My 01 Saturn SL was jumping up to a 3000 rpm idle speed. I found the...

[j3phillips]

...strange answer!!!? CHECK THE BATTERY...My 2001 Saturn SL was idling slightly high in the winters, but this winter it started idling exceptionally high (2500-3000-3500 rpm) even after the car warmed up. It was doing this for about 2 months, and in the last 2 weeks, I was getting a "service engine soon" light, and just recently my battery completely died. I replaced the battery, and the problems went away immediately. Rational...Saturns have a finicky electrical system. My family has had 6 Saturns, and every time the battery dies, it always seems to go without warning, but I have discovered that it is because the cars have been designed to compensate for batteries that are dying. And, I believe that the 3000 rpm idle is part of that compensation (works the alternator extra to cover the low power). My 2001 Saturn was at 138,000 miles and 8 years when this original battery finally died. In summary, extremely high idle?...Check the battery...Simple $65 fix.