Idle speed

[ufatbasted]

Its cold here under 20 dergrees, when I start daughters car. is seems to idle too high, it will go 10mph with your foot off the gase until it warms up.

Its a 94 civic 4 cyl dx.

I assume the idle is computer contolled.
Is it adjustable or is this normal for these cars in cold weather?

[sparq]

Originally Posted by ufatbasted

Its cold here under 20 dergrees, when I start daughters car. is seems to idle too high, it will go 10mph with your foot off the gase until it warms up.

Its a 94 civic 4 cyl dx.

I assume the idle is computer contolled.
Is it adjustable or is this normal for these cars in cold weather?

Well its impossible to be idling and going 10mph at the same time.

When was the last engine maintanence? Whats the weight of her engine oil? How many miles on the car? Ive yet to find a vehicle that acts the same no matter if the engine is cold/hot, cold weather will make your car do weird things... When you say it idles too high, what its started up "cold" -- what RPM is the engine at? Without getting fancy, no you cant adjust your idle. Could potentially be something as silly as needing a good lube on your throttle cable... or could be worse and be a sign that your engine is going to tank - so need more info.

[honda_luvr_2000]

[quote=sparq]Well its impossible to be idling and going 10mph at the same time.[quote]

if u put a car in drive and let off the brake it moves on it's own. that's still idling.
if u have a manual, put it in 1st and slowly let off the clutch w/o pressing the gas it too will idle.

03-07 4cyl accords have a higher than usual cold idle and will move kinda faster than expected when put in drive w/o pressing the gas.

now to answer the question. it's possible that it is simply a cold idle condition that u're experiencing w/ ur daughter's car. if u'r not getting engine noise, check engine light, poor gas mileage, erratic idle (up and down fluctuation), and behaves normal once warm, then i wouldn't worry too much about it at this point. if u r concerned enough, u could take it to a reputable dealer or shop u can trust to have it checked out. if there is nothing wrong they shouldn't charge you. thus why i say a reputable dealer.

[ufatbasted]

Its an auto. No probs with the engine, no weird noises, car service up to date
has 61,000 mi.

This am its 29 degrees and when I got in and start her up I can go 10 mi on flat road without my foot on the gas. Just seems a bit much to me for the "cold idle"

[sparq]

Originally Posted by honda_luvr_2000

if u put a car in drive and ...

Then you are in drive, not idling... to idle, you must be in park or neutral.

if u have a manual, put it in 1st and slowly let off the clutch w/o pressing the gas it too will idle.

If you put a manual car into first gear and slowly let off the clutch, you are going to engage the trans - and without giving it gas, you will stall. Again, to idle in a manual car you would either be out of a gear and the foot off the gas, or at a stop light/sign with the car "in gear" but the clutch pushed in.


To the original poster, it really shouldn't be a problem - does your car have a tachometer? Cant remember if those year autos have a tach on them or not. If so, what RPM's is it registering with the car in drive and your foot off the gas?

[ufatbasted]

Originally Posted by sparq

Then you are in drive, not idling... to idle, you must be in park or neutral.



If you put a manual car into first gear and slowly let off the clutch, you are going to engage the trans - and without giving it gas, you will stall. Again, to idle in a manual car you would either be out of a gear and the foot off the gas, or at a stop light/sign with the car "in gear" but the clutch pushed in.


To the original poster, it really shouldn't be a problem - does your car have a tachometer? Cant remember if those year autos have a tach on them or not. If so, what RPM's is it registering with the car in drive and your foot off the gas?

I'l check if it has a tach. Its my daughters car not mine.

[honda_luvr_2000]

Originally Posted by sparq

Then you are in drive, not idling... to idle, you must be in park or neutral.

the engine w/o pressing the gas idles no matter if in park, neutral, drive, or reverse. if it didn't idle when put into gear then it would stall. idle speed simply refers to the speed of the engine with the throttle closed, not mattering if in park, neutral, drive, or reverse. a car can idle forward/backward due to being in drive/reverse and not touching the gas and not holding the brake.

Originally Posted by sparq

If you put a manual car into first gear and slowly let off the clutch, you are going to engage the trans - and without giving it gas, you will stall.

no, flat out no. if u have a stick, try it on level ground. if u can't get it to move on it's own w/o touching the gas and w/o stalling, then u don't know wut u'r doing.

if you don't know then don't spread false statements because u think they are correct.

-edit:
this is why i sometimes get frustrated w/ trying to help people...

to ufatbasted:
i apologize for the added posts that seem to be going off topic. i am not trying to steal u'r thread. it really honestly sounds like a high cold idle. if once the car is fully warmed up it idles at 700 RPM +/- 50 then that idle is spot on. if it is still higher than that then yes u do need to adjust the idle down. 10mph doesn't sound too out of the ordinary for a cold idle on a light car. but if u truely r concerned then u could have u'r daughter take it to a shop/dealership and have them check the idle for you.

[sageuvagony]

Originally Posted by honda_luvr_2000

the engine w/o pressing the gas idles no matter if in park, neutral, drive, or reverse. if it didn't idle when put into gear then it would stall. idle speed simply refers to the speed of the engine with the throttle closed, not mattering if in park, neutral, drive, or reverse. a car can idle forward/backward due to being in drive/reverse and not touching the gas and not holding the brake.



no, flat out no. if u have a stick, try it on level ground. if u can't get it to move on it's own w/o touching the gas and w/o stalling, then u don't know wut u'r doing.

if you don't know then don't spread false statements because u think they are correct.

-edit:
this is why i sometimes get frustrated w/ trying to help people...

to ufatbasted:
i apologize for the added posts that seem to be going off topic. i am not trying to steal u'r thread. it really honestly sounds like a high cold idle. if once the car is fully warmed up it idles at 700 RPM +/- 50 then that idle is spot on. if it is still higher than that then yes u do need to adjust the idle down. 10mph doesn't sound too out of the ordinary for a cold idle on a light car. but if u truely r concerned then u could have u'r daughter take it to a shop/dealership and have them check the idle for you.