To Idle or Not Idle

[Sidewalk]

Get in and go. It isn't a sports car, so I don't drive it like one with the engine warm or cold.

For my old Powerstroke I let it warm up a little bit before driving (very little in summer, a lot more in winter). But that is a 300,000+ mile, 25+ year old engine. I drive it slow as hell until it is fully up to temp after that. Takes several miles to get up to enough temp in the winter that I am willing to do freeway speeds.

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[Vinman]

Back on my pre-heated garage days on extremely cold days, like -25 or colder, not only would I let the engine idle to warm up I would put the transfer case in neutral and transmission in gear to let the whole works warm up.
With the manual trannies in vehicles past they would shift like butter as soon as I left the driveway.

 

[YJdude]

When it's freezing cold it's gonna idle...for as long as it takes to make coffee, shower & get ready for work.

 

[T.Pigott]

I don't bother warming up by idling because I live in the south where the winters are mild unlike the winters I experienced living in Vail. But with the manual transmission I noticed how it's harder to shift until it warms up. So I had to drive it easy until the transmission got above 100 degrees. I also noticed that the fan for the heater wouldn't come on until the engine was warm enough to heat the cabin. Which was also around 100 degrees but for the engine. If the Jeep was in the garage all night it would generally be around 60 degrees when I got in so it didn't take very long to get to the optimal operating temps. I really appreciated the digital guages on the off road pages. On those few cold mornings I'd watch and wait for the 100 degree mark.

 

[calemasters]

In very cold weather, I use a block heater. But even without a block heater, I will let the engine idle for a minute (until the map display comes on) and then drive away with very light throttle (low rpms) until the engine nears normal operating temps. The reason for this is the engine takes a very long time to warm up at idle, but if I drive away very easy, it does warm up in less time. I like to minimize cold engine run time.

 

[6.2Blazer]

50 degrees is certainly enough to get the oil flowing, oil maintains viscosity down to pretty low temps. I wouldnt floor it at that point but its good enough to start out. The OP the only asked at what point is it ok to start driving. It was not asked after how long would the Jeep be nice and toasty.

Just to clarify, the point of my post that you quote as part of the above response was not meant to have anything to do with when you should start driving after starting the car or anything about the oil flowing. My response was due to the comment stating that after 30 seconds or so a car/engine does not warm up anymore. The 50 degrees was just an arbitrary number thrown out there to give an example of maybe how warm an engine was after a very short period of time versus letting it sit and idle for a longer period of time.
In regards to other comments from other people, I will continue to remote start my car and let it warm up in cold weather. Not only just for my comfort in getting in the car and driving, but also to let the windows get defrosted so I can see out of them! I can say with certainty that if remote starting a car and letting it idle was so bad on an engine that the manufacturer wouldn't offer that option from the factory, and it surely wouldn't be that popular in the aftermarket either. With that said I will also say that it doesn't hurt the car/engine to just start it up and go drive either. Again, if it was that bad on an engine there would be warnings and other precautions on the car about this. As said above automotive engineers know that people will do this and as such design engine and other systems that are capable of doing this.

 

[COJeeper]

My vote is for: Don't start the vehicle in -30 degrees and then throw it in drive and drag race it bouncing the tac off redline.

To warm up your vehicle, drive it. It will warm up faster than if you just let it sit idle. It also wastes less gas because you're not just letting it sit and run. Also, less emissions so if your neighbor is a democr.... errr... a person who thinks the world is ending in 12 seconds or gary thrunbirg, they'll like you more and think you're a super hero.

It only takes 2-3 minutes of easy driving to head up the motor. By about 5 minutes in, you should have tons of lovely heat pouring through your vents.

Or, start the vehicle with your remote start, it will turn on the heater and defroster (or AC depending on the registered outside temp) and go. I just wouldn't let it run for 20 minutes or something.

 

[COJeeper]

I hope this is a dethatched garage lol.

Like he has grass in his garage? I just did aeration yesterday, probably won't dethatch this year, still a pretty new lawn, only 1 year old.

 

[SLORubi]

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?

Save your money. I just take all the junk mail from the day before and set it on fire under the Jeep. Works fine.

 

[Sazabi19]

Like he has grass in his garage? I just did aeration yesterday, probably won't dethatch this year, still a pretty new lawn, only 1 year old.

It auto corrected on me :P

 

[jeepdabest]

I camp often in very cold climates and find my Mopar Portable Solar Engine Warmer to be effective in lowering engine warm up times!

 

[mwilk012]

^ This! OP just get in watch or even listen to the rpms. After you start the engine they will run above 1500 for 30 seconds or so and then they will drop under 1000. At this point the engine will not get any hotter just sitting there. So you are good to go.

This is absolute nonsense

 

[gsbrockman]

I camp often in very cold climates and find my Mopar Portable Solar Engine Warmer to be effective in lowering engine warm up times!

Six speed manual, huhhhhh?

 

[jeepdabest]

Yes. But I never take it out of first gear.

 

[Iggy]

1. Open your garage door (to allow the carbon monoxide to escape)
2. Start your 2.0T engine without applying the accelerator.
3. Allow the engine to idle (no revving the engine!).
4. Within about 15 seconds, engage the drivetrain and exit the garage.
5. Drive calmly for about 5 minutes to allow the engine oil to warm.
6. Enjoy your trip.

If you are pulling a load or climbing steep hills:
1. When you stop, allow the engine to idle for one to three minutes to cool the turbocharger before shutting it off.
2. Change your oil well within (67 - 75%) the OEM oil change intervals.

Enjoy the torque, fuel mileage and altitude advantages!

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