What should my engine idle at?

[Skunksmash]

What RPM should my engine idle at? 87 TBI 5.7L/700R4. It seems to idle at about 700 RPM. Is that about right?

Also, what RPM should it shift at? Depending on how much I have the pedal depressed of course. I usually try to drive the truck like a granny would. It seems to shift at about 1600 RPM when I depress the pedal about 1/4 of the way. This seems a little low to me. Most of the engines I've had would shift at anywhere from 1900-2100 RPM. But, then again I've never had a tach in one of these old trucks.

[Fairlane514]

Do you run A/C?  My 84 is has a quadrajet with A/C and 700 rpm is a little too low while its in gear with the A/C on. 850 seems to work better for me.

I just put a new tv cable in my 700R4 and did the adjustment like the experts explain. I then drove it and it shifted a little too soon and somewhat soft, alsmost felt like it was slipping into gear.  I increased the pressure on the throttle valve by pushing the tv cable adjuster towards the firewall a few clicks and it shifter later and slightly firmer.

[bd]

87 TBI generally idles about 600 RPM in drive (as high as 700 in park/neutral).  87 700R4 shifts earlier than 350 or 400 for slight improvement in mileage.

[Skunksmash]

No my AC doesn't work right now so I don't run it. Just another thing on the long, long list of stuff to fix

[Stewart G Griffin]

i think 700 is ok.    i thought you couldn't adjust TBI idle?

[rickyharp]

My throttle body unit is sealed off from adjustment,had to use my snap-on scanner to adjust the idle speed.

[Skunksmash]

Ok where should it shift at? If I'm giving it say, 1/4 throttle, it shifts at about 1600 RPM. But if I really floor it, it will shift at about 2200 RPM. The weird thing is, I couldn't get the RPM gauge to say I was doing any more than 2500 RPM, at any time. I just wanted to give it a test so I floored it for a little, and it would just barely get up to 2500 RPM for a second then go back down to about 2100 RPM. Seems kind of strange. Maybe that's just how an old TBI motor acts?

[werewolfx13]

Should go higher than that, i'd suspect a faulty tach if it actually sounds like its revving past that.

[Skunksmash]

Well it sounds like its revving way past that... but then again I've known old motors to sound like they're trying to move the world, and then be doing a relatively low RPM.

[Skunksmash]

I'll just borrow another RPM gauge from a buddy or something and hook it up real quick under the hood, and verify if mine is working right.