If you're one of the many drivers who thinks it's important to idle your car — turn it on and let it sit — in these frigid winter months to protect the engine, you've likely fallen victim to a myth that may be doing more harm than good.
We spoke with mechanical engineer and former drag-racer Stephen Ciatti about the pervasive myth that you need to warm up your car in the winter.
For the last 26 years, Ciatti has worked on combustion engines — engines that generate power from burning fuel, like gasoline — and currently oversees all of the combustion engine work atArgonne National Laboratory in Illinois.
To get straight to the point, Ciatti said that idling your car in the cold not only wastes fuel, but it's also stripping oil from critical components that help your engine run, namely the cylinders and pistons.
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10 comments:
Yeah but you still have to de ice the windows and warm the interior so the point is moot
I mean what are you just gonna jump in and bolt with the windows covered in ice like a dolt! Jeez before you do something like writing an article try to use that thing atop your neck to see if it's worth doing.
This guy is not exactly correct. Putting a load on the engine while cold cases the piston rings to be pressed against the cylinder walls harder increasing wear.
The best method is to get the engine warm quicker by leaving the heater off for the first few minutes of operation.
People have a tendency to turn the heat or defrost to full with the fan blower on full. Doing this slows engine warm up time dramatically.
You don't have to de-ice if you park in a garage, but not everyone can do that.
Of course you don't have to deice I never do however at some point you do have to go out and your car then guess what will get snow and ice on it
I also run the car at least until I have full of pressure then I know my engine is getting lubricated and by the way if this race driver is right then we should be turn off your engines at stoplights! It must be a problem that only occurs in the driveway!
The engine damage the author speaks of will happen either way; thee engine still has to get from 20 degrees to operating temp whether your vehicle is moving or not.
What the author ignores is the fact that the pistons will heat up faster than the cylinders, thus changing the clearances that are normal for the engine, causing more wear than usual. All parts change size with temperature, and if proper clearances are measured with all parts being the same temp, then that's the best way for an engine to be run.
So, yes, warm your engine until everything is 195 degrees and your heating and defrosting systems are operating before you drive.
Oh, and back in to your parking and driveways. It's the only time your windows are clear to see your way out. After an overnight or work time, windows other than your windshield can be fogged or frosted, so start out will be much safer.
Bunk
Some myths die hard, and the notion that you need to idle your car in the cold is no exception. The basis for this thinking extends to an age when car engines relied on carburetors.
Before 1980, carburetors were the heart that kept car engines pumping.
From the 1980s onward, however, electronic fuel injection took over and is still what powers today's car engines.
The key difference is that electronic fuel injection comes with a sensor that feeds the cylinders the right air-fuel mixture to generate a combustion event. Carburetor-run cars lacked this important sensor.
Therefore, if your gasoline was too cold, your car wouldn't run rich, it would simply stall out. In those days, it was important to get the carburetor warm before driving. But those frustrating times met their end long ago, and so too should pointless idling.
Yes, you're going to be cold during the first few minutes it takes your radiator to warm up and start blowing air that feels comfortable. But you'll be saving yourself fuel as well as a lot of time and money.
The only part of the car is the engine. No one wants to think about how a cold transmission shifts. This debate will ensue. A cold loaded engine wears faster. Im a believer in letting it warm a bit before you load the engine. I could care less about the cabin being warm and toasty i just like to know the motor has some heat in it before i roll on. Maybe im wrong but ill just be ok with being wrong. I promise you he hasnt built a drag car that blasts a pass on a cold block. Ive yet to see a racer who would.
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