How long to warm-up an engine?

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I know the rule is to start the car, let it idle for a short time and drive slowly till the engine warms up. I've also read this will cause the least wear as well ...

2 of my cars one with over 200K (V6 MPFI) and the other fairly new (V8 MPFI) both make some odd sounds (ticking, knocking?, etc.) when the rpm gets near 2000 or 2200 if I drive them cold. But when they are idling (700-1200RPM) they both sound very fine especially the new car.
With the new car, i typically wait till the engine coolant is near 140-160°F and then drive. With the old car I don't care as much but try to wait for 100-120°F.

The new car doesn't make as much (or as loud) noise as the old car but If I let it warm-up and drive , it sounds super smooth. I was surprised that the new car makes similar sounds when driving cold.

it's also an old habit to let it warm-up but every time I try to follow the recommended guideline (start and drive slowly) I hear the noises (not in my head lol). Maybe the noises are nothing to be concerned about but as a result, I'm sticking with the old fashioned warm-up ...

curious if you guys notice the same noises when driving cold?
 
I never noticed much of a difference on my cars - but on my motorcycle - a Suzuki Boulevard C50. When cold it has an audible piston slap as soon as you rev up the engine higher than a little above idling.
I usually tend to warm it up before I drive - that piston slap noise doesn't sound healthy at all - but it does it since the day I bought it new.
 
Name your vehicles, engines, oil grade & filter type, miles etc.
Some noises(ticking/knocking) could be the lack of oil flow due to filter brand/type and some could be cold injector noises IDK!

My rule of thumb(like you) is to start the engine and only let it idle til I adjust the mirrors and buckle my seat belt. Then drive off easily from there.

This excludes winter driving where each day could be different depending on how frosted the windows are and how much snow has to be brushed off the car for safety.

One of the worst cars/vehicles that I ever owned in terms of(cold morning/evening) startup and drive off noise was my 2004 Nissan Altima 2.5. It was fine in warm weather and I did notice that the engine got better as new standards of oil were brought to market.

When I bought this ^^^ 2004 brand new, the API category for oils was SL/GF-3(any brand). The cold startup noises got better with SM/GF-4(any brand) and better still with SN/GF-5(any brand). And it didn't matter whether I use conventional or synthetic oil or filters with/without a silicone ADBV. Just didn't matter.
 
I start it and wait for the tach to get to about 1,000 rpm, then take off. I find that engine speed a lot easier on the clutch and automatic transmission than slipping the clutch or slamming the automatic transmission into gear at higher rpms.
 
I start it and drive normally without any concern. No letting it idle for 10 seconds or whatever. I won't Romp on a cold engine until it warms up however.
 
I don't live in a cold climate. With both of my newer vehicles, they typically cold start in the garage at between 1,200 and 1,500 RPM. After about a minute or 2, they automatically drop down to 800 RPM or slightly less. I then begin driving. It isn't so much that I'm trying to "warm them up", although that is taking place as the RPM drops. It's because I don't like dropping the car into gear with the engine turning that fast.

It causes the car to jump, and no one is going to convince me over thousands of miles it is doing the transmission any good. By allowing the car to run for a minute or 2, (even less in hot weather), and give it time to idle itself down, it warms up the engine, and at the same time allows a smooth, jerk free transition into reverse. By the time I get backed out into the street, and shift into drive, the idle is normal at around 650 RPM.

If I was still living in the Midwest in Winter, I would allow more time for a warm up and RPM reduction. Especially with my Jeep that is equipped with remote start. There would be no reason not to. I have always been the type to allow myself plenty of time to get wherever I'm going. And not be in a bums rush.
 
That's what mine do and I wait for the RPM drop … then take the long way around the block … listening to things briefly … then I find a radio selection etc … I don't punch it, but a mile later I'm doing 50 mph … It's 0w20 in Texas … why not …
 
Originally Posted by billt460
I don't live in a cold climate. With both of my newer vehicles, they typically cold start in the garage at between 1,200 and 1,500 RPM. After about a minute or 2, they automatically drop down to 800 RPM or slightly less. I then begin driving. It isn't so much that I'm trying to "warm them up", although that is taking place as the RPM drops. It's because I don't like dropping the car into gear with the engine turning that fast.

It causes the car to jump, and no one is going to convince me over thousands of miles it is doing the transmission any good. By allowing the car to run for a minute or 2, (even less in hot weather), and give it time to idle itself down, it warms up the engine, and at the same time allows a smooth, jerk free transition into reverse. By the time I get backed out into the street, and shift into drive, the idle is normal at around 650 RPM.

If I was still living in the Midwest in Winter, I would allow more time for a warm up and RPM reduction. Especially with my Jeep that is equipped with remote start. There would be no reason not to. I have always been the type to allow myself plenty of time to get wherever I'm going. And not be in a bums rush.


I agree. I see no upside to slipping a clutch at high rpm, or the added stress to the automatic transmission and related drivetrain parts being slammed at higher rpms.
 
My opinion is that it depends on your driving conditions. My last place I lived before I moved into my girlfriend's house, I had to pull out onto a busy highway with traffic going 50-60mph or more....I had to use a lot of throttle to safely get up to speed in a gap between traffic. Since I'm not a morning person and it was a far walk to the car I often didn't let it warm up as much as I should (only maybe 30 seconds and then however long it took to get a gap in traffic).

Now I'm in town and I can drive like Gramma as long as I want, plus I pull out of the driveway and drive like 100 ft to a red light and wait for the green. I can start the car and let it warm up until I put my seatbelt on and plug my phone into the car stereo...kick off of fast idle and then go.

However lots of days the car is covered in thick ice and it runs for 10-15 minutes just to clear the ice faster while I'm running around inside getting my stuck together for work. Since I drive about 7-8 minutes in town to get to work at least it's getting up to temperature on these days. Otherwise it's just barely up to temperature when I arrive at work.
 
My opinion is that it depends on your driving conditions. My last place I lived before I moved into my girlfriend's house, I had to pull out onto a busy highway with traffic going 50-60mph or more....I had to use a lot of throttle to safely get up to speed in a gap between traffic. Since I'm not a morning person and it was a far walk to the car I often didn't let it warm up as much as I should (only maybe 30 seconds and then however long it took to get a gap in traffic).

Now I'm in town and I can drive like Gramma as long as I want, plus I pull out of the driveway and drive like 100 ft to a red light and wait for the green. I can start the car and let it warm up until I put my seatbelt on and plug my phone into the car stereo...kick off of fast idle and then go.

However lots of days the car is covered in thick ice and it runs for 10-15 minutes just to clear the ice faster while I'm running around inside getting my stuck together for work. Since I drive about 7-8 minutes in town to get to work at least it's getting up to temperature on these days. Otherwise it's just barely up to temperature when I arrive at work.

My engine also has piston slap when cold (only when it's below freezing). While idling you can hear it the first minute or so but if you take off right away it lasts for maybe 30 seconds and then it's gone. It's a 235k mile carbureted Chevy V8.
 
Originally Posted by 4WD
That's what mine do and I wait for the RPM drop … then take the long way around the block … listening to things briefly … then I find a radio selection etc … I don't punch it, but a mile later I'm doing 50 mph … It's 0w20 in Texas … why not …


Exactly what I do. It is also 0w20 Mobil 1 for my Tahoe in Miami Beach.
 
My mom's Freestar van 2005 3.8 pushrod V6 has a piston slap when cold. It only gets driven once a week or so, and we never get real cold here in Missouri. So I switched from 5W20 to 5W30 and the piston slap is gone.

It is a slow warm up and the thermostat is good. So I gets driven after about 20 seconds of idle. When I take it to Iowa, at the motel if it is frost free I pull out on the interstate after 1/2 mile and accelerate as gently as possible with safety to 70 MPH and set the cruise.

so far so good.

Rod
 
The bare minimum is to allow enough time for the oil to be flowing to all lubricated parts. Ten seconds should do it. After that its best to not romp on it until its a little warmed up.

I let the satellite radio sync up and then drive away.
 
For me even up here in Southern Ontario, I don't "warm up" the engine any more than a minute, usually that's the time it takes for me to remote start the car as I walk from my front door to my driveway. Like what Donald said, I'm more concerned about oil circulation than the engine temperature.

Personally, I think the idea of warming up an engine is the biggest myth next to the car colour affecting insurance premiums.
 
Frankly, I never really warm any car up for more than a minute or two.


My daily car (Celica GT) I warm up for 30 seconds or so. Maybe 2 minutes in the dead of winter. Then I just drive it gently, staying under 3000rpm until the temp gauge is at operating temp for 5 minutes or more.

For the Rx-7, I wait until the temp gauge starts to move (2 minutes) and then keep it under 3000rpm until fully warmed (just like the Celica).


FWIW, my theory on this is that the "warm up" period is only to get the oil flowing. Once that's done, the next concern is even heat distribution and expansion. The Rx-7 engine design suffers from uneven heat distribution during warm up. Once warmed, it's not an issue. But there is a reason that every piece of advice tells owners to warm up the engine before driving, or expect a short lifespan from it. The seals need to expand evenly, and as the engine relies on a design based on several plates of different metals (with different expansion rates) sandwiched tightly against one another, even expansion is a concern for longevity. I warm the car accordingly.

The Celica of course uses a conventional piston engine, but my thinking is that the same principle applies even though the consequences aren't as dire. Maybe it only means 420,000km instead of 410,000km, but I'm willing to go with it.
 
Originally Posted by billt460
I don't live in a cold climate. With both of my newer vehicles, they typically cold start in the garage at between 1,200 and 1,500 RPM. After about a minute or 2, they automatically drop down to 800 RPM or slightly less. I then begin driving. It isn't so much that I'm trying to "warm them up", although that is taking place as the RPM drops. It's because I don't like dropping the car into gear with the engine turning that fast.....


1-2 minutes seems like a long time for the drop from fast idle speed to normal idle....especially for newer cars. My last 3 daily drivers (1997,2001,2001) were 15+ years old and they always dropped to idle speed of 600-800 rpm within 15-30 seconds even at 10 deg F ambient. Back in the days of carbs, my 60's muscle cars would take up to 2-3 minutes of fast idle before they would come off fast idle.
 
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