Engine cold starts... Idle high?

[Protan]

Hey guys just wondering what everyones cold starts are like on ther matrix's. Mine is an 04, and when I start it it idles very high i think. When its about -5 celsius or colder I notice that the engine idles at about 2800 rpm for almost 5 min untill the engine is warm. Once it is warm it idles at about 1000 which i believe is normal. But I thought 2800 was a bit high.. Whats your guys thoughts?

[fishexpo101]

What oil viscosity do you have in there now?

My ambient temps typically are not as low as yours -5C (23 F), but I do see engine idling 2000+ RPMs until the temp gauge starts to move, then a little blip of the throttle brings it back down.

Last night it got pretty cold (-7C (18 F)), this morning, my other car - the 2002 Corolla was complaining a little bit, high idled at almost 2500RPMs, waited about 30 seconds to get fluids moving, then drove gingerly until the temps started to climb. Was fine after about 2 minutes of driving, figure if I just let it sit and idle, probably would have idled for at least 5 minutes.

[syang1983]

Matrix has such a small motor that toyota designed the motor to rev higher when it's cold out. It allows the motor to heat up faster. I once had a 2002 rav4 and it did the same thing. I brought it in and that's what the tech told me. But 2,800 is a little high. Mine revs to 2100-2200 when it's like -10 out.

[circuitsmith]

The reason for the high idle is to reduce hydrocarbon emissions and warm up the cat converter faster.

When the engine is really cold the fuel vaporizes better when it's being swirled around at 2500 RPM.