P0507
Idle Air Control System RPM Higher Than Expected
- Severity
- Medium
- Driving
- Drivable — book it in
The engine is idling higher than the module commanded. The module knows what idle speed it asked for and can compare that against actual engine speed; a persistent difference means something mechanical is overriding it - usually a restriction or an air leak rather than an electrical fault.
Possible causes
- CommonVacuum leak, if the idle is higher than commanded
- CommonCarbon build-up restricting the idle air passage, if lower than commanded
- CommonSticking idle air control valve
- PossibleThrottle plate not closing fully
- PossibleDirty or failing mass airflow sensor
- PossibleFailing PCV valve stuck open
What you might notice
- Idle speed noticeably wrong
- Engine holding revs after you lift off
- Stalling at junctions
- Warning light on
What to check, in order
- If the idle is high, hunt for a vacuum leak first - listen around intake hoses, the PCV system and the intake gasket.
- If the idle is low, look for a restriction: carbon in the idle passage, a dirty throttle body, or a sticking valve.
- Check the PCV valve - stuck open it acts as a large vacuum leak.
- Clean the throttle body if carboned, then perform any relearn procedure the vehicle requires.
- Compare commanded and actual idle speed on the live data screen to confirm the direction of the error.
Read this code from your own car
Plug an ELM327 adapter into the OBD-II port under the dashboard. Pin16 reads every stored, pending and permanent code, explains each one like this page does — offline, with no account — and shows what the car recorded when the fault was set.
Where this code sits
P00xxP01xxP02xxP03xxP04xxP05xxP06xxP07xxP08xxP09xxP0AxxP0BxxP0CxxP0DxxP0ExxP0FxxP10xxP11xxP12xxP13xxP14xxP15xxP16xxP17xxP18xxP19xxP1AxxP1BxxP1CxxP1DxxP1ExxP1FxxP20xxP21xxP22xxP23xxP24xxP25xxP26xxP27xxP28xxP29xxP2AxxP2BxxP2CxxP2DxxP2ExxP2FxxP30xxP31xxP32xxP33xxP34xxP35xxP36xxP37xxP38xxP39xxP3AxxP3BxxP3CxxP3DxxP3ExxP3Fxx
Vehicle speed control, idle control and auxiliary inputs
P0500P0501P0502P0503P0504P0505P0506P0507P0508P0509P0510P0511P0512P0513P0514P0515P0516P0517P0518P0519P0520P0521P0522P0523P0524P0525P0526P0527P0528P0529P0530P0531P0532P0533P0534P0535P0536P0537P0538P0539P0540P0541P0542P0543P0544P0545P0546P0547P0548P0549P0550P0551P0552P0553P0554P0555P0556P0557P0558P0559P0560P0561P0562P0563P0564P0565P0566P0567P0568P0569P0570P0571P0572P0573P0574P0575P0576P0577P0578P0579P0580P0581P0582P0583P0584P0585P0586P0587P0588P0589P0590P0591P0592P0593P0594P0595P0596P0597P0598P0599