hey guys i just wanted to make sure if this was normal or not. somtimes when i startup my car the rpms jump up to about 1.2 and stay there for about 30 seconds to a minute then drop down........is this normal? its pretty cold out (25 - 10 degrees) should i wait for the rpms to drop before driving or can i drive with the rpms still up there?

 

yeah... mine does that too.

 

The engine holds the RPM's at a higher level when the engine is cold, to warm up the engine faster. A cold engine creates a lot of emmissions which is why the need for a higher initial rpm.

As is stated in your owners manual, do not let your car sit and warmup idle. It is hard on the engines of newer fuel injected cars to sit idling as oil has a hard time reaching all the necessary internals. Start the car and drive away after 20 seconds or so. Keep the car under 3000k rpm's until the engine has had time to warm up. I usually go easy on it untill my thermostat pops. (that is when the the coolant temperature begins to raise at a fast pace).

 

There always was a fast idle cam on carburetted engines. This was used with the choke for cold starting to prevent stalling.