what is idle speed in an automatic?

[dlb]

just setting the carb on the '87 automatic i'm working on and i'm not sure whether idle in an automatic is when it's in park, neutral, or in gear. in gear with the e-brake on, the revs are around 900 rpm. in park and neutral, the revs are about 2000 rpm. i assume the answer is 'in gear' but that's scary when working on an automatic because if the e-brake were to give out, the car would drive over me.

[john]

Definitly put that thing in PARK. We do not want one of our most helpful members squished.

900 is the proper idle speed in park.

john

[dlb]

haha, thanks man. no david pancakes.

if it idles at 900 rpm in park, won't the revs drop and the engine die as soon as you put it in gear? i would go outside and try this but it's bed time now.

[john]

Ok, now I'm thinking i will whip up some blueberry pancakes in a moment!

I have not driven my tercel much since July; the front end is ready to break apart.. need to replace the rack and tie rods... Anyway, I fired it up and double checked my idle speed.

The speed only droped by about 50rpms when going from park or neutral into drive. That was what I remembered, but I double checked it with my tach-o-meter. Idle speed should stay fairly consistent whether under load or not.
If you start at 900 it will only drop to about 850.
john

[dlb]

thanks john, what you said got me thinking that i should check the trans throttle linkage and sure enough, it was way out. i had to scrape a lot of crud off to visualize it but once i did it was obvious. it now idles up just slightly in P and N. also found a few misrouted vacuum lines (which explained why the TP wasn't working) and it's doing much better now.

[john]

The Tercel does have a lot of vacuum lines! I completely forgot about the transmission throttle linkage; that was a good thing to check. I used to raise my idle to about 950 after my smog checks, but thankfully it runs so smooth now that I no longer have to do that. I miss driving it though. I will either replace the rack and tie rods this month or next. The rack started leaking 10 or more years ago and I removed the power steering. The tie rods are not safe anymore and there is a real bumping/thumping when turning either direction; it almost feels like the steering wheel slams against your hands. i will probably install a manual rack and matching tie rods.
john

[dlb]

my dream tercel will be an '83 or '84 with manual steering. i prefer it.

when you mention the bumping thumping when turning, i wonder if your CV's are worn out. could be worth inspecting while the you have the front end apart.