Start up wear, Normal wear, and the relation to various oil properties. SAE 2006-01-3414

[ChrisD46]

"In one of you previous posts you mentioned how you like to rev your expensive engines when cold, you being unwilling to let them warm up first."

As I leave my neighborhood I turn immediately onto a very busy highway with a lot of traffic moving at 55 - 70 MPH. I can wait for a period of time until you can pull out with very slow acceleration. It is what you must do if driving a Prius for example. Or you can pull up to the highway and just go, by gunning it. That means stepping on the gas and getting up to 60 or 70 MPH in like 3 or 4 seconds up to 9,000 RPM. 'Quite fun to do actually.

Ali

Some may suggest a 30 sec. to 60 sec. (or longer) idle first thing in the morning before slowly driving off and being more gentle on the throttle for the first several minutes or so for the engine to further warm up is best for lower wear / engine longevity . *In your case you can’t do a slower warm up drive before hitting the highway as it’s a short distance away . Would a longer idle (minutes) be benificial before heading out first thing in the morning ? A longer idle on a cold engine versus a shorter idle before driving off gently for several minutes then driving normally afterwards makes me wonder what those wear rate comparisons would look like ? If most engine wear occurs before the oil reaches operating temps then lowering the amount of time to reach oil operating temp should prove advantageous (shorter idle time - then driving normally) for wear rates . Then there is the question of what is safest method for extending the life of the engine as it relates to “proper” engine warm up procedure before the oil reaches operating temp … In your case , it’s a block or two oil warm up before the start of the Gator Nationals Drag Races and 9,000 RPM’s - you win for getting engine oil up to operating temp the fastest !

 

[RDY4WAR]

Idling is typically the most inefficient operation of any engine. Fuel and water dilution and soot are higher, plus low piston speed and oil splash means the rings spend more time in boundary lubrication. I don't like to let an engine idle more than necessary regardless of temperature. I say idle long enough to ensure oil has reached every part of the engine and start driving. Plus, it's not like the ATF / MTL, gear oil, and bearing grease are getting any warmup either.

 

[AEHaas]

Whereas your coolant heats up in a minute or two the oil takes 15-20 minutes to warm up to operating temperature. No amount of slow motoring will warm up the oil. You need to get going as RDY4WAR indicated. I know of people who destroyed various engine parts because they figured the oil was warm enough but did not account for the other lubricants. Gear box and diff lubes may not warm up much at all. I am somewhat fortunate that a "cold" morning is generally no less than 60-70F at my partly devastated location.

Ali

 

[The motor guy]

Idling is typically the most inefficient operation of any engine. Fuel and water dilution and soot are higher, plus low piston speed and oil splash means the rings spend more time in boundary lubrication. I don't like to let an engine idle more than necessary regardless of temperature. I say idle long enough to ensure oil has reached every part of the engine and start driving. Plus, it's not like the ATF / MTL, gear oil, and bearing grease are getting any warmup either.

I don't see it taking more than a few seconds for that to happen

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

I’d like to see results in a modern DI turbocharged engine with 5% fuel dilution.

 

[The motor guy]

I don't see it taking more than a few seconds for that to happen

For years I would start the engine up, put my seat belt on and go. Nowadays, it seems like people sit in their cars for 5 minutes before leaving. Mostly women, people getting their GPS setup or something. Annoying af too. I have mostly 30 mph roads before getting it up to 60 mph.

 

[Adambomb7777]

I’d like to see results in a modern DI turbocharged engine with 5% fuel dilution.

No idea if this is helpful in this discussion, but the top UOA I did was HPL premium plus 5w30 in a Fiesta ST with a turbo upgrade running e30 fuel (91 and e85 mixed at the pump).

When I start the car, regardless of outside temp, I’ll drive off in less than a minute, I never let it idle for any longer than I need to. This car doesn’t do short trips and gets redlined frequently everytime I drive it https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/t...-miles-big-turbo-fiesta-st-175k-miles.378691/

 

[ZeeOSix]

Whereas your coolant heats up in a minute or two the oil takes 15-20 minutes to warm up to operating temperature. No amount of slow motoring will warm up the oil.

Unless the engine has a coolant-to-oil heat exchanger, which many modern engines do. Both my vehicles, and even my motorcycle has that setup.

The coolant heats up the oil faster when the coolant is hotter than the oil during warm-up, and the coolant keeps the oil cooler when the oil is hotter than the coolant.

 

[FCD]

I have thought of this many times, as the drive from my house to the highway is 5 minutes at the most, so i try to be as gentle as possible for a while, especially with my '75 Capri that i use 20W-50 in, the engine feels noticeably smoother after about half an hour on the highway, i guess due to the oil warming up.

The European Ford V6s have the same problem as American SBFs , the hexagonal shaft that drives the oil pump from the distributor can round off, then the oil pump stops turning and you are screwed.

With that being said however, that engine was made in November of 72 and has been run mostly on 20W-50 most of it's life , and has never been rebuilt, a couple of years ago i pulled the heads off and the cylinders looked perfect, with still plenty of crosshatching , and that engine has over 180k miles, right now i am running the new SP Castrol GTX Synthetic Blend 20W-50.