Is it really necessary sitting engine on a cold winter day?
12-05-2012, 03:46 PM
#1
Is it really necessary sitting engine on a cold winter day?
I read online articles that modern engines no need warm up on a cold day but for our VVEL 3.7 is it recommended for maintenance purpose?
12-05-2012, 03:54 PM
#2
common sense tells me that an extended warmup (5-10 min) is overkill and unnecessary, however if it's frosty out a brief warmup (~1-2 min) to allow proper lubrication circulation is wise. then, once starting out driving, take it easy until all other driveline fluids are up to operating temps.
i park in an unheated garage and usually go with a 30sec "warmup" before pulling the car out, but it doesn't get very cold here. and my first few kms are primarily downhill which allows a good warmup period.
i park in an unheated garage and usually go with a 30sec "warmup" before pulling the car out, but it doesn't get very cold here. and my first few kms are primarily downhill which allows a good warmup period.
12-05-2012, 04:17 PM
#4
Every car mechanic I have ever talked to, every car magazine that I have ever read, have all said that you should at a minimum warm your car up from 30 secs to a minute. With respect to our particular car you want to warm it up until the RPMs drop from 1500 to right above 1000. Also like canucklehead said, even after you warmed it up for a minute, you want to take it easy on the car until the rest of the drivetrain components warm up as well. I generally wait until the RPMs drop to 1100ish then drive real easy for about a mile or two. I also get the same transmission jump that CRV_33 gets if I try to start driving too soon before the engine warms up, just lets me know to go back into neutral and wait another 30 seconds.
TL;DR - Waste 30 seconds every day for 10 yrs or waste 2 weeks plus hundreds if not thousands of dollars 10 years from now when your car is in the shop. Your choice.
TL;DR - Waste 30 seconds every day for 10 yrs or waste 2 weeks plus hundreds if not thousands of dollars 10 years from now when your car is in the shop. Your choice.
12-05-2012, 05:23 PM
#5
Every car mechanic I have ever talked to, every car magazine that I have ever read, have all said that you should at a minimum warm your car up from 30 secs to a minute. With respect to our particular car you want to warm it up until the RPMs drop from 1500 to right above 1000. Also like canucklehead said, even after you warmed it up for a minute, you want to take it easy on the car until the rest of the drivetrain components warm up as well. I generally wait until the RPMs drop to 1100ish then drive real easy for about a mile or two. I also get the same transmission jump that CRV_33 gets if I try to start driving too soon before the engine warms up, just lets me know to go back into neutral and wait another 30 seconds.
TL;DR - Waste 30 seconds every day for 10 yrs or waste 2 weeks plus hundreds if not thousands of dollars 10 years from now when your car is in the shop. Your choice.
TL;DR - Waste 30 seconds every day for 10 yrs or waste 2 weeks plus hundreds if not thousands of dollars 10 years from now when your car is in the shop. Your choice.
Well said, I'll take your advice.
12-05-2012, 10:54 PM
#6
Registered User
I let my car warm up about a minute or until the rpms drop, then drive it easy for a few minutes. I typically don't thrash the car on very cold days until I have put on about 5 miles.
Summertime in the 90s is another story.
Summertime in the 90s is another story.
12-06-2012, 01:45 PM
#7
Registered Member
Every car mechanic I have ever talked to, every car magazine that I have ever read, have all said that you should at a minimum warm your car up from 30 secs to a minute.
TL;DR - Waste 30 seconds every day for 10 yrs or waste 2 weeks plus hundreds if not thousands of dollars 10 years from now when your car is in the shop. Your choice.
TL;DR - Waste 30 seconds every day for 10 yrs or waste 2 weeks plus hundreds if not thousands of dollars 10 years from now when your car is in the shop. Your choice.
Telcoman
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12-06-2012, 06:53 PM
#9
I wait till it stops sounding like a diesel (20 sec) then drive away like a car should be driven on public roads. I wouldn't floor it if i knew the drive line was still cold but I don't think it would cause noticeable damage to any component...maybe shave off 1 mile from the life of your motor/trans/whatever.
12-06-2012, 07:00 PM
#10
Never sat and warmed up my recently traded 06 G35 with 171796 miles. I do drive slow for the 4 blocks till I reach the highway. That is about 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you use the proper oil (5W-30) sitting to warm up an engine is a waste of time and gas. Just my $.02
Telcoman
Telcoman
12-06-2012, 11:32 PM
#12
If I park outside overnight on a single digit or below zero evening I will let it warm up. I just bought an 09 G37x so I don't know what this car will be like but every other car I;ve owned I could tell if the engine needed to warm up. It just sounds and feels stiff. Also for the first 5 minutes of my drive i can keep it at 2,000 rpms so that helps.
Also, I would think your transmission would be cold until you drive it no matter how long your engine warms up. Not 100% positive on that but seems reasonable. Thus, I think the best thing to do is for the long term care of the car is to let it warm up a bit to a little to a little bit more depending on the temp and dont drive like an a hole once the engine is warmed up.
Also, I would think your transmission would be cold until you drive it no matter how long your engine warms up. Not 100% positive on that but seems reasonable. Thus, I think the best thing to do is for the long term care of the car is to let it warm up a bit to a little to a little bit more depending on the temp and dont drive like an a hole once the engine is warmed up.
12-06-2012, 11:41 PM
#13
If you drove that much in 6-7 years, you averaged 20K-30K miles per year. As I see it only possible when mostly were highway miles. Apparently, you didn't do as many cold starts in all those miles as a typical driver does, not even remotely close IMO. Simple example, I have 10 miles one way commute, so in 171796 miles, I would do 17179 cold starts while a person does 100 mile one-way would only see 1717 code starts. See the difference? Most wears and tears are done to the engine during cold starts. If you never stop the engine, technically, you could put multiple million miles on the engine, easily.
12-07-2012, 08:07 AM
#14
Like everyone else, I let the car warm up for 30 to 60s. When the rpm drops to 1200 from 1400-1500, thats usually when the engine stops sounding like a diesel, then I drive off gently keeping it below 3000rpm. Our engines warm up very quick when driving.
I have an X, there's no point letting it idle because the transmission, the transfer case, and the differentials will not warm up.
I have an X, there's no point letting it idle because the transmission, the transfer case, and the differentials will not warm up.
12-07-2012, 09:48 AM
#15
Administrator
iTrader: (9)
check out this article.. i get in my car and go..never wait for it to warm up
Should I Let My Car Warm Up Each Morning?
Should I Let My Car Warm Up Each Morning?
The best bet? Even when it’s 10 degrees F outside, start your car, let it run for 30 to 60 seconds to get all the fluids moving, then drive off gently. Your engine will warm up faster, your exhaust system will get up to temperature faster so the catalytic converter can do its thing, and you’ll use less fuel. Which is what you wanted all along anyhow, right?
If it's below zero outside, it would be a good idea to give the engine five minutes or a little less before you drive off into the frozen wilderness!
If it's below zero outside, it would be a good idea to give the engine five minutes or a little less before you drive off into the frozen wilderness!