Civic Short trip question

[randomhero439]

I primarily use my Civic for pizza delivery and short trips to the store and around town. It sees a couple 25 mile highway trips about once a week.

Lately with the single digit temperatures my coolant temp gauge hardly ever reaches operation temp on these short 2-4 mile trips. For example, tonight while working pizzas i took numerous deliveries with the car never reaching operating temp and constantly turning the car on and off. I have the heater on max with the fans blowing full speed, but if i turn it to a lower fan speed the car heats up quickly. I understand the reasoning for this.

My question is, since i have the fans on full blast causing the coolant to stay at a reduced temperature... does this mean my oil never gets up to temp? Is this causing excess fuel dilution? Is this the perfect scenario for tons of cold start wear? Does the weekly highway trip of 25+ miles burn off the contaminants in the oil?

For extra info, I recently swtiched the car to synthetic and im slowly building up to the 10k OCI specified in the owners . With the current fill im gonna change it at 5k/6 months, then 7.5k, then 10k. I would also like to add that this engine is mega-easy on oil.

 

[JHZR2]

The only way to really tell is to pull a used oil analysis. Youll see fuel and excess wear or not. Anything else is speculation really. An 02 civic should have a heated O2 that gets to closed loop pretty quick and acccounts for this stuff somewhat.

It probably wouldnt hurt you to take it on a long trip now and again.

 

[randomhero439]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
The only way to really tell is to pull a used oil analysis. Youll see fuel and excess wear or not. Anything else is speculation really. An 02 civic should have a heated O2 that gets to closed loop pretty quick and acccounts for this stuff somewhat.

It probably wouldnt hurt you to take it on a long trip now and again.


You think a used oil analysis is worth it at 5k? Ive seen a few of these cars do 10k on synthetic with still a 2-3 TBN with only a 1qt of makeup oil. Small sump at 3.7qt.

 

[gathermewool]

With the weekly 25-mile highway trips, combined with your choice of oil and filter, I'd pull a sample at 7,500 miles and see how it's doing.

You may have a small sump, but it's appropriate for the engine displacement and output, so I wouldn't let that worry you.

If you're really worried about all of the short trips (I wouldn't be,) then consider bundling up and keeping the fan at a lower setting. I have a short, 6.3 mile commute to work, and I never turn the heat on (even tonight when it was 15F on my way home) unless the windows begin to fog. With that said, the time I spend in my car is short, so if you want to stay warm all through your shift, then keep the fan on high and worry not.

Finally, if you normally drive at or just below the speed limit during your highway stints, then consider doing 5 over the limit to not only get the oil up to temp, but also to clear out the gunk in the PCV tubing. My car always seems to run a lot better after a long highway trip that directly follows a week or so of my short commuting.

 

[surfstar]

Grill block. Keep that heat in when you need it.

 

[BobsArmory]

Originally Posted By: surfstar
Grill block. Keep that heat in when you need it.


Yep, you could do it the Hillbilly way and stick a piece of cardboard (pizza box) between the grill and radiator BUT don't forget to remove it when the temps start to rise.

 

[XJay]

Check your thermostat. It happened to me, the thermostat stuck open.

 

[Gotch]

Originally Posted By: surfstar
Grill block. Keep that heat in when you need it.


+1 on this...

 

[GSCJR]

Replace your stat.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: GSCJR
Replace your stat.


I had my Focus looked at for that reason ... the little 4s burn so little gas that they just don't make a lot of heat. My Focus barely gets warm on the cold days driving to work. I only burn 1/3 gallon of gas (slightly less, actually). Right now, it will run AT 180F (the thermostat setting) on coldish days.

When I did something similar (traveling around the city for work), I taped of the grilles on my Focus. Did make a lot of difference in engine coming up to temperature, keeping temperature and heat.

What I noticed was blocking off my lower grille helped it come up to temperature, but not keeping temperature when off. All of the engine heat would escape out of the upper grille. So I blocked off the upper too.

However, that works EXCELLENT for short trips. On the highway, I have to unblock a portion, otherwise it will heat up too much driving down the highway. About 100C - which ISN"T an overheat, but the temperature was steadily going up. Gotta be careful.

 

[crazyoildude]

i would not use the cardboard putting in a quality thermostat is a good idea but its cold out sometimes in two miles they dont warm up fully

 

[randomhero439]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Originally Posted By: GSCJR
Replace your stat.


I had my Focus looked at for that reason ... the little 4s burn so little gas that they just don't make a lot of heat. My Focus barely gets warm on the cold days driving to work. I only burn 1/3 gallon of gas (slightly less, actually).


I think thats the issue exactly. Its a midget 1.7L with no EGR. I guess ill just deal with it. Its a high-mileage Civic, no big deal

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: randomhero439
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
The only way to really tell is to pull a used oil analysis. Youll see fuel and excess wear or not. Anything else is speculation really. An 02 civic should have a heated O2 that gets to closed loop pretty quick and acccounts for this stuff somewhat.

It probably wouldnt hurt you to take it on a long trip now and again.


You think a used oil analysis is worth it at 5k? Ive seen a few of these cars do 10k on synthetic with still a 2-3 TBN with only a 1qt of makeup oil. Small sump at 3.7qt.


I think its a good basis point because you know it is a relatively safe interval. If it were my car, Id do this in a few steps, like 5000, 7500, 10k. If TBN is retained well, and no fuel, Id go with it.

But I wouldnt extrapolate, as the acid titration of TBN may not be linear.