How many miles is a cold start equal too?

[Patman]

quote:

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Originally posted by Matt89:

Any part of a car can be bought, as long as there's still a body to bolt it too. If you love it enough to drive forever, you'll be willing to drop a few bucks for a new Transmission, engine rebuild etc. This is not rocket science...

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Exactly, if someone picks a car they truly love and have no problems driving it forever, or close to it, then they also don't mind spending a few bucks keeping it maintained. If you don't mind going to the mechanic every once in a while, it is always going to be cheaper to fix up your existing paid off vehicle than it would be to buy a brand new one. And if you keep the body in good shape it can still look like it's in new condition too. You can always have the option of repainting it as well, you could get an incredible paint job for $3000, and still come out ahead compared to the cost of a new car.

If you own a car which has any kind of club associated with it, such as I am a part of the Toronto f-body club, you also have the option of getting the other members of the club to help you out. In my case, the members of my club often give each other spare parts they've got lying around, and also lend a hand with repairs or modifications.

 

[Matt89]

Right on, Patman...

Definitely don't want to neglect stuff just because it can be replaced...but it's amazing how much cheaper it is to go as far as to put in a new engine compared to buying a new car.

My 5 year old Chevy is getting clunky and the itch came up recently to trade for something else. SO this weekend I changed the serpentine belt, air filter and PCV valve and I'm feelin' the love again.

These days I'm thinking a little "over maintenance" might not be such a bad thing if it keeps the affair going!

 

[Patman]

My big plan is to get a C5 Corvette, as everyone knows, but if for some reason I can't get one, I will hang onto my 95 Firebird Formula and just keep replacing things as it needs it and drive it for many many years. So far the car hasn't been too costly to maintain at all, just routine stuff for the most part. The water pump went out on it last winter but since then I haven't had to spend any money on it. (I did put on an aftermarket exhaust although the original one only had a minor leak that could've been easily fixed)

The car has 98,100 miles on it now and honestly doesn't feel like it. The engine is as strong as ever, if not stronger. In fact my car when bone stock ran quicker ETs in the quarter mile than many of the mildly modified cars in my club! (best bone stock time was 13.74 at 100mph, best time now with the new exhaust is 13.68 at 100.4, although I know with more track time I can shave another tenth off that time easily)

 

[heyjay]

After looking after the drivetrain (Proper synthetic oils, carefully considered OCI's, etc) the next thing to go is the body.

Folks who don't live in The Rust Belt take it for granted a car body will outlive the drivetrain. Where I live, the roads have a liberal sprinkling of salt all winter long.

If you do nothing extra, the body is gone in 10 years, sometimes much less. I notice that Damiler-Chrysler or "Dodge" only offers a 3 year corrosion warranty.

My first brand new vehicle, a 1980 Toyota pickup truck, was heavily rusted by 1984. I sold the rustbucket (Motor was perfect) and ordered a 1984 Ford F-150.

Took it to my local Rust Check and have sprayed it every fall since. Though I stopped driving it in winter in 1997 so I stopped the Rust Check.

Look at my 1984 Ford and although it needs a paint job (All faded and a few scratches)the frame and underneath looks like the day it rolled off the Windsor Assembly Line.

I'm envious of those folks who NEVER have to worry about rusted out cars or extreme cold temps. Seems you have to spend 10x the effort and at least 4x the cost to keep something forever up here.

That yearly rustcheck used to cost $75 now it costs $125. Is it worth it?? Well, if you want it to last forever ...

Jerry

 

[TC]

If a well-maintained engine should last 150K+ miles, and if Elf Oil's claim that 20-30% of engine wear occurs during warm-up is accurate (thanks for that statistic, Yannis), then wouldn't cumulative cold start wear be equivalent to tens of thousands of "warmed up" driving miles? Sounds wild enough that I can't help think I'm missing something...

 

[JohnBrowning]

The book makes you think about how you use your vechile! That alone is far beyound the thought most people ever devote to their car!

 

[TallPaul]

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Originally posted by JohnBrowning:
The book makes you think about how you use your vechile! That alone is far beyound the thought most people ever devote to their car!

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It definitely is a worthwhile read. Lot's of good tips. Any of us can take what we like from it and ignore the rest (like me, not worried about conserving steering linkage wear). Not sure, but I think this is the book that mentioned how bad cold engine shutdowns are too.

 

[Matt89]

TallPaul;

Concur on not wanted to be like Sikorski. If he's worried about wearing out his steering linkage by going into a parking lot, he's probably under low grade stress 24x7, which plaques up your arteries and kills you.

Any part of a car can be bought, as long as there's still a body to bolt it too. If you love it enough to drive forever, you'll be willing to drop a few bucks for a new Transmission, engine rebuild etc. This is not rocket science...

 

[Silverado]

Anyone notice the similarities between the Taxi Cab thread and this one?

That, and the fact that there arent any ready avaialbe pre-lubing systems available make me think that cold starts have an extremely large effect on an engine.

Could simply disconnecting the fuel pump relay on a F.I. car (and turning engine over prior to starting) fix the whole issue? One could simply wire a switch into the cab and have an effective pre-lube by simply letting the starter turn everything over.

 

[Titanium_Alloy]

Hi, I found this table in one article related to cold engine starts and how to reduce wear (by using an additive from the company which supplied the study). Since this was not an independent lab results I can't guarantee the correctness of information. It seems pretty trustworthy.

Values are listed for one start, considering that engine, coolant, and oil temperatures are the same as environment.

code:

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Temperature Equivalent Mileage

+20C 50km (about 35 miles)

0C (32F) 80km (about 50 miles)

-20C 150km (about 93 miles)

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Oil was regular non-synthetic oil. Viscosity was not listed but I believe it was 10w30 or 10w-40.

With synthetic 5w30 I suppose wear would be much less. I think it will protect at least 3 to 5 times better. 10w30 synthetic would provide protection very close to 5w30 since both flow very well until about -25C. Below -25C synthetic 5w30 would definitely provide advantage over 10w30.

Regards,

 

[JohnnyG]

I think it is more like Steve Martin in the movie "The Man with Two Brains". The first one, at -20 felt like 600, but the second one, at -40 only felt like 200 because the engine was still warm and in the garage. Now the third one was really like 400 miles because....

 

[Schmoe]

quote:

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Originally posted by DavoNF:
Yes, a pre-oiler would save a lot of start-up wear. I've got a better idea.

We need a little electronic gizmo that would prevent the car from starting on the first key-turn. So you you crank it up, get the oil pressure up, release the key to start on the next turn. Any venture capitalists out there?

Dave

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Ford's already do that. Trucks model 96 and up, you floor it, leave your foot on the gas, turn the engine over, it won't crank. Let off the accelerator, viola, engine cranks.

 

[Patman]

quote:

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Originally posted by JohnnyG:
I think it is more like Steve Martin in the movie "The Man with Two Brains". The first one, at -20 felt like 600, but the second one, at -40 only felt like 200 because the engine was still warm and in the garage. Now the third one was really like 400 miles because....

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Actually it was "The Jerk" where Steve Martin talked like that. Great movie!

 

[JohnnyG]

Yeah, "The Jerk", how could I forget?

 

[eflat]

How about this thingy -- AutoEngineLube -- $179.95
or MasterLube

 

[Gary]

quote:

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quote:

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oil goes in under pressure, pressurizing air cushon above.

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Then, when you want to start your car, you open the solenoid first, start it, then close the solenoid again when oil press. light goes out.

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Good. That's exactly how the available pre-oilers work, I think. They cycle the valves automatically though. Pre-Luber ? Without looking it up, isn't that the name of one ?

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http://accusump.com/acc_tech_how.html Better than the Pre-Luber.

 

[therion]

quote:

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Originally posted by eflat:
How about this thingy -- AutoEngineLube -- $179.95
or MasterLube

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I just talked to one of the owners of MasterLube, he was very nice and he said these units are lifetime guaranteed. His kits come with a pressure guage that can be remote mounted inside your car, and can be installed either on the Senderunit or any other pressurized fitting (the bigger the fitting the faster to pressure buildup). I will definatly put this on list to buy