Idle on a cold day

[Bgallagher]

The terrain I wait until it reaches 1k RPM. Usually takes about 15 seconds. After that I drive it normally. I am not a speed demon or jackrabbit throttle so I am not stressing it. The Equinox I warm up a few minutes when it is cold because I drive my son to daycare and don't want the car to be cold for him. He is 15 months.

Note: I do both of these for the warm and fuzzies, you don't need to do anything unless you have a super cold climate I feel.

 

[GenesisGuy70]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKALgXDwou4&t=18s

 

[skyactiv]

I start my car up and drive off. I drive gently and shift earlier than I normally do until its warmed up. I live less than 4 miles from work, so I'm not warming my car up for 5 minutes to drive it for 5 minutes. I park in the garage anyhow.

 

[GenaFishbeck]

Originally Posted By: JoelB
I was curious if people generally let their car idle on a cold day (lets say 5 degrees) or if they just get in and go. All the automotive articles say new cars don't need to be idled but I'm not sure they're as oil crazy as we all are here.

I personally will let my car idle at least till it idles down to 1250 rpm's which is about 30 seconds. But usually i wait another minute before i get going because it makes me feel warm and fuzzy.


Hi JoelB - It is a myth that your engine needs to sit and idle before driving your car on a cold winter day. Modern car engines will perform just fine as long as you are using the correct engine oil specification and viscosity grade that is recommended in your owner’s manual. While it does take longer for motor oil to pump in extreme cold temperatures, we are talking milliseconds, not minutes. Also, even though a large amount of the motor oil is resting in the oil pan, there are still droplets of motor oil that “cling” to metal surfaces inside your engine and can provide protection during the milliseconds that it takes to start your engine. Your engine will warm up the oil much faster by driving normally – not to mention idling wastes gas. If you make the switch to a full synthetic motor oil like Pennzoil Platinum in a SAE 0W-XX viscosity grade, your engine will be protected at temperatures down to -40F. Hope this helps! - The Pennzoil Team

 

[Lubener]

In my area, if you want to idle your car, you better be nearby. The police will issue tickets to anyone who leaves a vehicle running, unattended.

 

[GravelRoad]

My routine:

(Subaru) Cold start idle 1800 rpm.
Wait until coolant is min 100f and oil is min 70f (usually within 10 seconds of each other). Using my mounted Edge CTS monitor.
Quickly shift from park to neutral, rpms will drop to approx 780.
Put in drive and climb some long/steep hills as soon as I leave the driveway.
If temp is below freezing, warm-up to 100f coolant takes 3-4 minutes.

It would take a lot of hard data to convince me it's better for the engine/trans to start and slam it into drive at 1800 rpms. Then climb about a mile of steep/long hills.


Note: Will automatically drop to idle at 122f coolant temp.

 

[BrocLuno]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I always let mine idle until the temp gauge begins to move.

And reason for that is?


Because it's my car and I like to. And I want some heat in the turbo body before it gets blasted with 1,000* exhaust. And because I want the seats to warm up. And because we've been doing that in our family for close to 70 years (multiple generations) and you aint change us

Originally Posted By: Lubener
In my area, if you want to idle your car, you better be nearby. The police will issue tickets to anyone who leaves a vehicle running, unattended.


And you call the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia a nanny state ...

 

[Malo83]

I let my cars idle for about a minute and take off slowly, one thing I won't do is start it and go back inside, several cars have been stolen doing this

 

[mclasser]

Wow, another thread on this.

 

[69GTX]

I watched a 20 min UTube video yesterday showing a car being warmed up. The camera only showed the instrument panel which included time, water temp, oil temp, and oil viscosity which was pretty cool. What I saw surprised me. It took forever for the oil to warmup while the car sat at idle in the 800-1200 rpm range for 20 min. The sound was censored but the gauges told the story. Don't know where they placed the oil temp sensor as it could have been in the sump. Could have been an oil cooler on the car too.

The car started out with the oil and coolant temps at 40 deg...which I assume was 40 deg C. In any case, it took several minutes for the water temp to move from 40 deg C. After 20 minutes of low idle, the coolant temp was up to 89 deg C....yet the oil temp had barely increased to 45 deg C (113 deg F)....5 degrees in 20 minutes. And IIRC the oil was still at starting point of 40 deg after 10 minutes of idle. So much for idling to warm up your engine oil....not to mention extending the time your car is in the danger temperature/corrosion zone where the additive package is not yet fully functioning. Get in the car and drive it to put a 3,000-5,000 lb load on it...rather than only reciprocating weight of the engine and flywheel.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: JoelB
Is there a temperature point where all of you "I drive away right away" people change to idling for a bit? It's -7F out right now for example, 2 weeks ago we hit a low of -26F during the day.


Not really. If I were to be at work, in the parking lot, after working all day, and it's now dark and I wanna be home and having dinner... it's start and drive, baby.

Granted, I'm not going to hammer on it, but point is, unless if it's got a rough idle, I'm going to drive off.

It's only when I'm home and can easily run back inside, for any excuse (finish my coffee, grab my lunch, whatever), that I might idle for a few minutes.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: JoelB
Is there a temperature point where all of you "I drive away right away" people change to idling for a bit? It's -7F out right now for example, 2 weeks ago we hit a low of -26F during the day.

Have those people visit Minnesota for the winter, then they can tell us all about "driving away right away."

I would wager that the regular posters here that would "drive away right away" at -26 F could probably be counted on one hand, I wouldn't be one of them, unless someone were shooting at me or something.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: JoelB
Is there a temperature point where all of you "I drive away right away" people change to idling for a bit? It's -7F out right now for example, 2 weeks ago we hit a low of -26F during the day.

Have those people visit Minnesota for the winter, then they can tell us all about "driving away right away."

I would wager that the regular posters here that would "drive away right away" at -26 F could probably be counted on one hand, I wouldn't be one of them, unless someone were shooting at me or something.

90 or -45, I always wait to put belt, turn music on and that is it.
On other hand I do not go over 1700rpms first 7-8 miles.

 

[FCD]

Originally Posted By: 69GTX
I watched a 20 min UTube video yesterday showing a car being warmed up. The camera only showed the instrument panel which included time, water temp, oil temp, and oil viscosity which was pretty cool. What I saw surprised me. It took forever for the oil to warmup while the car sat at idle in the 800-1200 rpm range for 20 min. The sound was censored but the gauges told the story. Don't know where they placed the oil temp sensor as it could have been in the sump. Could have been an oil cooler on the car too.

The car started out with the oil and coolant temps at 40 deg...which I assume was 40 deg C. In any case, it took several minutes for the water temp to move from 40 deg C. After 20 minutes of low idle, the coolant temp was up to 89 deg C....yet the oil temp had barely increased to 45 deg C (113 deg F)....5 degrees in 20 minutes. And IIRC the oil was still at starting point of 40 deg after 10 minutes of idle. So much for idling to warm up your engine oil....not to mention extending the time your car is in the danger temperature/corrosion zone where the additive package is not yet fully functioning. Get in the car and drive it to put a 3,000-5,000 lb load on it...rather than only reciprocating weight of the engine and flywheel.


I'd love to see that, have a link to the vid?

 

[dave123]

Originally Posted By: BalticBob
Originally Posted By: Ihatetochangeoil
At this moment, it is 18 degrees outside and my car is warming up while I have a cup of coffee. I WANT to do whatever is necessary to maintain the car, but the car was designed, engineered and purchased for MY convenience, not the other way around.

I don't particularly care if I'm wasting 15 cents or whatever small amount of gasoline. I don't lkive in a cold house and don't like getting in a cold car.


+ 1

+1 heck go back in the house and finish the pot of coffee I'm in no rush 20min no big deal to me.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: 69GTX
I watched a 20 min UTube video yesterday showing a car being warmed up. The camera only showed the instrument panel which included time, water temp, oil temp, and oil viscosity which was pretty cool. What I saw surprised me. It took forever for the oil to warmup while the car sat at idle in the 800-1200 rpm range for 20 min. The sound was censored but the gauges told the story. Don't know where they placed the oil temp sensor as it could have been in the sump. Could have been an oil cooler on the car too.

The car started out with the oil and coolant temps at 40 deg...which I assume was 40 deg C. In any case, it took several minutes for the water temp to move from 40 deg C. After 20 minutes of low idle, the coolant temp was up to 89 deg C....yet the oil temp had barely increased to 45 deg C (113 deg F)....5 degrees in 20 minutes. And IIRC the oil was still at starting point of 40 deg after 10 minutes of idle. So much for idling to warm up your engine oil....not to mention extending the time your car is in the danger temperature/corrosion zone where the additive package is not yet fully functioning. Get in the car and drive it to put a 3,000-5,000 lb load on it...rather than only reciprocating weight of the engine and flywheel.


That is 40 degrees F. 40c is temperature where oil is well on its way to operating temperature. For example in normal city cycle oil temp. on my BMW is between 68-72c.
That is the problem, most people who idle (highly doubt those are people that are discussing here) think that when they warm up coolant by idling, they can just blast the car.
And if they drive turbo car, they come here and say:that Euro POS failed me.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: JoelB
Is there a temperature point where all of you "I drive away right away" people change to idling for a bit? It's -7F out right now for example, 2 weeks ago we hit a low of -26F during the day.

Have those people visit Minnesota for the winter, then they can tell us all about "driving away right away."

I would wager that the regular posters here that would "drive away right away" at -26 F could probably be counted on one hand, I wouldn't be one of them, unless someone were shooting at me or something.


So, you'd sit in the car while it was warming up?

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: roadrunner1
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I always let mine idle until the temp gauge begins to move.


In S Texas, really?


He's got to let that super thick 10W-40 thin out a little bit before trying to drive it, ya know.

 

[CourierDriver]

Now how many of us have blown engines by driving off at lets say 15 degrees F and the engine locked up ,,,none probably.......note: as we get older, we say and do and ask more ridiculous questions and this usually goes on till they take us to the Boot Hill,,,I do not charge for all this info...

 

[MobilinHyundia]

Best way to warm up engine is to start the engine wait about 10 sec and Redline it.
Keep gas pedal right on the floor till temp at Normal temperature.