To Idle or Not Idle

[redsyphon]

Best option is to hook up a propane heater and direct the airflow straight to the grill. Be careful not to get too close to the front though, less you melt the paint.

You'll want to wait on starting the engine until the average temp of the engine bay is between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once started, wait exactly 10 minutes. Too little and the ECU won't be able to get enough readings to properly adjust to the real ambient air temperature without the propane heater. Too long and there will be too many readings (same issue).

Now, at the ten minute mark turn the engine off. Then Quickly turn off the heater and store safely. Don't take too long as the engine can cool faster than most think. Especially if the Temps are sub 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Take too long to do this and you'll have to restart the procedure all over again.

Once done, next Remote Start the Jeep. If you don't have remote start, then you'll have to start it with the driver door ajar. The goal is to let the Jeep know you don't intend to immediately drive off so it goes into a warm-up procedure.

Remember the ambient temperature of the engine bay before? Yup, the Jeep didn't go into a warm up procedure then because it detected warm air already. BUT NOW it'll detect the cold air...

Here's the bit that Jeep screwed up from factory. We've just forced the Jeep to warm up in a safe controlled manner. The Jeep now does its automated warm up procedure (#ECU Code WMU420) and makes sure proper fluid pressure and rpms are ran to safe operating parameters. IF WE DIDN'T warm the engine up ourselves, then the initial pressures would have been all over the map. This is ok a few times, but for us that live in crazy weather states like FL; having to warm the engine up in cold temperatures every day for months on end will result in blown head gaskets.

With the Jeep started, listen for the RPMs to run normal/settle towards idle as specified in your manual. At this point, she's safe to drive all you want!

Hope this helps!

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[Antonio]

I would agree with many here on watching the rpm, as matter of fact if you drive the vehicle a bit then do a restart you’ll see that the rpm will stay low as the engine is already at operating temps vs when you first cold start where the rpm will run a bit higher for like 30 sec or so to get things flowing. On my 16 3.6 I went with the remote start option which is a great feature to have in the winter, during those cold months when you go out and see ice, I would remote start and let it run a few minutes before I’d drive off.

 

[Sazabi19]

Best option is to hook up a propane heater and direct the airflow straight to the grill. Be careful not to get too close to the front though, less you melt the paint.

You'll want to wait on starting the engine until the average temp of the engine bay is between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once started, wait exactly 10 minutes. Too little and the ECU won't be able to get enough readings to properly adjust to the real ambient air temperature without the propane heater. Too long and there will be too many readings (same issue).

Now, at the ten minute mark turn the engine off. Then Quickly turn off the heater and store safely. Don't take too long as the engine can cool faster than most think. Especially if the Temps are sub 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Take too long to do this and you'll have to restart the procedure all over again.

Once done, next Remote Start the Jeep. If you don't have remote start, then you'll have to start it with the driver door ajar. The goal is to let the Jeep know you don't intend to immediately drive off so it goes into a warm-up procedure.

Remember the ambient temperature of the engine bay before? Yup, the Jeep didn't go into a warm up procedure then because it detected warm air already. BUT NOW it'll detect the cold air...

Here's the bit that Jeep screwed up from factory. We've just forced the Jeep to warm up in a safe controlled manner. The Jeep now does its automated warm up procedure (#ECU Code WMU420) and makes sure proper fluid pressure and rpms are ran to safe operating parameters. IF WE DIDN'T warm the engine up ourselves, then the initial pressures would have been all over the map. This is ok a few times, but for us that live in crazy weather states like FL; having to warm the engine up in cold temperatures every day for months on end will result in blown head gaskets.

With the Jeep started, listen for the RPMs to run normal/settle towards idle as specified in your manual. At this point, she's safe to drive all you want!

Hope this helps!

Lol wtf? You forgot the step to ask its permission first :P

 

[JLUandCJ-7]

I really don't know if warming up the engine has any real benefits. I'm usually a start and go driver. (3.6 eTorque)

However, I can say that the engine is a dog at super cold temps before warming up. My current neighborhood entrance is on a 55 MPH section of road, so I turn right an gun it. On 20 degree mornings it complained like I'd never heard an engine complain before. Once warmed up it was fine, and any time the ambient temp was above the arctic level, it's been just fine, even if not warmed up.

Moral of the story: I'll warm it up on arctic cold days.

 

[Mgg253]

Not sure if you are being sarcastic, but this is not a good idea. Carbon monoxide can kill you.

youre right, my level one charger only keeps up 50% to power consumption. Would be better idea with a level two charger

 

[S2k Chris]

I remote start my Jeep more often than not. I don’t care if it makes it so the mechanicals wear out at 249,999 miles instead of 250,000. I want my butt toasty warm or my A/C blasting cold when I get in.

 

[Wbino]

Not sure if you are being sarcastic, but this is not a good idea. Carbon monoxide can kill you.

Yeah, I'm like WTF?

 

[Mgg253]

One of my concerns of the 4XE is the 2.0 suddenly having to come alive and do hard work when cold.

now THIS is a concern. But since I got my battery heater pump thingamajig fixed it hasn’t been cold enough in my garage to fire up the ICE

 

[Wbino]

cough...cold weather package.....cough...you cheap bastards....cough......

 

[ReimundKrohn]

I should think the answer depends on where you live. Up here, we get a few winter days as low as -40F; and have the occasional month long stretch where it doesn’t get above -20F. The hell I am just jumping in the Jeep and driving away when it’s that cold. I have always warmed my vehicles up for a good 5 minutes before driving off then.

 

[ReimundKrohn]

now THIS is a concern. But since I got my battery heater pump thingamajig fixed it hasn’t been cold enough in my garage to fire up the ICE

I don’t have a 4Xe, but I did have a couple of days while in Manitoba last year over Christmas that temps plummeted below -60F (-52c) overnight. We were at the Farm so no way to keep the Jeep (3.6 e-torque) in the garage. Come morning it started, but then the electrical went haywire, the wipers started going at 1/8th speed across the windshield, all the lights on the dash came on and it died. The battery had frozen. Took it inside and let it thaw out by the furnace for several hours and she was good to go…. But if that had been a 4Xe, I’m not sure that would have been so easy.


I don’t think most folks with opinions in this thread understand what “cold” is.

 

[Apexcars]

I didn’t get remote start and auto climate control so I could never use it because it might possibly cause a tiny bit more engine wear than never using it.

 

[Apexcars]

Best option is to hook up a propane heater and direct the airflow straight to the grill. Be careful not to get too close to the front though, less you melt the paint.

You'll want to wait on starting the engine until the average temp of the engine bay is between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once started, wait exactly 10 minutes. Too little and the ECU won't be able to get enough readings to properly adjust to the real ambient air temperature without the propane heater. Too long and there will be too many readings (same issue).

Now, at the ten minute mark turn the engine off. Then Quickly turn off the heater and store safely. Don't take too long as the engine can cool faster than most think. Especially if the Temps are sub 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Take too long to do this and you'll have to restart the procedure all over again.

Once done, next Remote Start the Jeep. If you don't have remote start, then you'll have to start it with the driver door ajar. The goal is to let the Jeep know you don't intend to immediately drive off so it goes into a warm-up procedure.

Remember the ambient temperature of the engine bay before? Yup, the Jeep didn't go into a warm up procedure then because it detected warm air already. BUT NOW it'll detect the cold air...

Here's the bit that Jeep screwed up from factory. We've just forced the Jeep to warm up in a safe controlled manner. The Jeep now does its automated warm up procedure (#ECU Code WMU420) and makes sure proper fluid pressure and rpms are ran to safe operating parameters. IF WE DIDN'T warm the engine up ourselves, then the initial pressures would have been all over the map. This is ok a few times, but for us that live in crazy weather states like FL; having to warm the engine up in cold temperatures every day for months on end will result in blown head gaskets.

With the Jeep started, listen for the RPMs to run normal/settle towards idle as specified in your manual. At this point, she's safe to drive all you want!

Hope this helps!

Crap!! I’ve been doing it wrong all these years. I use an electric heater! Guess I need to start shopping for a propane one. How badly do you think I’ve hurt my engine?

 

[Kyle]

I should think the answer depends on where you live. Up here, we get a few winter days as low as -40F; and have the occasional month long stretch where it doesn’t get above -20F. The hell I am just jumping in the Jeep and driving away when it’s that cold. I have always warmed my vehicles up for a good 5 minutes before driving off then.

I live in Montana and see similar temps. I got the manual though so no remote start for me but I have got the heated seats and steering wheel. I keep her in the garage (not heated yet) so it's not too bad before work, ~30 seconds for the idle to slow. After work though, where she's sat outside for 12-13 hrs, I let her warm up while I clear snow and/or scrape the windshield and by then she's usually warm enough where engine idle has slowed. Then, I just drive like a Florida grandma in a rainstorm until engine temps are up to norm.

 

[sconrad24]

One of my concerns of the 4XE is the 2.0 suddenly having to come alive and do hard work when cold.

Its only a concern if you floor it when in electric or hybrid. It supposedly it has a higher pressure oil pump to help with this though..... I set up my screen to see the power spilt. If you let the battery get to 0, the ICE will run in the back ground at about 1500 rpms then switch in. In the cold too it will run in the background until warm enough to switch in. Its pretty cool seeing the one power split fall on one side and the other go up. But the sound is weird when you are going 5-10 mph and the ICE is sounding like you are going 70mph.

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