How many people warm up their Fiesta ST before driving?

[stuntdoogie]

My car doesn't get used during the week only on weekends so all the engine oil is sitting at the bottom. I always hear engine knock (not the injectors) when I first start the car for a few seconds so I let the engine idle for a few minutes to let the oil re-lube the internals and then I take off.

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[Intuit]

My car doesn't get used during the week only on weekends so all the engine oil is sitting at the bottom. I always hear engine knock (not the injectors) when I first start the car for a few seconds so I let the engine idle for a few minutes to let the oil re-lube the internals and then I take off.

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You need to drive it. The ultimate goal is to warm up the engine as fast as possible. The additional friction will aid in the goal of warming up that engine. How much additional wear you achieve in the process is irrelevant. How much additional fuel you force past the compression and oil-control rings with higher cylinder pressures is also irrelevant. The engineers' chief goal with a fast idle wasn't about meeting emissions standards; heating up the catalytic converter and oxygen sensor for older cars; it was actually about preventing your car from diluting the oil with unburned fuel.

 

[lemons6245]

I usually let it warm up till the first two bars come up on the coolant gauge, then I drive it calm (no to very little boost) untill 5 minutes after the coolant gauge gets the normal operating temperature. I want the vehicle to warm up as fast as possible because when its a cold start the vehicle will make this loud metal ticking sound on and off untill warm that I cant stand. (ford says this is normal haha)

 

[wolrah]

I back in to my garage (which is directly underneath my bedrooms and opens in to my office) so idling for an extended period of time without moving is out of the question, that and I know it's better to warm up by driving.

I start it up, give it a few seconds of idle to get oil everywhere it needs to be, then pull out. I drive like a grandma until the temp gauge is at the middle (120ish degrees) and then just avoid WOT or high RPMs until Torque shows my temp is fully up to normal (180ish). The oil may not be fully warmed up by that point but it's definitely not cold.

If it's really cold out I may drive a gear lower than usual once I'm out of "Grandma mode" to keep the revs higher and build heat faster.

 

[Striker]

I always warm up. Always. This whole fuel dilution stuff is something I've gone over on multiple occasions with my father who's an aircraft engineer and he basically looked at me in a silly way. You'll cause more damage driving it while it's cold vs waiting an additional 60-120 seconds for it to warm proper.

I do this in my LS powered car and my old 302 fox mustang. Never had issues.


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[neeqness]

I always warm up. Always. This whole fuel dilution stuff is something I've gone over on multiple occasions with my father who's an aircraft engineer and he basically looked at me in a silly way. You'll cause more damage driving it while it's cold vs waiting an additional 60-120 seconds for it to warm proper.

I do this in my LS powered car and my old 302 fox mustang. Never had issues.


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Me too...and I don't think the car is really warm when the gauge says so. It's not very accurate. Wish it were analog.

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[Intuit]

Though the display is digital, it actually mimics an analog gauge. I suspect you meant to say "Wish it showed numbers," which I too would prefer; even if it is just coolant temp and not oil or some algorithmic representation of the two combined. Better yet, just put oil on the left and coolant on the right or vice-versa. Few enthusiasts balk at having more information.

Check out this comment...
http://www.fiestastforum.com/forum/threads/11367-Is-this-heatsoak?p=193434&viewfull=1#post193434

.

 

[Striker]

What kind of heat measurements are available to be viewed from the Cobb accessport?


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[tbST14]

Intake, coolant, and oil temp show up on the AP, maybe more.

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[neeqness]

Me too...and I don't think the car is really warm when the gauge says so. It's not very accurate. Wish it were analog.

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Well, yes and no. If it were to be digital I would prefer numbers...if accurate this is best of course. But only because the current display is not accurate. I like the accuracy of numbers but I would have been ok with a real analog guage. I suspect this current display shows 4 bars for a fairly wide range of degrees, which is simply unacceptable. 8 bars really can't give a decent representation of the water temp. If the intent is to cut corners and save costs give me an analog gauge. Besides analog is more reliable I think in the long run.

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[Catnip4CarGuys]

The best way to warm up a car is to drive it gently until temps come up...idling is bad for cars...why? low oil pressure, which leads to less than satisfactory lubrication in the top end....most wear and tear an engine gets is at startup and idle and obviously beating the hell out of it...

Yup. Drive off and drive it gently for the first few miles. Only idle a few minutes if temps less than -5F. I've seen oil ooze past the filter seals (on other cars) at -20F, due to viscosity. Luckily not many days below -5 here in sunny New Mexico!

 

[neeqness]

In reality, idling is the lowest rpm your car is running at so it would cause the least damage regardless whether cold or warm. Oil temp is the main cause for any possible damage and idling is the fastest way to raise oil temp without raising rpms. No matter how slow you drive, the car will not run at any lower rpms than if you are idling.
The only advantage over idling that driving slow really gives you in this regard is fuel economy. That said, if you are pretty careful, the difference is probably not that significant...it is just not true that idling causes more damage to a cold engine than driving slow.

I idle my car for this reason unless I'm in some serious hurry (which is pretty rare), but I can understand why someone would prefer to save some fuel and drive their car slow.

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[Striker]

This whole idling is bad ordeal is kinda ridiculous. Internal combustion engines have remained the same in principle from day one. You're not dropping a gallon of gasoline in your oil pan by doing so. Not gonna happen. Idling is bad for diesels yes. Hence why so many transport trucks have a high idle setting. Getting in and driving off right away is better then letting it sit for 2-5 minutes (depending on temps) and not having your motor sit sound like a bunch of marbles are in your manifold?

For example- my LS1 has piston slap upon start up. Immaterial of the oil or exterior temperatures. After about 3-4 minutes, it's completely diminished, at the same time the temp gage is in the normal zone and the revolutions are at a proper amount. If piston slap didn't occur, I'd probably venture a guess that after a start up I should just drive it.

I guess my piston slap is a good measuring stick for when to actually put it in gear!


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[Striker]

Ps. I just idled the whole time I wrote the above paragraph.


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[Initial_Will]

It's a old habit of mine...I always let it reach operating temps before I drive it...to combat the whole "low oil pressure" at idle as some say..I just give it a rev or two gently from 1100-1500 to get the oil flowing and after a hard or spirited drive, I always let it idle for about 30 seconds to 1 minute before shutting it off. Modern turbochargers don't usually need a cool down period, since after a hard pull I drive gentle and normal, so in theory it has time to cool off from higher temps anyway, but old habits die hard!

 

[Exitus04]

I am a firm believer in not warming up for anywhere longer then 30-45 secs... Here is a great article to backup my claim!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a19086/warming-up-your-car-in-the-cold-just-harms-engine/

As turbo cars are used to seeing more pressure, you dont have to worry as much! But why wear out critical engine parts faster than you need to?

 

[Intuit]

I am a firm believer in not warming up for anywhere longer then 30-45 secs... Here is a great article to backup my claim!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a19086/warming-up-your-car-in-the-cold-just-harms-engine/

As turbo cars are used to seeing more pressure, you dont have to worry as much! But why wear out critical engine parts faster than you need to?

Article quotes:
<<.............. start up your engine, and let it idle to warm up. But contrary to popular belief, this does not prolong the life of your engine; in fact, it decreases it by stripping oil away from the engine's cylinders and pistons. ..................>>

So uhh... your cylinder walls are lined with oil when off, but starting the vehicle and idling strips that oil off. Okee dokee...

 

[Striker]

That article was created by a man that's attempting to keep his job.


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[miguel.in.az]

On a cold start I let it idle until the RPM drops to about 1000rpm before setting off, usually between 10-30 secs at most. Then fart around like an old man til the temp gauge reads in the middle

 

[Rhinopolis]

I give my car a minute or so to circulate some oil and warm up on initial cold startup, and mainly because I drive my FiST so infrequently. I baby it and drive it gently at 1st, and then ease on power until oil temps show 180F on the Cobb AP. After the oil shows 180F (I knows it's infrared) then I drive it how I want.