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Heard this morning some so called experts say it is bad to start your engine in the morning and letting it idle to warm up does more harm than good!
They are saying that it can dry out the pistons and cylinder walls ??? I have been doing this for years on my 84 cutlass and now my 2000 jeeps both with 200+ thousand miles Just want to know what the forum thinks
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long idle times can ruin an engine. Cop car engines are a perfect example of that. Though as long as it shuts off once warm or you get in it once warm it is not going to damage the engine. Starting it and leaving it run for an hour+ not good.
The thing people seem to always forget is your car is more then just an engine. You have the whole driveline system, the shocks and struts, ball joints etc. In my opinion things should be warmed up all at once. So drive it cold and keep rpms down or keep it in a garage. At the very least get a heaters for your trans, diff, and engine. Plug them in about an hr or 2 before you go out.
Me personally if it is too cold ill start it and let it run cause i care more about me then a car but, then again i do not own my dream car atm so….
[quote=”dave1645″ post=157301]
They are saying that it can dry out the pistons and cylinder walls ??? [/quote]Eh, there is some truth to this, but it gets kinda convoluted. Oil pressure is at its lowest at idle, so it will take longer for the oil to get where it needs to go. The oil is also going to be cold at first, which means the oil is thicker, which means the oil is going to take longer to get where it needs to go. But you still have to start your engine, so it’s going to be that way anyway. Startup is hard for any engine unless it is prelubed and prewarmed. 99% of cars don’t have an engine block heater in the lower 48, so it’s normal. I still start my truck 5-10 minutes before I leave when it’s 20F or less outside. Prolonged idling isn’t good for a vehicle, but starting your car in the winter to warm it up isn’t going to hurt it.
My old 1.8L Toyota never warmed up unless you drove it. So I never bothered starting it. My 4.2L Ford has no problem warming up in the winter when idling. So I do start it early. Your results may vary.
The only problem with that as a blanket statement is everyone’s perception is different. I’ll use the weather outside my door right now as an example. It’s -9C with a windchill of -18C. -18 is right around 0F. Believe it or not, aside from the wind, it’s actually a beautiful winter day. Last week the temperature was almost -40, which is more consistent with this time of year.
Anyway, -20C (0F) I don’t let anything that’s driven regularly warm up for too long. 5 maybe 10 minutes if I’m really not feeling like sitting in a cold car. When it’s -40, in the morning it’s 10 minutes minimum. That cold, everything is thick and slow. It’s also a really good way to blow out power steering hoses if you hop in and go. It’s also horribly uncomfortable to drive when it’s that cold inside the car.
Anything over 15 minutes is getting excessive in most cases.
I’m in Iowa what it stays single digits for several months and i always deal with cold cars. I’ve always let the car warm up for 5 to ten minutes. And then driven them gently for another five.
If you have a decent oil, your engine should be just fine after a remote start.Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
A few minutes of warming up a car on a cold day is never a bad idea. Even if it is “harmful”, it is probably worse to go barreling away on a cold engine. Most machines benefit from being eased in when completely cold. Let the engine blow out condensation, oil and fluids circulate, belt(s) become more pliable, thermostat open a bit RPMs stabilize, metals expand properly…
Engines are designed to run best at a certain temperature.All this is why it needs at least a minimal warm-up first thing in the day. When it is below freezing, I try to give mine 3 to 5 minutes. maybe 2 or 3 on a warm day.
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