Short runs bad for car?

eskimochaos

eskimochaos

Banned
Well guys Im still around just not as much as Im back at college. Since my college is situated on a mountain, I like to take my car down about 1/2 a mile..coasting the entire way a total of about a 2 minute ride to class in the morning than drive it back up the mountain at the end of the day. The temp needle hardly moves in the morning and in the afternoon it gets about 1/4-1/2 way to normal operating temp if that. I assume that when the temp starts to drop outside, the engine will hardly ever reach operating temp and in those cold months I plan to take it out about once a week (is that enough?) and just drive it to let the engine get to operating temp as I still plan on taking it to class.

Am I mechanically hurting anything will all these "super short trips"

I dont floor it until at operating temp so that is a non-issue.

Just looking for some insight.

Thanks!

All routine service has and will be performed on it as well.
 
Register to hide this ad
I really do not see an issue with short trips. It may require your spark plugs to be replaced a bit sooner but that's no biggy.
 
If I was doing a bunch of short trips I'd change the oil based on a calendar interval rather than a mileage interval. Once every 4-6 months...

If the engine oil doesn't heat up and run at normal temp for a while it can collect impurities ranging from water to unburned fuel.

:cheers:
 
Driving short trips is extremely bad for your vehicle. It takes several miles of driving to heat the oil hot enough to boil out moisture trapped in your oil. Your catalytic converter does not reach operating temperature and will rot out over time because the moisture inside is not completely evaporated. The same thing happens to your muffler. Same thing with the transmission fluid not reaching full temperature. It also takes at least 7 miles to recharge a battery to the same level it was at when you first started the vehicle. All of this accumulates over time, to the possibility of doing damage to the engine and transmission.

Now before you start saying all of this is bull. My wife drove 1/2 mile each direction in a new car for 6 months. I replaced the muffler after the first 7 months of ownership and the converter when the vehicle was a year old. The converter was covered under the 5 year/50,000 mile smog warranty but the muffler came out of my back pocket. The dealership stated the converter baffles broke do to rot, he stated the only time they saw this in short period of time was from the converter not constantly reaching full operating temperature.

If you live in cold country try this little experiment when it gets real cold outside. Drive the vehicle for a week or 2 like you stated. Then one day unscrew your oil filler cap or pull the oil dip stick and see if there is any white film or slime on either. If you see this, this is moisture left in you crank case or valve cover that is forming because your oil and engine is not reaching full operating temperature.

CAD-Man

P.S. If it was me and that is your total commute for school, I'd walk. It's both better for you and your 4Runner. And to boot I'm 56 years old and would still walk instead of driving my 4runner. I also live where it can get as cold as 27 below zero and that wouldn't stop me.
 
Last edited:
Nice Avatar i like. :D

I don't think you'll be hurting your engine at all. C'mon it's a Toyota 4Runner! Now if you'll be driving short trips all day, (turning that engine on-and-off) THEN that'll be a different story.
 
I think some people here might want to re-read the original post.

In this example the OP states the 4Runner is being driven 1/2 mile to class and then another 1/2 mile back. The trip to class is even coasting downhill. This 4Runner's systems are taking a beating being driven like that. There is no way on earth that this 4Runner is getting close to being at normal operating temperature even in the hot summer.

Unless the OP is hauling a load of things for class it would be better for him and the 4Runner to walk to class and back.

BTW OP, make sure you have a good set of jumper cables in the 4Runner. Those short trips are going to kill your battery pretty quickly most likely at the worst possible time.

FYI, I know some graduates of Lehigh. They all say that walking on that campus was a fact of life for them when they went to school there.
 
1/2 of a mile?

It's a joke to get this threat even started! If you can't walk 1/2 a mile you seriously have a problem! Or what's about taking a bicycle?
 
Re: 1/2 of a mile?

steh-fan said:
It's a joke to get this threat even started! If you can't walk 1/2 a mile you seriously have a problem! Or what's about taking a bicycle?
Click to expand...

Perhaps you dont understand that the walk up is 1200 steps.
 
Short trips are bad for the vehicle...I go 2 miles to work and back every day. I've thought about getting a bike or something, but with short notice meetings further away than I live and some of the materials I have to carry walking or biking isn't really an option.

Given your situation

What I would recommend is that AT LEAST 2 times a week take it out on Route 22 or 78 and give it a run....probably not the best solution but it's better than driving it 1 mile every day.
 
Re: Re: 1/2 of a mile?

eskimochaos said:
Perhaps you dont understand that the walk up is 1200 steps.
Click to expand...

Those of us that know your school realize that.
I guess it depends on one's point of view or reference.

I went to a college in a rural setting with a LOT of walking on a daily basis. To someone like me, 1200 steps is no big deal at all.
This is especially true since I lived on the top floor of a dorm WITHOUT an elevator.
Being on the top floor was probably the reason why we had so many hall parties back then.
For some, climbing that many steps after a few or a few too many drinks was a PITA. :)

Anyway, eskimochaos, do what you need to do. It is your 4Runner.
Given the hard kind of driving you are doing I would do maintenance like others in this thread have recommended (ie time NOT miles).
Also, if you don't have a pair of jumper cables get them. It is not a matter of "IF" you will need them, it is only a matter of "WHEN".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 855 (members: 2, guests: 853)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,312
Messages
3,554,089
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top