How do you properly warm an engine up?

[biggs85]

Hey, I was just wondering what everyone does in the morning when they start their truck. I start it up and let it run for about a minute to let it reach it's idling speed and to let it warm up a bit before I put it in gear and drive away. My automotive teacher told me that the worst thing you can do for your engine is start it up in the morning. He said that the heads aren't seated and that it puts a lot of stress on the engine. I'v also heard from people that you shouldn't let it idle for very long when you start it up and to just turn it on and go. Then people have automatic starters to warm up their engines and on the box that it came with it says that letting your engine warm up prolongs the life of it. So I'm just seeing what everyone's oppinion is on this since you guys seem to know what you're talking about.
Thanks

 

[Alec]

i find that about 45 seconds to a minute is enough for my motor in the morning.

 

[SWLathrop]

Well, you'll get different opinions just like oil, filters, waxes and so on. Here's mine.

Late Spring to early Fall: Start engine and slowly drive away (100 ft driveway) and drive easily for the first mile or so.

Late Fall to early Spring: Start engine, let idle for a couple of minutes, slowly drive away (100 ft driveway) and drive easily for the first couple of miles.

Since I run AMSOIL in everything, I'm not concerned about dry starts or fluid pumpability during cold weather.

 

[Crankcase]

My motor runs a little fast at startup, after 20 seconds or so, the motor calms down.
I just let the engine RPM's come down and then go.

In the winter, I leave it running while I clear any snow or debris from the windshield.

 

[Jefe]

I let it sit at least until it drops down to a normal idle before putting it in gear. Then I keep the rpms as low as possible (under 2000) until it reaches normal operating temp. Seeing as we never see snow, and rarely see freezing weather here, thats all I know.

 

[Kadarom Douhrek]

Depends on the weather.
If it's real cold I'll let it drop to regular idle till it warms up.
Otherwise it's just wait for the idle to drop, usually 5-10 seconds, then drive easy till it's warm.

Then it's go time.

 

[X24]

Originally posted by SWLathrop
Late Spring to early Fall: Start engine and slowly drive away (100 ft driveway) and drive easily for the first mile or so.

Late Fall to early Spring: Start engine, let idle for a couple of minutes, slowly drive away (100 ft driveway) and drive easily for the first couple of miles.

Same here except when its really cold out I'll let it warm up for a good 10 minutes. If it's below 20* I like to let it warm up more and get all the oils warm. The first couple of shifts are rough when its really cold.

 

[98EBV8]

I just wait until all the warning lights go off after starting. Then, off you go!

Shane

 

[mosinman]

Modern engines need almost no warm-up at all. Like most people that have responded I just wait a few seconds and go, taking it easy the first couple of miles. An exception is in really cold weather I let it warm up several minutes before driving. Prolonged idling doesn't do anything for you.

 

[William Schumacher]

I wait till the idle drops....

im my mind,that tells me that the motor has gotten enough oil before putting a load on it.
$0.02

 

[Doug]

I think warming up an engine properly is a real good idea. I bought my 97 sport a few months ago and i knew it had been sitting at the dealer for about 4-5 months (no one wants a 5spd these days except for me i guess ) After i bought it i noticed an oil leak out of the front cover. It was small so i just kept an eye on it. I went to check it yesterday and I noticed it had stopped. Im guessing while it had sat the seals shrank and as i drove it they re-expanded.

 

[daniel cauchon]

I Guess it all depends on the weather in your area...for exemple over here it`s very frequent to have -20 in the morning so I have a remote starter and let it warm at least 10 or 15 minutes, it warms up the transmission and of course the inside too. But normaly during winter just let the rpm go down a bit and you should be ok.

 

[espnfreak]

Just get in and stomp it...lol..thats what some people I know do when they are driving other peoples cars.

 

[Robert]

Your engine will go in to closed loop mode quicker if you start driving almost immediately. When in closed loop, your engine will be operating at its peak efficiency. The only reason I let my Explorer warm up when I lived in Northern Ohio was because when it got below 0, it was too cold to get in. At those times, I would go start it up, bring the RPMs up to 2000 RPM and as soon as my temperature gauge started to move I would turn the heater on high, all the while I would sit bundled up inside. Now that I am in Arizona and have a garage, I don't think my garage has ever gotten below 60 degrees or so.

 

[4.0SOHC]

Trucks are like women, they need a little foreplay, so warm it up and take it easy until the temp hand starts moving up.

 

[Boondoggie]

Think of it this way:

Making these numbers up, but follow along:

Let's say it takes your motor 5 minutes to reach normal temp if started and sitting at idle

Let's say it take 3 minutes if you just drive away after 20 seconds.

We can all agree running your engine below normal operating temperature is not good for it. I think we can also all agree that oil pressure is not at its best at idle.

Would it not, therefore, be better to avoid running your engine for colder, longer, at less than ideal oil pressure?

Wouldn't it be better to drive away slowly, heating the engine up more quickly with full oil pressure?

 

[DocVijay]

The reason the revs are higher at startup is for the emissions. THe cats are not very effective until they get nice and toasty, so the engine runs a little faster to get more hot exhaust flowing through them. Then when the sensors tellthe computer it's warm enough, the revs drop down. On my Toyota, it runs at 1500 rpms initially and after 15 seconds, it drops to normal idle. Getting it to normal operating temp is not as importnat as getting the oil ciculating. If you use a good quality oil at the right viscosity, lubrication shouldn't be that much of an issue. Yes most wear is a t startup, but a good oil will help minimize it. Just let it run for 30 seconds to a minute and you'll be fine.

 

[ld50]

I remember hearing that an auto tranny shouldn`t be shifted for at least 45 seconds after starting, since it takes a bit longer to get the oil moved around than it does in your engine. I usually wait at least a minute before driving mine away, can`t hurt right?

ALSO.

Where I work we have a large fleet of trucks. (various brands, 1/2 to -3/4ton Pick-ups and about half are 4x4)They continuously get started and driven away immediately.
Guess what the history is on breakdowns?
Mainly Transmission problems (we use auto trans)
Engine mis-fire and unsteady idling problems.
Some of the 4x4 trucks that get a lot of heavy loads end up with transfer case problems.
I`ve seen two rear end problems, but doubt that was caused by us.

These trucks are leased and we give them back after 125000kms

Don`t know if I would buy one after seeing what is done, especially to the trucks that stay in our terminal sites. they are driven short distances their whole life. Running at temp for long periods is better. That`s why poeple always say "most of those miles are highway miles" when selling a car.

 

[GR899V8]

Mine stays in my shop every night, so I start it up and when the overhead door is open unuf to let me out, I go. I live on top of a mile long hill, so I take it easy and it's cranking out heat at the bottom of the hill. My neighbor revs his way up, over and over, I guess attempting to "warm it up faster".

 

[shauste]

I'd say about 30 seconds is sufficient. When your oil pressure guage reaches its normal reading (much less than 30 seconds), then you should be ready to roll without a problem However, climatic conditions should be your guide. Give you engine a few minutes to warm up in extreme cold. The engine in this case is not your main concern, but your transmission. It takes a little longer for your transmission fluid to warm up than it does the engine oil. Friction!!! Hope this helps