Of my 27 years of driving in Northern Canada where we have -50ºC temperature extremes and mostly a constant -23ºC most of winter, No matter what people say, I always warm up my vehicle for a minimum of 20 minutes at these temps to make sure that everything is operational and my battery is getting topped up by the alternator. I need to make sure that my car won’t die in the middle of nowhere where windchill can cause life threatening conditions in minutes. I also find that after driving various brands from reliable Toyotas, BMW, GMC,Mercedes, LandRover, Honda and Mitsubishi that all of them have a lethargic feel on extreme cold. It seems that the gearbox is not up to temperature, the engine, driveline, diff, transfer case and etc. They all have that “friction feel and hesitation to accelerate” I don’t wanna push them hard without warming slowly as I wouldn’t want to risk a gasket leak or a cracked engine.
It's just my preference to let mine warm up about 2-5 minutes. I basically start my vehicle and go back inside kiss my wife goodbye and pet my dog one more time and pour my coffee into my thermos and head out. This practice also stems from my twenty years driving a carbureted truck. (1999-2021) Just my preference, but I lean towards the mindset that giving my engine just a few minutes to warm up is easier on it than immediately driving and the engine having to rev 2k-3k RPM without any warm up. Y'all do what you want to. I'll waste a few sips of gas to give mine a couple minutes to warm up. 😂
My unscientific non mechanic method. Current daily driver 2023 4Runner. Above freezing and not in a rush. 30 second for me to put on my seatbelt gather thought look for traffic. Below freezing - remote start a few minutes before I put on shoes and walk out. This is general rule of thumb but my day is not made or broken by it. If I’m in a rush it is what it is. My 2003 Tacoma bought new in my 20s with 360k had every imaginable circumstance. She still runs great…. May die from rust eventually.
I let everything i own warm up, jeep, truck, quad, lawnmower, tractor, chainsaw, log splitter, weed eater, it's just common sense, when I lift weights I don't just go straight for 350 lbs, I warm up first so I don't hurt something
Used to do exactly what you suggested for very cold climate start ups when I lived in ski country and made the car drive ready right after I started it. Good breakdown, I'll be watching here with great interest.
I had a Toyota Prius plugin for 7 years. One of the genius details of that car was that you could turn it on and go right away. It would propel the car with the electric motors until the engine was warm enough,. Now I drive a Subaru, and I wait for the idle speed to drop before I start driving. Kind of annoying, but I want this thing to last a very long time.
Great video!! So many of the videos out there are clickbaiting BS: "Oh you are literally destroying your car by idling it!" "You only need to heat it up if it's carburated!" "You are going to washdown your cylinders and blow your engine up!" I've come to a similar conclusion: It really doesn't matter. I usually warm mine up in the winter because I prefer that my car isn't absolutely frigid while I drive it. Usually around 5-10 minutes. It shuts off on its own at the 15 minute mark so never longer than that. Yes it's a waste of fuel, yes I'm putting wear on my starter (my 4runner shuts off when I open the door) but I really don't care. Police cruisers idle for thousands and thousands of hours per year; I really don't think a little idling will destroy my car. I genuinely do think a big part of it is climate-agenda-based.
I start my engine up in 20F weather, and then I immediately drive to work in 4th gear so that it warms up faster. On my lunch break, I leave it in third gear so its warmed up all the way before I get back to the building. She purrs like a kitten, never seen a short trip.
I think older vehicles and turbos could benefit from a few minutes idling in cold temperatures. Once your cab is comfortable and your windshield is defrosted, you're good to go.
I have an older vehicle & I personally wait for my hi idle to drop; Sometimes it’s a couple minutes sometimes 5 or more up here in Canada. They made it easy back then. Each vehicles different.
In the summers i wait till the idle comes down and during winters i wait for abt 2 to 3 mins for the engine to warm up snd then drive slowly till it reaches operating temperatures
1999 Lexus LX470 (100 series Land Cruiser) with 295,000 miles (475k km) V8 2UZFE and in mint situation still with no rust and here in Ontario. I always let it warm up for 90 seconds to 2 mins minimum and that is in my garage. And then have a covered warm drive for a bit as I exit outside. Always nice and slow. In Ontario Winter if parked outside, if in freezing temps, I will let it warm up for 3 plus minutes if it has been sitting there for hours/ overnight. If it was driven before and not sitting in freezing temps for a while then maybe will warm up a little shorter as it probably is still warm inside. I don't care about how cold it is inside the vehicle, the engine and whats best for it, the transmission and differentials matters for me. Unless i have my three kids under 3 in the vehicle with me :) But I have obd sensor readings going to my carplay head unit and can read the temperatures for all sensors and I watch that also. So far warming this car up for 25 years has clearly made it last for 475,000 km and have opened up the engine and all looks very clean still. Will continue doing this. Just found your channel, liking it. Thanks!
If you care about your car and your wallet warm-up your engine....the colder the longer time it needs. Use two different types of oil for cold(0W under 0*C) and warm(5w) weather. During engine warm-up engine management use rich mixture until coolant reaches a certain temperature(~60*C) Oil viscosity is really bad for the engine when it's cold. Start up your engine and drive = a visit to the mechanic in a short matter of time. Oil is getting up in temperature way slower than coolant regardless that the oil-coolant heatexchanger is helping. Cold oil is not flowing well so it doesnt build safe pressure inside the main bearings and rod bearings and the crankshaft/conrod will scratch them. This phenomenon is even worse if you're starting to drive ... the force generated by the piston is huge and = faster wear.
boss i have a ford focus 1.8 tdci 2007 350 000 km on it and I have no problem with engine until now , I let my engine 1 min to idle to warm up regardless is summer or winter and when engine and turbo is hot after driving i let the engine to cool down at least 4 5 min plus before i stop i drive 10 km at low speeds 60 80 km
Thank you! 👍 Of my 27 years of driving in Northern Canada where we have -50ºC temperature extremes and mostly a constant -23ºC most of winter, No matter what people say, I always warm up my vehicle for a minimum of 20 minutes at these temps to make sure that everything is operational and my battery is getting topped up by the alternator. I need to make sure that my car won’t die in the middle of nowhere where windchill can cause life threatening conditions in minutes. I also find that after driving various brands from reliable Toyotas, BMW, GMC,Mercedes, LandRover, Honda and Mitsubishi that all of them have a lethargic feel on extreme cold. It seems that the gearbox is not up to temperature, the engine, driveline, diff, transfer case and etc. They all have that “friction feel and hesitation to accelerate” I don’t wanna push them hard without warming slowly as I wouldn’t want to risk a gasket leak or a cracked engine.
That Dave's auto center guy really opened a can of worms on this one. Your explanation and viewpoint is the best I've heard on this topic. Personally and depending on the temp I do let my vehicle warm up to a degree.
I've been daily driving my 2007 mazda3 in Saskatchewan since it was new. It gets really cold here. I don't have a long commute so it's fairly low milage but it's gone through a lot of heat cycles and still runs great with no drivetrain issues. It's never been parked in a garage. I have an aftermarket remote starter that shuts off after 15 min. From About -10C to -20C I'll let it warm for 5 to 10 minutes. Below -20, I plug in the block heater and heated battery blanket and still let it warm up for 5 to 10 minutes. On days that it's really cold (-30C and below), and I'm not some where that I'm able to plug in the block heater and battery blanket, I'll start it and let it time out and shut off on its own every so often like at lunch time at work. Dead batteries in -30 isn't fun. Cold starts at -30 is hard on everything. Even winter tires can get hard and shocks get a lot stiffer.
I let it warm up until I see the temp needle start moving up some generally 160-180 degrees and then I start driving gently until warm but like this guy said if I have my kids I warm her up almost too 200.
It's like arguing about what beer is best. Everyone has an opinion. How cold is cold? In the warmer months, I go with number two and idle down the road. if it's really frozen with lots of snow I give it two minutes while I take off the sheet on my windshield and scrape off any ice then take off.
I'm not sure why there is no objective evidence. Tear down an engine that's only done long warm ups, tear down a no warm up engine and examine. No one ever mentions the piston gaps of turbo or supercharged engines. They aren't the same as an NA engine. My own anecdote in that my higher mileage Subaru has been warmed up and has worked for me an my engine. I think a turbo car should have a bit more of a warm up. With a cold manual trans it can take a long time for trans fluid to thin up and shift smoothly. I always take it easy until oil temp not coolant temp is pretty high. A lot of modern cars don't fire up immediately because they build some oil pressure by cranking over a few times first. They are not just spraying fuel willy nilly either. I have seen no issue with a few minutes of warm up then drive easy until oil is up to temp. Especially when its cold there is a lot a metal and rubber expanding seems to me a gentle warm up makes sense. Is that really controversial?
I’m pretty much with you. What takes a while to get up to operating temperature is the oil. It takes at least five miles for the oil to get close to operating temperature and pressure. It makes the most sense to me to take it easy until then.
The reason for letting the the engine run for a few minutes is to get the fluids up from where they settled and start performing there cooling and lubricateing functions. Fluids don't necessarily have to be warmed up, it just helps.
Thought this might be interesting, I own a 2001 Sequoia with the same 2UZ engine (albeit non vvti variant) my owners manual says the same thing as in your MR2 manual to warm it up a few minutes below freezing. I do the same thing as you do in that when it's really cold I give it probably about 5-7 minutes or when the coolant temperature needle starts to move. All I know is that after 245k miles, my engine is running excellent. However, this is only for the iron block, aluminum head 2UZ, in my All aluminum 07 ES350, I find it best to just give it about 1-2 minutes as it heats up much faster and I'm not as worried about different thermal expansion rates.
Same. I agree. Have a 1999 Lexus LX470 (100 series Toyota Land Cruiser) with 295,000 miles, 2UZFE V8 also. I will warm it up 2-3 mins or so and after 25 years it is still going strong with original transmission, differentials and engine. Opened up engine and all still looking very clean. I also change my engine oil every 6 months AND also use conventional 5w-30 toyota still. And it has worked just fine in freezing temps for 25 years in East coast US and now Canada. Fortunately no rust still. Even all my suspension is still orginal and finally now about to replace one lower ball joint.
I own a 5th Gen 4Runner TRD Off Road. I also live in Ontario. When the temp is around -10C, I use the app to remote start it and let it idle for about 5 minutes. 10 minutes tops. This is mostly to defrost the windshield and rear window.
Subaru wrx owner here. I monitor my oil temperature on my Cobb Accessport. Usually, around 60 degrees, I'll start driving. If I'm going on the highway, I let it warm up around 113 degrees so the turbo can work more efficiently at high speeds.
Temperature from one spark event, which happens insanely frequently generates tons of heat. It does not take long for that heat to dissipate thru the whole engine so a few minutes at best no more then six (6) I'd say
I have been always warming up all my cars (including my current T4R v8) like you do. Simpy allowing for the oil pump to flow some liquid from the oil pan to the head(s) and lubricate the valvetrain, and let the rpms drop below 1000
Im exactly with you. It all depends on the temp and stuff but typically anywhere from 15 seconds or so or for a few minutes. Seems to have worked for me and I’ve never had a problem yet. Also a lot of people that idle their vehicles to warm up for 20+ mintutes fail to realize that although your engine is now warm most of the other parts of your vehicle are still cold/frozen. A big one people never think about is your transmission temp.
I feel like the people telling us that you must start and immediately start driving, and not to idle are the same types of people that assured us the COVid vaccine was 100% effective.
You don’t gotta let it warm up. If you start your car on a 20 degree day and let it warm up. It’s the same as starting it on a 40 degree day and immediately driving. That warm up idle exists only for the catalytic converter to warm up
There is literally data showing oil lubricity vs temperature (it doesn’t change) and clearance calculation can be done as it’s simple metal expansion. The fact that you answer with “I feel” to a relatively simple engineering question is the real problem. No, an engine does not need to be warmed up, but you don’t want to overheat a valve or a piston as they will expand faster than their bores, though this risk goes away quickly after an engine start.
dont you think your engine would warm up a lot quicker if you know... you got it got hotter? just drive it at low rpms for 5 minutes to loosen up the oil before red lining it; no need to let it warm up while stationary unless its below freezing
It's funny because I think of this all the time... I have a 4th gen v8. I live in Alberta and have a garage in which the inside temp is typically around 0-4 degrees in winter. I idle for about 25 seconds in neutral and then drive off. It may be overkill but oh well : )
I use the block heater below -12, and I just run it till the high idle goes down (2011 HEMI grand Cherokee) -25 or colder I’ll let it run for 5 minutes. Above -5C I let it idle for 10 seconds to let the oil get pumped through
I had a carbureted MOPAR Power Wagon and a Duster and I can tell you you cannot just start and drive in winter as it takes some time for the choke to kick off as well as the fast Idle. so If I remember correctly it took 5 min or so to kick off totally. Idle no more than 30 seconds ?? What??? I know I idle more than 30 seconds at lights, in traffic etc so that has to be 100 % BS. I have a 2000 Durango with almost 260K Miles and I know the previous owner and they got it at 75K and always let it warm up for at min 5 min in summer and until the windows were clear of frost etc in winter (10 min or so) It has no signs of wear in cylinders (Can still see Hone cross hatch and has No Ring Ridge as well as each cylinder has 150 PSI compression ( I was shocked to find that to be honest I never expected all to be exactly 150 )
One- there's always gas getting one the cylinder walls. B- getting rid on fog or ice build up is important for safe driving. iii- when its -40 atf doesn't let transmissions shift very well. And first of all, hoses can burst in -40. Maybe in mexico you dont warm up a car
Most of my cars are actually carbureted lol.. for my efi cars.. I’ll let them warm up until I see the temp gauge bump up off cold, then drive gently for a bit.
The 13b has most of the answers to this it has so many cold start and cold weather aiding systems that it really just forces you to drive nicely when it’s cold ie the aux throttle blades attached to the thermowax basically cuts you off from getting more air in your engine than it should most people delete it cause well it’s bad for air flow but the premise remains the same it’s just like don’t give it the juice it’s gotta be warm first they rev to 3k on start up what should I shift at when it’s cold 3k to 4k and you kind of have to cause well you only have 1/3 of the throttle body the thermo fast idle switch progressively turns off with coolant temp and I mean progressively it doesn’t come off till like 10 degrees before fan temp and if I recall right mazda still does safety’s like this in their normal modern engines whether it’s reduced power or reduced timing it’s all in what the manufacture wants to be known for
I'd like to warm up(5-10mins) the oil up just a bit before driving. I have heated seat and steering wheel so im not too worry about warming up the cabin.
i mean essentially what you are talking about is now what AI Does. AI is a bad content writer essentially and now everything is going to sound "right" but also probably be "sorta right" meaning like trust your intuition and also physics in general. So I agree with you, but yeah you don't need to run your engine for 20 mins ever.
Yup. AI can't create new information or generate opinions. It just takes what's already out there.
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@@CanadianGearhead yeah and if it’s getting bad information because the Internet has no filter on who can put out content, which is essentially why we’re in the position. We are as a country. Everyone has an opinion on something but really the specialist or the people that actually have the credentials to talk about something or not seen as or or easier to discredit nowadays because there’s so much noise with other people putting out content. Everybody has an opinion on everything so AI kind of just takes that all into play and then write a nice little sounding blurb about it, but it includes all the noise into one just mix blended bad paddy. It is helpful for certain things for sure where it is a fact, not something that can be interpreted. For example, during what years was World War II who was on which side, etc. or interpreting legal documents AI can help but in general questions like should a car be warmed up or so incredibly complicated because the world works with about another billion variables included in there and in general for a better and healthier environment and also because there’s no need to for most people they do not need to be warming their cars up for any extended period of time beyond what they need to keep their baby warm or their car windshield defrosted. But just letting a car idle for 20 minutes because you think it’s gonna help it last longer is probably neither economically viable nor makes sense with physics. Plus most people something else is gonna break on their car before that happens anywayor they’re gonna get a new car before they would even see the results of that experiment people also just feel uncomfortable with cars with higher mileage nowadays anyway so a lot of that it’s just what are you doing this for? You’re just wasting your money and your time and in the process polluting the environment more.
I personally subscribe to "get it warm quick" by start, buckle, check the phone, and go. But you hit a nail on the head with the kids comment. If theyre going with me, ill let it warm up for 5-10min to get the chill out for the tikes. Theyre more important than a few possible scratches on a cam shaft or whatever.
The engine encounters the least amount of wear when it is at temperature. The quicker you get to temperature, the quicker the wear rate reduces. Also less time spent running means less wear.
@ no. You don’t need to let it warm up first. You just get in and start driving. Driving gently will warm the engine up faster than idle. Idle will cause excess wear. But also. Just warm the car up so that it’s comfortable for the kids . Just change the oil early if you really care about your engine. But don’t think that idling a cold engine for prolonged periods is helping the engine.
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My reason has nothing to do with the engine...I let mine warm up long enough to de-fog the windshield enough so I can see.
This is more important than anything else
Of my 27 years of driving in Northern Canada where we have -50ºC temperature extremes and mostly a constant -23ºC most of winter, No matter what people say, I always warm up my vehicle for a minimum of 20 minutes at these temps to make sure that everything is operational and my battery is getting topped up by the alternator. I need to make sure that my car won’t die in the middle of nowhere where windchill can cause life threatening conditions in minutes. I also find that after driving various brands from reliable Toyotas, BMW, GMC,Mercedes, LandRover, Honda and Mitsubishi that all of them have a lethargic feel on extreme cold. It seems that the gearbox is not up to temperature, the engine, driveline, diff, transfer case and etc. They all have that “friction feel and hesitation to accelerate” I don’t wanna push them hard without warming slowly as I wouldn’t want to risk a gasket leak or a cracked engine.
Well said.
It's just my preference to let mine warm up about 2-5 minutes. I basically start my vehicle and go back inside kiss my wife goodbye and pet my dog one more time and pour my coffee into my thermos and head out. This practice also stems from my twenty years driving a carbureted truck. (1999-2021) Just my preference, but I lean towards the mindset that giving my engine just a few minutes to warm up is easier on it than immediately driving and the engine having to rev 2k-3k RPM without any warm up. Y'all do what you want to. I'll waste a few sips of gas to give mine a couple minutes to warm up. 😂
once manufacturers recommend 15k oil intervals you can chuck all other advice from them into the garbage
Great point
My unscientific non mechanic method.
Current daily driver 2023 4Runner.
Above freezing and not in a rush.
30 second for me to put on my seatbelt gather thought look for traffic.
Below freezing - remote start a few minutes before I put on shoes and walk out.
This is general rule of thumb but my day is not made or broken by it. If I’m in a rush it is what it is.
My 2003 Tacoma bought new in my 20s with 360k had every imaginable circumstance. She still runs great…. May die from rust eventually.
I let everything i own warm up, jeep, truck, quad, lawnmower, tractor, chainsaw, log splitter, weed eater, it's just common sense, when I lift weights I don't just go straight for 350 lbs, I warm up first so I don't hurt something
3rd gen 4Runner owner here. Talking abt the 3.4 v6, I let it warm until the idle drops. Sittin pretty at 350k.
Best generation 4Runner imo
Yes they don't shift up into 4th gear well when still cold. 95 yota
Used to do exactly what you suggested for very cold climate start ups when I lived in ski country and made the car drive ready right after I started it. Good breakdown, I'll be watching here with great interest.
nice video as always!
I had a Toyota Prius plugin for 7 years. One of the genius details of that car was that you could turn it on and go right away. It would propel the car with the electric motors until the engine was warm enough,. Now I drive a Subaru, and I wait for the idle speed to drop before I start driving. Kind of annoying, but I want this thing to last a very long time.
Great video!! So many of the videos out there are clickbaiting BS:
"Oh you are literally destroying your car by idling it!"
"You only need to heat it up if it's carburated!"
"You are going to washdown your cylinders and blow your engine up!"
I've come to a similar conclusion: It really doesn't matter. I usually warm mine up in the winter because I prefer that my car isn't absolutely frigid while I drive it. Usually around 5-10 minutes. It shuts off on its own at the 15 minute mark so never longer than that.
Yes it's a waste of fuel, yes I'm putting wear on my starter (my 4runner shuts off when I open the door) but I really don't care.
Police cruisers idle for thousands and thousands of hours per year; I really don't think a little idling will destroy my car. I genuinely do think a big part of it is climate-agenda-based.
Thanks for watching!
I start my engine up in 20F weather, and then I immediately drive to work in 4th gear so that it warms up faster. On my lunch break, I leave it in third gear so its warmed up all the way before I get back to the building. She purrs like a kitten, never seen a short trip.
I think older vehicles and turbos could benefit from a few minutes idling in cold temperatures. Once your cab is comfortable and your windshield is defrosted, you're good to go.
I have an older vehicle & I personally wait for my hi idle to drop; Sometimes it’s a couple minutes sometimes 5 or more up here in Canada. They made it easy back then. Each vehicles different.
In the summers i wait till the idle comes down and during winters i wait for abt 2 to 3 mins for the engine to warm up snd then drive slowly till it reaches operating temperatures
1999 Lexus LX470 (100 series Land Cruiser) with 295,000 miles (475k km) V8 2UZFE and in mint situation still with no rust and here in Ontario. I always let it warm up for 90 seconds to 2 mins minimum and that is in my garage. And then have a covered warm drive for a bit as I exit outside. Always nice and slow. In Ontario Winter if parked outside, if in freezing temps, I will let it warm up for 3 plus minutes if it has been sitting there for hours/ overnight. If it was driven before and not sitting in freezing temps for a while then maybe will warm up a little shorter as it probably is still warm inside. I don't care about how cold it is inside the vehicle, the engine and whats best for it, the transmission and differentials matters for me. Unless i have my three kids under 3 in the vehicle with me :) But I have obd sensor readings going to my carplay head unit and can read the temperatures for all sensors and I watch that also. So far warming this car up for 25 years has clearly made it last for 475,000 km and have opened up the engine and all looks very clean still. Will continue doing this. Just found your channel, liking it. Thanks!
If you care about your car and your wallet warm-up your engine....the colder the longer time it needs.
Use two different types of oil for cold(0W under 0*C) and warm(5w) weather.
During engine warm-up engine management use rich mixture until coolant reaches a certain temperature(~60*C)
Oil viscosity is really bad for the engine when it's cold.
Start up your engine and drive = a visit to the mechanic in a short matter of time.
Oil is getting up in temperature way slower than coolant regardless that the oil-coolant heatexchanger is helping.
Cold oil is not flowing well so it doesnt build safe pressure inside the main bearings and rod bearings and the crankshaft/conrod will scratch them. This phenomenon is even worse if you're starting to drive ... the force generated by the piston is huge and = faster wear.
boss i have a ford focus 1.8 tdci 2007 350 000 km on it and I have no problem with engine until now , I let my engine 1 min to idle to warm up regardless is summer or winter and when engine and turbo is hot after driving i let the engine to cool down at least 4 5 min plus before i stop i drive 10 km at low speeds 60 80 km
Manufacturers have the EPA to deal with, 10k-15k oil chg intervals. That also could influence their advice.
Thank you! 👍 Of my 27 years of driving in Northern Canada where we have -50ºC temperature extremes and mostly a constant -23ºC most of winter, No matter what people say, I always warm up my vehicle for a minimum of 20 minutes at these temps to make sure that everything is operational and my battery is getting topped up by the alternator. I need to make sure that my car won’t die in the middle of nowhere where windchill can cause life threatening conditions in minutes. I also find that after driving various brands from reliable Toyotas, BMW, GMC,Mercedes, LandRover, Honda and Mitsubishi that all of them have a lethargic feel on extreme cold. It seems that the gearbox is not up to temperature, the engine, driveline, diff, transfer case and etc. They all have that “friction feel and hesitation to accelerate” I don’t wanna push them hard without warming slowly as I wouldn’t want to risk a gasket leak or a cracked engine.
That Dave's auto center guy really opened a can of worms on this one. Your explanation and viewpoint is the best I've heard on this topic. Personally and depending on the temp I do let my vehicle warm up to a degree.
I really appreciate that! I wasn't sure how this was gonna be received. Isn't that the guy that quoted a lady $18k to rebuild her Subaru? 😂
@@CanadianGearhead Not sure about the Subaru, I didn't see that one but 18k ouch.
I've been daily driving my 2007 mazda3 in Saskatchewan since it was new. It gets really cold here. I don't have a long commute so it's fairly low milage but it's gone through a lot of heat cycles and still runs great with no drivetrain issues.
It's never been parked in a garage. I have an aftermarket remote starter that shuts off after 15 min. From About -10C to -20C I'll let it warm for 5 to 10 minutes. Below -20, I plug in the block heater and heated battery blanket and still let it warm up for 5 to 10 minutes.
On days that it's really cold (-30C and below), and I'm not some where that I'm able to plug in the block heater and battery blanket, I'll start it and let it time out and shut off on its own every so often like at lunch time at work. Dead batteries in -30 isn't fun. Cold starts at -30 is hard on everything. Even winter tires can get hard and shocks get a lot stiffer.
I let it warm up until I see the temp needle start moving up some generally 160-180 degrees and then I start driving gently until warm but like this guy said if I have my kids I warm her up almost too 200.
It's like arguing about what beer is best. Everyone has an opinion. How cold is cold? In the warmer months, I go with number two and idle down the road. if it's really frozen with lots of snow I give it two minutes while I take off the sheet on my windshield and scrape off any ice then take off.
I'm not sure why there is no objective evidence. Tear down an engine that's only done long warm ups, tear down a no warm up engine and examine. No one ever mentions the piston gaps of turbo or supercharged engines. They aren't the same as an NA engine. My own anecdote in that my higher mileage Subaru has been warmed up and has worked for me an my engine. I think a turbo car should have a bit more of a warm up. With a cold manual trans it can take a long time for trans fluid to thin up and shift smoothly. I always take it easy until oil temp not coolant temp is pretty high.
A lot of modern cars don't fire up immediately because they build some oil pressure by cranking over a few times first. They are not just spraying fuel willy nilly either. I have seen no issue with a few minutes of warm up then drive easy until oil is up to temp. Especially when its cold there is a lot a metal and rubber expanding seems to me a gentle warm up makes sense. Is that really controversial?
Yeah it's really strange that we haven't seen any tests like that. Like you say, it wouldn't be very difficult to do
Mine needs at least three mins of running before driving in the winter mornings. Otherwise does not want to shift into high gears. Revs high
I’m pretty much with you. What takes a while to get up to operating temperature is the oil. It takes at least five miles for the oil to get close to operating temperature and pressure. It makes the most sense to me to take it easy until then.
The reason for letting the the engine run for a few minutes is to get the fluids up from where they settled
and start performing there cooling and lubricateing functions. Fluids don't necessarily have to be warmed up,
it just helps.
On a cold day, i like to warm up for a few minutes to get the cabin warm. On a not so cold day, 30 seconds or so will do it.
Summer, winter, wait 'till cold start revs drop and go.
I let mine warm up with the defroster on to clear the windshield as much as possible.
Thought this might be interesting, I own a 2001 Sequoia with the same 2UZ engine (albeit non vvti variant) my owners manual says the same thing as in your MR2 manual to warm it up a few minutes below freezing. I do the same thing as you do in that when it's really cold I give it probably about 5-7 minutes or when the coolant temperature needle starts to move. All I know is that after 245k miles, my engine is running excellent. However, this is only for the iron block, aluminum head 2UZ, in my All aluminum 07 ES350, I find it best to just give it about 1-2 minutes as it heats up much faster and I'm not as worried about different thermal expansion rates.
Same. I agree. Have a 1999 Lexus LX470 (100 series Toyota Land Cruiser) with 295,000 miles, 2UZFE V8 also. I will warm it up 2-3 mins or so and after 25 years it is still going strong with original transmission, differentials and engine. Opened up engine and all still looking very clean. I also change my engine oil every 6 months AND also use conventional 5w-30 toyota still. And it has worked just fine in freezing temps for 25 years in East coast US and now Canada. Fortunately no rust still. Even all my suspension is still orginal and finally now about to replace one lower ball joint.
I think warming up the engine is better for it. The block, heads, exhaust ect. warm up slowly and make it easier on the gaskets.
I own a 5th Gen 4Runner TRD Off Road. I also live in Ontario. When the temp is around -10C, I use the app to remote start it and let it idle for about 5 minutes. 10 minutes tops. This is mostly to defrost the windshield and rear window.
Subaru wrx owner here.
I monitor my oil temperature on my Cobb Accessport. Usually, around 60 degrees, I'll start driving.
If I'm going on the highway, I let it warm up around 113 degrees so the turbo can work more efficiently at high speeds.
Temperature from one spark event, which happens insanely frequently generates tons of heat. It does not take long for that heat to dissipate thru the whole engine so a few minutes at best no more then six (6) I'd say
China and India comment was appreciated lol
I have been always warming up all my cars (including my current T4R v8) like you do. Simpy allowing for the oil pump to flow some liquid from the oil pan to the head(s) and lubricate the valvetrain, and let the rpms drop below 1000
Im exactly with you. It all depends on the temp and stuff but typically anywhere from 15 seconds or so or for a few minutes. Seems to have worked for me and I’ve never had a problem yet. Also a lot of people that idle their vehicles to warm up for 20+ mintutes fail to realize that although your engine is now warm most of the other parts of your vehicle are still cold/frozen. A big one people never think about is your transmission temp.
Transmission will warm up with the engine.
You can tell because most cars if you take off immediately it will shift hard, but if you let it warm up it shifts fine. It's obvious.
I feel like the people telling us that you must start and immediately start driving, and not to idle are the same types of people that assured us the COVid vaccine was 100% effective.
This
You don’t gotta let it warm up. If you start your car on a 20 degree day and let it warm up. It’s the same as starting it on a 40 degree day and immediately driving. That warm up idle exists only for the catalytic converter to warm up
no one ever claimed the COVID vaccine was 100% effective
There is literally data showing oil lubricity vs temperature (it doesn’t change) and clearance calculation can be done as it’s simple metal expansion. The fact that you answer with “I feel” to a relatively simple engineering question is the real problem. No, an engine does not need to be warmed up, but you don’t want to overheat a valve or a piston as they will expand faster than their bores, though this risk goes away quickly after an engine start.
Nobody ever said it was 100% lol
My Lil cx30 has a few marks on the temp guage and I just take it easy till it passes the first mark.
dont you think your engine would warm up a lot quicker if you know... you got it got hotter? just drive it at low rpms for 5 minutes to loosen up the oil before red lining it; no need to let it warm up while stationary unless its below freezing
It's funny because I think of this all the time... I have a 4th gen v8. I live in Alberta and have a garage in which the inside temp is typically around 0-4 degrees in winter. I idle for about 25 seconds in neutral and then drive off. It may be overkill but oh well : )
Nothing wrong with doing what feels right to you!
I idle mine for for atleast 15min in the winter. Nice and warm when you get in.
I use the block heater below -12, and I just run it till the high idle goes down (2011 HEMI grand Cherokee) -25 or colder I’ll let it run for 5 minutes. Above -5C I let it idle for 10 seconds to let the oil get pumped through
I had a carbureted MOPAR Power Wagon and a Duster and I can tell you you cannot just start and drive in winter as it takes some time for the choke to kick off as well as the fast Idle. so If I remember correctly it took 5 min or so to kick off totally. Idle no more than 30 seconds ?? What??? I know I idle more than 30 seconds at lights, in traffic etc so that has to be 100 % BS. I have a 2000 Durango with almost 260K Miles and I know the previous owner and they got it at 75K and always let it warm up for at min 5 min in summer and until the windows were clear of frost etc in winter (10 min or so) It has no signs of wear in cylinders (Can still see Hone cross hatch and has No Ring Ridge as well as each cylinder has 150 PSI compression ( I was shocked to find that to be honest I never expected all to be exactly 150 )
No one has brought up direct injection and fuel dilution ftom extended idling in modern vehicles?
One- there's always gas getting one the cylinder walls.
B- getting rid on fog or ice build up is important for safe driving.
iii- when its -40 atf doesn't let transmissions shift very well.
And first of all, hoses can burst in -40.
Maybe in mexico you dont warm up a car
My D15b2 produces so little heat at idle that I have to drive it to warm it up.
I ran my 2010 Jeep Grande Cherokee for up to 30 minutes, specifically to protest carbon tax. I proved the point that tax doesn't reduce carbon.
Haha love it
I live in Arizona and generally have to cool it down
Most of my cars are actually carbureted lol..
for my efi cars.. I’ll let them warm up until I see the temp gauge bump up off cold, then drive gently for a bit.
As a 2000 audi s4 owner i can absolutely bet you my car does not run the same if it doesnt warm up and idle for like 10 mins . 340k
The 13b has most of the answers to this it has so many cold start and cold weather aiding systems that it really just forces you to drive nicely when it’s cold ie the aux throttle blades attached to the thermowax basically cuts you off from getting more air in your engine than it should most people delete it cause well it’s bad for air flow but the premise remains the same it’s just like don’t give it the juice it’s gotta be warm first they rev to 3k on start up what should I shift at when it’s cold 3k to 4k and you kind of have to cause well you only have 1/3 of the throttle body the thermo fast idle switch progressively turns off with coolant temp and I mean progressively it doesn’t come off till like 10 degrees before fan temp and if I recall right mazda still does safety’s like this in their normal modern engines whether it’s reduced power or reduced timing it’s all in what the manufacture wants to be known for
what remote start system are you using?
It's an ancient Autostart one that came on the truck when I bought it
Make a video about what remote starter you are using?
It's an ancient Autotstart one that came on the truck when I bought it
Not doing your oil changes is what damages your engine.
I'd like to warm up(5-10mins) the oil up just a bit before driving. I have heated seat and steering wheel so im not too worry about warming up the cabin.
Love the environmental comments… haha
Like we’re really helping here in Canada.. carbon tax joke.
Oh yeah, just penalize people financially and they'll all start walking to work haha
I wait for idle to drop to 1100rpm
Lets talk about the climate change and what you think India's cobtribution to it ? Im really interested to hear your take.
I just want my seats, steering wheel, and car warm in the winter.
Do what you want, F everyone and their opinions.
I always warm up my tacoma and my two motorcycles.
samething i do
i mean essentially what you are talking about is now what AI Does. AI is a bad content writer essentially and now everything is going to sound "right" but also probably be "sorta right" meaning like trust your intuition and also physics in general. So I agree with you, but yeah you don't need to run your engine for 20 mins ever.
Yup. AI can't create new information or generate opinions. It just takes what's already out there.
@@CanadianGearhead yeah and if it’s getting bad information because the Internet has no filter on who can put out content, which is essentially why we’re in the position. We are as a country. Everyone has an opinion on something but really the specialist or the people that actually have the credentials to talk about something or not seen as or or easier to discredit nowadays because there’s so much noise with other people putting out content. Everybody has an opinion on everything so AI kind of just takes that all into play and then write a nice little sounding blurb about it, but it includes all the noise into one just mix blended bad paddy. It is helpful for certain things for sure where it is a fact, not something that can be interpreted. For example, during what years was World War II who was on which side, etc. or interpreting legal documents AI can help but in general questions like should a car be warmed up or so incredibly complicated because the world works with about another billion variables included in there and in general for a better and healthier environment and also because there’s no need to for most people they do not need to be warming their cars up for any extended period of time beyond what they need to keep their baby warm or their car windshield defrosted. But just letting a car idle for 20 minutes because you think it’s gonna help it last longer is probably neither economically viable nor makes sense with physics. Plus most people something else is gonna break on their car before that happens anywayor they’re gonna get a new car before they would even see the results of that experiment people also just feel uncomfortable with cars with higher mileage nowadays anyway so a lot of that it’s just what are you doing this for? You’re just wasting your money and your time and in the process polluting the environment more.
I personally subscribe to "get it warm quick" by start, buckle, check the phone, and go. But you hit a nail on the head with the kids comment. If theyre going with me, ill let it warm up for 5-10min to get the chill out for the tikes. Theyre more important than a few possible scratches on a cam shaft or whatever.
But my truck is carbureted lol
The engine encounters the least amount of wear when it is at temperature. The quicker you get to temperature, the quicker the wear rate reduces. Also less time spent running means less wear.
Either way you need to let it warm up first. You're just hitting your head on a wall because you want to be right.
@ no. You don’t need to let it warm up first. You just get in and start driving. Driving gently will warm the engine up faster than idle. Idle will cause excess wear.
But also. Just warm the car up so that it’s comfortable for the kids . Just change the oil early if you really care about your engine. But don’t think that idling a cold engine for prolonged periods is helping the engine.
I live in Jamaica. I own a 2003 Tacoma and I warm my engine up every morning until I see water coming from the exhaust, usually about 5 minutes🤦♂️🤣
😂😂😂😂
You’ve lost some Indian and Chinese viewers after this
He's right. China and India produce 95% or more of the entire planet's pollution
cry more
@@HAHA.GoodMeme should he though for pointing out the obvious.
One of the best takes on this subject. Somewhere in the middle !
Thanks for watching!
This advice come from the same ppl that say: change oil every 10k I don’t listen to them dumb asses.🤡🤡🤡