Putting in Gear Immediately After Starup

[4Rida]

I've searched around for some information on this with no avail.

I usually let my 06 v8 4runner warm up before driving it in the morning (hopefully I'll have remote start installed soon) especially because of how high the idle is after it sits overnight. I realize this is perfectly normal.

My family borrows the 4runner every now to move things. Whenever they start it up, they go immidiately into reverse or dive within seconds. The 4runner sounds like crank crank... roarrrr.. then drops about 700 rpms into a gear.

It really annoys me and I hate sounding like an a** telling them to let it warm up first.

Could this be harming anything like the transmission, torque converter etc?

 

[magert54]

Im like them, I start and go. Is that a bad thing?

 

[mrrab]

LOL it seems like everyone is concerned about treating their freakin 4Runner like it's a quarter of a million dollar sports car! It's a long last, super reliable, durable 4Runner.

We're having a similar conversation over at this thread...

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/93178-exhaust-manifold-leak-tick-10.html

Just drive conservatively upon start up until the engine warms up, then grip it and rip it.

Also, I know what you're talking about with the rpm's hovering around 1.5K upon start up then they drop to like 700 when you put it in drive. Technically, isn't your engine not working as hard at 700 rpm than 1.5K rpm?

 

[TUZ04SR5]

ideal warm up wait time should only be 30-60 seconds just to get the fluids going. Any longer and your just wasting gas because your injectors are staying open longer to try and warm up the car...hence the higher rpms at start up. I would say 3 minutes for the frigid below zero temps though. Your car will warm up faster when your driving rather than sitting and idling. And for all of those "green" people, your catalytic converter works much better at eliminating hydrocarbons when the cat itself has reached temperature. So the colder the cat, the less crap its catching from the engine.

 

[settytb]

I have a v6...What I do is at least wait until the fan clutch turns off. Which is about 30 seconds to a minute...when it first starts the fan is engages and you can hear it blowing hard...but then it turns off and it quiets down. That way the engine oil has a chance to pump around a little bit and the tranny gets things moving around before i start going. Then like mrrab say just take it easy until it warms up. I have noticed that my truck will automatically short shift when cold...like the tranny won't hold the gear until about redline it will shift much sooner than i intend it to only when it's cold. FWIW I have an 03 v6 with the old 4 speed.

 

[magert54]

And I was getting worried that I was doing somthing wrong

 

[Huskey]

Also, I know what you're talking about with the rpm's hovering around 1.5K upon start up then they drop to like 700 when you put it in drive. Technically, isn't your engine not working as hard at 700 rpm than 1.5K rpm?

At idle (1.5K) the engine is puttin in enough fuel to spin the crank. In gear, you are either sittin on your brake or slowly rolling forward, either way the load increased but the ECM has kept the fuel the same as programmed for an idle condition (until u give it more fuel) and therefore lower revs. As for the crank crank crank roar heard by 4rida, this can be a bunch of things, depending on the "actual sound" of which I am sure the spelling is dificult.

Keep in mind that just as warming up is important, so is cooling down. Go snowboarding, climb a hill in cold temps, hit the parking lot, put your boots on while the tunes are bumpin, and then shut her down. Same goes for hot summer driving on highway speeds with revs at or above 4K. In between the two extreems, use a little common sence. Read the link of mrrab and my discussion for a better idea: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-ge...k-tick-10.html

As for redlining the engine while cold or ever, thats just silly and your lookin for problems!

 

[Huskey]

whoops... wrong link on my post... I am really computer stupid, my appology.

 

[ClockWork]

It's fine. The RPMs are not dropping due to the load. The entire system is electronic and is operating normally.

Relax.

 

[Sungod]

Sounds a little too sensitive. I have tried to shift mine before it actually starts. Just so you know, it will kill the engine.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I would say anything close to or below 32*F/0*C I would give a minute or two to warm up.

Mainly you want the fluids inthe engine and drivetrain to get splashed around and you want the metal components to heat up some and start expanding normally. Modern vehicles are not like the older days where you would leave your ol' Bronco warming up for 10 minutes to get it all nice and ready. But they still need to warm up block and components.

I personally start the 4Runner, let it run a minute or two, then drive it gently until it gets close to or at operating temperature and then just drive it normally.

What you really don't want to do is create major temperature spikes in engine while it is warming up or even cooling down as another member pointed out.