When the weather's cold in the winter (and sometimes fall/spring) I don't drive my car in the mornings until it's had some time to warm up. I usually wait till the temperature gauge starts to move up, which usually takes 4-6 minutes during which time I take my dog out to go to pee/poop.

Do you guys have any routine, do you warm up your engines at all before winding them out?

1/16/2009 11:21:38 AM

if the shifter is difficult to move because of the cold transmission oil i give it an extra 30 seconds before i leave

anything longer than that and you are just wasting gas

1/16/2009 11:28:22 AM

well since my car is outside, I have had to scrape my windows like every other day since November (maybe slightly less in december) so that usually does the trick. Other than that, I am just very light on giving it any gas as I coast out of my apartment complex, wait at a redlight to get onto the main road outside of the complex and its usually moving a little by then. I never really worry about it too much as Im not ever pushing it too hard /shrug

1/16/2009 11:28:45 AM

civic: 4-8 minutes, and she's good to go....

truck....well there's an inverse relationship between temperature and warmup time, but if its below 40deg, 15minute minimum


Here's dead cold at 40deg:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJB094tWJCo

and it only gets worse.

1/16/2009 11:29:02 AM

I just drive it really easy until the temp needle is within band.

1/16/2009 11:32:08 AM

Quote :

"anything longer than that and you are just wasting gas"

Yeah I'm gonna go ahead and disagree there.

Am I wrong in believing that oil pressure isn't at its optimum until the engine is warmed to a degree. I know that in both my VTEC equipped cars it does not function until the engine is warmed up (it relies on oil pressure to engage)

1/16/2009 11:39:00 AM

my routine involves keeping it in my garage

1/16/2009 11:39:20 AM

Hell man, even you'd need to warm it up after a night like last night. I have no doubt the temp in your garage was close to freezing, unless you have some freak garage with a lot of insulation.

Having my windows frozen over is never an issue. For some reason the cars in our driveway never get frost. I think it has to do with the clump of large trees immediately next to the driveway. Either way, its clutch.

1/16/2009 11:42:54 AM

I usually just turn the ignition and go, keeping it under 3K RPMs until warmed up. No routine, just common sense.

1/16/2009 11:47:41 AM

Quote :

"Yeah I'm gonna go ahead and disagree there. Am I wrong in believing that oil pressure isn't at its optimum until the engine is warmed to a degree. I know that in both my VTEC equipped cars it does not function until the engine is warmed up (it relies on oil pressure to engage)"

that may be true, but that doesnt mean that you need to sit there for minutes

as long as you dont drive like an asshole until the temp is up, you are just wasting gas letting it warm up in your driveway/parking lot

1/16/2009 11:48:15 AM

^&^^perhaps its different for me. Both my cars are rev happy. Unless I'm revving up to 4k I'm really not moving too quick

super short gears & FD FTL

[Edited on January 16, 2009 at 11:50 AM. Reason : k]

1/16/2009 11:49:42 AM

Quote :

"I just drive it really easy until the temp needle is within band."

1/16/2009 11:56:31 AM

get in and drive, and wait for the heat before i crack the window to burn one is my routine


4 fuckin degrees this morning, i hate this place

1/16/2009 11:57:22 AM

^^^ you don't need 4k, even in the S2000. I know this because I owned one, too! I just take it easy on the gas, shift gently, and short-shift it big time until the temp needle comes up into band, and then I let 'er rip.

1/16/2009 12:04:45 PM

I usually start the car and let the car warm up for 30seconds before I even begin moving. I want to make sure all the fluids are moving/circulating. I try to take it easy and not go above 3k in the rpm range. On a regular commute/day, I don't "race" the car (I try to keep below 3k to conserve fuel) so that's no biggie.

Something to keep in mind is that oil takes much longer to warm up than coolant, or at least that's what I've read and experienced. By the time my coolant hits 190* in the porsche, the oil temp is between 160-180*. I suppose if you want optimal oil coverage for your engine, you should wait until it heats up to at least 212*. But as xvang said, just use common sense and don't go rev crazy with the engine while it's cool/cold and you'll be fine.

And if anything, I would think that your oil pressure would be higher when the oil is thicker from the cooler weather, unless I'm misinformed. I think the reason for v-tec not kicking in until its warm is so that you have full/complete combustion cycle when the engines is under higher stress.

1/16/2009 12:11:10 PM

waste of time/gas unless you just want yourself to be immediately warm for the drive.

i mean, take it easy and all..but I really don't believe you're going to hurt anything.

Quote :

"And if anything, I would think that your oil pressure would be higher when the oil is thicker from the cooler weather"

correct.

[Edited on January 16, 2009 at 12:23 PM. Reason : asdf]

1/16/2009 12:22:06 PM

its hard to not go above 3,000 in an s2000. The ecu map in mine is actually lumpy below 3000rpms.

1/16/2009 12:29:50 PM

Yeah, 3k is about right.

1/16/2009 12:37:22 PM

Quote :

"I usually just turn the ignition and go, keeping it under 3K RPMs until warmed up. No routine, just common sense."

yep. i agree. i start the car, let the oil circulate for a min while i adjust my belt and whatnot. then just warm up the engine/drivetrain by driving with the revs under 3k until the needle reaches normal temp and you are good.

1/16/2009 12:39:52 PM

The only reason VTEC doesn't work until the temp is up is that the ECM is programmed that way. No excessive loading until warm! You'll notice that most cars with electronically controlled automatic transmissions also shift later when cold. Reason? see above.

Oil pressure is HIGHER when cold, as the oil is usually much more viscous, and oil pumps are positive displacement devices. When cold, oil doesn't bypass through internal clearances nearly as much, even when taking into account shrinkage of metal parts that are cold. As a matter of fact, if your engine didn't have an oil pressure relief valve in the galley, there would be a chance that you'd blow seals a lot easier when cold.

The only time you have to worry about oil pressure during startup is the 15 to 30 seconds immediately after she fires up. The oil might be under pressure, but it's also thick and needs a little more time to make it to every one of its nooks and crannies.

Because of clearances that are out of operating specs when cold (such as piston to wall clearance, valves, etc) it is a good idea to drive gently until you're up to operating temperature. And sure, you can start off within 15 to 30 seconds after cranking. Diesels too. The faster you get up to temperature, the less cold-start wear you sustain.

1/16/2009 12:41:25 PM

I just take it easy until it's warm. On very cold days I might take the long way to the beltline by going to Western Blvd. instead of using Melbourne Rd, but that's more to get the grease moving in the drivetrain than to warm up the engine.

1/16/2009 12:50:32 PM

i didn't know you were supposed to let it warm up for anything but comfort's sake, but that makes sense...i've always done this, though, just as a regular driving routine (since i get noticeably better mileage when i shift at 2k, anyway:

Quote :

"I usually just turn the ignition and go, keeping it under 3K RPMs until warmed up. No routine, just common sense."

1/16/2009 12:51:12 PM

btw, I never said oil pressure wasn't high enough

^^question. In my GS-R when its cold outside the engine temp gauge varies. Say at idle it goes to its normal spot halfway up. But then if I'm crusing on the interstate it'll drop to completely cold sometimes, and will not let me use VTEC. This could be 10 minutes after I started driving or 3 hours, makes no difference.

Do I have a problem with my thermostat? Also, I never had this problem before I installed a CAI.

I've generally been letting the S2000 idle until the engine idle revs reduce to their normal speed. I guess now I'll just crank it up 1-3 minutes before I drive to get the heat flowing.

1/16/2009 1:23:19 PM

WELL

my goddamn truck absolutely will not idle for the first minute, the next minute the smoke clears

I've tried driving with it coldish outside, and it sputters at anything above 1500 until it starts creeping to operating temp



cummins, ftw

[Edited on January 16, 2009 at 1:46 PM. Reason : -]

1/16/2009 1:46:14 PM

I hit my remote start button and then get dressed

1/16/2009 4:44:00 PM

^^ could very well be the t-stat

i usually just get in and drive. i take it easy until it is warm, which is usually the first few miles..

[Edited on January 16, 2009 at 4:49 PM. Reason : ..]

1/16/2009 4:48:45 PM

my cummins 4b starts right up and is ready to go in 5 min

1/16/2009 5:00:44 PM

at home they're in the garage.. it's never been below 45 in there so no warm up. at work the truck is plugged in so the block heater work, so i unplug it, start it and drive it...

1/16/2009 5:27:40 PM

FTR if I don't rev over 3000 in the S2k I have to shift into 5th gear at 38mph

1/16/2009 6:03:41 PM

turn on, floor it.

1/16/2009 7:39:02 PM

^winnar

[Edited on January 16, 2009 at 7:45 PM. Reason : it's faster when cold anyways, amirite?]

1/16/2009 7:44:50 PM

i try to get it to warm up but im only 1.5 miles from work. I had a fair about of water and oil sludge at the oil cap so ill need to be better about getting the temp up to drive off moisture.

1/16/2009 7:49:47 PM

Quote :

"it's faster when cold anyways, amirite?"

hell yeah. how many drag cars are warmed up before the run?

Quote :

"at work the truck is plugged in so the block heater work, so i unplug it, start it and "

last night was the first time i've ever used the block heater. i put mine on a timer set to come on 2 hours before i left this morning. i guess it wasn't long enough because the coolant temp was cold as hell (read from the scangauge) but it did go into high-idle quick as hell. i know the heater works because i plugged it in last night just to make sure. caught me off guard when i felt the grille vibrating. i'm at the station tonight and have it set to come on at 4am so that'll give it 4 hours of heat. maybe that'll be better.

1/16/2009 9:14:27 PM

uh..just leave the damn heater on all night. why wouldn't you?

1/16/2009 9:26:51 PM

It takes about 30 minutes for my car to warm up at idle. I just get in and go, keeping my rpms reasonable for the first few minutes.

1/16/2009 9:40:20 PM

i go as soon as the oil pressure gauge comes off zero. my cummins doesnt seem to mind

i just try to keep it below 2500 rpm

1/16/2009 9:53:08 PM

^^ Time for a new thermostat?

1/16/2009 10:06:27 PM

Nah, it warms up in 5 minutes at speed.

1/16/2009 10:29:17 PM

Quote :

"uh..just leave the damn heater on all night. why wouldn't you?"

uh...'cause it's a waste of power? i'm trying to be more green these days.

haha

1/16/2009 10:38:10 PM

Quote :

"waste of time"

just plug the f'in thing in and save the energy you've wasted by bitching about it

1/16/2009 10:42:26 PM

Our Perkins diesels don't like to start in cold weather. A hot battery and some ether makes a pretty big difference though. I usually let a gas motor warm up till it runs good and give a diesel a little more time.

1/16/2009 11:01:08 PM

i start it and let it run in the morning while i do this:


[Edited on January 19, 2009 at 9:02 AM. Reason : psi]

1/17/2009 8:03:04 PM

Quote :

"i just try to keep it below 2500 rpm "

iswydt

1/18/2009 11:16:43 PM