Hello all-
i know this question sounds rather simple(silly?) but ive heard various opinions that differ. Should you wait until it idles-down in summer as well as winter? Or should you drive it ASAP upon startup in summer?
I have heard proper warmup is vital to engine longevity is why i ask... Thanks again

At my latitude, I run 5w30 in winter and wait for it to kick down. I also have a tarp over it to more effectively warm up the engine compartment.

What's REALLY important here is to at least have an oil pan heater, so that the oil gets picked up that first few seconds that the engine is cranking over. I also have a block heater and battery heat pad.

Summer-10w30 oil; bowl of cheerios and a cup of coffee and out the door.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" /> Update your profile w/ yer location. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I wish a definitive study would be done on this. The most recent advice seems to be run it a minute & start off easy. Theory is you will waste less fuel & the engine comes up to temp faster if it's actually doing something, the theory also is that mild work will not cause harm.

Makes sense to me & I've pretty much followed that on a number of high mileage vehicles I've owned. Who knows if they'd have gone farther with a 20 minute warm up? None of them experienced engine failure, so as far as I know they may still be running.

Dave

The main reason I wait for my truck kick down in our extreme winter winter is threefold:

1)The carb seems to appreciate it more;

2)Less likely to have stuff break; plastic and rubber are VERY brittle; this is where the tarp is helpful;

3)Antifreeze is circulating and warmed up; if you've never had a coolant system slush up and overheat on you, you're livin' in the banana belt! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> 50/50 mix isn't good enough for the Interior; I mix it for down to -65F.

I am of the opinion that if you start up the car, drive very slow and baby the right foot, it does the same thing as letting the car sit. If you have 30 feet to an uphill interstate ramp, I would let it sit till it warmed up, but driving 20 mph isn't gong to hurt anything more than letting it sit.

Well for most of us that is true, kewlynx is in Alaska, & subject to conditions most of us in the lower states can only try to imagine. I see a lot of snow here, but the temps aren't brutally low for long periods of time. Even so when they do get low, I tend to wait a bit longer to take off...I just hate it when the windshield ices up on the inside because I'm breathing in there...

Dave

in good ol kalifornia, my SOP is

* start up car
* adjust mirrors
* lock seat belt
* close door
* if HOT young MILF neighbor is coming back from her morning run in tight shorts, proceed to make small talk my with wit, charm and personality
* otherwise, less than a minute should have passed.

enough time for oil pressure to build up and off i go...

oh, tune satellite radio to howard stern before go'ing... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

lol, i guess so cal doesn't really have to worry about waiting for our trucks to warm up

well let me tell you something, if you have ever had a older chevy with a 350 and a carb with out a choke you understand the importance of warm up.

whats is important about warm up is simply the expansion of the pistons and cylender walls. pistons are thiner and warm up much faster than the block does. so they expand rapidly and if put under heavy load( ie driving normal) the clearence between the rings and cylinder gets pretty small pretty fast. Now it wont be as drastic as say piston expands enough to sieze( unless of course you are the type that turns the key and holds the pedel to the floor until you get to were you are going, i have seen that before and he sent all but three push rods through the valve covers on a 460). so if you have good oil pressure and drive like an old fart the motor will run for quite a few years, that and if you drive like an old fart you prolly let it warm up any way so...

Other than that a cold engine is going to knock harded than a warm one. Also if you ever take an engine apart i promise you the #1 cylinder will have a wave in the cylinder were the water pump outlet is. that is the coldest part of the engine and that cylinder never fully expandes from the cold water.


and kewylnx, even in oregon i have warrantied a water pump because the block froze and when i turned the engine over it snaped the prop shaft clean.

nick on pain killers

My '90 has never wanted to perform well until it is warmed up(temp to midway), regardless of the time of year it is. I let it warm up about 5 minutes or so to either cool off/warm up the cab and go.