Letting your car warm up?

We may earn a small commission from affiliate links and paid advertisements. Terms

H

Harms Way

Senior Member
I was just wondering how many of you guys/girls let your car(s) warm up before going somewhere. For example: Wake up in the morning and start your car and let it idle for a few minutes to let the engine temp warm up.

Or do you jump right in, start it up and put it into gear asap and go. I always thought that was bad for the engine/transmission - because it didnt have enough time to circulate oil/fluid. I know that once the car has been driven/warmed up - parked - then started and ran with the temp already at a good place, then that is alright.

I usually let mine sit and idle while i am inside on a COLD day with the heater on, that way when i go to my car it is nice and warm inside and the engine is warmed up as well. Is that bad? I apologize for any confusion.
 
I'll generally hop in and go, your car warms up faster when driving it than it does when just sitting there idling.

I keep the revs to below 3000 rpm until the needle gets to the dash by the C, then I bring the revs up to 4000 until its up to normal operating temp.

I've forgotten about this once and hit 6000 before i realized it. Without vtec 6000 rpm feels like i'm driving on 2 cylinders.
 
typically ill let the car sit for 30 seconds to one minute before i start to let the oil circulate to make sure everything is marginally lubricated. Afte that i try and keep it under 3.5k until i get up to operating temperature.
 
yeah i'm pretty meticulous about warming my car up, especially in winter. i try to either wait at least a minute or until the revs drop to 1.5k (whichever happens first)
 
right now i have to plug my diesel truck in or it will take a 1/2 hr to start. but if it is could out you supposed to let it warm up b/c the oil is to thick and could blow seals and pumps.
 
anything more than a minute of letting your car idle after starting it is a waste of gas, everything will be well lubed and ready to go in that amount of time. its cool to drive it when its cold, just dont take it to redline or anything. since its winter though, i usually start my car about 10 minutes before i go anywhere, i hate freezing my ass of when im driving
 
:withstupid: yea what he said, I dont like being cold, with my integra, Id just start it and come back out in 15 minutes, and jump in and drive, but I couldnt let it sit too long because my cooling fan is on a toggle switch. and my diesel doesnt like starting when its cold, you have to let the glow plugs warm the fuel up, a couple times, like ignition on, turn it off, turn it back on, turn it back off, and wait for buzzer, then start. I usually leave it plugged in(when its below 30 out), which keeps it fairly warm...
 
unless you are a poor sucker with a dx, honda probably gave you a clock....general rule of thumb for me is wait until it changes to a different minute and go

i had my old 90 si on a toggle switch for the radiator fan...way to go cyclone
 
I always let mine warm up at least couple minutes until the rpms get down to like 1000-1200, but sometimes I let it warm up to operating temp because I always like ripping my car up and down the road right next to my house. :p
 
in the summer when im drivin my sol i jsut let it warm up for a minute or two and then go,

in the winter when im driving my teggy i always let it warm up for like 15 mins. its not about lubrication, the oiling system is in full operation after about 7 secs generally. the reason i let my motor sit and warm up is because of two things, expansion and contraction, and because of condensation. im sure everyone knows that when our engine heats up everything inside expands, blah blah blah, but its bettter to have it expand gradually than if you were to just go pound on your motor and have everything cold go to hot really fast, not a short term thing but metals get "tired" of alot of abuse like that. secondly when you start your car and just go drive on colder days you build alot of condensation, in the head is where you will see most of it. its like watching a cold glass of water be put in the sun, it sweats, makes condensation. that happens inside your head, head is cold, heats up fast, creates water, and when you open up your head you will see creamed oil which is basically now a bunch of gunk in your valve train. phew long enough explanation..sorry guys. but it depends on where you live, im in toronto , so we got some fairly cold winters.
 
In the winter I usually let my car warm up for about 4-5 minutes honestly I have no idea why I hear its just a good idea. Its probably because of what delslo said
expansion and contraction.
 
all you need to warm up a motor is wait until the idle revs decline and then its okay to drive...... but i would not beat on the motor until its up to proper temp level
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top