Starting Questions

[calirider]

Is it everyones or just mine that revs up high when it is first started and then will clunk into gear hard if I shift into gear fast at start up when the RPMs are up. Also it makes a funny noise sometimes at start up, about 50% of the time. I will try and record it and post a video link. It has been doing if for eight months or so and everything seems normal besides start up.

[chilipepper1327]

Sounds like it could be a sensor issue, fuel pump, etc. Hard to say. Is it throwing a code, and what year is your car? Try removing the negative battery cable for 30 minutes. That will reset the computer.

[calirider]

It is the 2004 in my sig.

I will try to battery thing.

Thanks

[yomama604]

I've had my Saturn 2004 IOn2 for about 2 weeks now and noticed this same thing. Specifically unusually high rev at start up for about a second. The idle quiets down pretty quickly and is normal after that. Just wondering if that is normal.

Calirider did the battery suggestion work?

Thanks

[Jim Waibel]

Mine runs fast too. I know what my problem is though. My power brake booster won't hold a vacuum for very long. So whe I start up the brake booster acts like a big vacuum leak. It puts a lot of air into the motor and that makes it race a little on startup.

[yomama604]

Thanks Jim. How did you determine that was the issue?

PS. what year is your car and how many miles

Originally Posted by Jim Waibel

Mine runs fast too. I know what my problem is though. My power brake booster won't hold a vacuum for very long. So whe I start up the brake booster acts like a big vacuum leak. It puts a lot of air into the motor and that makes it race a little on startup.

[Jim Waibel]

It's an 04 with 167K miles. I lose brake assist within 2 minutes of shutting the motor off. this means that the vacuum in the booster can has gone away ( not from using the brakes either). So when I start the car the engine has to suck all of the air out of the booster can and that acts like a partially open throttle (lets more air in) so the engine races a bit. I also have a Ford Ranger that does the same thing even though I have replaced the booster unit twice. Runs normally, brakes OK, just revs a little on startup.

[yomama604]

Thanks Jim. This car only has 55K miles So I hope you don't mind this newbie question but what do you mean that you lose brake assist AFTER you shut off the car (what's the symptom?).

I tried disconnecting the battery for 30 minutes, didn't do anything. Did learn two interesting things:

1. if you try to start the car with the battery disconnected. The key cannot be removed. Had to use the little plunger under the steering column.
2. I did not lose my radio pre-wet stations (which was nice)

Perhaps it's supposed to rev at startup.

Originally Posted by Jim Waibel

It's an 04 with 167K miles. I lose brake assist within 2 minutes of shutting the motor off. this means that the vacuum in the booster can has gone away ( not from using the brakes either). So when I start the car the engine has to suck all of the air out of the booster can and that acts like a partially open throttle (lets more air in) so the engine races a bit. I also have a Ford Ranger that does the same thing even though I have replaced the booster unit twice. Runs normally, brakes OK, just revs a little on startup.

[2006 ion2]

disconnecting the battery does very little. they lose brake assist less than 2 minutes after shutting off the engine, this is self explanatory. sounds like they need a new brake booster.

[yomama604]

ION2 I know it's an old thread but earlier in the thread someone suggested disconnecting the battery to see if it would fix a high rev condition at startup. My reference was to that. I tried that and it didn't do anything. I'm starting to think maybe that's just the way this Saturn starts.

I still don't know what losing brake assist means

Originally Posted by 2006 ion2

disconnecting the battery does very little. they lose brake assist less than 2 minutes after shutting off the engine, this is self explanatory. sounds like they need a new brake booster.