Chevy Malibu RPM's running 3000-3500 while in park?

Asked by Heather0301 May 25, 2009 at 01:31 PM about the 2000 Chevrolet Malibu LS FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My Malibu just started idling very high all of the sudden, just changed the oil and all filters. This only happes maybe every third or forth time I start the car and once its put it drive it is fine. Any idea what is going on?

20 Answers

185

Recheck over your steps when you changed the air filter. Make sure nothing came loose like any electrical connections or rubber lines going to to intake hose. Sounds like you may have a vaccum leak or possibly have a sensor unplugged. Check Engine light come on? ....Or changing the oil and air filters maybe just a coincidence of the problem actually happening. Maybe someone else will chime in and offer some more help.

18 people found this helpful.
8,295

I have had the same problem when I used to own that same year and model. I replaced the idle speed actuator, worked for a few months and the problem came back later. Until I blew a spark plug cause of engine misfire (replaced all six plugs) and ran acceptable for a months until I had white smoke come out of my tail pipe and when I was lucky to clear the engine filled with coolant (hydro lock) a low coolant light went off. Many people believe that the cylinder head gasket or cracked internal engine part could be the problem, but I got rid of the car then. This may or may not be the case but that is my experience

21 people found this helpful.
200

not sure i have the same problem, mine just feels like its running high rpm. shifts ok i guess, but turning 2K at 50mph. idling 1-1.5, turning under 2 at 30-35 then again at 40-45 mph. otherwise turning 2K+. maybe its just a little car and that's what little cars do, but seems like something might be off. is "datdude" on to something in my case?

20 people found this helpful.
510

I have the same problem in the chevy malibu 2009 wen is parking the rpm go to 3000 I just cleaned the maf sensor after that star the problem I need help

51 people found this helpful.
370

My car chevy 2008 stay at 3000rmp when ispark please i need help

37 people found this helpful.
180

It could be your intake manifold gaskets are shot. This would alow for air to pass through your intake manifold where the intake meets the the rest of your engine causing a high idle how high of and idle depends how bad your gaskets are. Had the same issue I replace them (it was a pain in the ass) but it fixed the issue

18 people found this helpful.
180

I have the opposite problem. When I start my car it will go from 1000 rpms down to almost zero then back up to 1000 rpms back down to almost zero the lights will also flicker. Any suggestions? The dealership says they cannot find anything wrong.

18 people found this helpful.
310

had a customer come in with this exact sympton. very hi idle in park and once put in gear , the idle comes down. however . he told me that he went to another repair shop and they tried putting a tps sensor and an idle air valve and last but not least a pcm.... twice... lol we pulled it in to the shop and it was screeming away at around 3k rpm. plugged the scanner in and everything looked normal. with no codes . we back probed all circuts at throttle body , tested all the sensors for ground and power. all were fine . checked for intake gasket leaks with a smoke machine and out popped its ugly head. a stuck egr valve. removed egr cleaned out sut from hole in motor, and replaced with new egr and puff!!! a fixed car your welcome. slight stuck open egr valve... very slight

31 people found this helpful.
90

My 2001 Chevy Malibu revs to 2-3 when put into park. Hope this isn't a transmission problem. I just got the car in April 2016. I had the guy I bought it from look at it and it seemed to be ok for awhile and now it came back and is doing the same thing every now and then. Please help and send some advise to bhasenbank50@gmail.com. Thanks!

9 people found this helpful.
100

I was getting ready to replace my lower intake manifold gaskets but before I started the project I checked and tightenedthe bolts and problem fixed or i thought. I started my malibu 3.1 and it instantly revved to 3k rpm . can anyone point me in the right direction?

10 people found this helpful.
80

An idle air control vale can do that, with no warning, and no code {cel} if you take it off, the tip should be willing to push in and be pulled out a little. it takes some effort, but if you have to hurt to make go in or out, its bad anyway

8 people found this helpful.
150

I had a similar problem with my 2003 Malibu. After the engine warmed up, the engine would start surging 1500 - 2000 rpms. There were no check engine light or codes. It would also accelerate on its own while driving. I replaced the throttle position sensor, idle air control valve, manifold absolute pressure sensor, and cleaned out the throttle body before figuring out I had a bad EGR valve. Replaced the valve and car runs fine.

15 people found this helpful.
10

my car chevy cruze 2013 ls wht 1.6 litr enging when i start in idle rpm gose to 3000 after chabge shift it gose to normal but while driving i push acceleration pedal to its limit but rpm wont pass 3000 i checked everything but nothing olease help

1 people found this helpful.
60

Most likely the air filter cabin/housing is loose and too much sand and air is getting to maf sensor and air intake. Shake the air filter cabin and make sure it is secure and that the air filter is I correctly with the tab in right position. Simple fix. Had same problem with mine.

6 people found this helpful.
40

Mine did the same things. I changed the air filter, airflow sensor, throttle position sensor, and pedal sensor. And same was still going on so I calibrate the pedal control sensor and check engine and problem solved! No more issues.

4 people found this helpful.
20

2000 malibu help please! Derby car here. I'm some what of a car guy but this has my scratching.so long story short.I have this car and I can't find the issue .no codes being thrown.I can review it up and it's fine till I try to put it in gear then it wants to die. Depending on how high it's reved you can try to power brake it and it does fine just seems like it has a miss but nothing on the scanner. And if it's reved and put into gear it goes but is major power loss the after about 2 sec it works it way out and goes I replaced the fuel pump and cleaned everything I could except the throttle body . Some times it will randomly die and not start unless I spray carb cleaner in it and I can keep it running then it works itso way from the issues and works fine for a bit.last time it died and I couldn't get it to start I pulled the lines to the fuel pump and I had no fuel. But I changed the pump and now it still does the same stuff I need power.I don't car about milage I need acceleration since this is a derby car

2 people found this helpful.
10

This condition of the engine racing first happened to my wife, then after driving for 2 weeks happed to me I found myself here reading the comments and liked the one from a mechanic who ended up replacing the EGR valve. Reading what the EGR does, opens at operating temperature to recycle exhaust gases, I noticed the engine did not race at start up, only after warming up. At $82 to replace, I thought I would check it and see if I could just clean it. It really was not clogged, but the actuator in the middle of the EGR needed to be freed up. End result: penetrating oil and a pipe cleaner and all seems to be back to normal.

1 people found this helpful.

Having intermittent revving issues with my 2018 Malibu. Took it to dealership, ran diagnostic and found no issues. Took it for a test drive and found it was MOGP issue. Mat On Gas Pedal....when I last cleaned the car and slipped mat back in, I didn’t get it under the gas pedal, just brake. . Nice folks at Roundtree Chevrolet, Lake City , FL. We all got a good laugh.

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