Engine low revs at startup then few seconds later kicks in


  #1  
Old 07-30-20, 05:07 PM
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Engine low revs at startup then few seconds later kicks in

I've been having this issue intermittently for a while now.
Car has been parked overnight. In the morning go to start it up and it turns on but barely (as if it had a hiccup and missed the good bang whenever it starts up). It hangs at a low idle around 500 rpm, I can barely hear the engine going and I try to give it some gas and a couple seconds later it will kick in and rev higher than normal like 1.5 rpm (as if pressure or something built up and got all released) and then returns to normal at 800-900 rpm idling fine.

I thought it might only be an overnight issue because it was parked for a long time but even after a 25 minute drive when I shut off the car and restart it, the low idle can still occur.

Do you know that sound whenever you start a car? It has this nice explosion (internal) and bang when it starts up good. It's a strong, healthy ignition sound. What I've noticed on my car sometimes is that when I start it up, 60% of the time it will sound perfect. The other 40% of the time it sounds like a dry, weak, or mistimed ignition. The sound isn't that instant bang when you start the car normally....but it sounds like it missed a beat or had a hiccup and didn't get proper enough pressure or oil or something and the engine sounds like it stutters or stumbles when it starts up.

Same car: 2013 vw scirocco R, automatic, 2.0L gasoline (EA113), 70,000 km.
 
  #2  
Old 07-30-20, 07:26 PM
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new battery? sounds like you have reset base idle with a dirty throttle body. or a very weak battery causing memory loss when starting.
 
  #3  
Old 07-30-20, 09:56 PM
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thank you for your reply.
Hmm....you could be onto something.
I don't have a new battery. Same battery in the car since I bought in 2017 (used).
But the TB was cleaned a couple years ago by a shop. I would find it hard to imagine
the TB already being so dirty or problematic due to being dirty or clogged when I only drive 8000 km per year
and the TB was cleaned 2 years ago.

What else do you think it could be?
 
  #4  
Old 07-31-20, 04:57 AM
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Have your idle air control function checked by a mechanic.
 
ukrbyk voted this post useful.
  #5  
Old 07-31-20, 08:13 AM
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Yumm, Volkswagens... always plagued with electric gremlins..
For the year, you definitely have electronically controlled idle. Hence, it is idle issue and, either throttle position sensor or idle control are taking sweet time to kick in. I am pretty sure, you have electronically controlled throttle plate. Maybe I'm wrong, who knows, but Germans LUVE everything electronic.
Otherwise, clean battery terminals and toss charger at it overnight. If cranking improves am next day, there you are. Or, battery is going south.
 
 

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