[30 Ounce]

This is the first time that I've driven my Promaster when it's been 0 F. My idle is usually 700 rpm but today it's been 1000-1100. Anybody else have this happen?

By the way it drives really well in the snow!!

 

[jimmbomb]

I hopped in mine this morning and had a message flaah across the screen upon start up.. "watch out for possible ice on the roadways"
Or something to that effect.
And my outside temp was 30..
i didn't pay any attention to the ide speed though.

 

[Brian P]

It's normal for any gasoline engine to want a somewhat higher idle speed after a cold start.

 

[keeponvaning]

I hopped in mine this morning and had a message flaah across the screen upon start up.. "watch out for possible ice on the roadways"
Or something to that effect.
And my outside temp was 30..
i didn't pay any attention to the ide speed though.

I got the same message a few days ago and it was almost 40° out.

 

[uncubed]

Me too. it is 1000 to 1100 rpms.
My dash read the same.
Tire light came on also. Air is dense.
-23c Lots of heat though.

 

[Ram3500']

I think with it going just above the 1000rpm mark is okay, i have had many vehicles which do that, some even as high as 1300rpm on really cold days.

 

[30 Ounce]

It's normal for any gasoline engine to want a somewhat higher idle speed after a cold start.

This is after it warms up to normal operating temps. It runs fine, just idles a little higher than normal. I'll chalk it up to the unusually cold weather.

 

[uncubed]

This is after it warms up to normal operating temps. It runs fine, just idles a little higher than normal. I'll chalk it up to the unusually cold weather.

Same here. I thought it was odd that it did not go down after it warmed up.
I guessing that is what it is suppose to do. Circulating the coolant for heat and what not.

 

[seapro]

In cold weather computer commands a faster idle to get engine warmed up faster to reduce air pollution which is bad when engine is cold. Side benefit is more and quicker cabin heat. Modern engines should not be idled to warm up. As soon as engine is running smoothly a few seconds after start it is best to simply drive away at moderate speeds for the first couple of minutes. This warms up faster and idle will return to near normal.

 

[jimmbomb]

I just drove 10 miles to work..
23 degrees on the display.
idiling at 900 rpms.

 

[Pete's PM Plumbing]

Since it's gotten cold out, I've been noticing a high idle at start up also. After seeing this thread I decided to pay closer attention today. So it was 20 degrees this morning. When I started it up, it jumped up to approximately 1400 RPM. I cranked the defroster because the windshield was heavily frosted over. I proceeded to load some tools in the back for a project I had to get to. Within less than five minutes the windshield was defrosted and the idle was gradually slowing and settled in at the normal 750ish range. Very impressive heat system. Fastest defroster I've ever had in a van.

 

[ollie]

Hi there.

it's been a while since i wrote anything here.

so let me start with happy new year for all of us.

I am experiencing this problem as well.
when engine reaches its normal operating temperature and weather is below 20F or -7C its idle would stay at 1100 or will go to 750 and jump back to 1100 within 30 sek. or so.
took it to a service once they replaced a throttle body but it didn't fix the issue.
then i took it to another dealer they said it is normal operating procedure for Promasters.
i get right around 14.5 avg mpg instead of 17 mpg and it is rather hard to shift gears when idle is this high.
Also i noticed that when temps are above 20F radiator fan is working all the time( A/C and defroster are off )

is it happening to all of you?

 

[Pete's PM Plumbing]

Hi there.

it's been a while since i wrote anything here.

so let me start with happy new year for all of us.

I am experiencing this problem as well.
when engine reaches its normal operating temperature and weather is below 20F or -7C its idle would stay at 1100 or will go to 750 and jump back to 1100 within 30 sek. or so.
took it to a service once they replaced a throttle body but it didn't fix the issue.
then i took it to another dealer they said it is normal operating procedure for Promasters.
i get right around 14.5 avg mpg instead of 17 mpg and it is rather hard to shift gears when idle is this high.
Also i noticed that when temps are above 20F radiator fan is working all the time( A/C and defroster are off )

is it happening to all of you?

Mine only goes through the this high idle cycle once per cold start. When it has reached operating temperature, it idles down to about 750 and stays there. I have noticed that if I let it continue to sit idling, it doesn't take more than a couple minutes after idling down and the cooling fan is already kicking in.

 

[30 Ounce]

Mine still does this in cold weather. After reaching operating temps it sometimes will idle at 750 rpm's when I come to a stoplight and after a few seconds it will rise to 1100. Everything else operates fine: transmission shifts normally. When it's above 30 degrees out it operates completely normal.

 

[Adrian]

When I had my first gas PM it did the same, I read somewhere that the idle would raise when required to maintain temps in transmission, voltage and several other reasons. Totally normal. My diesel will do the same and raise the idle as needed.

 

[MsNomer]

My idle was 1100 at 11° this morning. Seemed normal to me. Tundra does the same thing.

 

[ollie]

When I had my first gas PM it did the same, I read somewhere that the idle would raise when required to maintain temps in transmission, voltage and several other reasons. Totally normal. My diesel will do the same and raise the idle as needed.

New diesels are doing it so particulate filter would not get clogged .Iddle is not good for those diesels. even PM owners manual states that.
as for the gas engine there is no reason to elevate rpms by 50% or regular rpm
speed, engine makes enough heat anyway.in fact 76% of energy gasoline engine makes it heat energy.i had many cars in my life none was doing it.
there is nothing special about PM , it is naturally aspirated gasoline engine mated to regular automated tranny, in fact it is the same setup as in "town and counry" or dodge caravan and any others .
also not all PM elevate their rpms , i guess they f...d up something in few models probably early build too.
i am taking mine for service today , we will see.

 

[GuyT]

7F for me this morning, RPM 1000-1100, seams pretty normal to me.

Drove my PM to the dealer this morning. Got snow then rain, yesterday, Montreal is a now giant skating ring. It could be a record breaking day, in terms of accidents and broken bones.

 

[ollie]

My idle was 1100 at 11° this morning. Seemed normal to me. Tundra does the same thing.

when you first start your car rpm will go high for a while , i have elevated rpm when engine is wormed up, half way between cold and hot on a temp dial.

 

[jimmbomb]

I tested mine this morning in person, as I have been using my remote start for a while now, but this time I was curious.
24 degrees on the dash.. and it idled according to the tach around 1200.. start the clock..
after 6 minutes and the cooling fan cycling on and off a few times... the idle crept down to 1000.
I kicked the gas pedal a few times during all this..
Temp gauge read mid way .. Heat was hot enough.
4 more minutes later , then the tach did dip below the 1000 has mark.
it seems to idle (when warm) around 8-900.