Warming up engine..

[bthology]

Hi i know this might have been discussed before, some of us have no time or are damn TOO lazy to warm up our cars (if we wake up late, late for work..etc)

My car is a 1984 Mazda 626 (yea old shitbox) when the choke is on max its around 2000rpm, i wanted to know if it made any difference with me driving it under 2000rpm, and leaving it to warm up.. would it cause much damage if i drive and dont rev past 2000 rpm? It may be a bit slow but i start work very late when not many cars are on the road.
cheers.

[ox!gen]

VW manual reccomds never warming up your car by letting it sit idling, but driving it gently untill it is warm

[Nathan Tinkler]

Never let it warm up. Waste of time and money and much worse for the engine (unless it is something really exotic that has off the scale oil pressure (ie Cosworth with dry sump)

Start, wait for oil light to go off, drive gently till it warms up. That means stay away from redline!

Muz

[Weightz]

When I had my VH commodore.
I noticed when I started it up it had bad tappet noise.
The pressure gauge would read zero and after a few seconds the oil pressure would go up and the noise would go away.
So I tried kicking the motor over without it starting up.
Started motor oil pressure up straight away no tappet noise.
Same with the rolla I don`t kick it over straight away.
The oil light goes out straight away.
Try it. The oil pressure is there straight away so oil is at the top of the motor when you kick the motor over.
Then drive as Muz said, no redline.

[tandy ass]

Weightz - it makes no difference if you're just cranking or with the motor idling. With the starter going you can't hear the tappet noise. What you may find is the oil warning light is disconnected while the engine is cranking just as most other electrical accessories are.

[2ofdem]

off topic. But I seen an old guy at the shops one day turn the key and soon as it fired he give it about half throttle hit the limiter twice holding it at high RPM for about 10seconds fan belt squealing and with smoke pouring out of the exhaust he drove off the car was a 2002 hyundai lantra.

[TonyJZX]

off topic. But I seen an old guy at the shops one day turn the key and soon as it fired he give it about half throttle hit the limiter twice holding it at high RPM for about 10seconds

A lot of old farts think their Camrys and Hyundais deserve the same treatment as their choke driven Humbers and Hillmans 50 years ago.

T.

[Weightz]

Weightz - it makes no difference if you're just cranking or with the motor idling. With the starter going you can't hear the tappet noise. What you may find is the oil warning light is disconnected while the engine is cranking just as most other electrical accessories are.

The car was started (motor running) It was tappet noise.
No starter motor engauged.
I was talking about when the motor is running.
When I started it up, motor running, tappet noise, oil pressure gauge on zero
oil gauge when up tappet noise gone.
crank engine first a couple of turns, then kick over, oil pressure is up before starting not after starting.
And as Bill just added in his post until the water temp starts to move on the guage

[Gab]

I tend to start it, and let it idle for maybe 2 mins before giving it a small rev, about half throttle, and driving off.

Gab

[Weightz]

I tend to start it, and let it idle for maybe 2 mins before giving it a small rev, about half throttle, and driving off.

Gab

I do that as well drops the revs down to about 1200. Better that taking off at 2000.

[Billzilla]

I start the engine, run it just above idle until the water temp starts to move on the guage then drive away slowly.
I try to keep the revs down for the first ten minutes or so, then build it up over the next ten minutes or so if I'm going to drive it hard.

[Tripper]

Depends or the car if its the everyday shitter i thrash it frome stone cold, if its the stang im building it will get the F1 treatment, external oil heater.

Just depends on how much you care for it, and/or how much money you spent on it.

Dont get me wrong my Stang is going to be nothing but a weekend car, but after putting in money to make a ricer show car look like poket change, every cent is worth it ,

[Jason Broadhurst]

I cant be bothered, i dont red line it, but i dont keep it under 2 grand or idle it... my car is for driving not babying

[Stix Zadinia]

When I started it up, motor running, tappet noise, oil pressure gauge on zero
oil gauge when up tappet noise gone.
crank engine first a couple of turns, then kick over, oil pressure is up before starting not after starting.
And as Bill just added in his post until the water temp starts to move on the guage

how do you turn your engine over without starting? do you actually get out and physcially turn it? why bother? shouldn't cars start in the first couple of revolutions anyway?

i start my car, and wait a few minutes before driving off and keeping it under 2000rpm. i've taken my oil cap off before and watched how long it takes for oil to get to my cam lobes, i timed it at about 1min 30.. so that's about how long i idle for, and god damn it's a big oil system (8 litres+)

[Weightz]

how do you turn your engine over without starting? do you actually get out and physcially turn it? why bother? shouldn't cars start in the first couple of revolutions anyway?

i start my car, and wait a few minutes before driving off and keeping it under 2000rpm. i've taken my oil cap off before and watched how long it takes for oil to get to my cam lobes, i timed it at about 1min 30.. so that's about how long i idle for, and god damn it's a big oil system (8 litres+)

Easy turn the key and let the motor have a couple of revolutions without starting, turn the key off before motor starts , Then start as usual.
Have u got a pressure gauge in your car if u have,
Start it as usual and watch the gauge and see what happens.
Next day cold start turn the key and let the motor have a couple of revolutions (or more seeing you have 8 litres) without starting,then start as
usual and watch the gauge and see what happens.
As I said in my post the VH would have tappet noise when I started it and gauge would be on zero then build up pressure and noise would go away (oil pressure up).
So in other words I got oil pressure stright away instead of it building up.
Try it.

I do the same with the rolla a few revolutions without letting it start,
start as usual the oil light doesn`t stay on waiting for oil pressure it build up,
it is already there. works u me.

[Stix Zadinia]

yeah, but the thing is my car won't turn over a few times, it normally catches pretty much after i hit the key (like they should) - i don't think i'll be getting oil pressure to the top of the case, i would be cranking and switching off for quite a while

i just fix my tappets/hydraulic lifters/cam lobes etc when they get noisy, or go to a thicker oil.

[Jim]

just start the bastard, let it run for a couple of minutes so everything has a nice flow of oil, then drive it gently until it's warm. don't load it up and don't rev it too hard.

[Stix Zadinia]

ooo ooo or you could buy some of that stuff from bright ideas, that rehones cylinders and stuff. and reverses years of engine wear..

maybe mix it with some magnatec and you'll have an engine that never wears out!

[Shonky]

VW manual reccomds never warming up your car by letting it sit idling, but driving it gently untill it is warm

Same thing in the M3 manual.

[Guido]

The Fiat motor is making over 30 pounds within ~3 seconds of firing. I get in and drive it straight away, keeping the revs as low as possible without labouring the motor. The water temp gets up real quick (factory bypass system works a treat) but the oil temp takes considerably longer.

[karl_2ltGC]

Any car i own, fire it up, idle for about 5 secs, then take off the road shifting around 2-3grand. Nothing more than 1/2throttle until i see a bit of water temp, then just drive as you wish.

[Adsy08]

I used to warm up my car for a minute or two, but after reading this thread have found it is a WOFTAM (waste of fu$king time an money) so i just gently drive it to the temp gauge is off the 'C'. Cheers for the advice.

Adsy.

[dougiefresh]

I thought the point of warming the car up was to allow the oil to warm up - not for oil pressure?

[rexxxy]

Car manurfacturers advise not to sit the car at idle and allow the engine to warm up for concern over carbon monoxide build up rather than being better or worse for the engine.

[Crash Dummy]

These days i fire up the Astra let it idle for about 30 seconds while i look around me make sure i'm not going to run over anything, stick something in the CD player and generally get comfortable. By the time i get out of my home town to the highway my temp gauge is registering a couple of mm above cold then i'm a little more willing to get up it. Thats about 4 minutes before i'll give it a little poke but still won't rev it hard.

[nui]

Same thing in the M3 manual.

Doesnt need to be fancy european cars to hvae that printed in the manual!

My 85 corolla says that too

[Shonky]

Doesnt need to be fancy european cars to hvae that printed in the manual!

My 85 corolla says that too

Fair enough. I just remember specifically seeing it in my fancy european car manual. I don't remember reading it in the VL manual or the camira manual before that. Was probably in there though.

My point was simply that BMW say not to let an engine idle to warm up.

Although carbon monoxide may be an concern, idling to warm up will take longer and the most damage is done when an engine/oil etc is cold.

[TonyJZX]

By the time I put on my driving glasses, leather gloves, put on a good mp3 track on me ipod, wait for the garage door to go up, the electric gate to open, that's one minute already.

T.

[Weightz]

I thought the point of warming the car up was to allow the oil to warm up - not for oil pressure?

Yes u are right but no oil pressure- car no go or u fuck it.
So are u saiding if the car is warming ok and the oil light is still on (with no oil pressure) you will drive it. I don`t thing so, I would be smart and check the oil (so oil pressure is important on start up)

[Weightz]

yeah, but the thing is my car won't turn over a few times, it normally catches pretty much after i hit the key (like they should) - i don't think i'll be getting oil pressure to the top of the case, i would be cranking and switching off for quite a while

i just fix my tappets/hydraulic lifters/cam lobes etc when they get noisy, or go to a thicker oil.

Maybe not, why not try it.