To idle at start up, or not?

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I just read the UOA article that explains the "stuff" found in an analysis and what they likely mean. I found the explanation of %Fuel interesting.

The author attributed idling has a potential culprit for increased raw fuel.

I have been idling my engine until the water temp gauge starts to lift off of 160 (about 5 minutes). If i'm trying to maximize oil life and engine life, is that the best approach?
 
Cold idling is bad for a number of reasons. There have been numerous posts on this subject here on BITOG. Short answer is: don't idle. Just start the engine and drive. Your engine will reach ideal operating temp quicker when you drive it.
 
I'll start my vehicle,put on my seatbelt then drive,keeping the rpm under 2000 until the temp gauge reads full operating temp.
Yes idling can contribute to fuel in the oil however a short highway run will evaporate off any fuel
 
Don't idle to warm up except in frigid weather. Drive away slowly as soon as it'll drive smoothly.

Idling to warm up just wastes gas as well as puking up the air more than necessary. It is better for the engine, your comfort, and the air we breath to put an electric heater in the engine for prewarming.
 
I always suggest a maximum of 30 seconds of cold idle to get the oil flowing and then drive off gently, keeping the revs slightly lower then normal until the block warms up.

Any longer then that is a waste of fuel and you're not really benefiting the engine much as it will take it 2x as long to fully warm up so its running with cold oil for a longer amount of time which = more wear.
 
Originally Posted By: Artem
I always suggest a maximum of 30 seconds of cold idle to get the oil flowing and then drive off gently, keeping the revs slightly lower then normal until the block warms up.



This, I idle just long enough to ensure the oil is flowing before I put any parts under load by driving, usually just 10 or 15 seconds.
 
I'm on the side with "do not idle" but what about the automatic trans if you've got one? Does that have extra wear in the winter as well? What can I do to prolong its life.
 
Originally Posted By: 79sunrunner
I'm on the side with "do not idle" but what about the automatic trans if you've got one? Does that have extra wear in the winter as well? What can I do to prolong its life.
The cooler they run the longer they last.
 
Dealing with an infant in the winter, sometimes it seems like idling for a few minutes before going out is a good idea. Of course it is wasteful on fuel...

But mechanically there is no good reason, and my vehicles will be equipped with block heaters to overcome the other issue of kids in the future...

In practice, we idled for a bit of heat once, and just decided against it, considering the ten step walk to the car, all the coverings on the baby, and the fact that I can get the car warmed reasonably well by just driving it, which is best all around...
 
Add me to the above. I start the car and within 30 seconds I'm off no matter the temp.

Been doing that for decades and hundreds of thousands of miles with no negative effect.

Bill
 
I warm it up enough so that I can drive off without the typical Kia cold clackety noise. If I drive off too fast it makes some seriously horrible noises above 1500 rpm or so. But I shoot to take off as soon as I can do so without the noise.
 
Try your no idle rule when it gets down to -30 or -40. Its no fun to get in a vehicle not warmed up when its that cold, plus everything turns into sludge in temps like that
 
Originally Posted By: jdawg89
Try your no idle rule when it gets down to -30 or -40. Its no fun to get in a vehicle not warmed up when its that cold, plus everything turns into sludge in temps like that

The OP is in NC. Heck, even in New York it doesn't get that cold. And in places where it does, one should consider getting an engine block heater.
 
I used to be a huge idle person ... until I realized that it doesn't really help anything.

On really cold days (such as -10), I'll give it about a minute to flow oil, then just take it easy the first few miles.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: jdawg89
Try your no idle rule when it gets down to -30 or -40. Its no fun to get in a vehicle not warmed up when its that cold, plus everything turns into sludge in temps like that

The OP is in NC. Heck, even in New York it doesn't get that cold. And in places where it does, one should consider getting an engine block heater.


+1
 
Gotta love people who can't stand cold for the first 3-5 minutes of driving without heat in winter. So they idle it 15 minutes to warm it up. Just put on a coat and hat for crying out loud!

Year round here, cops leave their cars idling unattended when they go in to restaurants to eat. They may be in there 30 minutes. Seems pretty wasteful of tax dollars.
 
Mine's gonna idle long enough to at least make a little heat, if the engine doesn't like it there's another one where it came from...
 
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