Are Cold Starts Bad? Should you Idle or Just Drive to Warm Up?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Should you let your car idle to warm up? Or should you just get in and drive? Explaining what is best and if cold starting your engine is bad for it. Including description of the cold temp light in subarus.
- ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
If you found this helpful consider sending me a Super Thanks with the icon below the video, ❤💰 I will buy a Coffee with it! ☕
I used to do engine and transmission rebuilds in my younger days. When the engine is cold the piston rings, bushings, and bearings are tight. Does not matter if it is a new type of engine or an older type engine. The thermal co-efficiency of the various metal parts are not exactly the matched and are nearly impossible to be exactly matched, and the cooler oil does not lubricate as well as when it is hot. The worse thing you can do is race an engine when it is cold. This makes for excessive wear, and can promote early failure.
When starting in the cold let the engine idle for about 1 minute max. On an extremely cold day you can idle it a bit longer. Remember, when starting on a cold day the transmission is also cold. Start driving but very gently. Don't drive a cold engine hard until it warms up. It will warm up faster when driven. Once the engine and transmission are at normal temperature you can drive the car normally, or if you want to drive it a bit harder.
With any engine and transmission, if you drive it easy all the time everything will last longer. Make sure you do your oil changes and maintenance on schedule. Driving hard will make for quicker ware of parts, burn more gasoline, and will shorten the lifespan of the tires. The need for making stops from higher speed and aggressive driving will also wear down the breaks much faster. Hard drivers make the service centers more rich!
Agree 100% Just drive slowly until the car is warmed up. It ain't rocket science.
Also have more fun😂😂
My dad was a mechanic and yes, EVERYTHING you said is what I was taught, and makes more sense. It's not just engine to think about, transmission is essential as well. Love your comment ❤️
Jerryfacts9749 explanation is the right one... much more accurate than the video. I would just add three more points.
1) A feature was first added to the Corvette many years ago to cut the available horsepower until the engine reached operating temperatures.
2) Rotary engines require longer warm-up periods. The operating manual says 5 minutes.
3) YOU WILL NOT KNOW immediately if YOU CAUSED ENGINE DAMAGE by driving hard on a cold engine. The symptoms develop slow just like habits develop human ailments like heart decease.
I guess one more thing.... This is exactly why I only buy new vehicles. I don't trust that the person before treated the engine and transmission in a manner that promotes longevity. I'm not into buying other peoples problems.
Well Stated Sir 😎👍👍👍
I don’t care how late I am I’m not moving till the rpms drop.
That has nothing to do with it
Yes it has. Oil pressure is a thing.
@@bricknplay it takes 5 seconds to build oil pressure at max. the high rpms are only for the cat
I’m a mechanic engineer and a mechanic as a hobby. If the thermostat is working right and depending on the starting temperature I will idol until the auto high ideal drops down to normal plus a minute. Usually for my six at 30 deg that’s about 3 minute. For my 4 cylinder that’s about 2 minutes. Then I stick to easy driving the next 2 or 3 minutes or until the temperature is within rage. Both of my cars are 22+ years old and running fine.
Reaching operating temperature is more about proper expansion of all the different metals reaching their full dimensions.
Spring, summer and fall, I never warm up, but winter here is brutally cold. It’s not the warming up I think about , but I can see out my windshield, side windows or back window. So if I can’t see out of those windows I warm up and if I can see out of those windows, I waited about 30 seconds and leave. But that’s very rare. I would love just to hop in my car and go but when you got an inch of ice on your windshield and can’t see zip, that does not work.
If you lease your car then do whatever.
If you expect to keep your car for a long time then do your car a favor and warm it up.
Thank you for your opinion. As I see what you are saying. My Mazda 3 2018 petrol, initially, has high revs for about 10 - 15 seconds, then drops. The manufacturers have made it so. So they know what they are doing. Thank you. No more waiting / hanging around. ( an extra few minutes in bed - especially in winter hee hee ).
Another thing i take into consideration when i was asking myself that question was that IDLE will bring your engine to temperature, but your gearbox will still be cold, and that also can cause wear to the gearbox. Now i simply start it, let it run for 5/10 secondes and then i start driving, while maintaining a low RPM ( Usually around 2.5k )
This is true with the gear box since I can't even put in in gear.
Your engine will WEAR OUT Faster if you start driving right away, actually.
The goal here is to warm up your engine with the least possible RPMs. A good rule of thumb is warming up your engine for at least 3-5 minutes.
Sources for your claim?
You ain't thinking about the transmission, engine will slowly warm up but l the trans. especially in an automatic vehicle will remain stationary and cold. Start the car but go reeealy slow, like sub 2000 rpms after 30 seconds of idling, thus is the best way to warm up everything
As a mechanical engineering student, I don't buy the "just drive its designed for it" thing. The fact is, an engines tolerances are set up to run when its warm. The piston rings will wear faster when the engine is cold.
Now, I wouldn't recommend you wait until it reaches operating temperature. Since that'll take 10-20m if its really cold out. But at least a few minutes will improve your engines longevity.
In cold weather lets say 32F and any below, I idle run engine for about just a minute or less, to let the oil properly circulate and start drive normally, without reving the engine on high rpm. In summer time or warm weather I do still idle run but only for about 10-15 seconds, again for the sake to make sure oil starts circulating in the engine, better lubrication = longer engine life. Drive Safe ✌️
Very informative vid and I’m with the “get in and go” side because of the same reason. Modern vehicles are made to do this. If I had an old school car with original parts I’d be letting it warm up 😂
Still not good if it’s 30 degrees or colder if u live somewhere hot then ok it’s gonna last longer still not good
I usually start driving about 20-30 seconds after turning on the engine, and i just let it idle down the street. The reason i don't like sitting when the engine first turns on is because i read that idle fuel consumption when the engine first starts is temporarily 5 times more than when warmed up.
When it’s warm outside I usually let my ‘22 Tacoma run for however long it takes me to put on my seatbelt and connect my Bluetooth. In the dead of winter in NY where it’s commonly below freezing, I’ll start it and let it sit for no more than like 2 minutes before I take off. Even driving, in the dead of winter my truck takes a while to fully warm up, definitely not 1-2 minutes. If I drive around town and it’s below freezing outside, it usually takes a good 5-7 minutes to fully warm up
If you use higher viscosity oil on a cold day it will take a while to circulate, when you do take off just nurse the pedal until it’s warm enough to drive normally . “W stands for winter which is the ambient cold starting temperature it behaves.
And what about the car owners that live and drive where the temperature gets far below-20°C?
I assume you’re letting your vehicle warm up and if you are, keep on doing your thing. Lol
Warming a vehicle up is critical in cold climates and safer since your windshield wont fog up inside with warm air out of the defroster vents.
Reading the coments made me think. Caring and having genuine interest in your car is what leads to being able to hear and even feel when your car engine and components are at great operating temp, after having rode long time and being familiar with it. I personally also feel when the car wants or doesn't want to run, given outside temp or other factors. Also there is more behind this, so idling and caring is a way for car enthusiast to show other and themselves that enthusiasm, and car indifferent people don't want to be considered as less knowing their vehicle just for not caring so much.
In my opinion, It’s a preference. A normal car atleast warm up for a min or 2, so the oil properly warms up to be more fluid. For me, I wait up to 5-10mins because I have forged internals, and the pistons and metals need to expand.
I have the same car. Good to know I have been wasting time and fuel thinking I was doing good for my engine.
Rule I follow is, if the car is cold is stay below 2k rpm. Until the engine is up to temp. When it's -20C the car idles at 1500 to 2k rpm anyway. Other issue which people don't pay attention to is transmission oil temp. This is important mainly for cvts.
We get -40 here. Point well taken though another point, or two. Be gentle with a cold engine/trans... Cars like yours are quite happy to be plugged in overnight. With Subies like yours and mine which have the CVT auto, well, they are susceptible to foreword and reverse clutch wear if you head off when it's very cold. Those trannies are not cheap and that is the major cause of failure. I leave mine plugged in, alternatively you could have it on a timer. I've also heard it recommended that you don't start off until the cold engine light is off. Been thinking of adding an adhesive block heater to the transmission oil pan for those forecasted extreme cold early morning starts. BTW i also shorten the transmission fluid change intervals from 100,000 to 80,000km.
If you’re cold starting you’ll notice the RPMs sit higher… wait for the RPMs to drop and then go… it doesn’t take that long to warm up whatsoever when idle… you’ve got MAYBE 2-5 mins and RPMs drop to what you should be at
one other thing to consider is that when most cars start, new or old, the rpms are higher then they are when run for a bit or the carb sets and or computer says ok, its good. you should never jump in your car cold or warm out and jamb it in drive, allow the rpms to settle a bit closer to normal range then proceed. this allows the computer if so has one, to check conditions, and such, you will notice on cold days it takes a little longer to come down, then warm days. as ols school cars with a choke you pulled full, then gradually moved it in so that the butterfly was closing to get things right, then it was good to go. computers work the same way. stress is not good on engines hot or cold. just my opinions and thoughts.
Yes the choke reminded me of my dads old car. Whenever he couldn't start he would pull the choke out and than it could start easier. Its good that most cars past 2000 do this automatically.
I mostly disagree. I let it idle for a short while because when your engine turns on the metal is cold. When you make a cold substance hot really quickly the metal shrinks and contracts more and will shorten the life of the engine. So I let it warm up and make the cold metal warm up more gradually so that the metal doesn’t change temp so quickly. I think idling will cause less damage than immediately driving my engine which in Minnesota is sometimes below freezing.
Let the coldstart routine go, and drive out when the engine goes to normal idle. Drive softly for the first minutes until the temperature goes to normal temperature for the engine
I did some research and learned that with natural aspirated engines just drive pretty much if you have a turbocharged engine drive also but keep revs as low as possible till the oil is warm if u don't have oil temp Guage wait till coolant Guage says 90 at least as the oil could still be cold even if coolantbis warmed..
Cold start to red line you can spin a bearing or blow the head gasket. Given alot of cars have some type of protection not to allow you to red line till the engine gets up to temp, ie BMWs
Ok, so I just spent $13,000 rebuilding my engine. My car is heavily modified. I let my engine warm up before I drive it, but the reason is because I am using very specific oil that is heavier weight, and as the engine was rebuilt with looser tolerances it means that in order for the mechanical parts to be lubricated properly in my engine, the oil temp needs to come up. So basic physics: What happens when metal parts with no lubrication are exposed to high friction. If you've ever spun a rod bearing. You know the answer to that question already. Take his advice if you want, but don't be surprised if you have to blow $13,000+ on a new engine sooner than you would think.
Even though my car is in an unheated garage in the winter I like warming it up for a minute or two. So I am warm when I hit the road.
Redline put more strain on the engine. The best method is start the car, let idle within a minute for things to settle up, get yourself comfortable then gradually take off for the first few minutes guarantee your car will thanks you .
Do you immediately wake up and start doing things or do you wake up let your mind and body set🤔
Hey guys i have a question about this topic, so basically i have a kia & i use the remote start sometimes, I accidentally leave my car idling for 10 mins, which then the remote start turns off… so here’s my question, work is only 2 miles from my home should i be warming up my car at all? Or just remote start it with the key while im walking towards it then while i get settled then start driving or should i remote start it when im getting ready for work… 5-10 minutes … after this video I realized maybe the better option would be to remote start it while im walking to it or remote start it right as im exiting my place it only takes me a couple or minutes to get to my car by then the car should be ready for a 2 mile drive right? Ive seen other videos that mentioned short drives are a big wear and tear for some reason… anyway thanks for the educational video & also thanks in advance for your help
I always store my Toyota (5W-30) and BMW (20W-50) in garage. With car, I am idling for 30 seconds and that is the time when I am putting my bike out of the way. It is GDI and just cruising through the streets before I step on the gas on open roads. With bike it is more complex because oil is like honey and it has air cooled engine. So I let the motorcycle go for a few minutes to warm up parallel with the heated grips and sits. After that it is riding smoothly. Some additives like valve and injection cleaners can help a little with a ruff star when temperatures hit -15°C. But the biggest help you can have is when the vehicle is stored in a dry and (slightly) warmer place.
I start mine up on a 10 degree morning and come back in 10 minutes after it is warming up inside. My motors like some warmup time, never had any issues doing that. So it burns a little gas, I can afford it.
My main concern leaving a car idle for long periods of time when cold is fuel dilution on the oil, not putting load on the engine when cold, piston rings are not fully expanded, blow by occur.
Turn on the car wait a minute or two, then start driving, do not go over 2500 rpm's until the oil is at operating temperature, once get there drive normal.
I just hop in, start the engine wait until the revs drops down, all that takes around 30 seconds or so, in my opinion is plenty of time for the oil to circulate through the essential components on the engine and then I go off driving normal until it warms up
The larger the engine, the worse it is to idle it. The reason is not usually discussed among the mechanically uneducated public. It is due to differing expansion rates and temps of metals. Aluminum, steel and cast iron expand at different temperatures, with the goal being optimal clearance tolerances being reached at normal operating temperature. This means that when cold, the clearances are looser, meaning an engine not warm operates the same as a worn out, tired engine. Not really a factor on small engines, as this difference is tiny. A large diesel engine can literally prematurely wear itself out under idling conditions. Some are not even able to fully warm up under idle, and oil starts slipping by the rings. Slang term was slobbering. This is why back in the day, over the road trucks used to only rarely be turned off at all, only for maintenance and fueling. They lasted longer staying at operation temp than being subjected to cold starts. On the ships I used to crew, we were instructed by manufacturers to start s big engine, and put it straight to work.
Gasoline engine - idle for 30 seconds, then gently drive away. Excess idling just wastes fuel and washes away some oil due to gasoline being a spirit.
Diesel engines - idle for 30 seconds, then gently drive away. Excess idling does no harm to a diesel as they run much leaner and their air intake is wide open. Very less fuel is injected until you press the pedal. This is why you see large truck engines left idling for hours. Modern diesel cars however don't need to be left idling.
The only reason to idle should be to check your surroundings, seatbelt, adjusting music and aircon. By the time you do all that, the oil is flowing with full pressure and the engine is ready to do some work.
Coolant temp isn’t the same as engines temp though. Engine gets hot when there’s combustion going on. If you foot is not on the gas then there no combustion is the air vale is closed.
There no actually “warming up” the engine unless youre drive the car. The coolant temp (or engine temp) just stated that the coolant is doing the proper job of cooling the engine. Your engine is not going to get up to operating temp unless you driving so basically drive the speed limit until the coolant has the engine where it needs to be that all.
All youre doing when your turn the car on and let it idle is just making all the fluids are circulating fully which is also critical and that doesn’t take long at all.
High revs are tougher on a cold engine than low revs.
Let the car idle for about a minute, then put the car in drive and drive gently for about three blocks.
Remember this: on a real cold day, an engine idling for minutes maybe warm as well as the transmission, but suspension systems ball joints, universals and or any greased fittings-bearings-races and bushings need gradual losening by gentle driving at first, or they will wear prematurely.
Not my opinion but a physicist.
Easiest answer: read your owners manual. Mine says to warm up for 3 minutes before driving off for transmission to warm up.
My car takes 25 minutes to warm up regardless if you drive it or not. And below 30f, it never reaches 50% warmth.
My car is modified. I believe no one warms their engine up all the way. I wait until the cold start is done to drive off. Don't go over 2.5 till the OIL is warm. Not coolant. Oil temp is what matters. Only reason to let the car idle to fully warm is when you are doing any for of racing on a track. But usually they also warm the gearbox up as well by putting it in gear while jacked up and spinning the wheels at a certain speed.
The bottom line is you start your motor, you let it idle for ten seconds, you then drive normally for one minute before taking it onto the freeway. If it is below freezing temperatures, sure let it idle for a minute first. Not a bad idea at all! The oil is cold and not flowing well at all!
That's it! This is common sense 101. Also, do regular oil changes. That is the most important thing of all. Fresh oil is the best oil!
For the temperature in the video, i idle for maybe 5 seconds. If it’s well below freezing. I idle for 5 to 10 minutes, my e longer depending how cold it is.
I’ll usually remote start it while im still getting ready, or I’ll wait for it the get to 1000 rpm’s before driving off.
according to expert mechanics when you cold start your car you shouldnt rev it up and if you really want to move your car you can do it but not by reving your engine up for at least a minute
U need to let your transmission fluid warm up tho even if its a modern car for better shifting
Start your vehicle up and let it idle for 30 seconds or so. This gets all the oil that's sitting in the oil pan circulating throughout the engine. Drive easy for the first couple of miles or so until the engine reaches its normal operating temperature.
It was -48 last week. Even power steering and brake fluids thicken.
not just the engine, you got transmission as well and bushing and bushings
Here is my thoughts.
Most people don't just get in there car and immediately put their peddle to the floor and rev the engine up to 4k rpms.
Most people drive at like 2k rpms for at least a LITTLE bit before they hit a main road.
I say let the car come down in rpms. Usually a car has a short period where it idles high then comes down, let it come down then take off, then just be light on the gas for like a couple minutes, that should give enough time for things to heat up more evenly, then after like a couple minutes of driving at low rpms it should be all good to go right?????
You don't have to sit in your car for 5 minutes, nor should you just IMMEDIATELY speed off like a race car.
If you use the proper oil grade you will be fine, i been doing that for 10 plus years on all my cars, back in the days it was necessary. Not today, i let it idfle for about a minute then goe at crusing speed👍
What is your advice for those of us that live in the tropics where a normal day is 32 degrees Celsius? 🤔
So, which one is it buddy? You said it’s a lot more gas when the engine is idling and a lot more gas when the engine is running
The reason that you shouldn't just go drive off is because although it does warm up the engine faster your putting harder work on the car and warming it up fast at the same time. I am kind of confused how this guy knows this stuff and doesn't realize this stuff. You should wait 20 sec to a min after starting you car before you drive off no matter the weather. Also, when having the car move it self that puts weight load on the car while it's still warming up which you don't want to do.
I have Chevy express 2008 I always warm it up early morning and it still runs for a long time the mileage 270658
It's 100% not good to start it up and go, especially in a Subaru. Here is why; the oil needs to cycle through the engine for proper lubrication which is VERY important especially in a subaru boxer.
i dont start and then drive right away or wait untill the engine idles its way to operating temps. on a normal day i'll just wait like 30 seconds to 1 minute, put your seatbelt on start music etc then begin driving
I heard that if your car has turbo you should let your engine heat up before take off.
I start my car whilst i scrape the ice off it, then i drive it, its usually not warmed up by the time i've done this
When I start mine I wait until the automatic choke drops down to idle then drive off not until operating temp
Never idle on warm up. The engine is running - just bloody drive.
You dont need to rev it . Start it, let it idle maybe 10-15sec, then go.
my 97 mustang gt will automatically rev up a little higher than 1000rpms for about 10-15 seconds ten drop to about 900rpm after that I'll drive it but wont go past 2500rpm till it I see my temp gauge starting to rise, my 2014 jeep it'll rev up the same but only stay about 5 seconds before it goes down to 1000rpms
I idle for 30 seconds. Then drive normal. I don't max out until oil is at temperature which is probably about 30 mins.
just let it idle for atleast 30 to 40 secs in a cold start than you can go just dont rev your car aggressively or push it when driving till it gets to operating temperatures.
😂 I promise you'll think differently getting in and driving in -42 degree weather. Interior Alaska changes things up.
Naw, traditional vehicles warm up is better, it's negligible to do any damages. Better air, fluids to circulating before you go. This is the same with the human body. Do you just go on a cold wake up? Slowly wakes up helps you process better throughout the day. Continue to just drive on cold start, it will cost more damages especially when models get older and check engine will eventually come on. Avoid thousands of possibilities issue with check engine code. Warm it up first whether your vehicle old or new. On the other hand, EV does not matter.
The best thing to do is to drive the car gently until its warmed up. Absolutely no need to idle the car waste of gas and time. If its extremely cold 2 minutes than drive gently
I always let my 18 wheeler warm up before I start driving , same with my personal vehicle.
My neighbor remote starts his truck for 20 mins at 6am and its very loud. Do you recommend using spray foam insulation into this exhaust pipe to stop the problem?
While that would likely work, I don’t think I can endorse that solution 😂
As the car heats up, is it faster to get hot air by turning the fan on right away or keep it off until it's hot?
Keeping it off. The heater core acts like a radiator. If you use it right away it will take longer for the coolant in the engine block to warm up because it's being circulated and cooled by the heater core.
This is really useful !
Thank you for this I've been warming up my car idling now I know get in and go had a debate with someone about this
I always wondered about driving the car cold, but then began considering the oil temp and how much is being bypassed around the oil filter. How much higher is the cold oil pressure than hot? I measured a long time ago in my Dodge Neon when replacing an oil pressure switch.
What's your definition of modern engine?
Fuel injected, or when the manufacturer recommends full synthetic. 15 ish years
99 infiniti q45.warm my up its old and the tranny shifts smoother warm opposed to cold.
i sprayed electronic cleaner on electrical cable(where cable wire go to whatever ,exposed wire cable)
I always thought just enough idling until your windows don't fog up.
My brother said drive up to 20 mph 4 a few min. 2 warm up. Speed?
I turn on the car, get youtube music open on my phone and drive. Maybe about a minute or two max or idling.
My 1991 nissan maxima does just fine.
5 minutes in summer and 10 minutes in winter I wait
Wow that’s a long time
@@KurtofTrades the engine is different some days when I drive after 2 minutes that's why
The answer is here
You make chips with cold oil?
Anyone think of the transmission? Should you put it into drive with a fast rev engine? BOINK.
I have a 2006 corolla,, i always warm up idle.. I let my rpm drop to below 1,000 before i drive
Define "... Modern Engines..."
Only then will I know whether my vehicle has a "... Modern engine..." or not 🤗
30 seconds for non turbos and 2 min for turbos. In super cold 1 min to 5-10 min on turbos.
I usually just warm it up 10 min before i head out so my car is nice and warm when i leave
15-30 seconds on idle, then drive slowly.
One thing I know is that My car & motorcycle don’t like to run right away
Warmup first before drive
15 mins?😭 my car has auto start I stay in Chicago and when it’s 0 degrees outside my car at idle takes under five mins to warm completely up!
I just let it sit until it pops out of high idle then drive lightly until it's fully warmed up.
I never sit and purposefully wait for the engine to warm up, however I don't just drive off the second the engine is running. Normally, as soon as I get in, the first thing I do is start the car. After that I go on my phone, connect to bluetooth, pick a song on spotify, chuck my vape in the cup holder, take off my coat, just basically do a bunch of boring "getting ready to drive" stuff. Once I'm done with all of that and the seatbelt is fastened, the car had been idling for at least a couple of minutes, which imo is enough to start driving. I still don't rev it high, since I live in the city there aren't many opportunities to red line it anyway. I drive normally, changing gears at 3000 RPM max. By the time I get to the motorway/highway the engine should be warm enough to floor it.
Yh thats how i wait exactly the same 😂😂
Yh thats how i wait exactly the same 😂😂
Anyone know why my tru😢 doesn't have the roar from the exhaust when firing it up on cold start..it used to sound so good ..
L vape lol stop acting cool
@@mediumTierGodL comment. Stop judging people and live your own life.
I live in the frozen tundra known as Minnesota. In the winter, i let my vehicle idle for a good 5-10 minues before I take off. During that time, i scrape the windshield and dust off any snow. By that time, I'm ready to go. I still take it slow until I get to the main road. By that time, I'm getting heat.
Just use an oil a little lighter if your location get digits oe less. (ALWAYS I MEAN ALWAYS USE FULL SYNTHETIC OIL I CANT STRESS THIS ENOUGH.
For instance if your recommended oil is 5w30 because of the extreme cold you might want to run 0w30 0r 0w40 and also keep your coolant mixture about 70% coolant 30% water not that 50/50 stuff and your engine will run100x better and warm up super quick trust and believe I've been working on cars for about 22 years and not car has ever given me an issue. Now in spring/summer when you change your oil you can go back to the higher recommended number say 5w30 just make sure you always use synthetic full time because depending if you just commute most of the time not too much road trips most high end synthetic oils are good for about 10,000 miles. Dont actually try to wait 10,000 cause it says that. I put castrol thats good to 20,000 i just change it right when spring hits even if I only have 7,500 just keep it to 6 month intervals and only use factory oil filters they are the best for your specific vehicle and cheap. ALSO the heat off if you're and start and go person because your thermostat wont open til you car is fully warm so coolant wont flow right and coolant is your source for the warmth of your heater.
If you live in a place where winter hits single digits or less you should put a lower weight oil. For instance if your recommended oil is 5w30 because of the extreme cold you might want to run 0w30 0r 0w40 and also keep your coolant mixture about 70% coolant 30% water not that 50/50 stuff and your engine will run100x better and warm up super quick trust and believe I've been working on cars for about 22 years and not car has ever given me an issue. Now in spring/summer when you change your oil you can go back to the higher recommended number say 5w30 just make sure you always use synthetic full time because depending if you just commute most of the time not too much road trips most high end synthetic oils are good for about 10,000 miles. Dont actually try to wait 10,000 cause it says that. I put castrol thats good to 20,000 i just change it right when spring hits even if I only have 7,500 just keep it to 6 month intervals and only use factory oil filters they are the best for your specific vehicle and cheap. ALSO the heat off if you're and start and go person because your thermostat wont open til you car is fully warm so coolant wont flow right and coolant is your source for the warmth of your heater.
Right next door to you in Wisconsin we grew up letting our car's warm up
Hey man you made a great point about the engine idling with cooler oil and that possibly causing damage over the long run. But, you also don't want to RAPIDLY unleash the volley of combustion (immediately gunning it to the freeway without giving it a minute or two). Not letting your car idle for a minute or two before putting the engine and transmission under strain (transitioning from cold to hot rapidly) puts extra wear the engine metals and materials causing them to expand and contract faster than a gradual temperature increase. I think the answer is in the middle. Give it a minute or two to warm then start driving, not taking off immediately or letting it warm up too slowly and circulating that cold oil.
i just do what the designers in engineering call for as ideal. To take off as soon as possible with slow easy driving until the temp's are higher. This is one of those areas where overthinking is BAD for your engine, i.e we easily can end up thinking we're babying the engine by idling a bit longer, and actually we are causing vastly more wear to the bearings, journals, pistons, etc. U want warm up to happen as rapidly as possible. Idling takes vastly too long, esp the colder the ambient temps are.
I’ve been driving cars for 20 years and let them idle for 10 min went past 200k
after yous tart it, there si no problem if runs cold for sometime..
@@18_rabbit you pe+ple are paranoid engine runs cold with no problem,, oil is preared to work in different temps ists calle multigrade goes from 5 to 40 viscosity for example..
problem is hard drive cold or start too many times..
The only thing I will say is for engines... Sure, but what about questioning your transmission? And the more sensitive parts that goes with your transmission? Arguably, it will not be warm anytime quicker than your engine (takes longer by default) and transmissions are equally as important as engines but debatably less durable. I would even say this doubles for manual transmissions where the engine coolant line is the transmission cooler/heater. So me personally when considering the cold and mechanics . You have to consider all the parts, not just the engine.
I think it’s ok either way. Oil changes are more important. Change early and often. Change your coolant early.
there's definitely a happy medium. On exceptionally cold mornings I start it up and wait until I start feeling some heat in my heated seat before I get moving, which is usually less than a minute or two. The key is I NEVER rev the car above 2500 or so until the engine is fully up to temperature. Depending on your commute and if you need to get on the highway or not you may want to wait a little longer. My house is a pretty good distance from the highway, about 10 minutes drive to the onramp so no issues there but from work its literally about 30 seconds to the onramp so often I'll wait until the temperature gauge starts to move until I take off. Switching to full synthetic oil is a good idea too since it has better cold flow than regular oil.
Typically, a cold start will start with a slightly higher rpm. Once it’s warm enough, it will lower the rpm’s to the normal idle. It takes a couple minutes depending upon temperature.
The best & most right comment
Best comment I’ve seen so far. I always wait until my rpms settle down to normal idle then gently drive until it hits operating temp.
I was about to comment this.