I have a 97 Accord and when i start it up it makes a screech type of sound. Then my idle is around 1500 for about 5 min or so then goes down to 875 or so. This sound was on my Jetta too and i dont think its a good thing lol. anyone know whats wrong?

 

Screeching - Could be a loose accessory belt i.e. alternator, power steering, and A/C, all on the driver's side of the engine. Snug belts should have a deflection of ~1/4" if there is ~7" between pulleys and 1/2" if there is something like 13" between pulleys.

High idle - Idle right after start up is controlled by the Fast Idle Thermo Valve. What is does is it allows air to enter the intake plenum and bypass the throttle butterfly when the engine is cold. It's controlled by coolant temperature and closes a plunger whenwith heat from the coolant.Normal idle is 750 rpm +/- 100 rpm. Fast idle for the first 5 minutesor until the engine reaches operating temperature is okay, fast idle after you've driven 25 miles is not.

 

Hey the cold start idling high is okay but my 91 idles around 1200 almost all the time. I think its the MAP sensor because it only started doing it after i burnt out one night. right after, it would actually rev between 500 and fifteen hundred for a couple of days then stop. then, the other day, i got on it a couple of times trying to squeeze in and out of traffic, it started again. Could it be the MAP sensor ($200) or could it be something a little less expensive (hoping). I'm not sure if this is allowed because i am posting about myself instead of wilkz. sry

 

as finch said could be a loose belt or even a bad bearing on one of the mentioned parts, alternator etc.