What RPM does your car idle at?

tbone28 · 02-02-2009, 05:22 PM

Mine idles at about 900 rpm. Seems high, but this could be normal for a Smart. Is it?

**JPaul** · 02-02-2009, 05:23 PM

Yes!

**Suze** · 02-02-2009, 05:24 PM

exactly what mine does, too.

SuperGeek · 02-02-2009, 05:29 PM

1300-1400 when cold (up and down as fuel mix adjusts) for about 3-5 minutes of driving.
1050 stable when warmed up, A/C on or fan speed 2-4
930-950 (varies by second) when warmed up and no AC, fan speed 1.

Old SGM · 02-02-2009, 06:34 PM

The Scan Gage for my 09 shows the same 1300-1400 Cold, around 950 warm.

NCC1701 · 02-02-2009, 06:37 PM

It seems like I remember mine idling a couple hundred RPM higher when it was new than it does now (900 now). I assumed it was due to the engine breaking in. But, SuperGeek makes me wonder about that now. I took delivery in the heat of Summer and the A/C was on all of the time. Not so now.

mdfortwoguy · 02-02-2009, 07:35 PM

I don't think you would want it to idle much slower... a 3 cylinder is inherantly unbalalnced. It would shake too much at lower RPM I would think.

SuperGeek · 02-02-2009, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NCC1701

It seems like I remember mine idling a couple hundred RPM higher when it was new than it does now (900 now). I assumed it was due to the engine breaking in. But, SuperGeek makes me wonder about that now. I took delivery in the heat of Summer and the A/C was on all of the time. Not so now.

The idle was definitely higher for the first 100 miles... by 500 miles my engine was breaking in and I remember after about 200 miles or so, at 70MPH my RPMs went down by 200 or so. Definitely in the first 500 miles there's a break-in going on. I've got 100k to go, so we'll see how it runs in a year. From May 1 to now, only 5,200 miles. That 100k is gonna take a while.

Piccola · 02-02-2009, 11:21 PM

900 rpm now for me also - used to be 1100 when the little car was new.

mdfortwoguy · 02-03-2009, 04:48 AM

It doesn't surprise me that they were higher initially. Most vehicles need to be "taught in" their idle after the battery has been disconnected for a period of time, or when new. On GM products, that basically entails starting it and letting it idle until the fan cycles on and then off.

After the battery has been pulled on my VUE, it typically surges at idle a bit until it has learned... a ~400 RPM range isn't unheard of for it to do it.