warming up engine
02-10-2005, 09:27 PM
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warming up engine
When i start my car in the morning i warm it up for about 5 mins, but i warm it up on an incline. Do any of you think that this could be bad for the engine, due to the front being more elevated then the rear, maybe oil starvation? maybe i'm just being paranoid...
02-11-2005, 08:47 AM
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Why shoudn't you warm up an engine? I don't see any harm in it. The warmer the motor oil is...the better it protects the engine and all its moving parts. If you start the car and drive off right away, the motor oil is still cold...therefore it prolly won't protect the engine as well as if its warm or hot. Starting the car and waiting a little can only help in my opinon...maybe at least for a little piece of mind.
02-11-2005, 08:58 AM
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Probably not doing it any favors. Give it 60 seconds for the idle to settle down and drive off easy. Honda doesn't reccommend letting the car warm up while sitting still. It is your car though . . .
02-11-2005, 10:20 AM
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Warming the engine by letting the engine idle for a long time means it takes a LOT longer for everything to warm up than if you drove it immediately. One school of thought is that this idle period causes more wear than driving. I don't know if anybody has done a scientific study on it, but personally I'm part of the "drive immediately" group. Also there's the theory that Honda designed the engine to be driven immediately, and operates best that way. I don't recall if the owner's manual says anything about this specifically.
Also, the long idle warmup technique means that the catalytic converter reaches effective temp much more slowly, thereby releasing more pollutants.
Also, the long idle warmup technique means that the catalytic converter reaches effective temp much more slowly, thereby releasing more pollutants.
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02-11-2005, 01:29 PM
#10
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The engine isn't the only thing that needs to be warmed up. So does the tranny, so does the diff, so do the tires, ....
So the best policy is to start the engine, let the idle settle for a few seconds, then drive off in a relaxed manner. Let the whole car warm up. Once everything has some heat in it, then you can start being more aggressive.
Likewise, after very intense driving (eg. track driving) it is best to not just slam to a stop and shut down the engine. Do some cooldown driving. This keeps the air, water, and oil flowing -- pulling heat away from the engine, brakes, tranny, diff, etc. In fact, after a track session I try to do a cooldown lap or two, then when I pull into the paddock I leave the car idling for a few more minutes. This is just to help prevent "soakback" in the engine.
So the best policy is to start the engine, let the idle settle for a few seconds, then drive off in a relaxed manner. Let the whole car warm up. Once everything has some heat in it, then you can start being more aggressive.
Likewise, after very intense driving (eg. track driving) it is best to not just slam to a stop and shut down the engine. Do some cooldown driving. This keeps the air, water, and oil flowing -- pulling heat away from the engine, brakes, tranny, diff, etc. In fact, after a track session I try to do a cooldown lap or two, then when I pull into the paddock I leave the car idling for a few more minutes. This is just to help prevent "soakback" in the engine.