How long should i idle my 2002 ford ranger fx4 off road in the morning if its below freezing outside

[Rick W]

A few thoughts from Atlanta. Of course it rarely gets cold enough to really participate in this conversation. But…

Where I am on a busy road, if you go out and start the car or start it with a remote, you’d have to call the police to find the car and see if it’s warmed up yet…

On everything, I just turn the key and go. If it’s a cold day, and I’m driving one of the trucks with a clutch, and sitting on my steep driveway, I just back up onto the flat driveway and give it a little run, so I’m not burning the clutch while the engine is not warm.

The last thought is just a big giggle. I’m loving these guys who have the trucks with the 38 inch wheels, climbing over mountains and rocks and trees and such, who are giving the advice to start out easy so you don’t bust your truck.That’s a hoot!

 

[JoshT]

Where I am on a busy road, if you go out and start the car or start it with a remote, you’d have to call the police to find the car and see if it’s warmed up yet…

That's not a very well designed or integrated remote start. The system on my car, once started you can't do anything but unlock/open the doors until the key is inserted and turned to on. Anything else will cause it to cut off. Also auto cutoff after 15 minutes. I don't know how many times I've forgotten and popped the trunk or touched the brake pedal an killed it before I got the key inserted.

 

[SenorNoob]

Ifs I got oil pressure, I's moving.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The last thought is just a big giggle. I’m loving these guys who have the trucks with the 38 inch wheels, climbing over mountains and rocks and trees and such, who are giving the advice to start out easy so you don’t bust your truck.That’s a hoot!

You take care of your truck, it will take care of you.

If I just beat on my truck without thinking about it I wouldn't be able to do what I do with it for very long.

 

[Rick W]

That's not a very well designed or integrated remote start. The system on my car, once started you can't do anything but unlock/open the doors until the key is inserted and turned to on. Anything else will cause it to cut off. Also auto cutoff after 15 minutes. I don't know how many times I've forgotten and popped the trunk or touched the brake pedal an killed it before I got the key inserted.

You’re just trying to make me look bad because my newest car is a 97. I’ve only heard about the remote start things in fairytales and YouTube stories. I’m not even sure they really exist.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

You’re just trying to make me look bad because my newest car is a 97. I’ve only heard about the remote start things in fairytales and YouTube stories. I’m not even sure they really exist.

Years ago someone on here put one on their manual third gen. It worked well until he left it gear once, he found it buried in a snow drift in his neighbors yard.

 

[broncc]

Joke answer aside here is what I consider to be true:

Absolute soonest: A few seconds after the oil pressure reads. Your sender is reading at the timing chain, but the valvetrain is last to get oil. If you have a worn engine, but a good exhaust system, you'll hear the exact moment your engine is fully lubricated. Any sooner than this and you risk serious engine damage.

Safe soonest: When your idle drops down to normal. This ensures your oxygen sensors have warmed up enough to close the feedback loop in your ECU and the car will fuel correctly. Sooner than this risks carburetor-style long term damage.

Soonest to use full rev range: When your engine oil is up to temp, or your gauge reads the same pressure as known hot idle. This is when your oil is flowing at the designed viscosity through everything. High RPM use before this risks inadequate lubrication to stuff.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Soonest to use full rev range: When your engine oil is up to temp, or your gauge reads the same pressure as known hot idle. This is when your oil is flowing at the designed viscosity through everything. High RPM use before this risks inadequate lubrication to stuff.

You can let it run for hours but it doesn't increase the temp of the oil in differentials, t-cases, manual transmissions etc.

 

[Curious Hound]

Years ago someone on here put one on their manual third gen. It worked well until he left it gear once, he found it buried in a snow drift in his neighbors yard.

And it was NOT me.

 

[oldgeek]

I don't know about those remote starters.

Might get a callous on my thumb...

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I actually was planning to install a remote start in my first Ranger which was a manual. My plan was to fashion a metal ring around the shifter so that when in gear it would contact the ring to close a circuit so I could wire in a sort of neutral safety switch. Thinking about it, probably contact switches with a spring tab would probably be better than a solid ring so there’s some room for things to move around a little without breaking contact.

 

[Brain75]

I think I would just tap into the existing NSS, and then run that feed through a relay (to isolate the factory NSS behavior from whatever you add)... no?

 

[Rick W]

I actually was planning to install a remote start in my first Ranger which was a manual. My plan was to fashion a metal ring around the shifter so that when in gear it would contact the ring to close a circuit so I could wire in a sort of neutral safety switch. Thinking about it, probably contact switches with a spring tab would probably be better than a solid ring so there’s some room for things to move around a little without breaking contact.

wha??!

I thought once of bolting a popsicle stick crosswise to the key and leaving it in the ignition, and then tying a nylon string to the popsicle, stick and running it under the front door of the house. Then I could pull the string and it would crank.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I think I would just tap into the existing NSS, and then run that feed through a relay (to isolate the factory NSS behavior from whatever you add)... no?

Most M5OD's don't have a NSS.

My 2004 M5ODR2 only has a switch for reverse.

 

[Brain75]

ooh that's right it is a multifunction switch in the clutch mess isn't it...