I have a 2007 Acura TSX w/ navigation package. When i start my car with the engine cold the RPM's are at around 2,000. When the engine starts to warm up and the RPM's begin to drop, my engine makes a sort of pinging noise (not sure how else to explain it) until it gets below 1,500 RPM's and then begins to go away. The warmer the engine the less noise it makes. I am using regular oil and NOT synthetic. I normally use 5w30 but have tried 10w30 to see if it would alleviate the problem but has not. I have also tried many different gas stations although i always put 93 grade or higher in. Does anyone know what would cause this noise and does anyone else have the same problem?

 

Don't quite understand what's going on with the noise. But..... I'm surprised your car idles that high when cold. I've found that my car (an 05) pretty much goes right to idle speed when it starts, even when bitter cold. There are a bunch of noises going on when the car starts though. A little valve clatter, the AC compressor makes some noise, and the fuel injection system has been known to click a little bit too. That said, the gas won't make any difference. The engine shouldn't ping at any speed, never mind at idle. The computer will adjust for any octane deficiency. And.... you certainly shouldn't run oil any thicker than the OE recommended 5W-30. And not just for efficiency sake. The build clearances on modern engines are much tighter and actually need thinner oil to operate properly and protect against damage (many of the newest engines use 0W-20 I believe).

 

My '04 might idle at 1k when cold, but never above that. I'll have to pay attention tomorrow morning when I leave for work!

 

Mine is around 1500rpm when cold, but within a few seconds it drops to 1000, then eventually at a constant 800rpm when warmed up.

A pinging sound could be a valve clearance issue. How many miles do you have?

 

I have a correction, mine does not idle at 2,000 RPM's when the engine is cold it starts at 1,500 RPM's and usually takes about 30 seconds to fully warm up. I have around 45,000 miles on it but it has always done this since i bought it. I took it to the dealership about a year ago to have the DVD ROM replaced for the navi and the guys never said anything about it.

 

i dont have issues with warming up, as i am in hawaii, but when i'm in park it made the same noise turned out it was the water pump, it was sort of a knocking sound...it cost about 300 with labor and it was all good after that.

 

Or the noise may have to do when the engine oil has not been pumped to the top of the cylinders????? As the oil drained down to the bottom of the engine when the engine is cold and still............