Idle Problem

[denisizzle]

Not quite sure yet if this is a big problem - but on a warm day my car usually starts up fine but occasionally will start at 1k rpms and then normalize to 1.6 ish. On a cold day it starts up at or just over 2k and then comes back down to 1.6ish when it warms up. Is this a problem or no?

Also on an unrelated problem:
A friend of mine has a v6 mx3 and it ran perfectly fine a year ago. Today when he went to start it up it did nothing, boosting it allowed the headlights to turn on but nothing else. Turn the key and absolutely nothing. He is selling it for cheap and I'm just wondering if this is a big problem or just something like the alternator/starter?

Thanks in advance.

[RS_OBD'oh_2]

idle seems a bit high but an easy fix. Should be around 600-900

A starter is not a big deal.

http://www.mx-3.com/phpBB3/search.php

[denisizzle]

idle should be that low? 900 rpms? What's the easy fix? I plan on replacing my spark plugs soon.

Is it more likely that the starter failed after not being used for a long time rather than the alternator?

[burgess]

if the car started when it was last used and your buddy had no problems starting his car before hand i dont see why it would be the starter but it may have something to do with the connection that goes to the starter. check the wires on the back of the starter if you can, make sure your grounds good and all connecter terminals are tight and as free from corrosion as possible on both the battery and starter. he may need a new battery. if it was the alternator then if you charged the battery the car would start and turn off shortly its started from not regenerating electricity. if you guys can't get it started at all after troubleshooting then yeah i'd look into a starter

[burgess]

oh and as far as the idle goes thats not so bad but it should be around the 900rpms mark, maybe the owner before messed with idle screw.

[denisizzle]

It fluctuates though for example when its cold it starts at 2 and then goes down when it warms up is that ok? Should i leave it or adjust the idle screw(how do you go about doing this?)

[kakarot135]

the reason that the idle is high when it first starts it to get it up to operating temp quicker. this is normal. If it continues to do this longer than a few minutes then it may be worth looking at. But at 1600 rpm you are definitely high. like everyone else said, 600 to 900 rpm, i usually set mine at 750. at high idle it sits about 1500-1700 then drops back to 750. If you search you can find out the adjustment process to fix the idle. Make sure you are in diagnostic mode. Close idle screw until the engine dies, then back it out 3 turns to get to factory if I remember correctly. search to make sure.

hope this helps

[denisizzle]

My idle has always been this high, could that be a reason for somewhat poor efficiency? Can you link me to a thread in which this process is explained? I'm not quite sure how to put it into diagnostic mode and have no clue where to find the idle screw.

Thanks

EDIT:
Also I should mention I have a cold air intake, throttle body spacer and an aftermarket exhaust - does this affect idle?