Avoiding short trips like the plague

[FCD]

Sometimes i will on purpose take the long way home when driving just so that by the time i get home the engine is warmed up, sometimes i'll also hold the engine at 1000rpm at traffic lights to warm it faster ( in the winter ), am i weird for doing this?

 

[Silk]

Save fuel by not doing extra miles, or burn extra to look after my $500 car? The shortest route everytime.

 

[FCD]

Well yeah with my daily 800 Euro driver i ttake the sortest route possible but with my 35.000 Dollar classic car i try to get it warm every time.

 

[Jetronic]

I like driving... if I've got time I'll take a longer, more interesting route.

 

[Silk]

It's 3.5km to work....if I'm feeling guilty about filling my sump with condensation, I take my pushbike. But it's winter...how easy I succumb to comfort....

 

[FCD]

Yeah i also hop on my bike if it's 5km or less away, even in winter since on a good winter day we get to 15-20c

 

[Danno]

My BIL had a Capri like your car. Engine died one day. Found the gears driving the cam were broken. Made of some kind of phenolic plastic. It was a reliability nightmare.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: FordCapriDriver
Sometimes i will on purpose take the long way home when driving just so that by the time i get home the engine is warmed up, sometimes i'll also hold the engine at 1000rpm at traffic lights to warm it faster ( in the winter ), am i weird for doing this?


I wouldn't bring the rpms up to 1000 rpms at lights, it's a waste of gas and might actually be increasing engine wear. You want to warm the engine up, drive it normally it will warm up.

 

[RF Overlord]

If you're concerned about short trips, just take it on a highway run once in a while.

 

[FCD]

Originally Posted By: Danno
My BIL had a Capri like your car. Engine died one day. Found the gears driving the cam were broken. Made of some kind of phenolic plastic. It was a reliability nightmare.

Yeah the V6 capris had cam gears and they had nylon teeth, they can weaken due to overheating but they are not that common of an issue, i might replace it for a steel one just in case, US Capris were not as reliable because of all the emissions equipement that we didn't have in Europe, mine has been in my family from new and the whole drivetrain except for the engine is original and has never been rebuilt or anything, it's more reliable than any other car i've owned and my particular one could be worth 35.000 USD in mint condition...

 

[FCD]

Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
If you're concerned about short trips, just take it on a highway run once in a while.

80% Of my driving is highway driving, probably doing what i do is unneccesary but i don't think i'm really putting too much wear on the engine as temperatures rarely go below 5c ( 40 F ) and the average summer day it's 35c ( 95F )

 

[andyd]

deleted post

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: FordCapriDriver
Sometimes i will on purpose take the long way home when driving just so that by the time i get home the engine is warmed up, sometimes i'll also hold the engine at 1000rpm at traffic lights to warm it faster ( in the winter ), am i weird for doing this?


I would not do anything special to avoid short trips. Unless you go several weeks of driving where the engine and exhaust never get up to operating temp. Then once every few weeks get the engine and exhaust hot.

If you have a new diesel then you may be forced to drive to complete a regen.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: FordCapriDriver
Sometimes i will on purpose take the long way home when driving just so that by the time i get home the engine is warmed up, sometimes i'll also hold the engine at 1000rpm at traffic lights to warm it faster ( in the winter ), am i weird for doing this?


I wouldn't bring the rpms up to 1000 rpms at lights, it's a waste of gas and might actually be increasing engine wear. You want to warm the engine up, drive it normally it will warm up.
Spinning the waterpump and cooling fan faster isn't a good plan for fast warm up. That was an old trick on hot days to keep an engine COOL at stop lights. Perhaps you need an electric fan conversion which WILL allow faster warmups.

 

[Number_35]

Originally Posted By: FordCapriDriver
Sometimes i will on purpose take the long way home when driving just so that by the time i get home the engine is warmed up, sometimes i'll also hold the engine at 1000rpm at traffic lights to warm it faster ( in the winter ), am i weird for doing this?
I don't increase the RPM at lights but often, especially in the winter, take a longer route so as to get the engine up to temperature.

 

[Jetronic]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: FordCapriDriver
Sometimes i will on purpose take the long way home when driving just so that by the time i get home the engine is warmed up, sometimes i'll also hold the engine at 1000rpm at traffic lights to warm it faster ( in the winter ), am i weird for doing this?


I wouldn't bring the rpms up to 1000 rpms at lights, it's a waste of gas and might actually be increasing engine wear. You want to warm the engine up, drive it normally it will warm up.
Spinning the waterpump and cooling fan faster isn't a good plan for fast warm up. That was an old trick on hot days to keep an engine COOL at stop lights. Perhaps you need an electric fan conversion which WILL allow faster warmups.


doesn't matter if the thermostat is closed. high idle cooling only helps with wide open thermostat!

 

[chrisri]

What is the oil sump size? Basically you want to bring oil temperature to operating value. That would be 15-20 minutes after water temp reaches 90 degrees Celsius.

You have a nice Capri, cool cars, but 35k is alot of money for a Ford. None the less great machine, especially since it's in your family from new. Take care of him.

 

[FCD]

The sump size is exactly 5.0L including the filter, and yeah 35k is a lot, but that would be in mint restored original condition, mine is probably worth 10-15k.

So maintaining it at 1000rpm at traffic lights is actually counter productive? even when the thermostat is closed? certainly my engine warms up faster when driving compared to just idling

 

[Jetronic]

no, with the thermostat closed a higher idle will warm up the engine faster.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: FordCapriDriver
The sump size is exactly 5.0L including the filter, and yeah 35k is a lot, but that would be in mint restored original condition, mine is probably worth 10-15k.

So maintaining it at 1000rpm at traffic lights is actually counter productive? even when the thermostat is closed? certainly my engine warms up faster when driving compared to just idling


Your engine will always warm up faster driving than idling. While driving your engine is actually working, you're putting a a little load on it, which will warm it up faster than idling of any kind, fast or slow.