I noticed the same thing. Heading into the dealership once I hit 3k miles. On my list of things to ask about.

 

Interested to see what they say!

 

Doesn't it have something to do with electrical load? I thought the ac/fan running, lights on, and so forth caused the engine to rev higher when idling... sort of like how a gas generator does.

I could be totally off on this one, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

I've heard of the A/C having to do with it too. So I watched and the idle when stopped in D always jumps up and down but stays around apx 600. When in park, it jumps at more equal intervals rather than constantly and more of a jump..from about 700 to 1000 and back. Something revs up when it jumps then it goes back down. It could very well be normal but I've always had cars whose RPMs stayed steady and I know little about mechanics.

 

Jumping RPM isn't normal at all. I doubt it could be an electrical issue. If it cant be electrical what else could it be?

 

Oh geez looks like I should make another call and possible trip to the dealership. Not looking forward to that.

 

Mine bounces around too. I have 3 new cars, this is the only one with a variable idle rpm. Weird!

 

I just turned in my PF to the Nissan shop, the idle fluctuation was one of the issues. I should get results later today or tomorrow from my advisor. Sad that I only had this vehicle for a week and it goes in the shop. This 2013 was built 12/12, sat for a long time without a buyer.

 

Interested to see what they say! I talked to a service advisor who asked the shop foreman. He said a small fluctuation is normal but a higher one with the a/c on is also normal. So if it did more drastic jumps without the a/c on then I should bring it in. It's a bit of a pain that it can't stay steady even with the a/c on, I've never had another car that did this. It seems to idle rougher than it should.

 

It would be funny if it was something as simple as some inefficient alternator or battery that caused this.

 

This seems like the likely culprit to me. I had the radio volume up pretty high the other night and definitely noticed that I could see the lights dimming slightly with the beat. It was barely perceptible, but definitely should not happen with a factory stereo--and especially not the non-Bose 6 speaker stereo that is probably under 100w peak/max!

I am about to install a 200w amp, so the weak electrical system may definitely be an issue! Hopefully a new battery will improve things, as a capacitor should really not be necessary on a 4 channel amp with no subs.

Given how cheap Nissan went on the OEM speakers though, it wouldn't surprise me if the OEM battery is among the worst made. Has anyone replaced it and seen an overall improvement in the electrical system?

 

wow. i noticed this too! i got a 2010 corolla and the needle on the tach is stable from cold to warm engine. but i guess this is normal... well.. i hope so

 

So if you were standing outside of the vehicle where you could not see the tachometer, could you tell if the idle was fluctuating?

 

Hmm, I honestly don't know. I can try it out.

 

I figured it happened when the engine fan turned on due to increase electric load. I don't notice as much now that the temps are near freezing. I did see it a lot in the summer and if I would not hold the break down really hard at a light the vehicle would sometimes move when the idle surged. It was kind of weird... I guess I've gotten used to it.