I noticed this article on Yahoo today that is basically saying that you don't need to warm up your vehicle before you drive it in cold weather.... and that it could even be bad for it to warm it up first!

Do you guys think there's any truth to this, or is it wrong?
Here's the link:

http://ca.autos.yahoo.com/p/2052/win...ing-up-the-car

 

I would say it would vary on temp, 20 deg F not really -20 deg F yep let it run for awhile (mainly so you can see out the windows) if you have a manual be sure to sit there with the clutch pushed in to save on your IPS bearing.

 

I usually wait till the rpms come back down to 1k, then start off very slowly. It's usually variable based on the temp, but gives the car a decent minute or so to get everything flowing. I usually take the time to adjust the stereo and shift around with the clutch still in to loosen up the tranny.

 

Yeah, that's what I've always done... just to get the oil all 'splashed' around where it needs to be etc...

 

i parked outside for one winter, and i would let it warm up for about 5 minutes most of the time or 10 minutes when it was colder, by then some warm air was blowing and the RPM's dropped down. then i would stay under 2k rpm for a few minutes

some sites say only a single minute and IMO thats a load of BS. i garage park now so its alot nicer

 

Near the end of the article it does say: "A better approach is to start your vehicle and let it run for up to one minute before driving away...under normal driving conditions. Should the temperature outside dip below freezing, allow a maximum of four to five minutes of idle time before driving away"

Spring/summer/fall I let it idle for 30-60 secs and then I'll drive slowly for the first few mins until it warms up

During winter I usually just let it run until it gets to the C mark (or longer if I have to clean off lots of snow) and then I'll drive slowly until it fully warms up -- car drinks too much gas as is so if I let it idle until it fully warms up each time I have to go somewhere then my MPG will be even crappier (getting 13-15 mpg lol, mostly city driving and short trips)

07 Max Owner's manual:

 

I've heard that the catalytic converter needs to be fully warmed to be operational and that pieces of catalyst can be sucked into the engine if not properly warmed up.

 

By driving the car during warm up, your actually warming up the entire vehicle evenly which is much better. Keep in mind, shocks/struts, transmissions, axles, wheel bearings, power steering systems, brakes, tires ect ect ect. all need to warm up. If the only thing you warm up is the engine, your still driving (for the most part) a "cold" vehicle.

 

Please explain how putting the crankshaft under thrust pressure saves a bearing.

 

Actually, that what the factory manual says.

Good to know you can out engineer Nissan.

 

Most people who live in areas that get extremely cold probably realize they need a longer warm up, but having lived in NY and ATL, cold weather or not people drive the **** out of their cars

 

you cant tell me that in the -40c it can get here a minute will do it

 

i usually just wait till it's at 1k rpm and just gently push the gas to about 1.5k rpm for about 10 secs

 

IPS bearings, as in your tranny bearings, as in one of the weak points, more then likely if you read in the owners manual it says not to let car sit and idle with the clutch engaged, besides you have to put the thrust pressure on to start the car in the first place, all I was saying is that if you are sitting in your car waiting for it to warm up a bit so you can see out of the windows you might want to consider pushing the clutch in so your not spinning the IPS which would spin the bearings with no oil on them.

 

I know If you warm-up your car at normal temps If it cold out or not It's better for the engine , If you noticed it's very crucial when it comes to start-ups,because the car has not been driven in 24-48 hrs all of the oil is sitting in the bottom of the oil pan and the upper parts are parbally dry and when the car is started and all of that cold oil thats appears to be hard and heavy like syrup has to pushed up all the way to the top of the engine so it can properly lube all of the components and so it can complete it's cycle in oil. The warm and loose the oil is the better the engine will run.

 

nah, your muffler bearing needs to warm up, otherwise, you'll start leaking blinker fluid.


seriously, catalytic converter is downstream of the engine. if your engine starts sucking chunks of exhaust into the engine, you have bigger problems than if the car is warm enough
whoever told you that is an idiot.

 

if the engine outlives the rust, who cares?

 

since it never gets "cold" here, I usually give it 15-20 seconds. if i need heat, I will give it a minute or two.

 

The whole warming up the car thing is pretty much a personal taste. Some people like to not wait and go right away, some people like to get the extra assurance.

Our oil is designed to flow better when cold and thicken up as it gets hot. So unless you floor it the moment you start your car I think the oil will probably be splashed around all over within a few seconds.

I've seen some Youtube videos of cars with piston slap when the car is first started and then goes away as it warms up. So in that case it is probably a good idea to let the car warm up for a few minutes.

But to me personally I feel better knowing that my car is good to go and that its liquids and all that are warm and ready to flow.

Also the small downtime gives you a few moments to see if any problems pops up, like when my MAF sensor gave out my car would start just fine but after a few minutes it would begin to stall and then die.

 

its always good to have your engine up to operating temp before putting a load on it...true with generators and automotive engines...however diesels can take cold starts better, it still can hurt due to the lack of lube, unless there is a oil circulation pump

 

explain...

 

when the oil gets spun around real fast and really hot, it kinda hardens but not being hard. like when it says 5w-30, when its hot, the like viscosity or something becomes 30. the 5 is when it first starts out. idk wierd to explain

 

The numbers represent the viscosity of the oil. The first number with the "W" is the cold viscosity with the second being the normal operating viscosity(warmed up ~200F). Rather confusing since you would think that the oil would get thinner as it gets hotter. The lower viscosity at the colder temperature is achieved with additives that manipulate the oil's viscosity at different temperatures.

 

^^^^^

YEP!

 

I think the most important thing is listen to your engine, when starting a 200k plus engine in -20 wait till the valves stop ticking (means your oil is up top). I remember starting my 89 in really cold weather and it sounded like it was going to fly apart but give it a few min and it sounds all better.

 

i get a rough start up in the morning but i give it a rev and hold up clean after. backfires like crazy tho >=)

 

Heard 15 seconds is standard for warming up.

 

This is a yearly discussion.


My opinion, drive conservatively after 1 min and warm the entire car driving as close to 2k RPM as possible.


Besides... was not warming a car only ever necessary because carburetors required it? FI made warming a thing of the past.







The WORST thing is sitting until the needle is at operational temp and driving like everything is fine.

Use synthetic even better 0W40 synthetic if concerned about cold. Let it idle 1 min. (maybe 3 if you are so sure Nissan is wrong and your synthetic can't possibly work as advertised) AND still drive conservatively at least a few miles as close to 2k RPM as possible.

I like balance in my life. Not idling 10 minutes, or driving redline right away either.

 

remember the coolant temp sensor is not showing the oil temp. cold oil cant flow.

i had my buddy's a4 for a few days. his water temp gauge took bout 8 mins to get near op temp, oil gauge took closer to 25mins, and that's going thru a turbocharger. obviously i didn't take it over 3-4 psi


if i have time, i like to idle the needle up at lease half way to operational temp as i can, then drive like an old man till everything else is evenly warmed


as far as the article, anyone who tells you there's no point in warming up your car **PROPERLY** is a fool. incorrect warm up will drastically decrease the life of the motor. i say, the longer, the better (within reason obviously)

 

where the **** does it say that??? 14 years with manuals and i've never heard of this before....
im looking through the owners manual and i dont see this anywhere...care to enlighten me on this "new/old" procedure?

 

 

will have to look in mine when I get a chance, it might have been in my pathfinder one, but if you think about it for a min the IPS bearing is not under or even touching oil, so sitting idling would run it dry which with any bearing is not a good thing. I was just throwing it out there as a way to help save on our trannys and the plastic ball retainers in the IPS bearing.

 

Yea my 85 doesn't say anything about it other then during the "break in period", it might have been in my pathfinder or my 89, but I know I have seen it. All my 85 says is:

^^^ whens the last time you seen that warning? I also says to make sure the windows are clear before driving, and anyone who has lived in cold weather knows it's takes more then 30 sec to clear the windows.

 

Looks like legal crap to me. They have to make those statements, because you know someone has started there car with the gas to the floor, and did a clutch dump a second later... If they didn't put that warning, that genius would try to sue them, or expect it fixed for free.

 

exactly, especially when theres ice on the windshield that the wipers wont get off or the wipers themselves are even frozen and it wont scrape off either. one minute of warming up wont meld off the ice enough to get it off

 

more likely written by some douchebag environmentalist. wants us all to ruin our cars

 

Being nearly 60 years old, I've been through a fair number of cars, trucks and vans and I've seen no evidence of damage from allowing an ice cold car to warm up before driving it. When it's 10 below, I'm sure letting it run till the windows are clear does no harm. Use extra fuel and pollute sure. Remote start, wait awhile, get in and drive, slowly, off. Now driving a cold car three blocks and shutting it off, they sure creak and groan.

Now as far as oil thickening when warm, gotta read up on that one before commenting.

 

finally some sense lol, the one minute thing is just hippy bullcrap. i looked around and most of the time the only sites i could find that said 1 minute warmup were green/eco forums that said ZOMG moar than 1 minute youre destroying teh earth!!!!1!!!11!!

 

This web site and this paragraph explain oil viscosity very well. Now I gotta go warm up the car....


http://www.upmpg.com/tech_articles/motoroil_viscosity/

"The pour point of a lubricant is the lowest temperature that fluid will flow under standard conditions. A pour point depressant lowers that temperature. Pour point depressants (also known as PPDs) are polymers that are designed to control wax crystal formation in lubricants resulting in lower pour point and improved low temperature flow performance."

 

yep legal crap cuz there is no stater lock out on the clutch pedal