So how much should lots of engine idle say in traffic or say engine warm up in cold winter months effect your OCI?
Engine idle effect on OCI
- Thread starter Camprunner
- Start date
- Status
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2013
- Messages
- 3,263
Excessive engine idling to warm up the car is useless. About 30 sec-1 min of warming up and gentle driving til the car reaches operating temp is all that's needed.
Lots of traffic idling is a criterion of the severe maintenance category if I'm not mistaken.
Lots of traffic idling is a criterion of the severe maintenance category if I'm not mistaken.
Last edited:
Idling can have a major effect on TBN. I was able to run Pennzoil Platinum down to about 1.5 TBN in my Buick with 6,000 miles but many hours of idling during the cold winter just sitting in my car on breaks at work and starting it to melt ice and going back inside.
Best things to watch for are using hour meters, tracking total fuel burned and actual mileage with a uoa to see how it's doing. Engine hours alone can be a huge factor.
Best things to watch for are using hour meters, tracking total fuel burned and actual mileage with a uoa to see how it's doing. Engine hours alone can be a huge factor.
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2014
- Messages
- 3,001
I think excessive idling is just tough on oil because the engine gets hot...yes the fans will keep the temperature regulated, but there just isn't enough air flow going around the sump, etc, in my opinion. Plus at idle the oil pressure is at it's lowest, not sure if that has anything to do with anything, but I'd think you'd want that pressure to NOT stay at one single pressure for a prolonged period of time.
Last edited:
Many cars these days have the sump completely shrouded from airflow so it seems likely that air across the engine is not required for them to maintain appropriate temps.
Been shown time and again by police, fire, etc., that in a properly running engine idling doesn't do much of anything. Little wear, little stress, nuttin...
Been shown time and again by police, fire, etc., that in a properly running engine idling doesn't do much of anything. Little wear, little stress, nuttin...
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Many cars these days have the sump completely shrouded from airflow so it seems likely that air across the engine is not required for them to maintain appropriate temps.
Depends on the engine, some have ribs for extra cooling capacity on the sump.
Many cars these days have the sump completely shrouded from airflow so it seems likely that air across the engine is not required for them to maintain appropriate temps.
Depends on the engine, some have ribs for extra cooling capacity on the sump.
I used to change oil at about 250 hrs when delivering. That would be 3-4k miles, same car not used for delivery has about 110 hrs right now at 4200 mi.
So I figures 250hrs of 80% city was close to equal in my situation of 8-10k mi. of 75% highway. Jmo
So I figures 250hrs of 80% city was close to equal in my situation of 8-10k mi. of 75% highway. Jmo
- Status
