Drive it cold or let her warm up?

[Haywire6000]

I am just wondering what you guys input is on letting your vehicle warm up( Idle) before driving it. I was always told that you should let the engine warm up before driving the vehicle which makes sense.

For one the oil is thick when cold and hard to move through all the small passages in the engine.

Two is that the head gasket has a higher change of failing. From what I've heard the head gasket can withstand more pressure when the engine is at full temp. Mostly because the block and head have expanded putting more pressure on the gasket and making it less prone to blowing out.

These reason make sense to me. Now I know synthetic oil doesn't thicken up in the cold so I guess that one does depend on what you use.


But anyway what is your input????

 

[4.0B2]

Even here in Mississippi where DANG cold is 15 degrees F, I let it run a few mins.

1. Oil thickness
2. I don't wanna freeze waiting for warm heat.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I usually just let it idle for a couple minutes but not long enough to come up to operating temp. If I'm in a hurry I just wait until the rpms drop down from high idle. Either way I try to take it easy until it gets fully warmed up, no mashing the go pedal to the floor and rocketing off. If it's really cold I'll leave it idle a little longer and I'll let the clutch out in neutral to let it move around some of the fluid in the trans.

 

[ab_slack]

When really cold I prefer to warm up, letting it sit at idle.

Also when very cold clutch gets stiff, trans hard to shift. Just seems better to let it warm up.

If temperature isn't low I am less concerned because it isn't so obvious that the it is cold, but what I heard is that most wear occurs in the engine as it warms up till it gets at operating temperature. Partly because of the oil flow, partly because dimensional fit cold is slightly different than when at operating temperature.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

I have never worried about it I personally think it is a wives tale once the oil pressure comes up go. To each his own.

 

[Road Angels]

warm up

I only warm up an automatic car or truck, due to high cold idle so it it doesn't shock the ban and clutch pack, cold or hot on a stick, I start and go 300k and never a problem, if you have the correct fluids you should not have a problem all the way down to 0 degress, under that I believe big time in block heaters

 

[wildbill23c]

I let the B2 warm up as I have to defrost the ice off the windows, so I let it warm up a bit to loosen the ice enough that I can scrape it off so it usually runs about 10 minutes by then its putting out enough heat that I don't freeze driving into town.

 

[4.0B2]

I don't think it's a real big deal... I just let it run in the winter a little so the heat won't take so long with me freezing.

 

[Mark_88]

Block heaters are great...but I still let the engine idle for about two minutes before I drive...even with a manual transmission...

Automatics, I was told years ago, need more warming up because they have to think about changing gears and their minds work better when they are warm...

 

[Twister]

I always let mine warm up for a minute or so, both auto and manual.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk

 

[truckfan]

I always let it warm up for about 2-3 minutes whatever the weather is.

 

[adsm08]

I just let it run while I make my lunch in the winter. Then it's off we go. I do it mostly for the heat though.

 

[exbass94]

No. I start it up, select which music I want to listen to, and take off. That's maybe 20 seconds. Just drive it nice and easy for the first few miles, no hard accelerations. You won't damage anything doing this. The engine will warm up faster this way too. The faster the engine gets up to operating temp the better.
If you want to let it idle so you have heat as soon as you start driving, fine. Just realize you're doing it for YOU, not the car. Don't think for a second the car NEEDS to idle. It doesn't. It's just a waste of gas.

 

[Mac]

I also just let it warm up for a minute or two. As for the two reasons you give, going to have the same situations whether you are moving or sitting there idling. Oil is still going to have to go thru those small passages and the head gasket is going to have the same happen to it.
Dave

 

[97RangerXLT]

No. I start it up, select which music I want to listen to, and take off. That's maybe 20 seconds. Just drive it nice and easy for the first few miles, no hard accelerations. You won't damage anything doing this. The engine will warm up faster this way too. The faster the engine gets up to operating temp the better.
If you want to let it idle so you have heat as soon as you start driving, fine. Just realize you're doing it for YOU, not the car. Don't think for a second the car NEEDS to idle. It doesn't. It's just a waste of gas.

Bingo.

if it is like 20 below I will let it warm up for maybe a minute or two, but other than that, start it, let the oil pressure come up and go. Just drive it slow and easy for a few blocks until the transmission and joints warm up.

AJ