Years ago as a young man it was pounded into my head that you run an engine easy until it's warmed up.No reving a cold engine or blasting down the road until the temp is up. I did suspension work at a school bus garage for 5 years years around 1980.The mechanics there used to say that a bus engine ( FE Fords and V-8 IHC's) would last longer with a driver who took it easy on a cold engine. Do you rev the snot out of a cold engine or take it easy? Do you think it makes any difference ,especially on the vintage stuff?
As I see it, wait untill there is temperature building. I have to think that the differences in thermo expansion (heads, block, pistons) need to 'even out' before ya juice it. Different materials expand at a different rate, this is proven. Once an engine is at op temp, everything will have settled to where it wants to be and then your good to go. Just my 2 cents.
If you beat on a cold engine before the lube is circulating, you're inviting scuffed bearing surfaces or even a spun bearing. Also, an engine on choke is diluting the oil on the cylinder walls with gasoline, and extra wear can result from lots of revs or load when cold. Lugging the engine isn't much better. Even fuel injected engines don't drive away perfectly from cold starts. It's a little risky to just head into traffic with a dead-cold engine. My take: I do the least idling I can get away with to still ensure driveability. My reasoning is that the engine will warm up the fastest under load, not sitting at idle. I'm constantly arguing this point with people who won't drive off before the temp comes up. They are dumping gasoline into a cold engine, and doing it for longer.
Letting an engine get up to normal operating temperature before hammering on it is good practice in anything - old or new. Back in the 60's a lot of Mopars - and probably some other makes too - even had a "cold engine" warning light in the dash that would stay on until the engine got up to temperature. Mart3406 ========================================
I seem to remember my Austin Healey owner's manual stating that a cold engine should be idled for about twenty seconds, or until oil pressure came up, then be driven at low RPMs under load until warm.
It depends on oil type, climate, oil clearances, and type of pistons. Forged pistons run more piston to wall clearance since they expand more than cast. So a forged piston "street" engine will need to be warm before you put a load on it. Or you may hear a knock or piston slap when cold. The extra clearance when cold will allow the piston to rock in the bore and prematurely wear the cylinder walls. When I was stationed up north we would have temperatures of twenty to forty below zero. A fully syntheitc oil was a huge help and didn't need to be warm. A traditional petroleum oil was noisy and needed more time to heat up and get flowing. The valvetrain get's oil last and can easily be heard if it doesn't have oil yet. Something to think about is Nascar preheats oil before a race due to the type of oil they use. At the drag strip it's common to run cold very thin oil and tight clearances. Some drag cars are started just before the burnout completely cold and go right into a burnout and nine thousand rpm or more race. The engines are cold enough you can touch the cylinder heads with your bare hands after the race.
I live in fairly warm climate. I drive a stock 272 Y-Block V8 Ford. How long should I wait in the morning until it warms up?
Treat 'em gentle until they're warmed up. Including having warm oil. Oil warms with load, so I don't idle long, just drive real easy until the water comes to temp, and the oil pressure has stabilized (changes w/ temp). -Bill
Every morning I fire up my truck and back it out of the garage, letting it idle for about 2-3 minutes while I lock up the garage and house. I jump in and take it easy for the 2.5 mile trip to the interstate, going about 45-50mph. By the time I hit the intersection at the freeway, the water temperature is creeping into operating range. I jump on the highway and average 65-70mph for 28 miles. Been doing this for years, never any problems. Romping on a cold engine is a sure fire way to wear it out prematurely. I change my oil every 3,000 miles, religiously. I use good oil and a good filter...the same brand/weight since the motor was put together. I flush my engine coolant and replace the thermostat every year with 50/50. I flush my transmission fluid & filter twice a year. I flush my differential, power steering, and brake fluid twice a year. I say "flush" because thats what I do...complete system flush. I don't want any old fluid to contaminate the new. I believe preventative maintenance and TLC is what makes things last. I've never had to go back into an engine/trans/rear that I put together and ran daily, ever...only the ones I blew up with nitrous/blowers at the strip.
I remember reading in the Volkswagen Idiot book to start the car then smoke a cigarette before driving.
When I was a kid,the old man would always start the car and then let it idle in the driveway for several minutes before he would go anywhere.Even if we were late,or in a hurry he had to let the car warm up.
After having 10-15 cars with both oil temp and water temp gauges, i`ve experiencend that the oil temp is the last of the two to reach operating temp. So i`ve allways used oil temp as a good indicator for propperly warmed up engine. And ofcourse that is when all is stabilized like said in the other posts.
No, John Muir, the author said to take the time to roll a cigarette before driving. It was a different time back then.
Drive easy until warmed up. 90% of engine wear happens in the first 2 mins of running. I cringe when I see people start a vehicle and instantly drive off, before the oil light has even gone out
I believe that carbed engines should be warmed up until they can idle without the choke on. Hammering the throttle on a cold choked engine can cause fuel puddling, fouled plugs, and carbonization in the combustion chambers. I also believe that older engines should be warmed to the point that the thermostats are open before hammering the throttle. You don't want ice cold coolant rushing in to a hot engine block.
Yes. I wish I could say that I never run one hard until its warm but that's what I try to do. Its not about time its about engine temp. Watch your temp gauge. When its up to operating temp go for it. This doesn't mean you can't drive it when its cold just don't go to the stop light drags until you are warmed. if you don't have a temp gauge get one, they are cheap in the whole scheme of things.
When the oil is warm enough that the pressure don't go above normal highest pressure (either filter byp*** or oil pump relief), when opened up, it's good to go. On a cold day you'll see the pressure go above what you would consider normal operating pressure. Use that benchmark to determine when the motor is warm enough to open it up. If the temp is somewhere in the high 40s or above, go. Letting it idle with choke on, washing the cylinders down is a bad deal.
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