My parents just bought a 97 Max SE. It idles at 550 rpms.

1) Is that normal?
2) How do I adjust it upwards?

Thanks.

 

no it is not normal

to fix it you need to adjust the IAC valve to the correct base/curb idle setting/percentage

 

your parents just bought you a max and you already have three cars?

 

Maybe its his parents car?

 

Out of curiosity could idling at 550 rpm cause a problem with gas millage cuz my car idles that low and i get bad millage, just trying to find out if the two problems are related in anyway.

 

appologies. misread

 

same here i also get a thump once in a while at idle still
it really annoying me
and i cant seem to find a mechanicc who knows what to do.

 

try to clean IACV, Throttle Body, and change the air and fuel filter if you have not done so. How to's for all can be found in the 4th gen how to's; link in my sig.

Might have to look in hte 60k Service in the how to's for some of these

 

I don't know about autotragics, but if the idle is at .5 RPM on a 5-spd then it is perfect. An idle of anything above a .7 RPM on a 5-spd is way too high and considered bad.

Anyway, about the thump that some of you hear when at idle is very common due to what else if not weak and slightly deteriorated ignition coil(s). A defective coil always causes these random thumps at idle.

 

i changed the coil though
maybe another one is goin out
sigh

 

the same thing just happened to me when i diagnosed my ecu , and ended up not switching it off. the car ran idle at .400 rpms, and i bugged out. switched the self test machine to the middle, and ide ran back to normal.

 

i get that thump too!!!! it really makes me want to shoot somebody...

 

haha owned my nissan weak coil

 

It could be that a sensor has gone out. The check engine light doesn't detect bad sensors every time so if you have a bad O2 sensor, you could be getting weird idleing and bad gas mileage for example. I had both symptoms, replaced both oxygen sensors in the front and everything went back to normal. I'm not saying that this is your problem but it is a possibility.

 

yeah, it's my parents' car. i'll try the IAC cleaning -- that was my first inclination too, but i'll try it when it's warmer out....

thanks.

 

Sorry, what are the normal rpms when idling (with a break pedal pushed, auto transmission)?
Is 600 also too low?
Thanks,
Eugene.

 

1996 and later auto tran: between 600 to 700 rpm, while shifter in P or N , no load on the engine, when engine is warmed up.

 

Why is a high idle bad for 5 speeds? I had a new (used-45k mile) engine installed several months ago...I had a bad idle (and a host of other problems) and felt it would be easier and cost less in the long run to just get a new engine....anyway, this engine idles very high! fully warmed up, no throttle movement, its just above 1000 rpms. when driving, if you put it into neutral before a light or whatever, the idle drops to 1500 rpms for a second and then to just above 1000 rpms. I had an auto max prior and the idle was nothing alike. What could be wrong with this engine? Or does it just need simple maintainance like described above? TB cleaning etc...? thanks!

 

start with turning the idle screw on top of the idle air body

 

1996 and later models manual tran idle speed spec: between 525 and 625 rpm

 

would 2 bad O2 sensors, something wrong with the EGR sensor or valve or whatever and a hole in my b-pipe account for this?

 

are those specs from the FSM. I left mine at my garage

 

from Haynes Manual

 

Hmmmm...I don't know what happened. My car idled at 800 rpm (95- 5 speed). I decided to clean my throttle body. It was pretty dirty. After reinstalling everything and starting up the car, my car now idles at 1000 rpm!!! Everything was put back together so I don't know whats wrong. I'll try adjusting the Iac valve. What else could be wrong?