High Revving On Cold Start...why?

[SAM LOVERS HER TOYOTAS]

Hi all...i really miss you all...life aint the same without access to the net at home...something my other half has decided to do without for the time being lol.

Anyway, i would like to ask a question, re my 2006 1.6 Corolla SR 45k...i've noticed everytime i start her up she revs really high...especially when i put my clutch down and eases up a little as i bring it up...it happens always on cold starts but then even once the engine har warmed up. The gear changes are fine. I must admit i mostly do very short journeys a day to and from work. Do you think my clutch could be on its way out??? OR maybe my spark plugs need a clean/replacing although i replaced them august 2011.

I would like to get to the bottom of this as it can a be a likkle embarassing when stopped at the lights or pulling out the office carpark and everyone just looks at you lol! Maybe its nothing to worry about and normal but hey please let me know your views...thanks all!

Love Sammy

[cabcurtains]

How high is high? If its 1200RPM ish then its just the autochoke as the engine is cold. If the Air Con/Lights/Heated Rear Window are on they all increase the idle speed.

Is it affecting the fuel consumption? If so it might be more likely a sensor possibly the MAF needs a clean or is showing signs of age.

If the clutch is going you will see the revs rising whilst putting your foot down but the speed wont increase.

[Steven252]

Mine revs between 1500-1700rpm and EVERY jap car ive ever come in contact with does it on cold start up. Nothing to worry about unless it does it when warm ;)

[Kiwi-Corolla]

If it does it when the engine is warm then make sure you clean your idle air control valve (IACV), which is located on the underside of the throttle body. These get clogged up with carbon over time and cause high idle problems. If the high idle disappears once the engine is warm then you have nothing to worry about.

[oldcodger]

Hi Sammy,

Welcome back, begining to think you had left us for good.

As well as all the points mentioned above, didn't you fit a sportier air filter - anything to do with that ?

[SAM LOVERS HER TOYOTAS]

Hi Oldcodger & friends...

Thank you for all your feedback, i really appreciate it.

I've kept an eye on my RPM and it never goes over 2000 when cold and does seem to drop once warmer to say 1500, but still it does sound awfully annoying in the mornings, could it be that my tappets are adding to the noise? Some say they're supposed to be adjusted at 60k i think, or is it 40k? I do feel my rollas been drinking a bit more, well on a full tank, i've got 1/4 tank left and only done 138 miles, but that could be due to the recent cold spells and short journeys that i do???

And oldcodger, trust you to remember that i have that Pipercross panel filter installed, i did think of that, might just put in the original and see what happens!

Well keep in touch ALL and god bless and takecare.

Sammy XXX

[oldcodger]

Hey Sam,

Don't know how you are managing at home without the Internet ..?

Think you said you were about to get VM - cable I assume ? - thats what I'm on and its proven a good fast service over the last few years.

The old BT lines are too far from the exchange to do anything better an 56K !

138 miles on 3/4 of at tank - Wow - I'm on 320 miles and its still around the 1/3 mark !

The mpg does dip to 38 in the cold weather but generally gives me 40.

Think with your Avensis fuel consumption it shows what slow, short journeys you are doing, the engine probably never reaching normal temp ..

The tappets are supposed to be checked at 60k, but Checked is the word, if you think they are noisey or have problems.

From the book its a job for someone experienced in micrometer measurement and with all the right parts and tools.

ps does the Piper air filter allow a lot more engine noise out , hence more noticable tappets ..??

Hard to say what the problem is but my suspicion is possibly you are listening to it too much, bit like the gearbox oil saga.

Mine will rattle a little bit when starting up in the cold, but other than that never been aware of any excess noise, though the timing chain is noisier than the belted Avensis.

If it was hardware, my suspicions would be gunged up oilways caused by your low temp short runs.

How long since your last oil change ?

Are there any signs of gunge on the inside of the oil filler cap ?

Before going to great lengths like tappet checks I would go for a tappet clean treament , followed by new oil.

I know not everyone likes them, you could always do an extra clean oil flush after the treatment, before adding the new oil.

ps does the Piper air filter let out a lot more engine noise, like the tappet rattle ...??

[Liason909]

Sam, mine revs to about 2000 on start up before slowly dropping as it warms up, especially if im running the heaters or air conditioning. It's normal. Stop worrying! :P

[KPARRIS-JONES]

My GTi idles at 2000RPM at cold idle - it kills me inside but it's just how the japs do it!

[SAM LOVERS HER TOYOTAS]

Hi ALL

THANKS all yet again...especially my Oldcodger...anyways...

Yesterday...i thought "no i'm gonna go out there and have a good look under my hood" so i did...

Firstly i got rid of the oily Pipercross panel filter, i removed my entire airbox (top cover & bottom housing) and gave it a good clean as there were a few splatters of oil...and put it all back together with the oiginal oem filter...and had a look at my maf which seemed fine...

Second i removed my spark plugs, gave them a good clean using brake cleaner, and put them back...

Then i thought as i have spare tin of Wynns Carb cleaner...yes i emptied it in via the air filter housing and with some high revving managed to make a bit of smoke lol...

Now before i started all the above i checked my oil level and it was fine...but after the above i thought i'd check my oil filler cap and as Oldcodger mentioned i found more "mayonnaise" than i'd ever seen on a cap...so yes i panicked like hell, checked my radiator but couldnt see any oily film or loss of water...And even with all the above DIY i carried out i noticed my rpm dropped from say 1500 when warm to about 900 which is great but that tappety sound is still prominant. Reading the Haynes manual it does say at 60k to have your valve clearence checked but saying that they're supposed to be hydraulic which means they cant be reset...can only replaced if worn...so a little confused there!

Anyway, saw a reputable mechanic today whom will be carrying out a free diagnostic check tomorrow, but commented on the "mayonnaise" to be from my low miles...ie water settled on top of my rocker cover, mixing with oil, hence the sludge found on the oil cap! He said a compression test would be a waste of time as the cars not misfiring. So we'll see if the diagnostic picks up on anything!

Sory to bore you all, but thanks for all the advice so far! I didnt think low miles could be harmful for a car.

By the way, i've never had a problem with an oil filler cap before, but noticed yesterday that it was cross threading and i couldnt get it on again, i always start !Removed! anything on anti clockwise first (old habit) but i had to file down the cap to get it to go on, the thread on the head of the engine looks a bit dodgy...never had that problem, has anyone else???

Sammy

[oldcodger]

Hey Sam,

It never rains but it pours, as they say - sounds like your car attracts the dinks as mentioned in your other post.

Got a couple myself on the door panels - thats one reason I could never get a brand new car - could not stand it being dinked !!

Re your low mpg - the sludge in the rocket cover is indicative of your very short journeys when the engine does not get fully warmed up and the condenstaion inside the engine is not dispersed properly, so it condenses with the oil on the rocker cover as sludge.

Seems natural that the surround oilways around the valve gear will also be a bit sludged up as well, thats why you hear the valve gear rattle as it takes some time for the oil pressure to push though the sludge when you start, the colder it is, the harder it is for the oil to get though.

My humble suggestion would be to flush and change the engine oil more regularly in the colder months and take it for a run on the motor way once a week so it gets fully up to temp.

Although I'm generally light on the throttle and do the miles, I do open it up once a week on the entrance to a quiet mway slip road , full throttle in third right up to 6k rpm - you can really feel the electronics and vvti stepping up , surprises a few folk !!

Re the valve clearances, in the old days you could manually adjusts the 'tappets' by loosening the lock nut and turning the adjuster.

On the rolla, the gap is set by a shim, so if one is measured out of tolerance you need to replace the old shim with a suitable sized new one.

The guy may do a diagnostic, but bet the first thing he will do is run the engine until its fully warmed up, which will probably show everythings ok at normal temp ... ?

Like the MOT emmissions test, they have to get the engine hot in order to get a pass, no way would it work with the choke on.

Let us know what he finds ....

[Liason909]

As Oldcodger said, if you had anything serious like Head Gasket issues then you would be facing large amounts of mayonaise aswell as a very obvious discolourations of the oil under the cap and fluctuations in temperature. I do alot of motorway journeys, and often enjoy a good B road blast on my commute to university and back twice a week, and especially after the winter months where I couldn't do this I noticed how free and smooth the car felt after a good blast.

Everything lossens up after a good blast and the engine runs a lot easier. Sometimes it is neccessary to give your car a little thrash to maintain it's good health I feel :). Obviously don't over do it and this is no proffesional advice, and only do it when warmed up, but the winter months can be hard on the lubrication and liquid components, getting them properly warmed up and moving does help.

[SAM LOVERS HER TOYOTAS]

Hi all...

Just a quickie...

Saw the mechanic last week...he plugged her in to a very impressive looking snap-On diagnostic...(4k worth of kit..but thats important here lol)...and it came back absolutely clear...no fault codes/error codes at all...and according to him the engine sounded totally normally...and idled as normal...and confirmed its normal for the rpm to hit 2000 when cold and settle to 800-900 when warm...and that the Rpm would go up slightly when clutch pressed as if it didnt the engine would stall...I SAID ALL THAT IN 1 BREATH LOL...

Sooo...all seems okay...thanks again for all your input guys...next stop for me is replacing my front pads...was going to replace all 4 discs + pads but the Mach said to sort the front pads only as everything else still has life left in it!

Takecare All.

Sammy XXX

[SAM LOVERS HER TOYOTAS]

Hi all...

Just a quickie...

Saw the mechanic last week...he plugged her in to a very impressive looking snap-On diagnostic...(4k worth of kit..but thats important here lol)...and it came back absolutely clear...no fault codes/error codes at all...and according to him the engine sounded totally normally...and idled as normal...and confirmed its normal for the rpm to hit 2000 when cold and settle to 800-900 when warm...and that the Rpm would go up slightly when clutch pressed as if it didnt the engine would stall...I SAID ALL THAT IN 1 BREATH LOL...

Sooo...all seems okay...thanks again for all your input guys...next stop for me is replacing my front pads...was going to replace all 4 discs + pads but the Mach said to sort the front pads only as everything else still has life left in it!

Takecare All.

Sammy XXX

[chachy zed]

Sam how much is a full tank in your car & what mileage do you get from it..?