ecks

I usually let it idle 10-15 minutes in cold weather and 5-10 in warm weather. If I'm in a rush, I let it idle till the revs get down to 1K then move out slowly. I don't let the RPMs get higher than 2500/3k until it's fairly warm. My initial turn onto a major road I usually take is a biatch so it really does warm up sitting there.

minsbang

If its cold out, i let it sit for atleast 5 minutes (after remote starting it).... i blast the heat the night b4.

If i can deal with the inside temp, i'll let it sit for 2 seconds and drive off (mechanic recommended not to go above 3k rmp until the temp goes up)

jcalabria

30 seconds just to make sure oil is flowing then gentle (<2k rpm) 'til operating temp reached.

Of course, I haven't seen a sub-zero morning in 15 years since I moved south. 35°-40° is typical winter morning in Charlotte and car is in an attached garage that is rarely colder than 50°.

04BlackMaxx

C'mon Deus....40 degrees?

We have single digit mornings and in order to get the car running at a temp that would even get the temp needle to budge or any warm air blowing the car would literally have to sit for 15-20 minutes or more, which is way too long for me to wait because im ina a hurry every morning.
If I just drive the thing easilly, I will get it warmed up in less than 5 minutes from the driving.
In the garage the car is about 30 degrees and im totally comfortable and it is warm too quick for me to bother.
I only let the car warm up if theres a ridiculous amount of ice or snow on the car that needs to be removed anyway, but when its iin the teens or single digits in the morning before work the last thing I care about is the car, I care about getting warm myself and getting to my destination!

wyche89

thats a big factor too! lol

DeusExMaxima

iTrader: (1)

Ok, well sometimes it does go into the 30's here In thosecases I let car idle for an extra 1-2 minutes.

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

why is idling too long bad..........

larsim

My Max is hybrid - so gas consumption is not an issue.....

S_Klass

Modern cars do not need to idle and warm up to operate effectively beyond just 10 to 15 seconds. If you fear your cold climate, go with 5-30 or 0-30 weight oils so they will be less viscous during the cold and lubricate the engine sooner.

Idling for five minutes a day in a small car will burn over 8 gallons of gas a year and release 88 kilograms of carbon dioxide. The 3.5 liter VQ will probably burn/produce twice that.

Catalytic converters do work best when warmed up but warm up best by being driven!

Idling for more than 10 seconds releases more greenhouse gases than cutting the motor and starting again. Idling for more than 45 seconds (at a train crossing for example) wastes more fuel and causes more engine wear than cutting the motor and starting again.

cefiro80

I let my car warm up until it is at operating temp. It sucks sometimes in the morning running out to start the car 10 minutes before I want to leave but I am probably a little more paranoid than others.

RHMax

I think he meant why it's bad for the car...

MaxEx

You are doing your cars no favor by letting them idle for more than 1 min. I don't care how cold it is outside. Has anyone heard of sludge??? This happens at idle. I have never let my car warm up for longer than 1 min. and don't plan to. Drive it gently until you see the needle move past "C" and have fun.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

Every knowledgeable mechanic I know personally advises to simply drive the car.

It warms up faster.


So some you would rather sit in a cold car for 10 minutes just sitting there. This is opposed to already driving for 9-10 minutes and it was already warm at 5.


The manual states to let it idle maybe 1 minute.

i'm curious why guys think it's necessary to idle to warm it?

BigPete

iTrader: (2)

same

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

I don't do it so that the cabin is warm...I do it so that the trans and the motor are warm

I know that it warms up faster when driven, but i still like the piece of mind that when I let it warm up for 5-10ish minutes, the transmission shifts smoothly unlike when I drive it right away and the trans shifts harshly until warmed up.

tubells

Thank you! S_klass

STARR

iTrader: (1)

I need a new motor with all the idling I do

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

sniz

I had an 84 Nissan Stanza that I hated, and I actually treated it like that.. Start it up on a 20 deg. winter morning, put it in gear, and slam the pedal to the floor. Never had any problems with the engine either, until me and my friend chopped the roof off with a cutting torch, then drove it around with no oil in the engine. It took a surprising amount of abuse before the engine seized up.
Man, I hated that car.

KRRZ350

iTrader: (29)

Hey I just wanted to mention something real quick since alot of people aren't aware of this..........

When the coolant gauge settles into it's operating temp it is not an indication of whether or not the pistons have reached operating temp & fully expanded in the bores, that takes a good 20-25 minutes.

Also, +1 about a minute or less and than driving very gently, drive gently for about 20-25 minutes.

And by gently I mean avoiding all the conditions that are harsher on an engine, which coincedently are the things listed in your owners manual under the break-in procedure, avoiding excessive idling, staying at one engine rpm, wot, high rpms, etc.

04BlackMaxx

I was thinking these guys are talkign about remote car starters. Even with those I think its a complete waste of time and gas to leave a car idling in frigid temps. If someone actually sits there in the car waiting for it to warm up when they could simply drive it and make it hot a hell of alot faster, thats just stupidity.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

I never warm my car up, just take it easy until she reaches operating temp.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

in my search to come to a scientific conclusion to this, the best i can find is topic on www.bobistheoilguy.com
it just seems to be old school thinking with the carburetors that had to warm. Fuel injectors ended the idle warming.

only thing is see some possible logic is when our engine is far below freezing and automatically revs higher. then maybe sit a little. (1-2 min) but i just don't see a reason to sit 5 minutes or more.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

That's why we have a high idle at start-up.

philoforlife

I can't believe 12-15 people here let their car sit for 10 to 15 minutes every morning to "warm up". Seriously, we aren't driving 1934 Model T's. I'm pretty sure the car warms itself up nicely while being driven.

Joshua

kamski

iTrader: (9)

HAHAHA, duuuude, my work car........ never gets shut off. It idles all day, does a few hi-speed run then idles, then gets passed to the next guy after my shift is over.

And I let my cars idle, because i f....kin hate brushing the snow off of it. I just turn all the stuff on inside and let the snow melt. And I like the warm fuzzy feeling in my toes when they get warm quickly after hopping into a warm car.

All you greanpeace bastas be dammed.

Kamski

larsim

Think cars must warm up before driving? Think again

09:22 AM CST on Monday, January 7, 2008
Click & Clack www.cartalk.com

Every winter when my boyfriend and I get into my car, I start it, then I put the car in gear after about 30 seconds and drive off. This drives my boyfriend nuts, and I have to hear about "how bad it is for my car" to put it into Drive before it warms up. He will start his car and sit there for five to 10 minutes before he shifts into Drive.

My question is this: Am I really doing harm to my car by not letting the engine run for 10 minutes? If not, how can I prove this to him? I found an article in The New York Times a couple of years ago that stated that nothing is gained by sitting in a freezing-cold car while the motor is running before you shift into Drive. He thinks that the reporter at the Times didn't know what he was talking about. But he just might listen to you if you say it's OK. Please help! It's cold here in Boston!


Lisa



RAY: How do you prove it to him, Lisa? Hand him this column and ask him to read the following aloud:

TOM: Dear Lisa's Boyfriend: You have your head up your tailpipe on this one.

RAY: How's that, Lisa? You're absolutely right, as is the reporter from The New York Times. On modern, fuel-injected cars – basically anything made in the past 20 years – you're not helping the car at all by warming it up for five or 10 minutes.

TOM: On older, carbureted cars, that kind of extended warm-up can damage the engine by diluting the oil with excess fuel. So it's even worse if you have a really old heap.

RAY: But with modern cars, all you're doing with a long warm-up is wasting gas, increasing pollution, raising the temperature of the planet and making yourself 10 minutes late for your chiropractic appointment. The proper procedure is to start the car. If it starts and keeps running, put it in Drive and go. Go gently (don't back out of your driveway and floor it right onto a highway entrance ramp), because you'll be warming it up during your first few minutes of driving, but do drive it.

TOM: If it's bitterly cold out, like 10 or 20 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, you can let it warm up for a minute or two to allow the oil to thin out a bit and circulate completely. But other than that, if it runs, driving it gently is the best way to warm it up.

RAY: So tell your boyfriend he not only needs to get off your case about this, but he needs to stop warming up the car himself.

TOM: And, to make up for all the misplaced grief he's given you over the years, he needs to start going to bed 10 minutes before you do, to warm up the bed for you on cold winter nights. That's a warm-up activity he can do that's actually useful!

King Features Syndicate

Here is the link to the article: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...1.374f73f.html

dineth00i30

i dont know then something is wrong with my car because, if i just start the car and drive it shifts hard as everybody else here say anyway it will also will not shift into a higher gear after like 3rd gear. it keep the engine running like 2k rpm even if im doing 30 which when its warm it do it below 1400rpms. plus i like the fact that i wait till the temp guage needle goes up to the 1st bar to start driving. everycar deserves to be pampered.

DUES DONT LISTEN TO EVERYBODY WHO SAY JUST START DRIVING RIGHT AWAY IN FREEZING TEMPS UNTIL A CAR MANUFACTURER TELL US THAT ITS OKAY TO DRIVE RIGHT AWAY, GIVE IT A MIN OR 2 BUT I WILL WAIT EVEN 10MINS IF THEY TELL ME TO WAIT.

dineth00i30

I THINK CAR MANUFACTURERS SHOULD MAKE ENGINE BLOCK HEATERS A STANDARD FEATURE!

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

why are you yelling?

yes manufacturer states 1 minute. anything beyond that is not achieving anything but a toasty cabin. (which still warms faster if driven)
there is a TSB for 04 on hard cold shifts. afaik, the tranny does not warm during idle, does it?

STARR

iTrader: (1)

ease up young grasshopper, the car shifts harder because the fluid in the trans is colder/thicker and the not shifting is the manufacture building in a safety to protect the longevity of the trans, the trans will not shift until the fluid has reach a certain temperature, just drive with a lighter foot

STARR

iTrader: (1)

almost pissed my pants reading that

xoomer.com

iTrader: (19)

I remote start for couple of minutes when its cold and then I just go. If I don't wait then I just roll slowly for until she warms up. I read somewhere and heard multiple people saying that its better to slowly roll then to let it idle just sitting there. In the summer its start and go of course no punching anything until she gets hot.

lightonthehill

It is so great to see these 'gotta warm my baby up good before moving' myths finally put to rest. Those myths are carried over from the days of the Terraplane and the Pierce-Arrow, and serve no purpose with today's vehicles.

I stopped warming up my car before driving it back around 1955, and I have never had the first whisper of engine trouble.

All we accomplish when we let the car warm up by idling over one minute is warm the cabin for our own comfort or get a head start on melting any snow or ice that may be on the car; we are not helping the car. Just driving easy until the car warms up is best. And, as someone mentioned earlier here, just because the temp gauge says the car is warm, that doesn't mean every part of the engine is fully warm, so don't do hard accellerationg the first twenty minutes or so, especially in cold weather.

Those poo-pooing the efforts to preserve gas and help the environment remind me of smokers back in the 1960s and 1970s, who refused to believe smoking was bad for their health. Most now rest in peace. I know; I attended many of their funerals.

chulo69cru

i live in new york and in the morning its about 22-30 so i let it warm up for 10 mins..

philoforlife

Your engine is an engine block heater. I mean, seriously. You guys are killing me here. I repeat sir you said ENGINE BLOCK HEATER and you said it IN ALL TYPE. WHY WOULD YOU WASTE BOTH OUR TIMES WITH THIS LUDICROUS STATEMENT.

Joshua

dineth00i30

i thank you for your kindness and teaching me other than saying something ridiculous to look cool and to look smart.

dineth00i30

if you are soo annoyed by what i said just ignore it that way you will save alot of energy than posting here. thank you.

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

Like I've said before...if only we could have so many people doing only this minimal "pollution" compared to those crazy semi dragsters that gulp down gallons of gas in seconds, or just any other gas guzzling event for that matter.

Terrentius

The manual states 30s in colder climates. I would say that if you are letting your car warm up by means of idling for more than 1 minute, then you are just increasing the chance of oil slugging and carbon fouling. Let it sit for a minute, then drive it easy until you get to operating temperature so the the engine and the suspension can get warmed up. To let it warm up any more than minute be means of idling is just a waste of money on fuel, creating more pollution, and increasing the chances of gumming up your engine.