Higher RPM's when cold

"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen)
01/02/2014 at 15:11 • Filed to: None

On my '10 SHO when the engine temp is cold the RPM's seem to run higher on the highway. It gets up to about 2000 rpm at 75mph instead of the usual 1750 rpm. Is this normal for a car to do in the cold? Does it mean the TC isn't locking up? Should I be concerned?

Also it seems a wheee bit weak at starting in the cold, is this a definite sign I'll need to replace the battery soon?

Thanks guise!

DISCUSSION (28)

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/02/2014 at 15:13

I've been noticing the same with my mom's Odyssey, it's significantly louder and revving higher when cold.

Mattbob > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/02/2014 at 15:15

revolutions per minute's?

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/02/2014 at 15:15

Might be some kind of engine mapping to ensure the engine hits operating temperature? The battery is something you're on your own with as a modern car battery should last over 3 years, even in snow states. Take it to a dealer and have it tested for failure? Faulty battery?

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Mattbob
01/02/2014 at 15:17

yes.

Why do you ask? Haha.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/02/2014 at 15:18

How much higher? Maybe it's holding gears longer?

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
01/02/2014 at 15:19

I would think the battery would have another 6 - 18 months in it, seeing as the car is a 2010. But maybe not... I'll have it tested I suppose.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!
01/02/2014 at 15:19

I can shift into manual to check and it's in 6th gear when it does this.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
01/02/2014 at 15:20

I hope that's what it is (the engine mapping). I've seen cars do this at idle, but haven't paid attention/known the car well enough to see if it does it at hwy speed too.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!
01/02/2014 at 15:21

As to how much higher, my post specifies this, 2000rpm where it is normally at 1750.

. . > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/02/2014 at 15:21

It's a blind shot, but maybe it has something to do with hydrodynamics? Maybe the fluid in your torque converter behaves differently before it's warmed up?

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/02/2014 at 15:47

How long does this go on for? Is it something that is just happening for the first few minutes after start up? If that and after some time it behaves like normal it may just be an engine/transmission mapping thing to get heat into them.

The other possibility is that the TC isn't locking up because the fluid isn't hot enough. Not sure how those lock up, if it is accomplished through an actuator or if it is simply done through fluid mechanics. If it is accomplished by the fluid, when cold the fluid might not be viscous enough to lock up the torque converter.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
01/02/2014 at 15:49

Yeah it's the first maybe 3 - 4 minutes of driving and then it goes back to normal.

I gotta think it's the extreme cold here in Michigan right now. It just had me a little concerned, I hope it's just that.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > . .
01/02/2014 at 15:51

I hope it's either that or the car warming up the fluids by running at higher rpm.

I've not had a car before that runs at only 1750 rpm at 75mph and I guess it makes sense that it's programmed to run a little higher to get things warmed up.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
01/02/2014 at 15:51

My car doesn't seem any louder, just runs a little higher rpm.

My old Jetta, that thing didn't like being cold, haha, it would be louder in the winters.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/02/2014 at 15:56

If it is 3-4 minutes pretty consistently that is probably all it is. It is pretty common to have a cold weather start map in cars now. The sooner the cat heats up, the lower emissions are so they try to get as much heat into it as quick as possible.

As for the weak starting, if your temps are anything like the single digits we've seen around here your battery is probably OK.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
01/02/2014 at 16:09

We've had weather ever so slightly into the double digits, it's 13 right now. It was probably colder this morning. So this theory does make a whole lot of sense. Thanks!

As for the battery, I do hope it's ok, it's probably not even 3 years old, haha.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/02/2014 at 16:47

In 6th the converter should be locked up. 250 RPM is a huge difference. Take it in and have it checked.

Do you have any way to check the ECU for codes?

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!
01/02/2014 at 16:49

Yeah, I could hook it up to Torque on my phone.

Most people on here seem to think it's just different mapping to get heat into the fluids and/or catalytic converter.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/02/2014 at 17:31

A 250 rpm change is what I would expect to see if the converter were not locking at all.

If there is something in the ECU that can control that feature in 6th gear well and good. In this day and age of CAFE I'm not sure that Ford would play around with something like this in the cruising gear. Best bet is to get it checked out.

Click on the link for a complete list of TSB's for your car: http://www.ecoboostownerforums.com/forum/ecoboost…

gmctavish needs more space > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/02/2014 at 17:35

My dad's taurus does this, in a sense. Idles high and if you sit long enough, drops down to normal idle. But if it's still not at its preferred operating temp, she'll rev a bit higher when the O/D kicks in, or the O/D won't engage at all and the TC locks at the higher rpm of the initial gear. It gets annoying when you're just going on a quick trip since it's an iron block and takes a few minutes to be at a happy temp

. . > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/02/2014 at 17:45

Either way, honestly, this doesn't sound like anything you should be concerned about.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!
01/02/2014 at 21:15

Well, my powertrain warranty is good for another 5000 miles, and I have a few other things to get checked out, so I'll mention it when I am at the dealer next, see what they say. Thank you for weighing in.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/03/2014 at 02:40

Are your tires at the proper inflation pressure? how much colder temps? and does it do it 10 minutes after starting?

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
01/03/2014 at 08:12

It stops after 3-4 minutes of driving. My tires are properly inflated.

jgreen11 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/03/2014 at 09:40

My Grand Am does the same thing, until I reach ~200F, then it will drop from ~2400 rpm to 2000 rpm. My conclusion is that it does this to help warm everything up properly and sooner than it normally would.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/03/2014 at 09:48

Maybe being turbocharged(higher compression) makes it more susceptible to rough cold starts? Piston ring contracted). I would try letting it idle for a few minutes on colder mornings and see if that helps.

ZeroOrDie - Powered By MZR > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
01/03/2014 at 10:28

Its because you didn't buy those mods yet. It is a little upset with you.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > ZeroOrDie - Powered By MZR
01/03/2014 at 10:32

I think you are right. But I don't see the point of all that power in the winter, haha. My plan is February - March for the tuner and hopefully downpipes soon after that.