How long should i let my car warm up in winter time?

[talontsiboy24]

Winter is here in chicago and i dont have a garage for my Automatic 97 gsx and temps are in the low 20s and teens and was wondering how long should i let my car warm up for?

im running mobil 1 15w-50 oil which is real thick for winter but thats what the car has been on ever since the mods and tune...

i usually let it idle for almost 20min and then drive i just wanna be sure that thick oil has went threw everything not just start it up and go as some people do...

what do u guys think?

 

[talontsiboy24]

I heard this on click and clack the tappet (maybe unrevised lifter?) brothers. They made a really good point too. You are letting your engine oil warm up, but sitting there at neutral your transmission fluid/oil and more importantly with AWD your transfer case and rear axle fluid remains freezing cold. So the only reason I see to let your engine warm up is for your own comfort.

The best way to warm up an engine and drive train is with light load, the kind you get from easy driving.

I let the clutch out as soon as the thing stays running. That takes a few seconds without an ISC or FIAV. I'm normally at operating temps 3/4 mile away from my house, give or take depending on the weather.

My car is automatic so everything is warming up in park right including the trans?

 

[1990AWD]

My car is automatic so everything is warming up since its in park

how on earth does that work? correct me if I'm wrong, but with the car in park, the tranny isn't turning at all. idling in neutral would be more beneficial imo

 

[talontsiboy24]

so how should i warm it up less then 20min if its automatic? wouldnt all the fluids including the trans be flowing when i start it up?

 

[DeNoZZo]

One reason I let mine warm up is I don't want to rapidly expand the metal and sieze up the the motor. Probably unlikely unless I just hop in and romp on it, but other reasons to let it warm are to let the trans warm up and let the windshield defrost.

 

[cyclonekid77]

This thread is unbelievable. As long as you let the car sit for a few seconds and build oil pressure and you dont rape it when its cold its not going to hurt anything. I let my car warm up for 1 to 2 minutes at most and I just short shift at 2000rpm or so til its fully warmed up.

 

[boostedjay32]

-40??????????????????????
Here in Los Angeles its 40 and some people cant take it..
(i cant) hahahaha

 

[Rob10_99]

I give it at least a couple of minutes before putting any real load on it. 30 seconds or so from first startup for full oil circulation and at least a few minutes to make sure the pistons are warmed up.

 

[907dsm]

Come to fairbanks around march when it's -65 you won't even turn off your car that's how cold it is. You guys are little girls if your crying about 40 deg weather that's shorts weather for us.

 

[907gs-t]

This is why i live in Anchorage up there in Fairbanks just gets to cold for me with that wind chill going on or maybe I'm getting to old that's probably it because the wind chill is a killer for me.

But the intercooler loves it I'm sure.

 

[Nati0nalxCrisis]

so how should i warm it up less then 20min if its automatic? wouldnt all the fluids including the trans be flowing when i start it up?

Your tranny isn't even moving when your just sitting in park. Let the motor run for a minute or two to get a little heat moving around in the car, for comfortability, then just take it easy, quarter throttle or something along those lines, that'll get all the fluids flowing nicely.

Lets say you let your motor warm for 15 minutes, it might warm your tranny just a little via conduction but...not enough for you to drive like a maniac right out of the driveway, it'll mess stuff up.

I mean hey its your car, but my car has 191,000. I can't afford to drive like a maniac, my stuff will explode, and even if I wanted to, its impossible.

 

[Rob10_99]

If your auto... your tranny is always moving, just like a 5speed.(unless the clutch is depressed).
Called a slushbox for a reason =P

 

[97gst_spyder]

I let min idle for about a min or so, then drive out of boost until the temp is at operating temp.

But then again I live in FL so a cold day is 40*

 

[blackGSX2g]

Your engine/trans/drivetrain are meant to warm up together. Last time I drove mine in the winter, I fired it up and went to work cleaning snow/scraping ice. Took me about a minute or so, then I got in and started driving. I kept the engine under about 3k RPM or so until everything started to warm up.

Just because your engine is warm, doesn't mean the rest of your drivetrain is. An auto trans will warm up quicker in park since it's got a pump, but your transfer case and rear diff are left out in the cold...literally.

 

[doctor_shock10]

This thread is unbelievable. As long as you let the car sit for a few seconds and build oil pressure and you dont rape it when its cold its not going to hurt anything. I let my car warm up for 1 to 2 minutes at most and I just short shift at 2000rpm or so til its fully warmed up.

cyclonekidkid said it all make sure you mark this thread as resovled

 

[tkelly27]

If your auto... your tranny is always moving, just like a 5speed.(unless the clutch is depressed).
Called a slushbox for a reason =P

Automatic is potentially going to warm up the trans fluid with the torque converter and pump putting energy into the fluid, but a 5 speed will not just sitting at idle. Maybe a little, but not much. It still leaves your transfer case and rear end cold when you take off, which makes your warming up semi-useless.

Just drive it easy once you see you have oil pressure, which should be instantly. Putting a small easy load on the engine helps it warm up faster.

 

[steve]

The car will come up to speed much faster if you drive it.

So put the right weight oil in it so that it flows right when you start it up, give it a min or so to warm up and then drive it gently until it's up to temp. If the thermostat is working is should be at operating temps by the time you hit the main road.

15w-50 is way to heavy an oil for around here in the winter time. I can just imagine how high the oil pressure is at startup and the damage that's doing.

 

[BigSorn]

i let my 6.0 diesel run all day, and sometimes all night.
I never plugged my talon in(~-50below every night) and it would start up just fine with 5w30, and I'd let it run for about 10 mins, ### I'm a sissy, hah.

 

[talontsiboy24]

The car will come up to speed much faster if you drive it.

So put the right weight oil in it so that it flows right when you start it up, give it a min or so to warm up and then drive it gently until it's up to temp. If the thermostat is working is should be at operating temps by the time you hit the main road.

15w-50 is way to heavy an oil for around here in the winter time. I can just imagine how high the oil pressure is at startup and the damage that's doing.

My oil pressure goes a lil past the the middle when i start it up but never to the danger zone....and i let it idle for 10-20 min and put it in drive and i still drive normally and where i will let it shift at 2500rpms. How can it damage anything? Im just worried if i switch somethin might go wrong since its always been on that.

Your engine/trans/drivetrain are meant to warm up together. Last time I drove mine in the winter, I fired it up and went to work cleaning snow/scraping ice. Took me about a minute or so, then I got in and started driving. I kept the engine under about 3k RPM or so until everything started to warm up.

Just because your engine is warm, doesn't mean the rest of your drivetrain is. An auto trans will warm up quicker in park since it's got a pump, but your transfer case and rear diff are left out in the cold...literally.

So even if i do let it warm up for 15-20min i cant get on it right away cause the my diff and transfer case is still cold? well how long should it take then to get them 2 things goin?

 

[Nati0nalxCrisis]

My oil pressure goes a lil past the the middle when i start it up but never to the danger zone....and i let it idle for 10-20 min and put it in drive and i still drive normally and where i will let it shift at 2500rpms. How can it damage anything? Im just worried if i switch somethin might go wrong since its always been on that.



So even if i do let it warm up for 15-20min i cant get on it right away cause the my diff and transfer case is still cold? well how long should it take then to get them 2 things goin?

Aslong as your not switching to conventional from a synethic blend you should be perfectly fine, and like everyone was saying, you don't need 15-20 mins for warmup, thats just for you, to stay warm, but i'd say drive 5 minutes, that should get everything moving smoothly.

 

[steve]

My oil pressure goes a lil past the the middle when i start it up but never to the danger zone....and i let it idle for 10-20 min and put it in drive and i still drive normally and where i will let it shift at 2500rpms. How can it damage anything? Im just worried if i switch somethin might go wrong since its always been on that.

The factory gauge isn't very accurate. There is a reason why the factory tells you to switch to a lighter weight oil when temps drop outside. Guys see > 100 psi at startup with heavy oils when it's cold then they have a real gauge attached.

 

[knochgoon24]

I usually only wait 2 min or so. Nothing extensive. I just wait until it's warm to start beating on it.

 

[mistagst]

well i dont know what your normal idle is but mine is about 800rpm's when i first start the car it does up to about 1,500rpms when it get down 2 1000rpms i say its ready to roll (which takes around 2-3 min. as long as your not super far away from your normal idle your fine

 

[OEM]

Only during the winter, do i really let it idle for more than 5min before driving. I use valvoline 20-50 in mine. Texas gets real hot! Remote start only used in the winter for comfort. And 200k on the origional untouched long block.

 

[350war]

Put 5-30 or 10-30 in it. As was already stated more damage could be happening with the heavy oil. I am running 10-30 and see pressure over 100 psi on start up. Not to mention the power your oil is robbing you of. You will not hurt any thing by putting lighter weight oil in. Question: What new car has ever come with or manufacture has recomended higher weight oil than 10-40?

 

[Delta Cam]

I had a old Chevy Luv back in the day, I would run an extension cord out to the truck, and run a little heater out there just keepin the frost off the windows and the dash. I really miss that P.O.S.