Idling vs shutting off - effect on engine wear?
- Thread starter Accent Abuser
- Start date
To stop & start I'd worry a lot more about the battery and starter than engine wear.
How long is the idling?
Our early Chargers (08-10) 5.7s suffered from the low oil pressure at idle and would have lifter tick all the time. When we went from idle to WOT (happens ALOT), the low pressure ramp up would wipe out the right sides of the engine. When those were rebuilt, had the updated oil pumps that would prevent this. Those engines are still in service with 200K worth of run time on the clocks. Now, the rest of the cars are trashed, but in this profession, they're considered rather disposable.
The new Ford PUVs (Police Utility Vehicle) have the start/stop from the civilian versions defeated. They even have a "police idle" feature that lets you keep the engine running and pull the key out. This locks the trans in park and defeats the electric window/door locks (unless through fob use). Its needed to run the electronic loads, especially with all the lights on while stopped. I've been driving one now for almost a year and really like it. Ford put lots of thinking into it, so believe they took into account what the extended idling does and made changes to handle it.
Personally, I would idle to stay comfortable when necessary.. But would shut down if not going anywhere for a while. If I wear out the engine due to idling, I'd slap a new engine in it if I really like the car. But chances are he condition of the rest of the car will be such that its not worth it and will be time for another vehicle.
Absolutely true. There are a few engines that do not have adequate oil pressure at idle, especially as they age. The Ford 5.4L 3 valve is a great example of this. To some extent, oil viscosity can combat or even eliminate this issue. The 1.3m mile van used a 5.4L engine, but he chose 10W-40 instead of 5W-20.
Knowing the issues with the engine you operate is key on this one. However, most engines have no oil pressure issues and can idle for hours without any wear related issues. I'd choose comfort over stopping the engine every time.
Depends on the type of engine and if you're going to keep the vehicle for a long time. If you plan on only keeping it for 3 - 5 years, then turn it off. For long term, let it idle, but put it in N or P. But for 200 miles per day, you're racking up the miles pretty quick, so in the end, it probably doesn't matter.
What runs the pump?
Fuel washing of the cylinder walls and fuel dilution of the oil.
It's also just wasteful.
Timely thread. I’ve had a 2012 Versa since new. Just got a crossing guard job where it’s tempting to allow a 90 minute idle to jump in and stay warm instead of start/restart. I know, it’s just a POS Versa but I wonder if it’s harmful. Why do I even worry about this s…t?? 86 K by the way.
Mostly wasting fuel. Certainly it was bad for carbureted engines because there would be a high amount of unburned fuel since most tend to run rich at idle. Even if it doesn't, carburetors aren't precise enough to avoid unburned fuel. With fuel injection it isn't so bad.
Probably depends on the engine, but I'm reading that a warm start might take about as much fuel as idling for 10 seconds. It's also fairly easy on starters compared to cold starts.
If it stays warm I guess it's not so bad. The bad thing would be cold starts. And quite a few use block heaters, but an extension cord blocking the sidewalk would be rather interesting.
The general rule is 1 hour of idle time is equivalent to 28-33 miles in terms of wear and oil service life. How much wear would accrue from 2-3 startups in that same hour? Well, we don't really know and likely depends on a lot of factors.
If it was me, and this was my profession, I wouldn't be able to get the thought of operating cost from fuel consumption out of my head and would want to shut it off any time I know I'd be sitting for more than a few minutes.
If it was me, and this was my profession, I wouldn't be able to get the thought of operating cost from fuel consumption out of my head and would want to shut it off any time I know I'd be sitting for more than a few minutes.
Yes I agree. I’ve never done extended idling with this car. I’m gonna have to bundle up and shut it down. Car has been so good to me, I’d hate to kill it prematurely. The crossing guard thing is a good gig. No masks required, fresh air and exercise. I’m 70 now, couch time is deadly. Excessive idling not good for man or machine.
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ah....I haven't had a carbureted engine in a car in like lets see....not in the 2010 decade, not in the 2000 decade, not in the decade of the 1990's.....why are we bring up carburetors in the year 2022? Sure shut it off because of wasted fuel but at a 1/2 gallon per hour it's hardly much of an issue.
My parents had an early 80s Oldmobile with a carb. I remember once I was waiting for my mom and just for kicks I pressed on the gas a few times and when she got back it smelled like excess fuel coming out the tailpipe. But that car did have a catalytic converter. I think Honda was still using carburetors well into the early 90s. Go was GM.
IMO, replacing the oil more often due to excessive idling is better than replacing the starter early.
and since you are already in severe service and keep on top of the oil changes and use quality oil, you realistically are not putting on noticeable wear with the idling. (though only a oil test will say for certain)
as for idling, supposedly the rule of thumb is 1/6 gallon per hour. Say $0.60 per hour. That is a price worth paying to stay warm and comfortable.
It's had the suspension parts replaced, on the third set of front brakes and second set of rear brakes. The shocks struts will be replaced for a second time this spring. Motor mounts getting replaced then too. I don't mind replacing parts as they wear, I just want maximum engine and transmission life.
I run either a 40 or 50 grade oil, it probably has more than adequate pressure considering the engine is specd at 14.5psi at 1000rpm on 5w20
ls1mike
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In come the police cars. I know in Caprice land there are 6.0 Caprices with 10,000 to 20,000 hours on the engine with 5,000 to 10,000 idle hours on them. The 14s and up have an hour and idle time meter. People buy them and they still run perfect. GM equates one hour of idle time to 33 miles.
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