Is idling hard on motor oil? If so - then why?

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Craig in Canada

Those referencing ambulances and other emergency response vehicles. I'd be pretty certain that specialized industrial engines like those in fire trucks are probably made to oil properly at idle, and probably have larger cooling systems meant to operate at idle. The same is probably true of any equipment that uses the main engine to drive hydraulic systems like bucket-lifts - the engineers know how they're going to be used and it's part of the design. I wouldn't even be surprised if police interceptors, or perhaps the entire model line they're based on, wouldn't have higher volume or higher speed oil pumps to deliver more oil volume/pressure at idle.



Ambulances (the Ford ones anyways) get the same engines as the Super Duty trucks.

The Crown Vic PI version has a factory oil cooler. Similar to those found on various Ford truck and SUV models. The oil pump is the same found in the rest of the Ford modular family.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: ekpolk

And here's what mine looks like as installed in my Camry Hybrid. There are hundreds of parameters you can choose to display, and obviously thousands of combined possibilities. You can also read diagnostic codes (though I have yet to see one -- knock on wood).


Does scangauge read oil temperature ? This is the one parameter I'm interested the most since I'm running thinner oils. I may get one if it does, to use in 2004 Honda S2000 and/or 2000 MB E430.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Quote:
BTW you will also save allot of money by not changing out your window regulators as you won't be playing with your windows every time you get into your car.


Over the last 30 years I've owned cars, pickups and SUV's with power windows. I rarely use the AC-the windows are almost always open. I frequently adjust them if there is too much wind.

I've never had a regulator fail.

 

[wiswind]

I guess it depends upon your particular vehicle.
My '96 windstar stays at a lower, more constant temperature at idle if I have the A/C running......as this keeps the radiator fans ON at low speed.
I monitor the temperature using the original version of the scangauge, however watching the temperature gauge (for those of us that have them) will tell you the same thing as far as comparing the A/C on or off at idle.....if you need a digital readout to tell if A/C on or off makes a difference....then the difference is not significant.

So, I would say, give it a try and see which is better for your particular vehicle.
Of course, if your radiator fans are not working properly (on the windstar....the low speed dropping resistor for the radiator fans commonly breaks.....so no low speed radiator fan)....then all bets are off.

Now, if you have a auxillary transmission fluid cooler, or motor oil cooler, or power steering cooler..... The constant flow of air through the radiator will make a major impact on keeping them cooler.
So....in stop and go traffic......towing....in hot weather....I keep the A/C ON......which not only helps my motor somewhat cooler....but REALLY helps keep my transmission cooler by keeping air flowing through the auxillary transmission fluid cooler.
In my particular application.....I am more worried about the transmission under these conditions.

 

[Craig in Canada]

Originally Posted By: wiswind
.....if you need a digital readout to tell if A/C on or off makes a difference....then the difference is not significant.


Not necessarily true.

Many vehicles have heavily buffered temperature gauges which are, in effect, glorified idiot lights. Were I to say "if the overheat idiot light doesn't come on, then the difference is not significant" I think many would disagree.

I know that my current temperature gauge can read "normal" for a 25C span of temperatures in some conditions, maybe wider. On a normal driving cycle it will reach the "normal" indication well before the t-stat has actually opened. When I had a new thermostat stick slightly on the first run with it installed, I saw coolant temps that were 15-20C higher than the thermostat temperature and the gauge still read "normal". Had I not been watching the digital output on my cluster I wouldn't have known anything was wrong.

If these gauges even budge above normal, trouble is brewing and is likely imminent.

I miss the completely unbuffered temp gauge in a previous car. It moved all over the place depending on load, ambients, road speed. I could tell exactly where the t-stat opened, and where the different electric fan speeds started. It didn't have numbers printed on the gauge, but the owner's or shop manual had numbers to correspond with the graduations on the face. That's a real temperature gauge - if yours doesn't move around or visibly start moving up when you stop at a red light, it's buffered.