Curious about others warm up habits. I tend to let my truck idle for 1-2 minutes even in warm weather before driving and rarely get on it until it's at normal operating temp. In the freezing and below temps. I'll head back in the apt. or office for 5-10 mins.
I notice 95% of people get in and go regardless of temp.
Do you think I'm wasting time? What does mfg. suggest? Opinions anyone?

 

I think you are wasting time and gas. Once you get your oil up to pressure, what kind of abnormal wear do you think you are experiencing? The owners manual says get in and drive it. My $.02

 

I warm up for 5 minutes, my family always has. Our last engine rebuild was at 250,000 miles. It burned and leaked no oil (father had the money at the time and wanted to do it while he knew he could). The truck was stolen the next month.

However, I have known people to never warm up and get over 200,000 miles, but they go easy on it until it is warm.

Until the engine warms up, the pistons will not be in the proper form because of heat expansion. Whatever wear there is will probably minimal. I think it is up to you.

 

I think 5- 10 min. is excessive. From what I've read its better to let it warm up 2-4 min. and then just take it easy for the first couple of blocks.

 

Agree with sidewalk. Its a fact that oil lubes better when hot. The engine is also full of condensation when cold and acts like acid on the rings and prevents the oil from doing its job there, hence wear at startup.
Owners manual is written with emssions in mind, no warmup is cleaner than warmup due to the richer fuel mixture being burned. Your engine should last longer with a good warmup and easy driving while cold. IN FACT I just remembered........( CAUTION For maximum engine life, always warm the engine up before starting off. Never accelerate hard when the engine is cold!) This is out of the owners manual for my Yamaha Roadstar 98 c.u. street bike, a 2001 model.
Terry

 

I think(because of reading related articles) that the vehicle(not just the eng.) should be started and driven immediately, but carefully/easily--no sudden bursts of fuel(or harsh braking) for the first 10 minutes of movement. I even take the extra precaution of turning the O/D off during these early minutes--to keep the rpms 'up' and no excessive O/D load at slow speeds. I keep the rpms at about 1500 to 1700 during this time. Electronic fuel inj. allows us to do(the eng. runs fine when cold) this----and, it's better on the eng. to have a 'light' load on it as it warms up. I also believe that this is one of the reasons why Ford recommends 5W20 oil--it flows better than heavier viscosities when cold. There should be less 'fuel wash' on the cyl. walls as opposed to letting it idle for 5 or 10 minutes, therefore, there will be less 'oil dilution'.

We need to 'warm up' the entire vehicle, eng., trans., brakes, shocks, and last but not least, the tires. INMHO, excessive idling(especially when 'cold') is one of the worst things we can do to our trucks.

Dan

 

Personally I disagree. I think letting your truck warm up to ATLEAST the point where the temperature gauge has atleast began to move is the best thing you can do for your truck. For me that takes about 3-4 minutes in the winter and 1-2 minutes in the summer. When you start your truck right up in the morning and head out, just the sound of the cold motor lugging, and how unsmooth your trucks engine runs and how unsmooth the transmission shifts makes it pretty clear to me. Different percentages have been quoted on here many times, but a LOT of your engine's wear occurs at startup. With that being the case why would you turn OD off and raise the RPM's even higher than necessary before you engine warms up? IMHO not letting your truck warm up at all is about the worst thing you could do to it.

 

I agree with stx/98. Just taking off and going is not good for the truck. I also agree that excessive idling will not benefit anything either. 3 or 4 minutes of warmup in cold weather will not harm anything. I think it used to be on older vehicles without 02 sensors, the exhaust would get real hot without air moving across it, but this is no longer a concern with the newer vehicles where the exhaust temps are monitored. You are certainly not going to wash the rings down with gas on these vehicles by letting it warm up. Remember to, that the vehicle was designed run and operate at a "fully warmed up condition" and not a cold condition. Just MHO.
Terry

 

i usually start it up in sub-zero weather and floor it immediately. That way the oil gets to all the moving parts more rapidly. So far i have only gone through 4 engines using this method. Looks like it works good!! Just my .02

Tony

 

Hey tfratzke,
I can't figure if your bulb just isn't very bright or if you're trying to be a smarty. If you have been doing what you describe, I wouldn't be surprised to find out you went through 20 engines. Since you live in the great white north, why not try a oil heater or a block heater!!!!!!!

 

Once the idle smooths out, I am out of the driveway. I see no need to wait any longer than that on todays engines. Click and Clack the Tappett brothers on NPR agree.

 

I keep the rpms in the 1500-1700 range to be sure the 'upper end' of the eng. is well oiled(especially important for older, cam-in-block engs.)--this is only about 25-30 mph with most stock gearing.

I have done this throughout the years with many different vehicles--I know it sounds 'strange' but if you keep looking, I think you will find most techs(no, I admit, I'm not one) will agree with me. Right now, my wife's 97 Gran Prix, my 97 xlt 4.6 f150, and my 01 L run smoothly after start-up. None of them shudder, lug, or jerk during this 'moving' warm-up time. Note: I don't 'rush' thru that 10 minutes--just drive smoothly, light on the brakes until I see the temp gauge just off bottom or a little higher.

Yep, norm, I believe I've heard Click & Clack say something similar?

 

Thanks everybody for the replys, as usual we have some varied opinions but it seams that the general concensus is warm em' up if you care about em'.
I think 10 mins. was probably an exageration but while waiting in the truck I usualy determine ready to go by the needle moving just into the operating temp range anytime of the year and will continue to do so.
Good luck and enjoy the snow when you have it!

 

I go for about five minutes because I have a remote start, and that is the shrotest time length. On my last car, I would wait until the gauge got to the first line, which would vary in time since that was in Alaska.

With the car I have now, I let it warm up for about 4-5 minutes. That is about the amount of time it will idle without the fuel pump on (carbs). That gives it a little warm up time and time to warm the intake manifolds for smooth operation. My main point on this is the oil PSI. I drive with the lowest RPM's I can in fear of blowing an oil line (remote filter). I run over 70 PSI when driving when cold (5w-30). I doubt I will blow a line, but I have bent a oil PSI relief piston spring before.

As for trans temp, I have an auto, so the fluid is warmed by the coolant.

 

I'll throw out my two cents here from the great (and now finally) white north. I wait until the idle smooths out and lowers itself which can vary from as short as a second or two, to a minute or two in really cold weather (say under -15 F or so). If I have to scrape frost or snow off the windows, this serves as the warmup time. After that, I'm gone. I won't get heavy on the gas for a while, but letting it sit and idle for 5-10 minutes is doing no favors to the engine either. Look at it this way, if you are working at a slow pace (say loafing in a recliner at -15) will it take a while to warm up versus working against a light load (say going for an easy walk at -15)? Of course you will warm up faster the latter method. If you look at it terms of engine wear, I'm willing to bet its a wash, but your are wasting gas letting it sit and idle for 5-10 minutes. I recognize the high oil pressure arguement, but I haven't blown an oil line and neither has anyone else Iknow personally using these mtehods. And no, I don't use a block heater.

Just as a general question how many actually sit and wait until the needle moves above the first line on the temp gauge when its relatively warm out? I guess I don't see the point.