How long can you idle on a tank of gas?
- Thread starter TeCKis300
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Sac State
New member
Short of being a life or death circumstance, I wouldn't recommend letting your engine idle on a whole tank of gas.
I wouldn't even have a good guess as I am anal about letting my engine idle for too long. I am sure that if you started your engine, let it run for 5-10 minutes to gain cabin heat and then shut the engine off, you should last a few days on a tank of gas.
I'd be more worried about the battery being drained from starting/stopping the engine so much.
I wouldn't even have a good guess as I am anal about letting my engine idle for too long. I am sure that if you started your engine, let it run for 5-10 minutes to gain cabin heat and then shut the engine off, you should last a few days on a tank of gas.
I'd be more worried about the battery being drained from starting/stopping the engine so much.
pat161
New member
I believe I read once that on average you burn as much fuel idling for 10 minutes as you would driving 1 mile. If you could go say 15 mpg then you could idle for over 2 hours on less than a gallon. Of course I have never tried this so I can't say if it is true or not. But I do agree that running the engine just long enough to heat the cab is the way to go, maybe 15-20 minutes of run time per hour as it only needs to stay above freezing in there, not 70. You could also throw a cheap 0 degree sleeping bag and a blanket or 2, then you wouldn't need the heat at all.
Jeff Kleb
New member
Don't know about a gas-powered 4Runner, but my large commercial truck (International diesel) burns about 1.0 to 1.2 gallons per hour of idling, with the heat or A/C keeping me quite comfortable. Fortunately, it has 100 gallons of fuel (two tanks with 50 gallons each) - so I don't worry too much about running empty.
A diesel engine also is "built" a bit more rugged, so as to better withstand prolonged idling than is a gasoline engine. No plugs to foul, no ignition coil or distributor caps to mess with.
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greasefingers
New member
If heading out into a very bad storm then:
Have a cell phone with charger
Tell someone your route and estimated time of arrival
Fill up with gas at half empty
Bring some trail-mix and water
Be very patience while driving. Others may feel more insecure than you do, so give them and yourself extra room. Yet some may blow right by you or even tailgate you. You cannot do anything about that. Just relax and get to your final destination in one piece.
Have a cell phone with charger
Tell someone your route and estimated time of arrival
Fill up with gas at half empty
Bring some trail-mix and water
Be very patience while driving. Others may feel more insecure than you do, so give them and yourself extra room. Yet some may blow right by you or even tailgate you. You cannot do anything about that. Just relax and get to your final destination in one piece.
charlier180
New member
Back in the summer of 2005 I was attending a car show at a race track.
Between waiting for a T-Storm to blow over (45 minutes) and the 2 hours of idling and creeping along to travel one mile to get out of the track the gas gauge barely moved.
In fact, the MPG for that heavy idling trip was barely 1 MPG less than what I normally get when towing without excessive idling.
Needless to say, it appears that the V8 does not use an excessive amount of fuel when idling.
Between waiting for a T-Storm to blow over (45 minutes) and the 2 hours of idling and creeping along to travel one mile to get out of the track the gas gauge barely moved.
In fact, the MPG for that heavy idling trip was barely 1 MPG less than what I normally get when towing without excessive idling.
Needless to say, it appears that the V8 does not use an excessive amount of fuel when idling.
Re: Re: How long can you idle on a tank of gas?
Preparation... and not driving up forest service roads in winter! I wonder if it was a GPS unit that led the Kims up that road in the first place. Technology can sometimes be more of a hindrance than a help.
Stick to the basics -- just be sure to have plenty of flares, food, a shovel and warm clothing. Get a good map, stick to marked roads, and tell someone the route you plan to take.
xUSNavy said:
Preparation... and not driving up forest service roads in winter! I wonder if it was a GPS unit that led the Kims up that road in the first place. Technology can sometimes be more of a hindrance than a help.
Stick to the basics -- just be sure to have plenty of flares, food, a shovel and warm clothing. Get a good map, stick to marked roads, and tell someone the route you plan to take.
Mike415
New member
TeCKis300 said:
It will prob be fine for a newer car, but I idled my 97 for about 15-20 minutes one time, when I went to go, the car started going in and out like it was going to stall. So I try not to idle long times anymroe. Maybe rev it once in a while to go through the rpms
Re: Re: Re: How long can you idle on a tank of gas?
According to the news articles, the Kim's did not have a GPS unit (suprising since Mr. Kim reviews electronic products for a living). However, most experts agree that Mr. Kim would be alive if he had a GPS unit.
In the case of James Kim, it was poor judgement and underestimating road conditions/car capabilities that led to his demise; not technology.
pipspeak said:
According to the news articles, the Kim's did not have a GPS unit (suprising since Mr. Kim reviews electronic products for a living). However, most experts agree that Mr. Kim would be alive if he had a GPS unit.
In the case of James Kim, it was poor judgement and underestimating road conditions/car capabilities that led to his demise; not technology.
JB.
New member
TeCKis300 said:
As noted, it may not be a great idea, but FWIW, I sat in my 4Runner once and measured the "miles to go" gas consumption reduction at idle for almost an hour. It ticked off 5 times from 290 to 285 in 57 minutes. Times were 14:51--7:20--14:08--14:38--6:23. A bit inconsistent but you can see that it suggests a continuous idle time of 60+hrs on a full tank. That seems high to me, intuitively, but, if for arguments sake, you assume idling to be the equivalent of driving 10mph on a flat road and then conservatively assume 30mpg at that speed, you end up with 69 hours to a 23 gal tank using conservative numbers, so maybe those "miles to go" data weren't optimistic after all.
JB.
New member
Re: Re: Re: How long can you idle on a tank of gas?
All good points but I disagree about the gps. He did have a good map but with no way of knowing direction it could be and was mis-read. Ignoring the steady accumulation of judgement lapses for the sake of discussion, a GPS would have been a lifesaver, especially a portable one that handles tracks to allow backtracking an already traveled route.
pipspeak said:
All good points but I disagree about the gps. He did have a good map but with no way of knowing direction it could be and was mis-read. Ignoring the steady accumulation of judgement lapses for the sake of discussion, a GPS would have been a lifesaver, especially a portable one that handles tracks to allow backtracking an already traveled route.
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NoSpeedLmt
New member
If you're ever stuck and idling make sure that the exhaust has a way to escape and does not creep back into the cabin. I read a story that a family while stuck died becasue of exhaust fumes.
I think they recommended running the car for 15-20 minutes at a time just to keep warm and then turning it off.
I think they recommended running the car for 15-20 minutes at a time just to keep warm and then turning it off.
greasefingers
New member
I have a scanner/recorder for the T4R from ProScan (http://www.myscantool.com/).
It is a piece of hardware and a software program for recording the OBDII sensors. I can sit in the 4runner and run it from my Laptop. I know this is geeky.
I measured the MAF (Mass Air Flow Rate) at idle once the engine was at operating temperature. The MAF measured 0.632 Lbs of air intake per minute. Assuming that the air-to-ratio is 14.7 to 1, now I can calculate the fuel consumption, which is 2.58075 lbs of gas per hour. Using the density of gasoline it comes out to 0.41947 gal/hr. Therefore with a 23 gallon fuel tank I calculate one can idle for 54.8 hours. To call it safe round down and assume that you can idle for one day with a half tank of gas and two days with a full tank. That being said, I would never shut the engine off if I were stranded until the second day. But I would climb out to clear the snow away from the exhaust pipe, if it was snowing a lot.
It is a piece of hardware and a software program for recording the OBDII sensors. I can sit in the 4runner and run it from my Laptop. I know this is geeky.
I measured the MAF (Mass Air Flow Rate) at idle once the engine was at operating temperature. The MAF measured 0.632 Lbs of air intake per minute. Assuming that the air-to-ratio is 14.7 to 1, now I can calculate the fuel consumption, which is 2.58075 lbs of gas per hour. Using the density of gasoline it comes out to 0.41947 gal/hr. Therefore with a 23 gallon fuel tank I calculate one can idle for 54.8 hours. To call it safe round down and assume that you can idle for one day with a half tank of gas and two days with a full tank. That being said, I would never shut the engine off if I were stranded until the second day. But I would climb out to clear the snow away from the exhaust pipe, if it was snowing a lot.
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03_4x4Runner
Senior Member
There was a guy on the Yotatech forum a year or so ago that started his tacoma with a remote start one morning and then by chance someone came along and gave him a ride to work. His truck ran if I remember right for almost a complete day at idle. He said shortly after this he had head gasket problems. I do not have the link but it was interesting. I will see if I can find it.
Just found it. Look at the replies by Dublin http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=73301
Just found it. Look at the replies by Dublin http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=73301
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JB.
New member
TeCKis300 said:
When my 4runner was about a month old I had to let the engine idle for 10 hours due to being stuck in the snow. Having heard, like everyone else, that it's bad to do, I took a look and found and saved an article that became my reference datum on the subject. I can no longer find the article online but here is the relevant portion.
Many people are adamant that their car engine will be damaged if they head out on a cold morning and don’t spend several minutes idling. But let’s ditch the opinion of the guy at the local garage and head directly to an expert. Here’s a question and answer session with Mike Vaughn, who was public affairs manager of Global Technology for Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Mich.
Q: Is there benefit in idling your car to warm up the engine?
A: Not really. The engine is most efficient after it reaches optimal operation temperatures, but it reaches those temperatures much faster through gentle driving. And your transmission, tires, wheel bearings, steering and suspension need to warm up, too. That only happens by driving the car.
Q: Is there harm done to the engine by prolonged idling?
A: We’ve had test engines idling for thousands of hours without significant changes. I’m not sure I have seen anything to back up the idea that excessive idling causes buildup in cylinders or fouls plugs.
(Edited to restore the portion that got clipped in the board software update.)
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Jeff Kleb
New member
More on Idling
When I used to be a deputy sheriff, there were times that my crusier - A Ford Crown Vic - would idle for quite a long time (accident scene, etc.) in all types of weather. Never had any trouble with it, although the police package does have a heavy-duty cooling system and a larger radiator than your grandma's Crown Vic.
We put 110,000 to 120,000 miles on them and then they were either auctioned off to taxi companies or served other county agencies (building inspector, school district, etc.) for a few more years. Even with all that use, they still kept on kickin' it! (Having cars assigned to one person and a good maintenance shop did not hurt, either.)
I suppose that prolonged idling would never be "good" for any car, but doing it every now and then is not going to do any major damage. The 4Runner is a great vehicle and can probably withstand as much or more harsh use than most any other car or truck.
Merry Christmas!!!!
When I used to be a deputy sheriff, there were times that my crusier - A Ford Crown Vic - would idle for quite a long time (accident scene, etc.) in all types of weather. Never had any trouble with it, although the police package does have a heavy-duty cooling system and a larger radiator than your grandma's Crown Vic.
We put 110,000 to 120,000 miles on them and then they were either auctioned off to taxi companies or served other county agencies (building inspector, school district, etc.) for a few more years. Even with all that use, they still kept on kickin' it! (Having cars assigned to one person and a good maintenance shop did not hurt, either.)
I suppose that prolonged idling would never be "good" for any car, but doing it every now and then is not going to do any major damage. The 4Runner is a great vehicle and can probably withstand as much or more harsh use than most any other car or truck.
Merry Christmas!!!!
