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Warm up

12K views 39 replies 28 participants last post by  klockmi 
#1 ·
Do you let your car sit to "warm up" before you start driving?
 
#4 ·
I always have. With all of my vehicles. I was taught to do this by my Dad. It stuck. Damage can occure over time if you just jump in and drive. Any "load" on a cold engine isn't ideal. But if you have to drive "right away", best to short shift and feather the throttle. Keep it really "civil" until you get some warmth in it.

Just my $.02
 
#6 ·
^^ Exactly. Take what I said above and it applies doubly to a forced induction engine.

It doesn't take but 2-3 minutes to get at least some warmth in your motor.
 
#8 ·
Unless I'm in a rush always when it is around 25 or less degrees. Sometimes you have no choice on really icy days (only happened once this year so far thankfully)
I don't let it run for too long, but remote start it for about 5 minutes. I always have a short trip so it doesn't really even have time during the drive to warm up fully. Taking that little extra time helps it out a bit. When there is warmer weather I don't see the need to really warm it up often. I will occasionally use it though. When I have a long walk because I park far away always in a parking lot sometimes it is nice to get everything started.
 
#9 ·
I at least allow the RPMs to drop around the 1000rpm range or below before I drive off.
 
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#11 ·
I let mine run for a bit before taking off, especially if its really cold outside such as this morning.
 
#16 ·
Always let my 1.4 warm up it was -40*C with windchill. Last weekend here like any engine warming up a bit will always make engine last a lot longer. (Take area of where u live in account also). Just start and hammer throttle makes me cringe. Seen a few friends mangle engines in past. Being winter time. Todd

Sent from my iPhone using DodgeDart
 
#18 ·
Always, even if outside 100F, I owned 3 different cars and I always did it and still doing it.
 
#19 ·
Most engines warm up best by being driven lightly. However, it's never a good idea to drive your car right away upon cold start in any weather but especially when it's cold outside. Machined tolerances within today's engine blocks/pistons/valves, etc are very tight and are designed to operate best at an optimum engine temperature. As such, there are sometimes slight material interferences that go away as the block warms. These "interferences" aren't "mission disabling" in any sense to use automotive design jargon.

You would be shocked at what happens inside your engine when it is started during cold weather and the thermodynamics associated with a cold start.
 
#28 ·
What? Have you ever built a motor? I have and what you just said is wrong. Colder engine parts will have larger tolerances than warmer engine parts. This is why some engines rattle when cold. Valve lash and or piston-to-cylinder wall tolerances may be too great when cold and you may have piston slap or valve clatter.

Also, letting a cold engine idle is not good. Try to keep it at a minimum. When a motor is cold it runs richer than when it's warm. Some people call it cold start warm-up. Letting a cold engine idle excessively can wash down the cylinder walls with fuel and this can contaminate your engine oil prematurely. People who live in cold climates and do not preheat their engine with a block heater or a Kats coolant heater will need to change their oil more frequently to prolong their engine life.

Personally, I let my engines idle for about 10 seconds prior to driving them to ensure the motor has cycled the engine oil through itself. This will prevent the cylinder walls from washing out with fuel and it will allow the motor to warm up quicker. It also helps out the fuel mileage too :)
 
#20 ·
I warm my Dart up every morning for 10-15 mins before I leave for work. Depending on how cold it is....
 
#21 ·
While it doesn't get real cold here I at least let the water temp get to 90. By that time the RPMs drop closer to normal idle. In the summer I give it at least 1 minute to distribute oil to all the parts. With the remote start it's very easy. Start as I walk towards the door and by the time I get in buckle up and choose my music for the day it's good to go!
 
#24 ·
I'm old school and I've always waited a few minutes to be sure the oil is warmed up a bit and then drive off. I do not just let the car sit and idle for a long time as I think the oil pressure may be low and the top end of the engine isn't getting lubed properly.
 
#26 ·
I hear it may not be necessary with modern cars, but it's a habit. I start it right when I get in, then I adjust, put on seat belt, plug phone or whatever. Look at stars. Anyway, I let it warm for at least 30 seconds from start and then go easy on it until warmed up. I have a diesel truck also and it is a MUST to let it warm up - Diesel trucks are sleeeeeepy until warm
 
#31 ·
So as im reading this.. it is -30 degrees celcius out right now, I cant help myself to let the car warm up. (IF it even starts)
 
#32 ·
I think engines and oils have changed and so should we. I don't think it does anything but burn gas sitting there warming up. I start it and wait for the rpm's to drop and level out, a minute or so. Synthetic oil lubricates better and is engineered to run in today's engines. I also agree with something someone else said on this forum that changing a synthetic oil out early might actually do more harm than good if it is now at it's best efficiency or broke in. In my opinion there is not much difference between the car running at 1800rpm in my driveway or 2200rpm down the road. I also have a lot more confidence/hope that my technological advanced car that can calculate when my oil changes are needed can handle being driven cold and handling the slight differences in how saturated the air is with oxygen or not (altitude changes this more than temperature). I also believe that sticking to the Mopar spec when choosing oil might matter a bit more than how long you idle before driving. Being a full synthetic and 5w-40 aren't the only part of the spec, some brands have more additives or different additives added to them and that might be one thing that makes a difference on cold mornings. 4F here this morning, much colder with the wind too. I can't wait till we're talking about how running the AC effects gas mileage or how nice it is to drive with the windows open, listening to how great our Darts sound!
 
#34 ·
It's been -15F here every morning for the last three mornings. I need to warm my 1.4 enough whereas my 6 speed manual will shift smoothly.
On a side note I have 4994 miles on my car, and my engine has 140 hours on it. Also just checked my engine temp, before start up, and it read -06. My car started every day by the way, but temp gauge never gets above 150 degrees on my 10 mile ride to work. BURRR!!
OH! and the Dart gets 0 mpg During warm up.
 
#35 ·
I think if I lived anywhere colder than where I'm at, typically around 20-30F during the day, teens at night and a couple real cold streaks like this that it gets down to 0F at night I would have probably gotten the block heater for any below 0F mornings if only for the sake of my own warmth! Stay warm up there!!
 
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