idle speed... - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

ladyofluck · 01-17-2008, 08:09 PM

k.. so a mechanic did a mantenence on my 88 camry.

one of the things were... that he cleaned the "EFI"(the intake maniford?) and also i think he tweaked a little nob and my Camry has higher idle speed.

the car seems to have better response w/ gas pedal, and also seems to have more power.

but what concerns me is the health of my engine. is it bad to have high idle speed? what was it that he did? did he increase the amount of air flowing thru? or is it injecting more fuel!!!
~~~~~
in summary.
-a nob on "EFI" was tweaked, and now the idle speed is kinda too fast.

----Goods----
-better throttle response
-seems to have more power

----bads----
-high idle speed
-when turning off ignition, car shakes when the engine completely stops

i'm happy w/ the performance but i'm worried about the engine.

so... any knowledge about this matter is appreciated.

grandpa car is working too hard!!! X_X

Doctor J · 01-17-2008, 08:31 PM

He is possibly adjusted the idle speed adjusting screw (stupid) or moved throttle plate stop screw.

TBayToyotaBoy · 01-17-2008, 10:18 PM

Does your camry have a tachometer? The guage that shows you the "rpm" of the engine--engine speed? If it does have this guage, check to see how fast the engine is turning over at idle.
Our colleague 89 2wd here on TN was kind enough to post a pic in another thread of a dash pod, including the tachometer on the left:

The "1" represents 1000rpm, and you want yours just below the "1", around 700 or 750rpm.

boi_si · 01-17-2008, 10:33 PM

because of the quick throttle response, power, and higher idle.... the mechanic can possibly advance the timing... check on that...

ladyofluck · 01-17-2008, 10:34 PM

i don't have tachometer...

atobe · 01-18-2008, 02:31 AM

whoaaaa what gauge is that ! mine doesn't have oil pressure and voltage

89 2wd · 01-18-2008, 04:54 AM

Thats the cluster I put in my 89 pickup truck

oh i wish it did work in my camry...that would be cool

This is the actual cluster for the 3SFE 4 cyl Camry:

If you want more info on the clusters, check out this thread:
instrument cluster with tach
(Pics are on the 2nd page)

Back to the matter at hand, cleaning the throttle body will give you better throttle response, especially if it was gummed up with years of carbon buildup. Even changing your oil/oil filter/air filter can sometimes make the car feel more "peppy". Lighter viscosity oil can allow the engine to operate with less restriction (minimally noticable).

It could be a combination of all these things, also you probably have less acceleration lag off the line with the increased idle speed. Take some pics of the car...

TBayToyotaBoy · 01-18-2008, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladyofluck

i don't have tachometer...

That's easily remedied...the guage cluster that includes a tach will plug-in to your dash with no problem. If by some miracle you were in or near northwestern Ontario, I could get you a guage cluster free of charge. I have a couple of spares at work.

Mike Gerber · 01-18-2008, 01:11 PM

ladyofluck,

The better response and the increase in power is most likely a result of cleaning the throttel body. (You don't say what other things were done to the car.) As far as the idle speed, I would take it back to the mechanic who did the work and ask him to lower the idle back to factory specification. Tell him about the shaking of the engine when you turn off the car. Adjusting the idle speed should simply require turning a screw on your model. It should take about 1 minute.

Mike

ladyofluck · 01-18-2008, 01:57 PM

i'm about 5000km away from u... BC.... X_X

thks for the offer tho,

~~~~
so is it gonna hurt my car if i leave the idle speed at that high?

and can i just turn the screw myself? (or do i need a special machine to measure or something?)

and lastly, am i gonna lose power if i lower the idle speed?

thk u for all the helpz!!

Mike Gerber · 01-18-2008, 02:16 PM

I believe this running on after you turn off the ignition can hurt your engine. Yes you can adjust the screw yourself. I would turn the idle back down if for no other reason than to save some fuel. I'm going from memory here, but if you are standing in front of the engine, look on the right top side (driver's side) of the cam cover. You will see a rubber plug on a small round cylinder shaped column rising up from that area. Remove the rubber plug. Down inside of there you will see a slotted screw. Turn the screw with a slotted screwdriver clockwise. That should lower the idle. Since you don't have a tach on your car you will just have to use your ears. Turn it at least until the running on stops. If you can, get hold of an external tach you can attach to the car later on to check and readjust the actual idle speed. This will only take a minute or 2, once you locate the proper screw. Remember to put the rubber plug back on so dirt and moisture is kept out of there.

I haven't been under the hood of a generation 2 Camry 3SFE engine for a while, so I really am going from memory here. Someone will correct me if I am wrong on my location, or if the idle speed adjusting screw was removed from this generation. I know generation 1 2SE engines had it located there. There were no idle adjustments available on the generation 3 5SFE engines. That was all controlled by the ECU.

Mike

89 2wd · 01-18-2008, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

ladyofluck,

The better response and the increase in power is most likely a result of cleaning the throttel body. (You don't say what other things were done to the car.) As far as the idle speed, I would take it back to the mechanic who did the work and ask him to lower the idle back to factory specification. Tell him about the shaking of the engine when you turn off the car. Adjusting the idle speed should simply require turning a screw on your model. It should take about 1 minute.

Mike

Don't forget to jump the E1 and T1 terminals on the diagnostic plug (on the driver side strut tower). Detailed instructions were posted by car_boy_16 here. There is also the chance that your motor mounts are busted.

ladyofluck · 01-18-2008, 02:43 PM

wow, thk u very much for all the info's.

so .. r u saying that lowering idle speed is only gonna save gas? am i gonna get less throttle response by lowering it? or idle speed got nothing to do w/ performance?

Mike Gerber · 01-18-2008, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladyofluck

wow, thk u very much for all the info's.

so .. r u saying that lowering idle speed is only gonna save gas? am i gonna get less throttle response by lowering it? or idle speed got nothing to do w/ performance?

It will save a small amount of gas.

As far as the idle speed affecting throttle response; if the car is in good shape and all other components are operating properly and the idle speed is at or close to the specified idle speed, it should not affect throttle response.

Mike