engine care when cold

[chevytherealdeal]

was wondering what kind of RPM barrier I should have as far as how high I rev at acceleration when its very cold out around 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Dont want to put premature damage to my engine. Thanks

Truck is 02 Silverado 5.3 140,000 mi running Mobil 1 5w30 hm

 

[chevytherealdeal]

I always let the temp gauge come off 160 before driving but in these cold temps that takes 5 minutes or more and then even when I take off it revs higher before shifting to second and third gears

 

[horse123]

What's your redline?

Mine is I think 6500rpm. I don't go above 3000 until the cold engine light goes off (~40c), try not to go above 3500 for another few minutes, and then not above 4000 until the engine is completely warm.


Although when it gets well below freezing I just drive as lightly as possible until the air from the vents is hot enough to start burning my hands. Which is usually around operating temp.

 

[Chris B.]

I just let the car idle for 30 seconds to a minute and drive off. I also use Mobil 1 and my UOA wear is always low. It was -25 a couple weeks ago and the car fired right up and drove off fine. Mobile 1 0w20 in my Accord and 5w30 in my Sierra.

 

[chevytherealdeal]

My truck doesn't have redline but the tac stops at 6000 rpm

 

[qdeezie]

The main thing is don't drive it like you stole it until the engine is at the normal operating temperature.

Last vehicle I got rid of had 359k on it and still ran like new, so I must've done something right.

 

[chevytherealdeal]

Thanks for the tips

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: chevytherealdeal
My truck doesn't have redline but the tac stops at 6000 rpm


I suspect that if you tried you'd find the rev limiter.
I stay below 3000 revs until the engine warms up, even at much warmer ambients.
On below zero mornings, I'll let the car idle for maybe ten minutes before driving off. We had -10F on my thermometer last Thursday.
This is more for my comfort that the car's, since after ten minutes there is at least some heater output.
You may notice strange behavior with an automatic and stiff shifting with a stick until things warm up a bit.

 

[ironman_gq]

Trucks are usually somewhere between 5-5600RPM redline electronically limited. I drive a diesel and I usually let it idle for 2-3 minutes and drive gently till the coolant temp is above 160. For most vehicles, let it idle long enough to get the oil moving and some heat in the pistons and then drive gently till the engine is up to temp, my truck rarely hits thermostat opening temp unless it has a load on it when the air temp is below 0F.

 

[MNgopher]

The basic advice is the same as always, drive it normally until its up to temp, then have at it if needed.

It was -20F at my home this morning. Started the truck, let it idle for about 30 seconds, then away we went. For me, normal driving keeps the RPM's under 3,000 and it works fine.

 

[EdwardC]

I don't have a low rpm limit while warming up, I basically just keep the RPMs as low as possible (while keeping with traffic) until its warmed up. That pretty just means slow acceleration.

Obviously if it comes down to flooring it to get out of the way of an overturned semi truck, I'm going to do it, no matter how cold the engine is...

 

[d00df00d]

My rule is to stay under half redline and half throttle until the engine is warm.

My car has a moving redline indicator (lower when cold), so I calculate accordingly.

I also make sure the heater is off until the engine is at operating temp. Luckily, the engine seems to warm up really, really quickly. Fringe benefit of a small engine with hideously bad thermal efficiency, I guess...

 

[Oil Changer]

Stupid post. Stupid question. I want my minute back.

 

[GenesisGuy70]

 

[ThirdeYe]

Just drive it as you normally would. It'll be fine.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Throt

Yup and previous advice was also to not lug it or just expect too much from things.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe
Just drive it as you normally would. It'll be fine.

If I did this, I'd destroy the engine within a year...

But yes, given that most people drive very moderately, this is decent advice.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
My car has a moving redline indicator (lower when cold), so I calculate accordingly.


Do all of Mazda's performance models have this feature, or just the rotaries?

I also leave the heater off so as not to pull any heat from the engine/oil.

 

[mjoekingz28]

I tried driving away as soon as it was started in a couple of my old vehicles.

Im the Saturn it would feel like it was flooded and smoke if i tried to drive off too soon, even in the summer with 5w30.i did this a few times.

On my YSR with a XR100 motor, i tried push starting it on the track one day in cool weather, re: 50ish. I gave it decent throttle from the go and it protested.....i only did this once.


I used to think i could run the snot out of them if I kept them maintained to a higher level, like with my streetbikes. They were carbbed so you HAD to warm them up properly before driving away.


Now, i baby em when cold and keep them well maintained, but try to use discretion when it comes time to git in it.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
My car has a moving redline indicator (lower when cold), so I calculate accordingly.


Do all of Mazda's performance models have this feature, or just the rotaries?

Not sure. All I know is that all RX-8s have it.


Originally Posted By: dailydriver
I also leave the heater off so as not to pull any heat from the engine/oil.