Can you leave the engine running the whole long trip? Even to gas up?

[c502cid]

When it's cold out and I'm fueling anything I get back in the car while it's pumping. There is static electricity from getting out of the car while fueling. I was always taught to touch the striker on the door frame on the way out of the car to eliminate that. Now I'm trying to remember who taught me that!

 

[andrew_j]

In our locale some stickler attendants will stop pumps if you don’t stand next to fuel pump and jump back into car to wait for fill up.

Not sure why leave it running . In a lapse of something you might leave in gear getting out and cause a bad day for someone else.

 

[vavavroom]

A car with the engine running is a potential source of ignition with its electrical components and with its 500 to 800 degree hot exhaust system. As someone who has experienced an electrical fire in an engine bay I am extra careful and I would not leave the engine running unattended without a real good reason.

Some people have brought up theft as a risk if you leave the engine. I suppose it depends on the design but, for example, I can remove the electronic key and take it with me. Even with the engine running the car can't be driven without the e-key.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Better not start your car with that sparky starter after you fuel up or - BOOM !

 

[SwampSurvivor]

yeah, but he's listing a 2001 F350... just thought that would be the mostly likely head gasket blower... on second thought that would have still been a 7.3 though..which weren't notorious for blowing head gaskets.

Thanks to 19 years od

yeah, but he's listing a 2001 F350... just thought that would be the mostly likely head gasket blower... on second thought that would have still been a 7.3 though..which weren't notorious for blowing head gaskets.

Due to 19 years of salt , the head corroded at the back corner of the engine. Right where an oil passage is. Ran great, no overheating ... it just leaked oil. Badly.

If I wasn't worried about it catching on fire, I wouldn't have done anything about it.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Rubber tires contain a large amount of carbon (~22% which is why they are black), and are not insulating the car from ground. The positive charge is generated on you as you slide out of the seat, and discharged to the negatively charged car when you reach for it again.

But tire material are dissipative not conductive. Likely with an impedance over 100Kohms/sq. There exist an ASTM and an ISO measurement procedure. I have not read if there is a max impedance requirement.

A car fuselage travelling at speed in a low humidity environment will generate a charge on the surface. Waxing the paint will likely increase this propensity
- Ken

 

[MSCH]

Thanks to 19 years od

Due to 19 years of salt , the head corroded at the back corner of the engine. Right where an oil passage is. Ran great, no overheating ... it just leaked oil. Badly.

If I wasn't worried about it catching on fire, I wouldn't have done anything about it.

my brother lives in Michigan on a dirt road.
he had an Excursion with the 7.3 powerstroke and the oil pan rusted out.
I feel you

 

[TiGeo]

I'm shocked folks think that fuelling a gasoline vehicle "hot" is safe. This isn't a controversial safety topic. I have a buddy that was trying to do this at Costco and they would get him to turn it off. In the mining industry you can't fuel diesel equipment/vehicles while they are running and there the risk is v. low vs. a gas vehicle. Turn your vehicle off, follow the rules, don't put everyone else at the gas station at risk. I don't know many safety rules/regs/polices that aren't "written in blood"...people don't just make this crap up.

 

[edyvw]

Technically you can. You shouldn’t, but you can.
When I was prt of testing crew for oil company we regularly did 10,000km tests without shutting off vehicles. But, those were rotating drivers, other vehicles so no one can steal a car, etc. etc.
So, yeah, you can do it. Can’t wrap my mind why?

 

[Hall]

I've only read the first page of this thread.... sorry, my eyes hurt from rolling back. You're even estimating how long it will take to pee, maybe grab a snack, and the flow rate of gas pumps ?

Your reasoning for wanting to leave the car running is primarily to avoid "extra" wear ? Do you ever drive home from work, stop for fuel, and then go to a store ? That's (3) starts - or (2) extra starts - during that trip home.

 

[Luftmasse]

I've lived in NJ for a few years. I actually pump my own gas although it is illegal. I usually pump at same station, and they are ok with it.

 

[Deleted member 89374]

@Slow Car Sport Mode I'm going to do my best to explain this to you as if you were a five-year-old:

You know how when we play with our toys too much, they can break or wear out? The same thing can happen to a car if we leave it running for a very long time, even when we're not using it. It's like leaving your toys on all the time, they'll wear out quicker and might stop working.

Now, imagine we're on a long road trip and we stop to fill up the car with fuel. It's like getting a drink when we're thirsty. But if we leave the car running while we're getting fuel, it can be dangerous, kind of like trying to drink while we're still running around. It can lead to spills or even worse, like a fire. That's why the people at the gas station ask us to turn off the car while filling up.

Leaving the car running when we're not using it also uses up more fuel, kind of like how leaving the lights on in a room we're not in uses up electricity. And in some places, leaving a car running when you're not using it is against the rules, just like how we have rules at home and at school.

Also, just like how we should keep our room clean and not litter to help the planet, leaving the car running when we don't need to can make the air dirtier.

Finally, cars have a special system (the EVAP system) that captures bad gases from the fuel and burns them off when the car is running. But leaving the car running when it's not needed might cause this system to have problems.

So, it's like our toys or our games, we should turn them off when we're not using them. It's safer, it helps our toys last longer, and it's better for everyone. The same goes for cars. We should turn them off when we're not driving them.

 

[heavy260]

I'm shocked folks think that fuelling a gasoline vehicle "hot" is safe. This isn't a controversial safety topic. I have a buddy that was trying to do this at Costco and they would get him to turn it off. In the mining industry you can't fuel diesel equipment/vehicles while they are running and there the risk is v. low vs. a gas vehicle. Turn your vehicle off, follow the rules, don't put everyone else at the gas station at risk. I don't know many safety rules/regs/polices that aren't "written in blood"...people don't just make this crap up.

I can state for a fact that nobody in my area follows MSHA for fueling equipment, especially in winter. You should shut down while fueling to be compliant but nobody does. Throw the nozzle in the hole and head back to the cab where its warm. This rule is not brought up during orientation or MSHA yearly refresher. Ain’t nobody got time for that rule. This rule also applies to gas powered equipment ie pickups and lawnmowers.

Heavy equipment and industrial maintenance at a mine.

I should do an AMA thread some day. Heads would explode.

 

[LDB]

My truck will idle about 11 hours today, same as yesterday, probably 12-13hrs tomorrow. What's the big deal?

I wish I was that rich.

 

[AutoMechanic]

I would shut it off. I’ve sat in a car while it was running and someone was refueling. Even being a child it was a weird feeling and being in the seat right above the gas tank too. I mean the multiple times my dad done it because we couldn’t get a new battery right then, it never blew up but it’s very dangerous. If I remember correctly as he was pumping the gas it got louder for a bit. It was already loud but it really revved when he was pumping gas with the engine running. No point in risking it. Just do the smart thing.

 

[Hall]

The same thing can happen to a car if we leave it running for a very long time, even when we're not using it. It's like leaving your toys on all the time, they'll wear out quicker and might stop working.

No, just no. While I'm not suggesting the OP leave it running (his reasons are illogical), leaving it running for 5-10 minutes extra time over the course of an X-hour road trip is inconsequential.

 

[dishdude]

This thread reminds me of engineer20 getting banned from the Toyota dealer because he didn't want them to turn the car off and cause excess wear on the starter by having to restart it. A BITOG classic!

2003 Toyota Camry Suspension Issues

Originally Posted By: engineer20 what's an SAE size for a hex that might work for a 5 mm or 5.5 mm hex bit/allen key? thanks. You shouldn't try that, it will just strip your hex bit and allen key after a few try. Camry shouldn't be SAE size anyways.

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[Slow Car Sport Mode]

It seems like there perhaps isn't any harm in shutting off the car.

Reading a lot of the responses in this thread.... I seem to discover that this "worked" when I had the vehicle that did the same as Samcrac's Ferrari 360. It had an ECU issue, and it ran perfectly on initial start and ran very well.. but you shut it off, even for a second, and it won't start back up. Complete randomness. So, I discovered in that car that was with me for a whole year and a half, acquired early 2021, used pretty much all summer long and dispensed late-summer 2022 after nothing but problems all 2022.. that, yeah, I could make my 12 to 14-ish hour trips with the method I described. Some pumps "click off" some don't I believe they sense the vapor pressure coming out of the tank etc. Only two posts poking about me as a poster (different approaches) and I'm impressed. The question was posted as to if it was possible, many replies are if it is a good idea.

That is how this all came about. "Starter wear" has been postulated, even a thought posed by me... but, well, that IS what it is there for. Though @Hall also correctly pointed out: (would be "per fill up")

No, just no. While I'm not suggesting the OP leave it running (his reasons are illogical), leaving it running for 5-10 minutes extra time over the course of an X-hour road trip is inconsequential.

We see from not only New Jerseyians but also many how they pump their own gas anyway, as do I. (Most of the time with a card but not always.) And how many discovered that they "can" gas up with it running.

Since it seems like the loose little starter wire that gave me a scare once (no crank no start) has been sufficiently corrected, maybe I'll actually shut the engine off in the normal manner. It doesn't even have a rattle when you start it up. It sounds normal. Progress.

 

[chris719]

New Jersey is the only state where it is illegal to pump your own gas. An attendant will fill up your car just like in the old days. I doubt seriously that the pump jockey is going to allow you to leave the engine running during the fill-up

I live in NJ and probably less than half of the population turns their engine off at gas stations. I leave it running if I use the station that’s 500 feet from my office in the winter. I’ve never seen anyone asked to cut the engine. I typically shut it off to be courteous to the attendant who has to breathe exhaust all day.

With that said, OP should just shut the car off.

 

[chris719]

Oregon, too. Though exceptions are made for small towns.

You‘re correct that the attendants know the law and will ask you to shut off your vehicle.

I’ve lived in NJ for over 15 years now. Never seen anyone asked to shut a car off and observe that at least half of the state doesn’t turn the car off when getting gas. Almost everyone leaves it running in the winter or 100 F days. Never seen a fire from this practice in my life. You’re 1000x more likely to start a fire from electrostatic discharge, which is not any more likely to occur to a running vehicle.