Eight Facts About Warming up Your Car
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mtnbiker
New member
Good read but it is ingrained in me to let my car warm up. It says it takes 30 seconds to circulate oil in the engine, but will the oil be warm? I live in the snow and can be at hwy speeds in less than 2 minutes. Regardless of what the article says, I don't think I can do that to my T4R!
Awz
New member
Interesting read. Couple of disagreements, it says that idling the vehicle puts it in a rich running mode. For those of you not familiar with 1995 and earlier emissions testing, the vehicle must pass an idle test, that has the same restrictions as the high RPM test, it wouldn't make sense to put the vehicle in a rich running mode. Also near the bottom. "one recent study even links autism to air pollution" Reading that study it says that air pollution MAY have a factor in autism in SOME children. (I know a few families with autistic children, they live in small cities in areas with generally little traffic) but this makes it seem like there is a serious link between the two, there may be a factor in some cases though, not being a medical type person I can't completely disregard it. *end rant*
I do agree with most of written there though. Good post
I do agree with most of written there though. Good post
JohnsD90
New member
Have fun getting into cold cars, you can damage the engine driving it cold, thats besides the fact that block heaters use electricity which is made by burning coal or other natural resources, the same as "plugging in" your nissan leaf-sh!t. Thats besides how you have to do with the stone cold car in the morning.
And if you dont warm the TDI up in the morning it is a horrible first 10 minutes before the heat START's to work.
It's a load of crap.
And if you dont warm the TDI up in the morning it is a horrible first 10 minutes before the heat START's to work.
It's a load of crap.
Casper421
New member
:iagree: Its a habit that i dont wanna break. Driving in cold cars sucks a$$!!
FourEyedWilly
New member
I've changed my habits a bit. I don't warm up the car by sitting any more. I start and move right away, but I don't hit the gas. I let the idle pull the car down the street. Obviously I live in a neighborhood where I have to take a few turns and streets to get out to the main road. As I begin the merge onto the freeway the needle moves. That said, on cold mornings I wait about 30 seconds before taking off.
SCRunner12
New member
For newer cars not warming the up the cars is a good idea, but my 95 needs to be warmed up before I go onto the freeway. Otherwise it will not go into overdrive and I will be sitting at 3700 RPM for a while till it warms up.
Mr. Leary
New member
Obviously not written by a mechanic. It takes your engine about 30 seconds to fully lubricate itself after a cold start, possibly longer in cold weather. Its best to avoid putting strain on an engine that is not properly oiled.
Longer then one minute and you are just wasting fuel.
BTW, spoken by a guy who has a vehicle with 205k miles and one with 280k miles, both with lots of life left in them.
Longer then one minute and you are just wasting fuel.
BTW, spoken by a guy who has a vehicle with 205k miles and one with 280k miles, both with lots of life left in them.
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You can't compare a cold start in Texas to an actual "cold start".
Mr. Leary
New member
Touche. Longer in cold weather.
MrGaryFish
New member
I have a hard time believing that after 30 seconds, your vehicle is ready go go highway speeds. I remember hearing from my auto tech teacher, a former mechanic, that the most damage can be done to the engine when it is cold. It seems like an engine is designed to run around 210 degrees, and going highway speeds before that means the oil isn't the correct temperature, which seems to have the potential to cause damage. I'd be interested in hearing from a mechanic for a definitive answer.
gm350reratliff
New member
This must have been written by someone in Houston or Miami. I believe warming up may not be as needed with newer vehicles however some warming up is good. Now in the winter I feel better putting my kiddo into a warmed up vehicle vs. a cold one. Also, I work near the continental divide. 25 miles from my house. We routinely dip below zero in the winter. If I don't warm up my silverado before leaving work after a night shift it will be a 20 mile drive home at below zero before it starts putting out warm air. Been like this since new. Now the 4runner is much faster at warming up but I still let it warm up as well. Both have remote start which is nice since the parking lot is like 75 yards away. A cold vehicle is the last thing I want to deal with especially if I had to work outside for the night. Good intentions in the article though.
Jeff Kleb
New member
Warming Up Your Vehicle
My "old school" line of thinking will ALWAYS lead to me warm up my vehicle - at least briefly - before taking off in the morning.
I typically start the car and wait 45 seconds or so before taking off, and I drive very gently until the temperature gauge begins to move (2 miles or so) and I can feel warm air emanating from the heating vents. Aside from getting the engine oil circulating (which is not much trouble for me, as I always use synthetic in my vehicles), there is also the transmission and differential (axle) that need to warm up a bit as well. Technology has advanced, but that doesn't change the horrible effects that can result from metal-on-metal contact!
:redbrick:
Our trucks at work are all diesel-powered and require a bit more TLC. Diesel fuel begins to gel at about 20 degrees Fahrenheit and those big engines don't take kindly to cold mornings. They need a longer warm-up period and some gentle driving before you can "put the hammer down" out on the road. I sometimes drive a 2006 International 8600 tractor with 350,000 miles - and it runs well if you don't abuse it. (Fortunately, we have large six-cylinder diesel engines that don't have glow plugs that you typically find on small diesels that are available in pickup trucks.)
With any vehicle, I let it idle if I will only be a minute or two (though some say this is a bad practice); but have a second key so that I can lock the door with the engine running. This lets me keep my heat or A/C working and probably saves some wear & tear on my starter. The amount of fuel wasted is miniscule - in the grand scheme of things - and I still maintain my vehicles better than most people do anyway. If the eco-terrorists don't like it, then f&$@ them!
:artist2: :guitar3:
My "old school" line of thinking will ALWAYS lead to me warm up my vehicle - at least briefly - before taking off in the morning.
I typically start the car and wait 45 seconds or so before taking off, and I drive very gently until the temperature gauge begins to move (2 miles or so) and I can feel warm air emanating from the heating vents. Aside from getting the engine oil circulating (which is not much trouble for me, as I always use synthetic in my vehicles), there is also the transmission and differential (axle) that need to warm up a bit as well. Technology has advanced, but that doesn't change the horrible effects that can result from metal-on-metal contact!
:redbrick:
Our trucks at work are all diesel-powered and require a bit more TLC. Diesel fuel begins to gel at about 20 degrees Fahrenheit and those big engines don't take kindly to cold mornings. They need a longer warm-up period and some gentle driving before you can "put the hammer down" out on the road. I sometimes drive a 2006 International 8600 tractor with 350,000 miles - and it runs well if you don't abuse it. (Fortunately, we have large six-cylinder diesel engines that don't have glow plugs that you typically find on small diesels that are available in pickup trucks.)
With any vehicle, I let it idle if I will only be a minute or two (though some say this is a bad practice); but have a second key so that I can lock the door with the engine running. This lets me keep my heat or A/C working and probably saves some wear & tear on my starter. The amount of fuel wasted is miniscule - in the grand scheme of things - and I still maintain my vehicles better than most people do anyway. If the eco-terrorists don't like it, then f&$@ them!
:artist2: :guitar3:
JohnsD90
New member
My dad who is/was a mechanic says the oil needs time to thin out and get up to tempurature before driving.
004Gunner
New member
Definitely not for diesels. I think the article should make a point to mention gentle driving. I do have to say that I think letting a vehicle fully warm up before driving is just an excuse for "I don't like the cold". I've noticed that my 4Runner warms up really fast compared to every other vehicle I've driven which is partly the reason why I don't idle at all if above freezing
