warming up the subi?

[987687]

Hmm, even if it gets a little slushy (which I'm not saying is a good thing) it is going to have to be VERY cold before it actually freezes solid enough to crack the block.

[subikid90]

Hmm, even if it gets a little slushy (which I'm not saying is a good thing) it is going to have to be VERY cold before it actually freezes solid enough to crack the block.

 

Thats true. Hense the reason none of us really need the heater but if we do experience those temperature if would be nice to have the assurance that my block wont crack.

[987687]

The coldest start I had was -40° F. And it started right up.

[gathermewool]

The coldest start I had was -40° F. And it started right up.

 

Holy moly! How'd that sound?

[subikid90]

Wow I had to grit my teeth when it was -20 and I have to start mine. Even at 0 it makes too many noises I don't like.

[987687]

Holy moly! How'd that sound?

Like a sewing machine. I assume if I had a later engine without the HLAs it would be a lot better on cold starts.

[98LGTLover]

It has been -30 when I started my car once. It turned over pretty slow but my GT never lets me down :] *knock on wood*

[Stang70Fastback]

The car has never failed to start, even when it was -20, but it was definitely not in the mood.

[987687]

My car has failed to start... My battery has frozen twice. First time it was down to 2v. Second time it was a little bloated and at 0.3v. So I took it inside to warm up. I should really get a new battery... But it still works.

[broknindarkagain]

There is another thread in the 4th gen section saying its bad for your car to warm up but i feel liek that can't be true. Anyone have any proof?

 

there is really no way it can be bad that I can think of....maybe a waste of gas though

[gathermewool]

It's bad for the oil, and can cause sludge for a sludge-prone engine due to moisture and blowby; however, this is what the oil is designed to counter, and it does it well if you change your oil with in reason. Most people I know change their oil WAY too much, so idling is NEVER an issue, period.

[Jonathan]

It's bad for the oil, and can cause sludge for a sludge-prone engine due to moisture and blow-by; however, this is what the oil is designed to counter, and it does it well if you change your oil with in reason. Most people I know change their oil WAY too much, so idling is NEVER an issue, period.

While modern electronically-controlled motors are much better controlled then the ancient carburetor days, a cold motor will still run slightly rich until it warms up. This means that the spark plugs and the catalitic converter will have shorter life spans than a motor that warms more quickly by being driven than one that idles for ~1/2 an hour before being driven.

 

If you couple this with only going on short trips (less than ~ 10 miles, say) you can certainly expect to require more frequent tune-ups than someone who regularly drives on 30+ mile trips.

 

If you idle your car to warm it up, drive on primarily short trips, and only change your oil every 5,000 miles, you are going to eventually experiance problems (unless you trade the car in 3 years).

 

For me, I feel its best to change your oil every three months regardless of actual mileage.

[gathermewool]

While modern electronically-controlled motors are much better controlled then the ancient carburetor days, a cold motor will still run slightly rich until it warms up. This means that the spark plugs and the catalitic converter will have shorter life spans than a motor that warms more quickly by being driven than one that idles for ~1/2 an hour before being driven.

 

If you couple this with only going on short trips (less than ~ 10 miles, say) you can certainly expect to require more frequent tune-ups than someone who regularly drives on 30+ mile trips.

 

If you idle your car to warm it up, drive on primarily short trips, and only change your oil every 5,000 miles, you are going to eventually experiance problems (unless you trade the car in 3 years).

 

For me, I feel its best to change your oil every three months regardless of actual mileage.

 

Good points, and I agree that what I bolded is what a lot of people do, so, really, they can do what ever the heck they want with their car and it won't matter (to them.) Besides, if people are shortening the life of certan components, they'll most likely be saving money on others, such as less-frequent oil changes, tire changes and will be putting fewer miles on their car, overall. So, even if one car makes it 200k on the stock cats doing lots of highway driving and another only 75k, they both made it 10 years.

 

I've never done more than give my opinion on oil change intervals. Changing the oil is cheap, and one of those things that people either don't care about or are darned near religious about. IMO, changing your oil every three months using a good oil is absolutely absurd, and I'm sure a UOA would show you the same, but does it really matter if it gives you peace of mind and that sense of accomplishment? The answer is always no, of course. For me, I like to see how far I can safely take things.

 

Oil is designed to do a job for a certain amount of time based on the conditions it's used. I want to fine tune my OCI so I'm let it do just that with out risking anything. If UOA says to change my oil every 10k, I will. I'll leave in enough conservatism for changes in drivin habits or mechanical changes like a worn PCV valve or what ever.

[LbecomesGTintoSTI]

1997 Legacy L 199K+ miles (2.2L Auto):

When I start it up, the engine idles at 1500rpm.

It takes about 10-12mins for the rpms to drop down to about 800 before I start driving.

If I start driving the car without letting it warm up, the transmission shifts like it hates me.

10 mins of idle is not a significant waste of gas but if you have a car like mine, you need to warm it up.

Also, oil settles when the car is off, leaving the bearings & other moving parts 'dry' (still oil present but not enough to fully lubricate moving parts.)

This also happens to the transmission.

If you just drive away without letting your car warm up & distribute the oil to the parts where it's needed the most, you risk shortening the lifespan of those parts.

Just my 0.2 cents.

[subikid90]

WOW 10-12 mins for the rpm's to drop. Mine are down to 1000 in 5 mins about 6-7 to get to 750. Is your car completely warm by then?

[Guest]

1997 Legacy L 199K+ miles (2.2L Auto):

When I start it up, the engine idles at 1500rpm.

It takes about 10-12mins for the rpms to drop down to about 800 before I start driving.

If I start driving the car without letting it warm up, the transmission shifts like it hates me.

10 mins of idle is not a significant waste of gas but if you have a car like mine, you need to warm it up.

Also, oil settles when the car is off, leaving the bearings & other moving parts 'dry' (still oil present but not enough to fully lubricate moving parts.)

This also happens to the transmission.

If you just drive away without letting your car warm up & distribute the oil to the parts where it's needed the most, you risk shortening the lifespan of those parts.

Just my 0.2 cents.

 

You don't know what you're taking about.

[LbecomesGTintoSTI]

You don't know what you're taking about.

I know my car. You don't.

But to give you the benefit of the doubt to prove me wrong so I can learn something, put YOUR 2 cents in.

[dudeondacouch]

unclemat knows all.

 

 

just like how your car uses no gas when engine braking.

[LbecomesGTintoSTI]

WOW 10-12 mins for the rpm's to drop. Mine are down to 1000 in 5 mins about 6-7 to get to 750. Is your car completely warm by then?

My car is fully warmed up, ready to go & the heater has already made the car comfortable enough for me to take off my sweater.

[Guest]

just like how your car uses no gas when engine braking.

 

Yes, modern EFI engines use no fuel during engine braking. Please educate yourself a bit before you make yourself look like an idiot again by using ":rolleyes:".

[Guest]

I know my car. You don't.

But to give you the benefit of the doubt to prove me wrong so I can learn something, put YOUR 2 cents in.

 

1. I don't need to prove you wrong, what you wrote does not make sense. Driving gently is better warm up procedure than extended idling. I am not going to repeat what I wrote here:

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130697

 

2. It's clear your car has a problem. Cold idle should not last 12 minutes, even in -40 degrees. Have someone look at it. Regardless how long it takes it's not something you have (or should) to wait for before driving off.

 

Get a clue, people.

[dudeondacouch]

Yes, modern EFI engines use no fuel during engine braking. Please educate yourself a bit before you make yourself look like an idiot again by using ":rolleyes:".

 

You've obviously never hit fuel cut.

[Guest]

You've obviously never hit fuel cut.

 

WTF you're taking about?

 

When you engine brake (foot off the gas pedal, thorttle closed) ecu is not injecting fuel!!!!

[dudeondacouch]

ok. next time you're around 4k rpms turn the car off but leave it in gear. Let me know if it feels the same as engine braking.

[LbecomesGTintoSTI]

1. I don't need to prove you wrong, what you wrote does not make sense. Driving gently is better warm up procedure than extended idling. I am not going to repeat what I wrote here:

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130697

 

2. It's clear your car has a problem. Cold idle should not last 12 minutes, even in -40 degrees. Have someone look at it. Regardless how long it takes it's not something you have (or should) to wait for before driving off.

 

Get a clue, people.

 

1. The oil pump may not be running at it's best when idling but if the oil is thick from being cold, the pump will not distribute it better than if it were warm. Oil needs to be warm to do it's thing, lubrication.

 

2. Nothing is wrong with my car. That's just the way it is. Very well maintained.

 

3. Transmission fluid warms up (slightly) with an idling car. If I just took off in my car, the transmission gives me hard shifts before smoothing out. If I let it warm up, it doesn't shift harsh at all.

 

4. Running cold increases the chances of breaking or cracking important stuff, like belts & hoses. In case you didn't know, hard things are more brittle when cold.

 

5. The bearings in a car are not properly lubricated if the oil is too thick to move through the galleys when it's needed. It takes much longer than 30 seconds to fully warm up engine oil & distribute it to where it is needed.

 

6. I live in CT & we warm up our cars for a reason, warmth. When your car is fully warm, it performs way better than it would cold. Dispute this & you need to learn more.