How long do you warm your car up?

Status
Not open for further replies.
On my Nissan the Temp gauge barely registers when fast idle gets down to about 900-1000 rpm, at this point I feel safe enough to drop it into gear and drive off gentle.

I idle and drive off with heater OFF and drivers window open to stop fogging. This greatly speeds up heating of the engine, once engine heated the heater warms up cab extremly fast. In extreme -30 to -45 starts I idle with no heater on but turn heater on before driving off gentle to introduce heat gentle so I wont crack windshield or dash.

In summer I use the heater to cool down engine/turbo in my Dodge Cummins, in winter the heater will slow the early stages of cold startup/driveoff.

Cyprs
 
The current belief is that in warm weather you don't have to warm a engine for long (maybe 30 seconds max) but in cold weather I like to run the engine longer when it is first started up in the morning or if the car has been sitting for a long time in the cold. Plus I like using synthetic oil in the wintertime.
 
I start down to -20C without plugging in. Not plugged in, I get in, start, and drive away but I am careful to keep revs down and go easy on the acceleration. I don't believe in wasting gas while it sits in the driveway. In my one vehicle with a remote starter, the battery died in the remote and I can't be bothered to replace it.

If I plug in, I may start it before I unplug, and the rest the same after that.

But I'm also careful about the low temp properties of the oil I use.
 
I've got 3 vehicles, all automatics. In one, the idle won't settle below 1k rpm's for at least 2-3 minutes on cold Colorado mornings, I refuse to put the transmission in gear until the rpm's drop below that, I've heard it's not good.

2nd automatic - cummins diesel, gets plugged in anytime it's below 30F, start her up, wait about a minute and go.

3rd automatic - tacoma, don't know how it reacts in the cold yet, just bought it.
 
Until it gets to -10 or so I start it, open the garage door, pull out (it's always backed in), close the garage door, put my seat belt on, adjust the radio, then pull down the driveway.

If it's below -10 or so I might start it, open the door, let it warm for a minute or two, then pull out.

I always drive easy for the first few miles no matter what the temps.
 
In the morning: I start it, pull out the garage. Once the garage door and lighter pop out I'm gone.

In the evening: I start it wait 15-30 seconds and leave. Longer if there's ice or snow. If it's really cold 20F or less, I'll let it run for 10 minutes so I can get some heat.
 
I only wait 10-20 secones before backing it from my garage.
On the cold days, I makes sure not to step on the gas very much until everything loosens up. The 89 Chev Cavelier I purchased in 1991 that I put 209k on, was NEVER garaged, during the winter, I would crank it up and drive. Never waieted for the engine to warm up, never had an engine problem with it. Not that the oil had anything to do with it, but I only used Valvolin Max-Life in it.
 
***no edit feature*** AT 209K I gave the Chev Cavelier to charity...so happens I knew the guy who got it, he put another 30k on the car and it finally croked... Not sure how he drove it or treated it though.... I'd be willing to be if I had kept it, I could have put another 100k on it.
 
Woth modern fuel injection, warming your car up is not needed, and it does more harm than good. My manual says quitw "as soon as you start the car, you should be ready to go" "Under extreme low temprature, the engine should be idled for no more than 15-30 seconds"
 
30F is about as cold as it gets here in a typical winter. I gently drive off as soon as I see oil pressure, 1 or 2 seconds, whether it was in the garage or outside.
 
A good tip for cold is to back your car into it's spot during cold weather. That way you can pull right out without running the trans through R and D etc, just drop it in and go. For really cold in manuals that have a stiff or nearly impossible 1>2 shift, I leave it in 2nd gear and pull out in 2nd so the stiff shifter does not have to move and the 1>2 crunch is abated. I can drive pertty far until I have to disengage and the trans is easier to shift then.
 
My driveway is directly next to my house, and thus I worry slightly about exhaust making its way into the house, even if the doors and windows are closed.

I dont believe in letting it idle to warm up, just idle enough to get off of fast idle, etc., and then ALWAYS drive gently until it is up to temp, whether summer or winter.

What i do is start the car, and in 5 seconds or so, back it up about 20 feet so that it is away from the house. I then take my sweet time to put on the seat belt, turn on the radio, etc., which lets it drop from fast idle, usually... I then just drive gently until it heats up, as much as possible... I dont turn on the heat for the car until the needle is at least halfway too, so it can heat faster.

JMH
 
My nissan manual says "allow the engine to idle for at least 30 sec. after starting. Do not race engine while warming it up. Drive at moderate speed for short distance first, especially in cold weather. In cold weather, keep the engine running for a min. of 2-3 minutes before shutting it off. Starting and stopping the engine over a short period of time may make the vehicle more difficult to start."

I always let the engine idle for about 30 seconds before driving off. In 40 F below, i allow 2 min. or more depending on how cold it gets.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
Why would you ever want to run 10W-30 over 5W-30?
5 6 7
Replies
131
Views
12K
Faawrenchbndr
N
How fast does engine oil flow after cold start?
Replies
12
Views
1K
facility1
A
Cars always have moisture from short drives, should I change oil often?
Replies
19
Views
975
joekingcorvette
D
Jalopnik Tells You How to Determine if Your Oil is Bad.
2
Replies
23
Views
2K
Pablo
O
Making the switch to 5W40 from 5W30
Replies
9
Views
1K
ChrisD46
Back
Top Bottom