BlueNile

I own the above-mentioned car, and it takes up to ten minutes for the idle to drop from about 1600 rpm's to about 600 rpm's. I bought the car used from a dealer. I have not had it checked out yet. The idle starts to drop after about five minutes. It has approximately 74,500 miles on the odometer.

LeX2K

Ten minutes of idling? Ten minutes of driving? These cars are not overly complicated there are two temperature sensors, one for the gauge one for the engine computer. Where on the cluster does the needle sit after driving for 15-20 minutes.

nsghtbrwry

Sticking Idle Air Control Valve (needs cleaning)?

I had a high idle problem on an '01 Camry 4cyl, would not go below 1200. Valve was stuck in one position because the shaft sheared so wasn't moving.

BlueNile

After idling the car for ten minutes, I drive off. I like to do this at approximately 700 rpm's. By this time the temperature gauge is close to the middle of the gauge. The idle does not start to drop until at least four minutes. The idle used to fluctuate a little bit before I stated using Arco 91 octane level. If the weather is warm (about 60°), I will idle it for approximately 8 minutes. I was told by a home contractor it could be the choke and/or something to do with the automatic transmission. I also was told by a technician at a repair shop it could be the throttle body needs to be cleaned and the computer system needs to be reprogrammed to a lower rpm.
Any help/ suggestion(s) would be greatly appreciated!

LeX2K

Next time I drive my car I'll pay attention to how long it takes for the idle to drop. Your problem could be as simple as a lazy thermostat that is causing the engine to warm up too slowly. Cleaning the throttle body is not a bad idea but I doubt it will cause your issue, the idle air control valve (IACV) tends to get dirty but when it does the idle will be too low.

Another potential failure point is the ECU temperature sending unit.

WILLYumD

I do not want to tell you how to live your life, but idling your car like this is NOT GOOD.
My suggestion would be to NOT idle your for TEN whole minutes.

This is a HORRIBLE waste of gas and produces A LOT of emissions for 0 usable output.

There's a reason why it's illegal in many places (like increased likelihood of theft, death by carbon monoxide, etc).

Your idle being high is normal. The car is trying to get the oil warm and into the right places. This should be done in conjunction with gentle driving of the vehicle. Once temperatures increase enough, the idle will drop.

5 minutes of normal driving is how long it takes my ES to heat up, your idle beginning to drop after 4 minutes of sitting there should be "normal".