I just had my alignment and alternator fixed roughly two weeks ago. Today, on my way to work, I noticed that the car seemed louder than normal and it took forever to to finally hit 65mph on the interstate. Once I did, I noticed my rpm was up to roughly 3500, and when I’m sitting still, it’s at 1000. I’ve already shelled out over $800 bucks to fix this stupid car, and I’m not looking forward to shelling out more. I assume that this has something to do with my transmission?
My Mom has a (slightly) newer model of this vehicle, it turns less than 2500 at 65 mph. Her idle rpm is about 700. Did you check the AT fluid? Does it rev freely in Park? Rocketman
It is very possible that your transmission is slipping, but it is also possible that other situations are to blame for the issues that you noted. While 3,500 RPMs does sound high, we need to know what speed the engine used to turn at when driving at 65 mph.
If it used to turn at…let’s say…2,800 or 3,000 RPMs, then it does appear that the trans is slipping. The first thing to do is to check the transmission dipstick in order to determine the level, color, and odor of the fluid. Do that, and then check back with us–in this same thread. Don’t start another thread.
As to the engine idling at 1,000 RPMs, if you are experiencing high idle speed after the engine is fully warmed-up, then there may be a problem with the Idle Air Control motor (IAC). This has nothing to do with the transmission, and could just be a typical bit of maintenance/repair on an 8 year old car. Cleaning the IAC may help, or it may need to be replaced.