Weird idle problem when starting up

[chessboxer]

Well, its just gotten cold as hell here in kentucky and for the past two days, my car has done this weird thing when i start it up. It starts to idle at about 1500 rpms and then it surges up to about 2100 and then drops down to 1500 rpms and then back to 2100 rpms. Well it does this for about 2-5 minutes and then it stops. The idle goes down to about 6-800 and it fine. What could be causing this?
Also, today i got in after it had calmed down my heater was blowing cold air. It hard warmed up for like 10 minutes and was still blowing cold air. So i got pissed and revved the shit out of it to about 6k and boom, hot air came out. So, what coul cause the delay in hot air, heater core or something? Also, could these problems be related at all? Im kinda dumb in this area so any help is greatly appreciated.

[xplode]

hmmm.. if it was super cold and cold air was blowing into the engine it can cause things to warm up alot slower, i mean alot slower.. another thing is if you got rid of the EGR or whatever it is that recirculates the hot air back in thru the throttle, that also delays the heat up time of the engine. next time give it a little bit longer, depending on how cold it could have only been that, not the coil.

[chessboxer]

i also know that i need to change my thermostat as its been almost 2 years since it has had a new one. could this be contributing to the problem?

[xplode]

yes, the thermostat could be on the fritz, have you had trouble with it in the past? because it could have been cold and registering warm, or just cold al the time til finally it kicks in..

[chessboxer]

we had some trouble when i first got it and it would show that it was getting a little bit warm on the temp gauge and we changed the thermostat and it fixed it. but ive never until now had a problem with it staying cold longer than normal. However, these past two nights have been the first of the season that have gone down to the zero range. So, im thinking that maybe its just adjusting to this cold ass weather and its taking it some time. still, im not sure though, and im expecting it to do it again tomorrow. it also only does this in neutral, and not while im driving it, in case i didnt mention that already. also, didnt have a cai or anything done to it this time last year, so maybe that could influence it in someway? maybe? i dunno.

[ACCLUDE91]

It could be a lot of things, but check the Idle Air Control Valve, The MAP sensor, the Fuel Injectors, and the EGR system. It's probably gonna be one of those things.

[chessboxer]

how do i go about checking those things? do the output code thingy? or go in and check each individually?

[accordztech]

if you have a helms, it will show u niceley how to check those....usually its by resistance in ohms to test the TPS, MAP, IAC, and fuel injection.

[xplode]

well, the CAI definately is causing it to stay cooler a little bit longer because it is sucking in colder air which keeps the temp down, i think that your just needing to warm it up a little more, once its warm its fine rite?

[xplode]

Btw, the colder it is bro, the longer it will take to warm up.. at 10 degrees it should take 10-15 minutes to get a bit warm, not even fully warmed up.

[accordztech]

actually when was the last time the thermostat was changed? if its been over 2 years id change it just for re-assurance. and if its been tha tlong since the cooling system has been changed, might as well do that too

[chessboxer]

xplode-yeah, once it warms up its fine and i guess the whole surging type thing is the motor knowing its not supposed to idle that high and trying to bring itself back down. This morning i just got it, started it, revved it kinda high for a second, and then it didnt do the idle thing. Then i let it warm up for about 7 minutes or more and when i got in it was warm.

accordztech-i dont have a helms manual, but i do have a haynes, do you think its in there? its back at my place and im at my girls, so next trip back home ill look. and yeah, its been a while on the thermostat and i need to change it and flush the cooling system. I busted a hose this summer and had t replace it and kinda halfassed put water and antifreeze back in, but i dont think in the right mixtures.

[accordztech]

i get helms and haynes confused haha...look in the fuel and emmisions area and the electrical system..there is alot on the MAP IAC and all that...just look in the index

[chessboxer]

well, it did it again this morning. it had stopped for a while so i never thought to check the problem again. it was revving up to about 2500 and dropping down to 1100. the heat didnt work and the exhaust was abnormally hot. then, my girl drove it and the heat gauge went all the way up to h, she turned the heat up to high, and it stopped. any ideas?

[chessboxer]

well, i replaced the thermostat today and it warmed up alright. i had to change the battery too since it was getting old and bad and my girlfriend decided to leave my lights on this morning in 15 degree weather.