i was wondering how to adjust idle on an '02 cav, i have the 2.2L OHV motor and the 500-600 idle seems low... on a buddies car there was an idle screw, that you just turned to adjust... i looked on ours and couldn't find anything... anyone know how to do this...?

For an automatic, the idle is NOT low.

Your car is working normally and there is no benefit to raising the idle.

2002 Cavalier 2200 5spd

you aren't supposed to adjust the idle at all. On an auto 600 Rpm is normal.


Ryan1

600 RPM? That's actually pretty low idle for normal idles. Even my Civic ran 700 at idle. There's no point in raising it, that will eat more gas at idle and put extra wear on your torque converter when sitting in D or R and holding the brake.


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We all drive in a yellow Cavalier...

Your civic ran faster because it had a smaller motor. The 2200 can idle smoothly at 600 rpm or even a bit lower. Count your blessings Dfresh, those of us with manuals idle at 900 rpm and burn through fuel like crazy in the city.

2002 Cavalier 2200 5spd

There is an adjustment screw on the throttle body to change the idle, however, you have an idle air control valve that is computer controlled and opens and closes to keep the idle where the computer wants it to be-- 600 RPMs. So, if you adjust it the computer just compensates for it and brings the idle back down to 600. The only way to really change the idle is to have the computer value changed with HP Tuners.

I personally think the idle is too low at 600 rpms, which is evidenced by the fact that the motor runs so rough and shakes violently with poly motor mounts.

If your raise the idle on an auto, you WILL hurt your transmission. Every time you put the car in drive you will get a violent thump because it's spinning too fast to go into gear.

If you don't really care that you will increase noise, fuel consumption and transmission wear, there is a free way to raise the idle.

2002 Cavalier 2200 5spd

Solid Snake wrote:If you don't really care that you will increase noise, fuel consumption and transmission wear, there is a free way to raise the idle.

So, other than the screw, how else would you adjust the idle?

1. Start your engine cold.
2. Turn on your A/C.
3. Unplug your IAC motor.

When you turn off your A/C, the idle will jump up to ~900RPM and stay there.

2002 Cavalier 2200 5spd

Does the motor run rough? What happens when you restart the car?

The motor will not run rough, but you'll have the high fuel consumption and transmission wear I mentioned earlier. The car should start right back up, no problem. You may get a high idle CEL if the ECU realizes it can't control the idle speed. Within a certain margin, it won't though.

2002 Cavalier 2200 5spd

So is there a reason for yout o raise the idle speed or are you just curious because you think its too low??????
You have no mods listed ...so if your idle speed was indeed too low then there is a problem somewhere that shouldnt be remedied by you rasing the idle speed yourself.

from what i understand 600 rpms is the factory design specification for this engine. no advantage whatsoever to increase it.

John is right. You should be thrilled your engine idles that low. I'm going through all kinds of trouble to build an IAC controller board for my manual that will make it idle like an auto.

2002 Cavalier 2200 5spd

thanks for all the input guys/gals... sorry about the member page not being filled.... but yeah i forgot to mention i do have the poly motor mounts... and sometimes it does get annoying and shakes hard... and i've noticed that if you put even 200 more rpms into it it stops shaking violently... this is the reason i pondered the thought.... but after realizing the side effects... even for raising a little wouldn't be worth it...

Try removing the upper insert, some of the slop will come back, but the vibes should drop quite a bit. Turbo Tech Racing also has a redesigned lower mount that is supposed to offer lower vibes but still keep the motor from flopping around, its a bit pricey, but may be worth it.

maybe you can put a stop on your throttle cable or your gas pedal. it would be just like pressing the gas pedal with your foot, no trickery involved.

Im having an idling problem with my 2002 Sunfire 2.2 OHV. Here's a link to my post for anyone who thinks they can help me out at all. Im still stuck with this problem. http://www.j-body.org/forums/read.php?f=11&i=163107&t=163056#163107