How much time to warm the engine?

[Satter]

Heyo.

It's the time again when we're seeing the leaves turn brown and our first snow (I live in Houston, so I see none of that.) On the coldest days it gets down to the upper 30's. After I start the engine how much time should I allow the engine to warm up?

 

[PhdNPrerunners]

Its good to see a fellow Houstonian, what part of town are you? I usually let it warm up for about a min when it is cold out.

 

[KellyJ]

Ditto, if it's in the 30's I let the truck sit for at least a minute before I get going. That usually means the needle is just above the C hash mark on the temperature gauge. Any longer than that really isn't necessary, as the truck holds gears when cold to warm up faster, and and lees time wouldn't make much of a difference compared to starting and driving off immediately. So yeah, 1- 1 1/2 minutes I'd say.

 

[98LtdT4R]

The weather here has started to be in the low 40's/high 30's in the mornings too.. I usually let mine warm up for about 3 mins or so, but I think it's because I'm just used to owning Honda's which take an eternity to idle from a cold start.

 

[Qyota]

~15 seconds when above freezing.

~1 minute when below.

Really, no time is necessary. Just start it, pull out and drive easy for the first few minutes...that's the best way to warm the engine and transmission.

 

[theizzardking]

until it gets warm enough inside the truck that i don;t freeze, go outside turn it over come in make some coffee and head back out 5-10 minutes during the winter, none during the summer.

 

[TheDurk]

until it gets warm enough inside the truck that i don;t freeze, go outside turn it over come in make some coffee and head back out 5-10 minutes during the winter, none during the summer.

Stole my post....this is what the Clutch Start Cancel Button is for (just have to wiggle that shifter every time to make sure it's in neutral.) There has been a lot of stuff written how modern cars/lubricants don't really need the warm-up time anymore...but I need my coffee and a warm cabin. If I do start off cold, I'll keep the RPM's down some for a few minutes, even in the summer.

 

[koulee]

~15 seconds when above freezing.

~1 minute when below.

Really, no time is necessary. Just start it, pull out and drive easy for the first few minutes...that's the best way to warm the engine and transmission.

If you are auto, then this is a bad idea because the tranny fluid drains out and takes a bit of time to recirculate to the important parts like the torque converter.

For me, I let it warm up until the engine reaches at least 1100 rpms.

 

[etc.]

Warm up idling - Bob Is The Oil Guy

 

[theizzardking]

If you are auto, then this is a bad idea because the tranny fluid drains out and takes a bit of time to recirculate to the important parts like the torque converter.

For me, I let it warm up until the engine reaches at least 1100 rpms.

i always thought the torque converter had it's own oil supply, meaning it never really drains all the way...?

 

[Qyota]

If you are auto, then this is a bad idea because the tranny fluid drains out and takes a bit of time to recirculate to the important parts like the torque converter.

For me, I let it warm up until the engine reaches at least 1100 rpms.

My truck is an auto, yes. And where do you suppose the 12+ quarts of ATF "drains out" to? The pan? Nope...that only holds a few quarts. The rest is actually in the TC, gear box, and a little more in the lines/cooler.

Fluid is what makes the transmission work. If your theory was true, I wouldn't be able to back the truck out of the garage until the transmission magically woke up from the engine running in park.

 

[cfranck1]

In the summer, about a minute. Just want all the oil everywhere in the engine.
In the winter with no snow, about 2-4 minutes.
In the winter with snow, however long it takes me to clean off the snow. Usually about 5 minutes due to this awesome snow remover. Great for snow, doesn't work to well for anything else. Still need a scraper for windows.

SnoBrum - Auto Accessories

 

[CO_FlyFisher]

On the coldest days it gets down to the upper 30's. After I start the engine how much time should I allow the engine to warm up?

Warm-up the engine, in the upper 30's...

(j/k)

I might let it sit for a minute or less, but I don't worry too much about it unless it's in the teens or lower. A few minutes is usually sufficient then.

 

[sogoood]

It's safe to warm your engine up for about a minute or two and drive off.

I warm my truck up for about 10 min on remote start with the heater before i leave the house. i hate cold leather. haha.

does anyone know if idling for a long period is bad?

 

[theizzardking]

does anyone know if idling for a long period is bad?

only if your super anal, i wouldn't worry about it, it's not bad enough that if you idle for 50 hours your not going to damage anything, lol, think about how much tiem your truck is at idle when operating,stop and go traffic, lights, picking somone up, ect ec ect..

it's not something to worry about.

 

[koulee]

My truck is an auto, yes. And where do you suppose the 12+ quarts of ATF "drains out" to? The pan? Nope...that only holds a few quarts. The rest is actually in the TC, gear box, and a little more in the lines/cooler.

Fluid is what makes the transmission work. If your theory was true, I wouldn't be able to back the truck out of the garage until the transmission magically woke up from the engine running in park.

Its not just the transmission that needs to warm up. When you first start your motor, the engine oil is also thick. How much protection do you think you have with cold oil as opposed to oil that is warm?

Oil in both the tranny and motor do two things: provide lubrication and cooling, with the only difference is that the tranny also needs the fluid to provide hydraulic power.

But hey, its your 4R, drive it as you see fit. :thumb3:

 

[cfranck1]

does anyone know if idling for a long period is bad?

How long of an idle time are you talking about.
I remember from school, is that 1 hour of idle time it close to about 25 miles of driving.
So if you add up the idle hours, the oil changes comes quick.

 

[spongerx]

I always do about 10 seconds and if it's below freezing I start it, scrap all the windows for snow and ice and then go. Usually no long then a minute. Then drive easy for a couple minutes.

 

[Satter]

Its good to see a fellow Houstonian, what part of town are you? I usually let it warm up for about a min when it is cold out.

Howdy! I'm in West U. And the client I'm currently working for is across US 59 in Greenway Plaza. So my drive to and from work is just over 2 miles.

As usual, thanks for the responses, guys. It only gets down in the 40s down here during winter time. Sometimes in the 30s, but only for a few days. I think the challenge that most people deal with here is the high temp and humidity. Uggh.

 

[TFJ-4runner]

In hot/warm weather when I hear the fan clutch or whatever its called cut off. Roughly 30 seconds for that. In the winter 3 minutes usually is my max. Enough time to let all the flid cycle and the heat to start coming on.