First, thanks for the noobie forum so noobs like me can post. I'm dealing with a potentially dangerous symptom and I can't figure it out. Nor can the mechanic who has done work for me for about a year and has done a good job until now.
I'm afraid I'm going to let my foot off the brake by accident and run into something.
Normal idle is about 600 - 700 rpm. One day in traffic it shot up to 2000 rpm and I had to step on the brake to prevent it from shooting into the intersection. About 20 minutes later, before I got home, it stopped.
Since then, the idle (and driving) is very irregular, going from 600 to a dangerous 1500 when stopped, without much rhyme or reason.
Symptoms (none of these are regular and very little behavior can be traced to hot or cold engine).
- Commonly (but not always) swings from 600 to 900 rpms in a regular vroom - pause - vroom pattern
- Commonly (but not always) idles regularly but high (1000 rpms) even when warm
- Commonly (but not always) stalls at startup or at intersections when engine is cold
- Commonly (but not always) swings mildly from 700 - 900 rpms. This is the least dangerous symptom but is highly annoying.
I replaced vacuum hoses and the idle control valve. I took it to the mechanic and he just did the same thing I did, with the same (non) results. I stopped buying gas at Costco.
I need to get this fixed and I'm willing to pay the money but I need to understand what's wrong. I'm completely stumped and the professional is too.
Anyone got any ideas?
I'm afraid I'm going to let my foot off the brake by accident and run into something.
Normal idle is about 600 - 700 rpm. One day in traffic it shot up to 2000 rpm and I had to step on the brake to prevent it from shooting into the intersection. About 20 minutes later, before I got home, it stopped.
Since then, the idle (and driving) is very irregular, going from 600 to a dangerous 1500 when stopped, without much rhyme or reason.
Symptoms (none of these are regular and very little behavior can be traced to hot or cold engine).
- Commonly (but not always) swings from 600 to 900 rpms in a regular vroom - pause - vroom pattern
- Commonly (but not always) idles regularly but high (1000 rpms) even when warm
- Commonly (but not always) stalls at startup or at intersections when engine is cold
- Commonly (but not always) swings mildly from 700 - 900 rpms. This is the least dangerous symptom but is highly annoying.
I replaced vacuum hoses and the idle control valve. I took it to the mechanic and he just did the same thing I did, with the same (non) results. I stopped buying gas at Costco.
I need to get this fixed and I'm willing to pay the money but I need to understand what's wrong. I'm completely stumped and the professional is too.
Anyone got any ideas?
