Warming up engine is useless and waste gas

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
I don't think it's good for an old auto trans to try and shift into gear too quickly.



Especially when an engine is cold and at a high idle racing.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Stewie
I personally wait around 1 min until my windshield defrosted

If your windshield is frozen, 1 minute of idling is not going to fix it, me thinks.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Stewie
I personally wait around 1 min until my windshield defrosted

If your windshield is frozen, 1 minute of idling is not going to fix it, me thinks.

LOL, You know how it is, women lack concept of measurement(at least in a straight line), men no concept of time...

 

[aquariuscsm]

I used to have this no-count neighbor who drove one of those late 90s-early 2000s V6 Mustangs. She'd hop in,start it,and immediately hammer it up the road. Smoke billowing from the exhaust and sounding like the engine was gonna fall to pieces. Sounded horrible,there's no way that can be good for it.

 

[kmrcstintn]

I am forcing myself to let the oil light go out before starting the engine and then allowing 30 seconds to 1 minute for the oil to circulate before starting to drive...seems like a good idea to have oil flowing thru the engine before putting any load on it;

defrosting windows means idling longer when necessary...

 

[hattaresguy]

Don't care I want the heat on and gas is a $1.60 a gallon.

My truck ran for 20 minutes this morning and when I got in with my hot coffee it was nice and toasty inside.

 

[Nick1994]

I let my car warm up (or cool down?) in the summer. When it's 115 outside, I let it idle for 5 minutes, then go back outside and then it's starting to get a little cool in there.

 

[addyguy]

I have to warm up my car in the winter now...in anything below -10C, it won't even go into gear until it has run for at least 5 mins...just stalls otherwise.

Even before it started having problems, I always warm-up my vehicles in cold weather below around -15C - I consider it a safety hazard to have a car with glass so cold that it will not stay thawed while driving.

 

[69GTX]

Car stays outside all winter. It takes 10-30 sec for high idle (1500 rpm) to drop down to approx 900-1,000 rpm. And then off I go at 1300-1600 rpm on back roads for 1 mile. That makes a nicer gradual warm up. Then on a major route at 40 mph at 2,000 rpm in 3rd until the highway 3 miles away. Normal coolant temp is reached in 1-2 miles. Once on the highway its 2,000 rpm in O/D until the engine oil is fully warmed...probably takes 5-10 miles.

I follow Shannow's plan of keeping rpm at approx 1800-2200 to speed up the warm up process, especially since so many of my trips are only 4-8 miles.

 

[camrydriver111]

My car is not very responsive if I don't warm it up. Acceleration and transmission shifting is very sluggish.

I do not like to drive a car that isn't warmed up.

From my own personal observations I can tell the article is not true.

Do aircraft pilots warm up their engines, or do they just turn them on and fly away? I believe the same principles apply and for the optimum performance and safety I warm up my engine.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: camrydriver111
Do aircraft pilots warm up their engines, or do they just turn them on and fly away? I believe the same principles apply and for the optimum performance and safety I warm up my engine.

The difference is that you have to put the aircraft engines at full power to take off, so they need to be up to operating temp.

You do not need full power to start driving your car. The point is to start driving (moderately) ASAP, as that way the car will warm up faster.

 

[BigD1]

Originally Posted By: Red91
On cold days I like heat. What's wrong with that?


I like heat too and defrosted windows. My engines will have to suffer! Then I can laugh at all these posts with their legs shivering going down the highway, and trying to see out the windows because they are getting fogged up all the while they rush off to sit there, and idle in that traffic jam wasting more gas than I ever do warming up my car because I dang well please.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: gathermewool
I have no problem hopping in and driving off, so long as the air is dry enough to literally absorb all of the moisture in my breath before it even reaches the windshield.

That is usually my prime concern. In -40, a windshield can get foggy (well, frosty) in pretty short order. As for the rain and humidity matter you mentioned, we see that on occasion, but it's rare here. We get more than enough cold, though.

As for the G37 manual and Nissan in general, who knows? It could have been something from 30 years ago that just never got edited out.

Indylan: I'm talking mostly about -40.

I don't worry much when it's at all reasonably warm.

And the world is in disarray because turtlevette and I agree on something here. If I choose to warm up and pay for the gas, that is my choice. If I'm really concerned about saving gas and think the cold isn't a big deal, I'd just drive my bicycle in January. But, I don't, and I won't. I have the advantage of the heated garage, and plug in vehicles when outdoors if needed. But, I'm not going to shut the heat off in the garage or disconnect my electricity to save a few bucks.

I'd prefer to avoid unnecessary idling, but my vehicle is designed to get me somewhere in comfort, and if I can't use my vehicle for that purpose, I might as well get rid of it.

 

[Branson304]

I never idle anymore than 5 minutes & then I head out. Warming up for long periods of time is a waste of gas & wears the engine while accomplishing nothing. I just keep it under 3,000 RPM until the coolant is at operating temperature. With modern fuel injection & synthetic oils, warming up is pointless in my book...

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: camrydriver111
Do aircraft pilots warm up their engines, or do they just turn them on and fly away? I believe the same principles apply and for the optimum performance and safety I warm up my engine.


Different set of reasons and problems. QP got it right, and there's other checks tests etc. that the pilot has to do that relies on warmed systems.

http://www.lycoming.com/Portals/0/techpublications/serviceinstructions/SI%201505%20(07-01-2002)/Cold%20Weather%20Starting.pdf

But seeing as you like the aircraft analogy, how often do you overhaul your car engine (in operating hours) versus an aircraft ?

Prolonged warmup doesn't seem to give them eternal life.

 

[dlundblad]

When I park outside, I scrap the windshield then start the engine. If it fogs over, I let it idle until I can see.

Most of the time I am in the garage and just get in and drive gently for the first 2-3 miles. By then, the engine is at about 50% operating temperature.

The transmission only gives me fits when its around 0*F. She needs to be in drive or neutral to pump the fluid so once again, I just drive gently.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: kmrcstintn
I am forcing myself to let the oil light go out before starting the engine and then allowing 30 seconds to 1 minute for the oil to circulate before starting to drive...seems like a good idea to have oil flowing thru the engine before putting any load on it;

defrosting windows means idling longer when necessary...

What car has a oil light that extinguishes before it's started??? Not one I've seen in the 50 years I've owned vehicles...

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: TFB1
Originally Posted By: kmrcstintn
I am forcing myself to let the oil light go out before starting the engine and then allowing 30 seconds to 1 minute for the oil to circulate before starting to drive...seems like a good idea to have oil flowing thru the engine before putting any load on it;

defrosting windows means idling longer when necessary...

What car has a oil light that extinguishes before it's started??? Not one I've seen in the 50 years I've owned vehicles...


I think he meant the door ajar light.

 

[camrydriver111]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: camrydriver111
Do aircraft pilots warm up their engines, or do they just turn them on and fly away? I believe the same principles apply and for the optimum performance and safety I warm up my engine.

The difference is that you have to put the aircraft engines at full power to take off, so they need to be up to operating temp.

You do not need full power to start driving your car. The point is to start driving (moderately) ASAP, as that way the car will warm up faster.


I have to drive 300 meters from my house before I enter a freeway entrance ramp where I have to accelerate the car. That is much like an aircraft taking off a runway.

 

[Shannow]

Let your aircooled engine warm up then...to the point that the oil temperatures are in the "normal range" (note, there's nothing in Lycoming recommendation to specify what the "range is"), check that your prop hydraulics function properly, and have at it.