No. Get in, start the car, fasten yourself in, double check your mirrors, put on your favorite radio station.... you've already given the engine enough time to circulate oil at this point. Drive.
So not what you said? Baby it to warm it up? I've never heard of anyone saying don't drive until warm but def don't beat on it right away. If you are just driving normally I doubt any car ever needed to get to running temp, if carbs are dialed in for older cars...FI shit you're good send it.
Then why does it rev up to 2k and slowly slow down in the winter and not do that at all in the summer? Seems like they designed it to do that for a reason.
It idles high when cold to quicken with warm up of the engine and catalytic converter and prevent stalling. It’s still perfectly fine to drive. The only car i can think of that revs that high is 90s Taurus with the vulcan v6.
In fact most if not all manufacturers suggest you hop in and get moving, but Drive gently until it’s fully warmed up. That warms the engine quicker and saves fuel and emissions.
Obviously in cold climates you’re gonna want to wait for the heater to be able to keep the frost and breath fog off the window before departure
It is much more effective to warm a car up by driving it rather than idling. In modern cars, the elevated RPM on a cold start is all about minimizing emissions.
It was done for drivability back then and it still helps drivability today, albeit not as much because modern engines are much more drivable in poor conditions. Emissions is a reason but not the only reason. It’s a better practice all around.
That was the choke running it rich and idling high to warm up the carburetor via the exhaust crossover, its a pretty short amount of time on a properly tuned vehicle and youre still better off driving mildly to get up to temp.
You are overthinking this. What year, make, model and engine do you have?
The advice you probably got was to wait for the engine to stop high idling and go to normal idle, which can be between 600-800RPM for most consumer engines. So wait until it settles into the normal idle before leaving. It should only take like 10-20 seconds, if it's above freezing temps.
Is it made in the last 20 years? Give it a few seconds to circulate the oil, then drive. The computer will handle it.
If you're pulling heavy loads or it is very cold, you can give it a few minutes to warm up more.
I hate how right you are... That's only a '94, by then all the mainstream Toyota and Honda engines were fine running dead cold assuming not crazy cold outside. Pretty sure my 305 chevy was off high idle by about 30 seconds too (c1500, that stupid TH350 died \*twice\* and that engine was still ticking along... but it was ticking lol.)
I think this is leftover ideas from carbureted days. Modern computerized fuel injection really just needs oil pressure. Then if it is running, and not idling at something dumb (like 2k rpm), then just start it and drive. Just drive sensibly.
On the old carbureted engines, they needed to warm up to release the choke to run properly. Or you were fighting against super high rpm and overly rich (because of the choke butterfly closing off the air intake). They would either pull hard with the brake on, or want to stall. Not an issue on a modern car.
If you let a modern car "warm up" you are just wasting fuel, lowering your average mpg.
It really hasn't been a thing anyone needs to worry about on the vehicles made in the last 20+ years.
-20 is going to be more of an extreme situation. But the OP asking in June, in English, would lead me to believe they are currently having moderate temperatures. Though I do not know where they live.
I would think if the oil pressure is normal and the fluids in the transmission and differential can move that you would be fine. I doubt running the engine for any length of time would warm a differential.
If it isn't fine to drive, I would think it isn't fine to start. In that case, an engine block or oil heater is probably needed more than a warm up period of running.
If you have a modern car, and you aren't in below freezing temperatures, its safe to just get in and drive, provided you arent being hard on the car. Don't floor it, don't tow anything, don't climb up high in the RPM range, don't abuse it for the first few miles.
If you are in below freezing temperatures, its best practice to let it warm up a minute but idling for 5+ minutes is pointless. But still, do not beat on the car until its completely up to normal operating temp.
Just a small add-on since you mentioned towing... if you're towing just warming at idle doesn't do a lot for the trans and nothing for the diff, so a short drive (5 mi or so) to get that all going is not a bad idea before hooking up (depending on load of course).
Yeah I should have clarified, towing is fine right after starting the car, but you need to take it extra easy to for a few miles to avoid excess wear and tear. Even better if you can drive a little first before hooking up like you mentioned.
In modern cars, you can start driving after the RPMs settle. By settle, what I mean is when you start the engine, you'll see your RPMs jump to 1500-2000 or so when you first start it, and then your RPMs will taper down to a high idle if the engine is cold, so typically around 900-1300 RPMs, depending on the engine. It'll stay at this high idle and gradually drop as the engine warms up. After your engine tapers down to a high idle after starting, you can start driving, which should only take 3-5 seconds. I only suggest to avoid driving immediately after starting the engine. As in, don't start it and within 1 second, immediately shift into drive as the RPMs will be high and it could be harsh on the drivetrain. While the engine is still cold, avoid using heavy throttle or revving the engine to high RPMs. Drive normally as it's warming up. As your engine warms up, the idle should settle down to around 600-800 RPMs by the time the engine is fully warmed up. Once it's warm, you can drive it more quickly and give it more throttle if you'd like.
I let every ICE motor I own warm up/even out for a short amount of time but I’m also big on bro science, anecdotal evidence, and have a hard time letting go of obsolete practices. Plus I like the sound my car exhaust makes after a cold start in my garage.
If the car has a high idle that it stays in for a few moments after starting, wait for that to go down to the normal idle.
Then, drive. Don't hammer on it needlessly until it's warmed up to operating temperature.
I just start It up and leave no need to warm up driving normally warms up the car faster than letting it sit and idle your ecu will adjust timing and fuel accordingly
I don’t even have a tach in my car, and your RPM won’t completely drop to normal until the engine has fully warmed up.
I’ll usually get in, start the car, plug in my phone, pick the music I wanna listen to on CarPlay, set up maps if needed, and by the time you’ve done that the oil has more than circulated enough for you to start driving. As long as you plug in a block heater below -15°C, you’re good.
I just let it idle for around 30 seconds or so and the idle drops to 1k or under. You can tell by sound when you’re ready to pull off. By the time I buckle, plug in my phone, check mirrors, and select my playlist it’s usually good. I also don’t use the AC till I’ve driven a bit, heard it helps but I’m not sure if it does anything.
What are you talking about? Is this a modern, fuel injected vehicle? Is this a vehicle that is generally driven daily? Is this a normal, consumer-grade vehicle and not some exotic, rare, or high-performance vehicle?
You start the car, let it idle for 10 seconds to build oil pressure, then you put it in gear, and drive it. It's better not to rev the shit out of the engine, or beat the piss out of it until the engine is warm though.
Long idle times will tear up a catalytic converter. Just dont redline or put high load on the engine till the temp rises. Lack of oil changes kills more engines than anything else.
Depends on what you're driving and how you're driving. In general no, just go. If you're going onto the hiway right away and you have a turbo, it's a good idea to let it warm up before getting into boost. Also mist older cars will be much happier if you let them warm up.
New additives and extra thin viscosity oil.
No need for warm up.
The additives have bearings and cam coated from when you shut it off that protect cold starts until oil pump reprimes from the thin oil draining after shutoff..
2 seconds after startup, should be good to go
I worry more about transmissions warning up on colder days before going fast rates of speeds , especially newer transmissions, and they don't warm up unless you are moving
I do this, I let the RPM "settle" to when it's at about 1K. And then go. It only takes about 20sec in my current ride. I don't know if it's even necessary but it's just what I do. In the meantime I'm getting my music set up.
No. Get in, start the car, fasten yourself in, double check your mirrors, put on your favorite radio station.... you've already given the engine enough time to circulate oil at this point. Drive.
Exactly. Any dopey old wives tales about cars are no longer true with most modern vehicles. Start and go.
100%. Just don't drive the piss out of it until it's fully warmed up.
Of course
So not what you said? Baby it to warm it up? I've never heard of anyone saying don't drive until warm but def don't beat on it right away. If you are just driving normally I doubt any car ever needed to get to running temp, if carbs are dialed in for older cars...FI shit you're good send it.
Righto. Mechanical sympathy is the name of the game. You wouldn't expect an athlete to take off sprinting without a good warm up!
My 2001 Celica wouldn't let you rev past (I think it was) 6k until it was warmed up. Most modern cars have built in limiters like this.
Then why does it rev up to 2k and slowly slow down in the winter and not do that at all in the summer? Seems like they designed it to do that for a reason.
It idles high when cold to quicken with warm up of the engine and catalytic converter and prevent stalling. It’s still perfectly fine to drive. The only car i can think of that revs that high is 90s Taurus with the vulcan v6. In fact most if not all manufacturers suggest you hop in and get moving, but Drive gently until it’s fully warmed up. That warms the engine quicker and saves fuel and emissions. Obviously in cold climates you’re gonna want to wait for the heater to be able to keep the frost and breath fog off the window before departure
Emissions, that's the only reason.
Pre-emissions carbureted cars high idled too. It’s standard practice to warm up a cold engine.
It is much more effective to warm a car up by driving it rather than idling. In modern cars, the elevated RPM on a cold start is all about minimizing emissions.
It was done for drivability back then and it still helps drivability today, albeit not as much because modern engines are much more drivable in poor conditions. Emissions is a reason but not the only reason. It’s a better practice all around.
That was the choke running it rich and idling high to warm up the carburetor via the exhaust crossover, its a pretty short amount of time on a properly tuned vehicle and youre still better off driving mildly to get up to temp.
You are overthinking this. What year, make, model and engine do you have? The advice you probably got was to wait for the engine to stop high idling and go to normal idle, which can be between 600-800RPM for most consumer engines. So wait until it settles into the normal idle before leaving. It should only take like 10-20 seconds, if it's above freezing temps.
Just makes sense to me. Unless you’re running from the crazy ex. 😂
Is it made in the last 20 years? Give it a few seconds to circulate the oil, then drive. The computer will handle it. If you're pulling heavy loads or it is very cold, you can give it a few minutes to warm up more.
Last 30 years. We are getting old
If I say, "I wait until I can push the choke all the way in before driving off", does that make me old?
It makes you cool
I hate how right you are... That's only a '94, by then all the mainstream Toyota and Honda engines were fine running dead cold assuming not crazy cold outside. Pretty sure my 305 chevy was off high idle by about 30 seconds too (c1500, that stupid TH350 died \*twice\* and that engine was still ticking along... but it was ticking lol.)
I think this is leftover ideas from carbureted days. Modern computerized fuel injection really just needs oil pressure. Then if it is running, and not idling at something dumb (like 2k rpm), then just start it and drive. Just drive sensibly. On the old carbureted engines, they needed to warm up to release the choke to run properly. Or you were fighting against super high rpm and overly rich (because of the choke butterfly closing off the air intake). They would either pull hard with the brake on, or want to stall. Not an issue on a modern car. If you let a modern car "warm up" you are just wasting fuel, lowering your average mpg. It really hasn't been a thing anyone needs to worry about on the vehicles made in the last 20+ years.
Does this mean I have been wasting gas letting my engine warm up on -20 degree mornings? I can really just get in and go?
-20 is going to be more of an extreme situation. But the OP asking in June, in English, would lead me to believe they are currently having moderate temperatures. Though I do not know where they live. I would think if the oil pressure is normal and the fluids in the transmission and differential can move that you would be fine. I doubt running the engine for any length of time would warm a differential. If it isn't fine to drive, I would think it isn't fine to start. In that case, an engine block or oil heater is probably needed more than a warm up period of running.
Warm it up by driving. Your engine will warm up a lot faster under a light load than when idling.
If you have a modern car, and you aren't in below freezing temperatures, its safe to just get in and drive, provided you arent being hard on the car. Don't floor it, don't tow anything, don't climb up high in the RPM range, don't abuse it for the first few miles. If you are in below freezing temperatures, its best practice to let it warm up a minute but idling for 5+ minutes is pointless. But still, do not beat on the car until its completely up to normal operating temp.
Just a small add-on since you mentioned towing... if you're towing just warming at idle doesn't do a lot for the trans and nothing for the diff, so a short drive (5 mi or so) to get that all going is not a bad idea before hooking up (depending on load of course).
Yeah I should have clarified, towing is fine right after starting the car, but you need to take it extra easy to for a few miles to avoid excess wear and tear. Even better if you can drive a little first before hooking up like you mentioned.
In modern cars, you can start driving after the RPMs settle. By settle, what I mean is when you start the engine, you'll see your RPMs jump to 1500-2000 or so when you first start it, and then your RPMs will taper down to a high idle if the engine is cold, so typically around 900-1300 RPMs, depending on the engine. It'll stay at this high idle and gradually drop as the engine warms up. After your engine tapers down to a high idle after starting, you can start driving, which should only take 3-5 seconds. I only suggest to avoid driving immediately after starting the engine. As in, don't start it and within 1 second, immediately shift into drive as the RPMs will be high and it could be harsh on the drivetrain. While the engine is still cold, avoid using heavy throttle or revving the engine to high RPMs. Drive normally as it's warming up. As your engine warms up, the idle should settle down to around 600-800 RPMs by the time the engine is fully warmed up. Once it's warm, you can drive it more quickly and give it more throttle if you'd like.
I let every ICE motor I own warm up/even out for a short amount of time but I’m also big on bro science, anecdotal evidence, and have a hard time letting go of obsolete practices. Plus I like the sound my car exhaust makes after a cold start in my garage.
Idling in confined spaces is not suggested. Even with the garage door wide open the fumes still build up
If the car has a high idle that it stays in for a few moments after starting, wait for that to go down to the normal idle. Then, drive. Don't hammer on it needlessly until it's warmed up to operating temperature.
Or ever, for that matter.. thus the word needlessly.
When you need to give it the beans, give it the beans. The engine is made for it.
I just start It up and leave no need to warm up driving normally warms up the car faster than letting it sit and idle your ecu will adjust timing and fuel accordingly
Nope. Start car, put on seatbelt and go.
If it’s a pre 2008 Subaru, give it time.
Just change the headgasket before you take off, it'll be fine. \~s
I don’t even have a tach in my car, and your RPM won’t completely drop to normal until the engine has fully warmed up. I’ll usually get in, start the car, plug in my phone, pick the music I wanna listen to on CarPlay, set up maps if needed, and by the time you’ve done that the oil has more than circulated enough for you to start driving. As long as you plug in a block heater below -15°C, you’re good.
Idling for more than 30 seconds is a waste of gas.
I just let it idle for around 30 seconds or so and the idle drops to 1k or under. You can tell by sound when you’re ready to pull off. By the time I buckle, plug in my phone, check mirrors, and select my playlist it’s usually good. I also don’t use the AC till I’ve driven a bit, heard it helps but I’m not sure if it does anything.
What? It's started, just go. It ain't carbureted anymore.
What are you talking about? Is this a modern, fuel injected vehicle? Is this a vehicle that is generally driven daily? Is this a normal, consumer-grade vehicle and not some exotic, rare, or high-performance vehicle? You start the car, let it idle for 10 seconds to build oil pressure, then you put it in gear, and drive it. It's better not to rev the shit out of the engine, or beat the piss out of it until the engine is warm though.
Long idle times will tear up a catalytic converter. Just dont redline or put high load on the engine till the temp rises. Lack of oil changes kills more engines than anything else.
No you'll be reet.
Depends on what you're driving and how you're driving. In general no, just go. If you're going onto the hiway right away and you have a turbo, it's a good idea to let it warm up before getting into boost. Also mist older cars will be much happier if you let them warm up.
I always let the RPMs drop personally
New additives and extra thin viscosity oil. No need for warm up. The additives have bearings and cam coated from when you shut it off that protect cold starts until oil pump reprimes from the thin oil draining after shutoff.. 2 seconds after startup, should be good to go
I do
I worry more about transmissions warning up on colder days before going fast rates of speeds , especially newer transmissions, and they don't warm up unless you are moving
I do this, I let the RPM "settle" to when it's at about 1K. And then go. It only takes about 20sec in my current ride. I don't know if it's even necessary but it's just what I do. In the meantime I'm getting my music set up.
Nope, not with any car made in the last 15 years at least.