Automatic Elevated Idle???
Tuned
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 369
Likes: 0
Well, I think this is a safety issue.
I've posted this in another thread but I feel it needs to be known;
A friend of mine with an F350 6.7 has this same high idle situation. However, it almost caused a crash for him. He was approaching a stop sign at an icy intersection and applied the brakes. The front wheels slid on the ice as the rear wheels continued to push him into the intersection because the truck was "idling" at 1200 RPM. He put the truck in Neutral so the truck would stop. Sounds pretty dangerous to me.
I know I've seen the rear wheels of my truck spin while I was stopped in an icy area with the brakes on. Not hard braking, just enough to keep the vehicle from moving.
I'm seeing this as a pretty serious safety issue. If the dealer that has my truck right now can't come up with a satisfactory solution - I'll be escalating the issue.
I've posted this in another thread but I feel it needs to be known;
A friend of mine with an F350 6.7 has this same high idle situation. However, it almost caused a crash for him. He was approaching a stop sign at an icy intersection and applied the brakes. The front wheels slid on the ice as the rear wheels continued to push him into the intersection because the truck was "idling" at 1200 RPM. He put the truck in Neutral so the truck would stop. Sounds pretty dangerous to me.
I know I've seen the rear wheels of my truck spin while I was stopped in an icy area with the brakes on. Not hard braking, just enough to keep the vehicle from moving.
I'm seeing this as a pretty serious safety issue. If the dealer that has my truck right now can't come up with a satisfactory solution - I'll be escalating the issue.
New User
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
From: Central Michigan
How many of you would double the idle speed of ANY vehicle.... and drop it in gear?
That is what is happening.
Normal idle speed is 600 RPM. High idle is 1200 RPM.
It doesn't sound like an "OK" thing to do to the drivetrain.
That is what is happening.
Normal idle speed is 600 RPM. High idle is 1200 RPM.
It doesn't sound like an "OK" thing to do to the drivetrain.
Thread Starter
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More Turbo
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 538
Likes: 45
From: Lansing, MI
I've also noticed the high idle while in drive. Makes thing interesting on slippery surfaces.
On another note, with the somewhat warmer temperatures I've noticed that the high idle is also dependent on the ambient temperature as well as the engine temp. With single digit ambient temps and truck oil <140 the truck would idle around 1000+/- rpm but with ambient temps in the 20's its back down at 600 rpm with <140 oil temp.
On another note, with the somewhat warmer temperatures I've noticed that the high idle is also dependent on the ambient temperature as well as the engine temp. With single digit ambient temps and truck oil <140 the truck would idle around 1000+/- rpm but with ambient temps in the 20's its back down at 600 rpm with <140 oil temp.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 233
Likes: 0
Now imagine all the whining and complaining we'd be doing if the truck spit, sputtered and shook when we put into drive after an extremely cold start. Someone would be asking why they didn't provide a higher idle speed to eliminate it.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 6,600
Likes: 84
Ford has it programmed it to transition smoothly from high idle into gear, which it does.
I have had plenty of transmission issues and this isn't one of them.
If your RPM's drop after putting it in gear, that's normal.
If it's still 1200 RPM 10 seconds after you're in [D] then yes, that would be a big safety problem but that's not what it does.
I have had plenty of transmission issues and this isn't one of them.
If your RPM's drop after putting it in gear, that's normal.
If it's still 1200 RPM 10 seconds after you're in [D] then yes, that would be a big safety problem but that's not what it does.
Thread Starter
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More Turbo
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 538
Likes: 45
From: Lansing, MI
Ford has it programmed it to transition smoothly from high idle into gear, which it does.
I have had plenty of transmission issues and this isn't one of them.
If your RPM's drop after putting it in gear, that's normal.
If it's still 1200 RPM 10 seconds after you're in [D] then yes, that would be a big safety problem but that's not what it does.
I have had plenty of transmission issues and this isn't one of them.
If your RPM's drop after putting it in gear, that's normal.
If it's still 1200 RPM 10 seconds after you're in [D] then yes, that would be a big safety problem but that's not what it does.
Tuned
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 369
Likes: 0
Just a side note. Something I noticed today. If you leave the parking brake down and shift into gear from high idle. It does not shift so smoothly. I always use my parking brake because I often times have a trailer and it takes out some of the "clunk" when a trailer is pushing or pulling on the truck.
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,616
Likes: 6
From: Whitecourt AB, Canada
Just a side note. Something I noticed today. If you leave the parking brake down and shift into gear from high idle. It does not shift so smoothly. I always use my parking brake because I often times have a trailer and it takes out some of the "clunk" when a trailer is pushing or pulling on the truck.
Often when idling in traffic I will pop it into neutral and back instead of using service brakes all the time.
The other issue is that if the truck is cold enough to be doing a temperature driven high idle, it's likely that everything else is cold. The transmission is definitely not as smooth when the fluid is below freezing.
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