/ I also had a bored throttle body and throttle rotor so my idle would be worthless to you...dang, well someone else will post. What year is your car? the 03-08 had different 1.8l engines than the 09s.

[Vibr8tr]

I had the 04 base.... and it always idled high for a bit. I just assumed normal cause after 10-15 minutes it would run normal. Even in 80+ degree weather, when first started after sitting it would idle as high as 1500... then after a bit it would drop to 750 or lower.and this was all in park. In gear it would start at 1200 and after a while be around 500.It did it from the day I bought it until the day I traded it in.

[Caretaker]

again, I have the '09. 500 rpms??? That sounds a bit low to me. If someone who owns a 2009 could actually report back what they see on the tac, I'd appreciate it.

[Silversn95]

I have only driven our '09 1.8L for a little while and also thought initially that the engine speed at idle was on the high side. Like yours, it was just under the 1000rpm marker although it did drop down to a more reasonable 700ish later. I'll keep an eye on it and see what happens. We have the 5-speed manual so there really is no ill effects to the idle speed like you have on the auto.for the other posts, 500rpm for a 4-banger idle seems very low. Not even my V8 idles at that speed.

[nygiantzz1]

I was able to check this out on mine last night (09 Base 2.4l Auto). my daughter was late getting out of work and I kept an eye on the rpms while I waited. From a cold start, rpms are at 1100 for about 1 minute. It gradually drops to about 900 and stays there in park. When I put it in gear, it drops to about 700. This was all within the first 5 minutes. After idling for about 10 minutes, I put it back in gear and got the same, about 700rpms. Mine seems to behave like yours but the idle does drop within 5 minutes, not 15.

[Caretaker]

thanks to all of you, especially silversn and nygiant. I greatly appreciate it. It sounds like there is nothing wrong afterall. I'll be doing a mpg check this week to ensure I'm hitting the proper mark as well. I'll let you know.

[vintagegz]

my 09 with fwd 2.4 auto wails away around 1600 rpm on cold start, takes about 3-4 minutes to get below 1200

[Caretaker]

OK, just did my first MPG calculation. First, I paid $1.95 per gallon at BJ's (sweet!) OK, for my Corolla-Vibe with automatic in nearly all city driving, I got 29 mpg. So I guess the RPM issue is no issue at all. Well, that takes some of the hurt off of my dealer ruining my Malibu Maxx. I only got 21 mpg in town with that car.