Hi. Daughter has a 2002 Escape. It seems to rev very high on cold startups. You know--the kind of rev where you here metal on metal before the oil gets pumped through. Is it hard to set the rpms on these?? Or what could the problem be? Thanks Dguy

I would guess its a coil gone bad.

It is said that the cold startup at a higher rpm is to circulate the oil faster hence less wear on the engine. I don't necessarily agree with that. If it sounds bad when you start it, try a lighter SAE grade of oil ie. 5-30. That grade will build up pressure sooner and circulate the oil faster than 10-30 or 10-40. There is no way to set the idle speed. It is controlled by the power control module.

Thanks for the help guys. I'll check the coil and maybe try synthetic oil