Started car this morning, idled @ 2k RPM

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Atty

Atty

Golden Member
Aug 19, 2006
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Normally my car idles around 900rpm, maybe a few jumps above 1k. Today I started it, had to walk back in the house for 30 seconds to grab my sunglasses off the entry table, and when I got back out I could hear the engine running a lot higher than usual.

It was at 2k, I turned it off, and back on a few minutes later, did its initial RPM jump, settled down for a few seconds, and instantly started revving to 2k and wasn't stopping. Put it into gear and it dropped back of to its usual idle area.

Two hours later when I got out of class it did the same thing, in park it jumped up, but in gear it stayed fine.

What is going on? Lately the engine has been sounding a bit rough, like something is lose or something, but I haven't had a chance to look or figure it out.

Maintence:
Oil changed recently
Spark plugs changed @105k (cables were't tho)
Water pump & timing belt changed & 96k miles
transmission fully serviced @ 110k miles
Had the entire car looked over mechanically about 4k miles ago, nothing out of usual for its age.
1999 Camry 114k miles 2.2L 4cyl.
 
C

coxmaster

Diamond Member
Dec 14, 2007
3,017
3
81
How cold is it where you live?

Its not uncommon to see cars idle much higher than normal when its very cold (though 2k sounds way too high)
 
Atty

Atty

Golden Member
Aug 19, 2006
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I live in central Florida, I think the low for my area was 60F this morning. It was at 10:30am and the sun was out in full force so I doubt it was even close to that temp.
 
C

coxmaster

Diamond Member
Dec 14, 2007
3,017
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Atty said:
I live in central Florida, I think the low for my area was 60F this morning. It was at 10:30am and the sun was out in full force so I doubt it was even close to that temp.
Click to expand...

<<In Daytona.

Yeah it definitely shouldn't have been cold enough to cause that. That was my guess, i'm sure some more knowledgeable people will chime in soon.
 
I

Itchrelief

Golden Member
Dec 20, 2005
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You sure the car usually idles at 900rpm cold? My mother's 98 Camry 4cyl idles in the mid 1k range after a cold start. Not sure exactly how far or close from 2k, but it definitely isn't 900rpm.

2007 Ford focus 2.0L idles at something like 1800-1900 rpm when cold.

edit: this is in Southern California so it isn't as if these are freezing temperatures.
 
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Fenixgoon

Fenixgoon

Lifer
Jun 30, 2003
32,886
12,166
136
coxmaster said:
How cold is it where you live?

Its not uncommon to see cars idle much higher than normal when its very cold (though 2k sounds way too high)
Click to expand...

my genesis coupe has gotten as high as ~2500rpm. it dies down in a few seconds though.

but yeah, that was starting in like..single digit temps :p
 
punjabiplaya

punjabiplaya

Diamond Member
Nov 12, 2006
3,495
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my car always revs up to like 2k if it's been off overnight, comes down after like 30s
 
C

coxmaster

Diamond Member
Dec 14, 2007
3,017
3
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Fenixgoon said:
my genesis coupe has gotten as high as ~2500rpm. it dies down in a few seconds though.

but yeah, that was starting in like..single digit temps :p
Click to expand...

Heh, a friend of mine has a beater CRX that idles at 1400 warm, and as high as 3k when cold. Its hilarious and obnoxious at the same time
 
amdhunter

amdhunter

Lifer
May 19, 2003
23,332
249
106
Heh, my RX-8 idled at 4000rpm the other day when it dropped to the teens here. Stood there for a good 5 seconds then slowly settled down after about a minute or so.

Smelled a lot of fuel too. Must have been running super rich.
 
exdeath

exdeath

Lifer
Jan 29, 2004
13,679
10
81
Vacuum leak, or open idle air/throttle path. There is air getting into the intake somehow, there is nothing else that would cause it to go to 2000 RPM. Shouldn't idle more than 900-1100 even on cold start even with the AC on and 850 normal idle. That's a 5SFE engine, I know those blind folded.

Try popping the hood when it happens, grab ahold of the throttle "pulley" where the cable is attached and twist it towards the end of the cable such that it's pulling on the cable (in other words, forcing the throttle closed more), and see if it moves the lightest bit and drops the idle and feel for grit or resistance in the process.

There is also a throttle opener diaphragm that acts like a dynamic throttle stop. Rev it and snap the throttle shut quickly. Verify that it only activates briefly when the throttle slaps shut, then returns. You'll see a little boot/plunger kick out at the throttle linkage delaying it's sudden closing for a second, then return. When idling, there should be a visible gap between this plunger and the throttle linkage, with the linkage being stopped by a physical stop screw instead. It's for emissions control to keep the engine from spiking rich when the throttle is suddenly snapped shut, but if it's faulty it can hold the throttle off it's normal stop and raise idle.

Some easy things to check before hunting for vacuum leaks and faulty parts.

As for the noise and looseness, it's probably the dogbone mount on the passenger side, if not all your mounts. The main motor mounts are hydraulic and are probably shot with 114k. These engines are very noisy and vibration prone with age.
 
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JustinGoodie

Senior member
Dec 12, 2002
410
0
0
My car, a 2005 Subaru Legacy GT, does basically the same thing when it's cold out... I will often go out to the garage and start it up before I have to leave for work when it's cold out, and it will idle at around 2000 RPM until it warms up... I assumed it did this in order to warm up a little faster.

It's actually somewhat of an indicator to me when i'm not in the vehicle to tell me that it's warm; because the exhaust note at normal idle (or once it's warm) which is about 800 RPM is a much deeper tone. So, once it starts to rumble with a nice smooth, deep tone, I know the cabin will be warm and I can head out and drive to work in comfort without needing to wear my coat. (it's a manual trans. and i don't like driving & shifting while wearing my leather coat).

Hopefully I helped a little bit.... I wouldn't worry about it much, however, i would suggest getting your hands on an OBD2 code reader to check and see if there are any trouble codes present...
 
Malak

Malak

Lifer
Dec 4, 2004
14,696
2
0
900 seems low, especially given the other responses. I don't drive a camry, but my car idles at 1800.
 
LTC8K6

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,575
126
Mine idles at ~1500 for a bit if it's cold out, and 850 normally. Just had an inspection and the warm idle was 852.
 
tortillasoup

tortillasoup

Golden Member
Jan 12, 2011
1,977
4
81
exdeath said:
Vacuum leak, or open idle air/throttle path. There is air getting into the intake somehow, there is nothing else that would cause it to go to 2000 RPM. Shouldn't idle more than 900-1100 even on cold start even with the AC on and 850 normal idle. That's a 5SFE engine, I know those blind folded.

Try popping the hood when it happens, grab ahold of the throttle "pulley" where the cable is attached and twist it towards the end of the cable such that it's pulling on the cable (in other words, forcing the throttle closed more), and see if it moves the lightest bit and drops the idle and feel for grit or resistance in the process.
Click to expand...

Let's say you have this problem on a 5VZ-FE and you're fairly certain it's throttle body related issue, then what? I had the throttle body rebored with a new butterfly valve but still have this issue. When the engine is fully warmed up, if I slowly let off the throttle, it will idle fast. But if I snap the throttle open and closed, it will return to a normal idle.
 
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