Anyone Warm-up their car?

[Nos4r2]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

David L Moore- you echo my opinion exactly. Incidentally, did you know that research has shown that to actually MAKE a catalytic converter it creates more pollution than the cat will ever prevent...unless the vehicle engine is over 3000cc due to the useful life/gas consumption from larger engines-and that's assuming a lot of motorway/freeway use. Fitting them to small cars is a joke.<br /><br />Stan, I had the same problem with someone revving the nuts of a diesel van outside my window at 6am to defrost it and warm the cab up. Funnily enough having a very annoyed 6'3 yeti in nothing but a pair of leather jeans screaming abuse 2 inches from his face fixed the problem. ( I wasn't in the mood for it on a Sunday!)

 

[dolluper]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

Any vehicle runs better at operating temp,older yehicles all settings are done at op temp,like timming,carb adjust.Newer vehicles {computer controlled]when cold run in Open Loop ,computer gets it's info from your coolant temp sensor and depending on that info preset values control running,once it's at operating temp it goes into Closed Loop and info from O2 sensors control drivability as info from other sensors <br />This means a car warmed up is the way to go FOR LESS WEAR ON ANY COMPONANT and reving cold to get it there is what keeps mech's in business.So start your vehicle and drive away we are waiting for you with the door open

 

[Pony]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

-5F here this norning, i think ill go warm it up a bit

 

[stan_deezy]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

Cheers Nos. Where I used to live there was very little parking space available and as a favour to our neighbours we allowed them to park close to our house(close equals two feet from our bedroom window): until their kid deciced that he should sit and warm up his car at 4.30am (he worked in a petrol station).He was just a kiddy with a 1.4 litre Ibiza and a farting muffler Like you it was a sunday morning (although wouldn't have mattered anyway!). Not only did he get the wotsit scared out of him (he relived his birth by being bodily dragged out of the car) but mummy and daddy lost their parking space too! Bet he was really popular in that house

 

[deputydawg]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

Technically in Nebraska it is illegal across the state to do this. The law on parking state the vehicle must either be in park with engine off, or in gear with engine off and parking brake set.<br /><br />I don't think it has ever been enforced, and most officers here probably don't even know it as illegal. It is one of those laws like a village of Clarks Nebraska it is illegal to pluck a live chicken on main street on Sundays.<br /><br />Myself in my personal vehicles I don't usually warm them up. My daughter gets a ride to school on cold days but it is only 2 blocks. Takes more gas than it is worth to warm up. Plus my cars are all junk and either will die leaving me with a dead battery or will usually run out of gas. My van has a bad thermostadt now I think, and will overheat if I do this. <br /><br />My patrol vehicle on nights like last night (night started at 4 degrees above and ended at 2 below zero) never gets shut off. If I am in my office writing reports or whatever it stays running my entire shift. If I have to get in and go in a hurry it is better to have it warmed up. Plus the radios, computer, and video equipment need to stay warm.

 

[QC]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

Warming up while actually moving the vehicle should be OK if you can see . . . So there are definitely multiple issues at play here. Some of them in contradiction: 1) Safety 2) Operator comfort 3) Mechanical stuff (i.e. how warm does this stuff really need to be etc. and it includes drive-line stuff behind the engine too) 4) Emissions and 5) Fuel use.<br /><br />I'd like to see an emissions study that compared warming up at idle (tick-over for those of you using a different language ) or warming up at progressively higher loads. A couple of things come to mind, if you shorten the warm up period by adding load to the engine, don't you reduce the time those rich mixtures are being used? Don't you accelerate the catalyst's warm up? This is nowhere near as simple if you bring emissions and fuel into the discussion.<br /><br />Also has a lot to do with the age of the vehicle, both mileage on that particular vehicle AND model year stuff. Load makes a big difference. At tick-over (idle) what is the temp of the intake air? With a turbo'd engine remember a little boost helps get the air temp up too . . . Also, this discussion is different between diesels and petrol (gasoline) engines.<br /><br />I will repeat something that DD said too, the engine is not the only thing that needs to be warmed up . . .

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

A couple of things come to mind, if you shorten the warm up period by adding load to the engine, don't you reduce the time those rich mixtures are being used? Don't you accelerate the catalyst's warm up? This is nowhere near as simple if you bring emissions and fuel into the discussion.

Quiet, that is exactly why the experts recommend starting the vehicle, letting it run for a minute or so, then driving the vehicle in an easy, low impact manner that warms the engine faster, thus creating less polutants and causing less unburned fuel to make its way past the rings and down into the oil. I can't do it that way, like I said, because I can't accelerate smoothly, I have to jam it to get into traffic.<br /><br />One thing I will say, my ex-boss gets into his cold vehicles, promptly drives off as soon as the engine is started, and his vehicles run like crap. The only exception is their Yukon, because the wife lets it run for 5-10 minutes, and it runs perfect. There are definately arguements either way...

 

[QC]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

JasonJ,<br /><br />I agree, and noted above sort of. I'll add #6) your personal operating profile. i.e. your on-ramp deal. Totally understand. Way too variable. I'll change my recommendation to "if safe and possible, slow driving is the best way to warm up newer vehicles".

 

[cpj]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

The main reason that I warm up my vehicles is so that I wont freeze my arse off when I get in.Wear and tear, fuel mileage, or whatever, I am not going to freeze while driving.

 

[deputydawg]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

Typically all that is necessary is to start it, let it run at idle until the oil pressure stabilizes then go. If you have to hit it off to the races right from the start then it is a good idea to get it warmed a few minutes. The thing is that the cold hurts the transmission and rear end as much running in stiff cold oil. Sitting at idle will not warm these up. <br /><br />The biggest reason for it is comfort. My truck stalls and dies if I don't let it warm up a little, but 3 minutes is plenty. By that time the cylinders are heated, the manifold is warm enough and it runs. I must say that I do let my van run in the mornings for a while before I leave. The only reason for this is so my 2 and 4 year olds who are usually still in PJ's don't get cold.

 

[Ron G]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

I start mine and let it run for about 10min when its around 30 just because i dont like to be cold,its all about me

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

When it is cold out I remote start just before I go for my coat.I usually run into a few obstacles and the cat always wants to play when I head down the stairs so by the time I get into the Jeep it has been running for at least 5 minutes.Good for the motor and good for my lungs.Warm air is blowing by the time I get to the corner.Charlie

 

[Gustavthe3rd]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

Thought I would throw a couple of cents in the pot as well. <br /> Yes you should let you car warm up in extreme conditions. All the fluids need to get warm because at freezing or below temperatures, your oil is like molasses and trans fluid is like honey. These are vital things that people take for granted. 5 to 10 minutes warm up should be fine.<br /> Yes the transmission will warm up as well due to heat transfer from the motor and trans fluid running through the trans cooler (which on most vehicles is inside the radiator). Not to mention temperature expansion and contraction. Bearings and clutch packs have only about .005 of an inch clearence when assemble in probably 70 temperature. Now think about the engine and trans when it's -5 degrees outside. Everything has shrunk from contraction. Let everything expand from warm up if you want high mileage from your engine. <br /> The opposite,,,,,,,,that's why old worn engines loose oil pressure when they warm up on hot summer days. Too much expansion.<br /> LET YOUR CAR WARM UP! I hate the look in a customers eyes when I tell them "it's gonna cost $3,500 to fix your car. You need a new motor."

 

[Pony]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

Perhaps this is like many other discussions......"a little from column A, a little from column B". The amount from each way of warming up a vehicle being based on how you use it.<br /><br />Like Jason I am on the freeway fairly quickly. The otherday (not this morning as I said is was -5F) I started the truck waited a minute or so, and drove it as easily as possible to the freeway to see if it would warm up by the time I got to there........The results: The temp gauge was just starting to move from the "C". I think from now on unless its particularly frigid like this morning, I will let it run about 5 min, then drive it "gentle" until it warms up the rest of the way

 

[dtherrien]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

When it is cold out , i let mine run about 5-10min.I am not sure ...but i think it is a nation wide law about letting your vehicle run for an extended length of time while parked.It has to do with emmisions and wasting gas.

 

[heycods]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

I normaly dont warm it up as it stays warm. pluged the block heater on my diesel dodge tonight. First time this year. 16* tonight high of 22* tomorrow. Thinking of going to Mexico.

 

[Bassy]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

Originally posted by Ron G:<br /> I start mine and let it run for about 10min when its around 30 just because i dont like to be cold,its all about me

Ditto! I'm a wimp, but a wimp on my private property.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

I walked out to the garage to start the wifes Jeep to let it warm up for about 10 minutes. It was 3 degrees. I was only in my bathrobe. I saw God...

 

[QC]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

LOL @ Jason. I was wondering where he was hangin' out . . .

 

[deeep water]

Re: Anyone Warm-up their car?

at that temp on that cold seat ,,it wernt hanging,, you could have hurt yourself didnt you get artic survival training ??