How important is it to thoroughly warm up your car?

[Doggiedog]

I've been warming up my car until the temperature needle is pretty much in the middle.

What sort of damage, problems or longevity issues would occur if I just cold started my motor?

 

[DrumminBoy]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
I've been warming up my car until the temperature needle is pretty much in the middle.

What sort of damage, problems or longevity issues would occur if I just cold started my motor?

wouldnt you always "cold start" a motor if its cold out? 😛 I usually drive mine w/o letting it heat up if im in a hurry, but i try to keep the rpm's low until it heats up.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Pretty much it isn't that important as long as it isn't that cold. The real threat is in the oil and in the water. The engine oil needs to be warm enough to flow through and lubricate everything properly...the water needs to be in LIQUID form so it can cool the engine. As long as you have antifreeze in your car and the oil pressure is up and running normal, you should be fine. If you want to warm it up for inside temp, that's your own business. 😉

 

[Evadman]

None. Start, and drive.

 

[Ladies Man]

start it up... give it about 5 seconds for the oil to slush around... then you mash your foot all the way through to the radiator if you want to

modern cars don't need warm up times... if you have a carb you might need more time so it won't stall

 

[NutBucket]

In a modern car this isn't a huge issue. Its been discussed before. Your best bet is to let the car run for maybe 10-20 seconds to get the oil up to the right pressure and then driving a bit conservatively until the car gets up to temperature. I usually just keep the revs under 3000 until the needle makes its way up.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Originally posted by: NutBucket
In a modern car this isn't a huge issue. Its been discussed before. Your best bet is to let the car run for maybe 10-20 seconds to get the oil up to the right pressure and then driving a bit conservatively until the car gets up to temperature. I usually just keep the revs under 3000 until the needle makes its way up.

 

[Doggiedog]

You guys have made my life more efficient by about 5 minutes a day!

Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 4644]

Good to know... typically, is this the same for turbo cars?

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: LordSegan
Good to know... typically, is this the same for turbo cars?

Cool down is different. For extended longjevity, you should let the car idle for 30 seconds to a minute for the oil to cool down, and chill the turbo before shut off.

 

[Bignate603]

Hmm, my car has carbs and is almost 23 years old. How long would I have to warm it? Mind you it's into teens or single digits back home. (I'm currently in New Orleans but will head back home for christmas where my car is waiting for me).

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: LordSegan
Good to know... typically, is this the same for turbo cars?

Cool down is different. For extended longjevity, you should let the car idle for 30 seconds to a minute for the oil to cool down, and chill the turbo before shut off.

Actually, its to make sure the turbine is lubricated as it spins down. I think a friend told me they can spin upwards of 100k rpm. IMHO all new cars w/ turbos have auxillary water/oil pumps that keep the turbo lubed for a minute or two after the motor has been shut off. Only older cars should be idled manually after being driven.

 

[Yossarian]

It is much more important to use the search function than it is to warmup your car 🙂

 

[b0mbrman]

I've been reading about this...a lot of people say the best thing to do is to start your motor, then drive it easy for the first 10 minutes or so and not let it warm up in your driveway.

It needs to warm up pushing some kind of load and not just idle...

 

[thedarkwolf]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: LordSegan
Good to know... typically, is this the same for turbo cars?

Cool down is different. For extended longjevity, you should let the car idle for 30 seconds to a minute for the oil to cool down, and chill the turbo before shut off.

Actually, its to make sure the turbine is lubricated as it spins down. I think a friend told me they can spin upwards of 100k rpm. IMHO all new cars w/ turbos have auxillary water/oil pumps that keep the turbo lubed for a minute or two after the motor has been shut off. Only older cars should be idled manually after being driven.

Actually its both 🙂. I have never heard of auxillary water/oil pumps on any turbo cars.

 

[boyRacer]

As advanced modern cars are today i still don't think flooring a cold engine from the get go is a good thing. 😛 But letting an engine idle for so long is actually a bad thing ... 😀

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: LordSegan
Good to know... typically, is this the same for turbo cars?

Cool down is different. For extended longjevity, you should let the car idle for 30 seconds to a minute for the oil to cool down, and chill the turbo before shut off.

Actually, its to make sure the turbine is lubricated as it spins down. I think a friend told me they can spin upwards of 100k rpm. IMHO all new cars w/ turbos have auxillary water/oil pumps that keep the turbo lubed for a minute or two after the motor has been shut off. Only older cars should be idled manually after being driven.

100k rpm seems really high. Redline for the blower in my car is about 35k rpm. I guess 100k rpm could be doable, but I doubt your average turbo (not that I have much experience with them) spins faster than half that speed.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: LordSegan
Good to know... typically, is this the same for turbo cars?

Cool down is different. For extended longjevity, you should let the car idle for 30 seconds to a minute for the oil to cool down, and chill the turbo before shut off.

Actually, its to make sure the turbine is lubricated as it spins down. I think a friend told me they can spin upwards of 100k rpm. IMHO all new cars w/ turbos have auxillary water/oil pumps that keep the turbo lubed for a minute or two after the motor has been shut off. Only older cars should be idled manually after being driven.

Actually its both 🙂. I have never heard of auxillary water/oil pumps on any turbo cars.

I know for a fact the Porsche 944 has one (friend's Granny has one). I went to look at new VW's and asked specifically about that and the do indeed have one. If you don't properly spool down your turbo it will significantly shorten its lifespan. I think that's why turbos lost popularity in the late 80'/early 90's.

 

[ElFenix]

turn car on
put belt on
check mirrors quickly
release brake
go

thats about as much as you need for anything modern. there are other systems on the car that can only be warmed up driving it (transmission, steering, brakes). so you drive easy for a little bit

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: LordSegan
Good to know... typically, is this the same for turbo cars?

Cool down is different. For extended longjevity, you should let the car idle for 30 seconds to a minute for the oil to cool down, and chill the turbo before shut off.

Actually, its to make sure the turbine is lubricated as it spins down. I think a friend told me they can spin upwards of 100k rpm. IMHO all new cars w/ turbos have auxillary water/oil pumps that keep the turbo lubed for a minute or two after the motor has been shut off. Only older cars should be idled manually after being driven.

Actually its both 🙂. I have never heard of auxillary water/oil pumps on any turbo cars.

I know for a fact the Porsche 944 has one (friend's Granny has one). I went to look at new VW's and asked specifically about that and the do indeed have one. If you don't properly spool down your turbo it will significantly shorten its lifespan. I think that's why turbos lost popularity in the late 80'/early 90's.

Isn't that what a turbo timer is for?

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: Bignate603

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: LordSegan
Good to know... typically, is this the same for turbo cars?

Cool down is different. For extended longjevity, you should let the car idle for 30 seconds to a minute for the oil to cool down, and chill the turbo before shut off.

Actually, its to make sure the turbine is lubricated as it spins down. I think a friend told me they can spin upwards of 100k rpm. IMHO all new cars w/ turbos have auxillary water/oil pumps that keep the turbo lubed for a minute or two after the motor has been shut off. Only older cars should be idled manually after being driven.

Actually its both 🙂. I have never heard of auxillary water/oil pumps on any turbo cars.

I know for a fact the Porsche 944 has one (friend's Granny has one). I went to look at new VW's and asked specifically about that and the do indeed have one. If you don't properly spool down your turbo it will significantly shorten its lifespan. I think that's why turbos lost popularity in the late 80'/early 90's.

Isn't that what a turbo timer is for?

Turbo timer actually keeps the engine running for a set period of time after you've turned off the car via the ignition. I suppose you could mount an auxilliary pump and control it with a turbo timer.

 

[MaxDSP]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
turn car on
put belt on
check mirrors quickly
release brake
go

thats about as much as you need for anything modern. there are other systems on the car that can only be warmed up driving it (transmission, steering, brakes). so you drive easy for a little bit

every time a thread about this comes up, people say "modern cars". what exactly defines a modern car? post-carburetor? Ive got a 93 intrepid with 125K miles on it...would that qualify?

 

[skyking]

That's modern. If the car is tuned properly and does not hesitate a bunch, warm it up on the road if possible. Drive very conservatively for the first few minutes if possible. If you happen to live at the bottom of the onramp for the freeway, however, you'll have to warm it up a bit😉

 

[Soybomb]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: LordSegan
Good to know... typically, is this the same for turbo cars?

Cool down is different. For extended longjevity, you should let the car idle for 30 seconds to a minute for the oil to cool down, and chill the turbo before shut off.

Actually, its to make sure the turbine is lubricated as it spins down. I think a friend told me they can spin upwards of 100k rpm. IMHO all new cars w/ turbos have auxillary water/oil pumps that keep the turbo lubed for a minute or two after the motor has been shut off. Only older cars should be idled manually after being driven.

It really isn't vital, I just stay out of boost for the last mile home so it will have a chance to cool off some. I think this was probably alot more important in the days where most turbos only had oil feeds and no water cooling. With water cooling and a synthetic oil I don't feel its something to worry about too much. I'd worry more about hammering it cold and blowing a head gasket or something.

notfred: actually some turbos run up to 150k rpm! watch your fingers. Without looking up specific models I would guess that most on street cars are between 50-100k though. I can help but think balancing a turbo at 150k must not be fun.

 

Soybomb is correct, if the turbo is not water cooled and you are running petroleum based oil, the turbo will cook the oil in the turbo bearing.
Turbos run extremely hot and they will heat soak the oil turning it into coke, a hardened black carbon that will destroy the turbo and will eventually find it's way into the oil passages of your engine, this will destroy engine bearings as well.