Why do you need to warm up your car in winter? To warm up or not - that is the question

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04.12.2017, 22:49 43456 1 Assembly of Motorists

One of the most discussed topics among motorists is necessity. This issue is relevant for power plants with turbine and "aspirated" equally. Almost all drivers are divided into two camps - those who warm up the car, and those who consider it a waste of fuel and time.

Question do you need to warm up diesel engine winter manufacturers today give an unequivocal answer - "the engine does not need to warm up." It is worthwhile to understand what this assertion is based on. Why did the same manufacturers earlier advise warming up the engines, but now they have dramatically changed their point of view.

Many manufacturers automotive engines claim that their products are so perfect that they work flawlessly even without warming up. They begin to explain that earlier engines were primitive, and mineral oil, which scientific and technical progress does not stand still. Well, they don’t say about the water that it was wetter.

Where is the dog actually buried? First: it is not profitable for manufacturers to keep the engine running longer warranty period. How faster car becomes unusable, the faster the owner will buy new car. Sales of spare parts and repairs are additional sources of income for corporations. Why waste this profit? Therefore, it is beneficial for manufacturers to tell fables that "ultra-reliable" modern diesels do not require warming up.

The second reason why experts from big companies it is not advised to warm up the engines - concern for the environment. During the time that the diesel engine warms up, a large amount of exhaust gases. In cities, it is not uncommon for the owner to warm up the car for 30 minutes in order to drive 10 minutes to work. In Europe questions environmental safety ahead of economic viability. We have the opposite. We're not saying this is good or bad, we're just stating the facts.

Interestingly, the same experts confirm that the main wear of engine parts (about 75%) occurs at the time of a cold start. That is, they know that it is not useful for the motor to work while it is cold, but they are not advised to warm it up either. Weird and incomprehensible.

Theory of warming up a diesel engine in winter

Engines are made of metal. Pistons are usually made of light aluminum alloys, cylinders are made of steel or cast iron. When heated and cooled, these parts expand or contract respectively. All engine components are precision engineered to ensure minimum clearance between piston and cylinder. This is the key to efficient use of fuel energy.

When the engine is cold, the clearances between the pistons and cylinders do not correspond to the design parameters. Until the temperature rises to the operating level, the motor does not work in the mode as provided by the manufacturer. If full load is given, the wear of parts will increase, which will lead to a reduction in the working life or an accident.

In addition to the thermal expansion factor, there is another problem. Oil viscosity. This parameter greatly affects the operation of the engine. If the grease thickens in the cold, it cannot fully lubricate the parts, which leads to an increase in the friction force in all pairs. Wear increases many times if the engine is running under load.

Obviously, driving with a cold diesel engine is not best idea. Another question arises: Can this be done on idling? What is the optimal duration? Let's figure it out together.

How long does it take to warm up a diesel engine in winter

There is no consensus on this issue among the "diesel producers". This camp is arguing about how much to warm up a diesel engine in winter as well as among owners of cars with gasoline engines.

Warm up to victory

Some car owners believe that diesel engine necessary warm idle until the coolant temperature rises to 70°C. Another option is until the speed drops to idle. The feasibility of such an approach seems doubtful. Let's figure it out.

Because of design features diesel engine heats up less at idle than gasoline engine, the whole car warms up worse. To achieve a noticeable increase in temperature winter have to fulfill diesel engine warm-up within 30 - 40 minutes. During this time, a significant amount of fuel is consumed. For example: a three-liter diesel engine will “burn” about 200 ml of fuel in 20 minutes of warming up at idle.

Noticeable rise in temperature power plant occurs in the first two minutes after launch. There has been very little progress since then. Should fuel and time be wasted for a small improvement in performance? Doubtful.

Warm, but without fanaticism

Other drivers to the question " how to warm up a diesel engine in winter", answer briefly and clearly:" with the mind. In their opinion, it is enough to let the engine run for a couple of minutes to warm up the oil in the crankcase, and then start moving. The main thing is not to give the engine a full load until its temperature rises to the optimum level. You can monitor this indicator by the coolant sensor.

Proponents of this method warming up a diesel engine in winter It is believed that the engine warms up faster in motion. Also, when the car is moving, the transmission heats up more actively and chassis. Everything looks reasonable.

Objectively: how to properly warm up a diesel engine in winter

From a technical point of view, warming up a diesel engine in winter vital. Considering technical features and the mechanics of the car systems, you can figure out how to warm up diesel engines.

The engine at low temperatures should be started with a full supply of fuel. Clutch pressed out. Running engine warms up within two to three minutes. The crankshaft speed rises gradually to the average. When the device shows that the coolant has heated up to 40 ° C, it means that the engine is ready for loads.

To make it easier to start a diesel engine, you need to turn on the glow plugs several times. These devices are built into the design of modern diesel power units. They help warm the air entering the combustion chamber. In a diesel engine, ignition occurs as a result of heating the fuel-air mixture that is highly compressible in the cylinder. Warm air will make starting easier.

What do we get when executing such an algorithm for warming up a diesel engine? In the first two minutes after starting the engine, the oil in the crankcase is warm enough to fully lubricate piston-cylinder group. A smooth start of movement helps to warm up the transmission lubricant, “develop” the suspension. On the move, the diesel warms up faster. Fuel consumption is reduced. After 5 minutes of movement, you can turn on the passenger compartment heater, which will accelerate the heating of the engine.

From the point of view of the operation of the engine, "hodovka" and other car systems, this method is the most logical. Practical observations show effectiveness this method. The gentle start-up mode helps protect the diesel engine from breakdown in frosty weather.

How to warm up a diesel engine with a turbine in winter

Recommendations for turbocharged diesel engines are no different from those for atmospheric counterparts. In the same way, you should start the engine, warm it up for a few minutes, and start moving from low speed in first gear. The duration of warming up on the go is about 5 minutes, during this time use no higher than third gear. Control the heating of the diesel engine by the temperature of the coolant.

A good result is obtained by the use of special preheaters. Also, it will not be out of place to make life easier for your engine by using special additives - antigels. They do not allow diesel fuel to thicken in the cold. Many car owners have difficulty starting diesel engines precisely because of the thickened fuel. It is especially difficult in winter if the car is filled with summer diesel fuel.

We have tried to give a complete answer to the questions why and how to warm up a diesel engine in winter. We hope you can do correct conclusions to protect the "heart" of your car from breakdowns on frosty days.

The question of the need to warm up the engine in winter period still remains open, driving with a cold engine reduces its wear resistance. Low temperature conditions lead to thickening of the oil, which prevents its access to parts and leads to a decrease in the quality of the running gear.

Warming up the car in winter required condition, if you want to long service auto.

Do I need to warm up my car in winter?

Cars made ten years ago need a long warm-up time, and modern models of vehicles take a few minutes to improve engine performance. Allocate the following reasons arguing the need to warm up the engine in winter:

• the dependence of the density and useful properties of the oil on temperature regime;
• in the cold, the gaps wear out faster;
• loss of dynamics, throttle response at low temperatures;
• the possibility of increasing fuel consumption;
• reduced visibility and increased risk of accidents as a result.

Excessive density of engine oil adversely affects the life of mechanisms - when parts are lubricated worse, and the speed is high, wear resistance decreases. After warming up, the oil gains the desired consistency, restoring beneficial features. In this case, the engine has enough lubrication, the service life increases.

Clearances on a supercooled motor deviate from the established norm, which leads to the risk of rapid wear at high speeds. After the engine warms up, they return to normal. The instability of work is expressed in the loss of driving dynamics, the “sneezing” of the mechanism.

This type of movement leads to excessive fuel consumption as a reaction to the difference in temperature. air-fuel mixture And environment. You are unlikely to get the pleasure of driving in a cold car, and frosted windows reduce visibility, which increases the risk of getting into an accident.

How to properly warm up the engine

If you warm up the engine incorrectly, its resource decreases. A competent approach to knowing the procedure for warming up the car will save you unnecessary trouble and extend the life of the vehicle. It will be right:

• start with the battery so that it does not lose its properties under the influence of cold - load it by turning it on for 15 seconds distant headlights. This time is enough to warm up the electrolyte;
• disable high beam to restore the battery within 30 seconds;
• close the radiator from the outside to speed up the process (or throw felt on top);
• start the engine;
• if the gearbox is manual, press the clutch pedal to unload the crankshaft, gearbox and hold for 2-3 minutes to warm up the oil;
• when the car does not start, we take a break for 2-3 minutes to restore the battery. It is necessary to ensure that the starter rotates no longer than 20 seconds. If the car still won't start, it's time to move on to troubleshooting;
• after the engine has started, turn on the stove to warm up the interior - the air will go first into it, and then onto the windshield. This will avoid the appearance of microcracks between the glass and the body;
• go on the road to minimum speed(40 km/h) to allow the engine to warm up more.

After walking 5-6 kilometers of the road, vehicle will restore function and be ready for normal speed operation.

Popular misconceptions

Among motorists, myths associated with warming up a car are common. Some of them are unfounded or exaggerated. Let's look at common misconceptions.

• Myth one: if you warm up the car for Idling, more fuel will be used. Excessive fuel consumption takes place, but this is noticeable only if the car warms up for 20-30 minutes. In 2-3 minutes of warming up gasoline will be used up less, but the mechanisms will work properly.
• Myth two: warming up the engine is harmful. This is due to the formation of resin deposits on the valves. They can stall due to a loose fit to the seat, but the engine will not fail completely. In return, turbines can break if the car is not warmed up. It is more harmful to do without preheating.
• Myth three: in winter you can do without warming up the car. In fact, if you do not limit yourself to at least a slight warm-up for a period of 2 minutes, the piston machine will become unusable. The fuel will not evaporate well, and condensation will form on the mechanism, which will cause wear due to corrosion. When such condensate with sulfur content and excess water will fall machine oil, the filters will clog along with the channels.

You should not take seriously the misconceptions about warming up the car, but you can pay attention to some details.

Important Features

From how the fuel is supplied, using an injector or a carburetor, the heating scheme does not change. The engine starts the same way, but there are features that should be considered.

If the vehicle is running diesel fuel, then remember that it comes in three types - with different octane rating, ignition temperature:

• summer - for temperature conditions within +1 degree and above;
• winter - used at temperatures from 0 to -30 degrees;
• arctic - used in northern latitudes.

Problems with starting the car can be the result of using summer fuel in winter.
Watch the video on how to warm up the car:

Outcome

In the presence of on-board computer you can easily determine the end of the warm-up. In the absence of electronics and the presence carburetor engine the temperature of the oil is indicated by the arrow of the temperature sensor for the coolant when it moves and the idle speed drops. The process will end when the temperature rises to 50 degrees. It is not recommended to immediately increase the speed. After warming up the coolant to 80 degrees, you can gain acceleration.

Thorough warming up of the car in winter will extend the service life by slowing down the wear of the mechanisms. It is important to warm up the engine, but you should not be too zealous either - everything needs a measure.

Question about the need to warm up the engine in winter time relevant even today. At the same time, car owners are divided into two groups. Some drivers are sure that it is necessary to warm up, others say the opposite. Let's try to figure out whether it is necessary to warm up the car in winter.

Engine oil

The very first reason why there is an urgent need to warm up a car engine in winter is engine oil. The fact is that at negative air temperatures outside the window, the oil thickens, and then oil pump quite difficult to download it on the system. This means that some friction pairs can remain without lubrication for some time, and in no case should they be loaded. Therefore, for some time the car engine must run idle to warm up the oil. Then it will gain its working viscosity, as a result of which all rubbing parts receive their portion of lubrication.

Despite the fact that modern multigrade oils designed to work at low temperatures, they thicken anyway, and it is oil that is the first argument in favor of warming up the car.

Safety

The second reason in favor of warming up is safety. Often the car, after standing all night in the cold, is covered with a crust of ice. Drivers usually clear only a small part windshield from ice and snow and then ride. At the same time, the rest of the glass remains frozen, which is dangerous when driving. In this case, you need to wait for the car to completely thaw and start driving. It takes a little time if you turn on the stove in the car.

Motor wear

Warming up the car engine in winter is also necessary to prevent early wear of parts of the power plant. The fact is that cold parts decrease in size and the gaps between rubbing parts become larger. If you start the engine and immediately give a load, then these parts will wear out faster. Warming up the motor will allow the metal to expand, and all elements will restore their size. As a result, their work will be more efficient, and wear - less.

Gasoline consumption

Warming up the car in cold weather is also necessary in order to save fuel. Everyone knows that a cold engine consumes more fuel due to the fact that the formation air-fuel mixture difficult in cold weather. Therefore, the first 10 minutes on a cold engine, the engine will consume more fuel to overcome the resistance of viscous fuel and too cold air. It is advisable not to load the engine for these 5-10 minutes, which will save gasoline.

cold saloon

Driving in a cold car is a dubious pleasure. In general, sitting on a cold seat is unhealthy, so you can warm up the car, among other things, to ensure comfortable conditions ride.

Battery

Warming up the engine reduces the load on battery. Some drivers, instead of gradually heating the cabin, immediately turn on the electronic glass heating. As a result, the energy of a cold battery can be used. Its performance suffers as a result, and this can lead to a decrease in electrolyte density.

Perhaps now we figured out whether it is necessary to warm up the car in winter. Some masters and owners say the opposite and say that this is not necessary. The reason is environmental damage. Imagine that every driver needslessly burns fuel for five minutes before driving. This will significantly increase the amount of harmful substances in the atmosphere. Hence the debate arises about whether it is necessary to warm up the car in winter. So the driver has a choice: either the environment or greater resource engine. And so it is clear what exactly he will choose.

How to warm up the car in winter?

There is no specific instruction or special knowledge that needs to be followed when warming up. Simply start the engine and let it idle. How much to warm up the car? Probably about 7-10 minutes is enough.

Some car owners recommend turning on the dipped beam immediately before warming up to revive the battery. Then you can turn the key in the ignition. If the engine does not start the first time, then you do not need to try to turn the starter "to victory". It is advisable to give the battery a little rest and recover (about 15-20 seconds), after which you can try again.

Note that problems with starting the engine in cold weather are quite common. This is primarily due to an increase in the density of gasoline, oil, and temperature changes in metal elements. After starting the engine, you need to wait a couple of minutes and turn on the heating in the cabin.

An important point: hot air should not be directed to the cold glass, so you need to turn on the glass heating only after the interior has warmed up. Make sure that the air from the air ducts only enters the passenger compartment, and not on the windows of the car. In the meantime, the car will warm up, you can remove snow and ice from the windows.

Conclusion

So do you need to warm up the car in winter? Of course you do. Do not listen to the stupidity of people who say otherwise. Nobody canceled physics, and even the most best oil and gasoline thicken at low temperatures, and even in the coolest and most wear-resistant engine, the gaps between rubbing parts will become larger at negative temperatures outside the window. Therefore, it is necessary to warm up the engine before the trip.

As for the environment, let environmentalists deal with it. To reduce the amount of emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere, there are special filters, and harming your engine and reducing its service life is not the best solution.

Hello, dear fellow motorists. The question of warming up the engine has always been quite acute, and especially with the onset of winter cold. There are both opponents and supporters of a long warm-up, and they bring enough strong arguments. And how not to get confused here, especially for a novice driver. Do not want to talk big words, but my education and experience in operating cars allow me to express an opinion on this topic. Your attention to the answer to the question: do I need to warm up the engine in winter?

We will not be guided by rumors and first of all we will open the instruction manual for any modern car. What is written there? And there it is written in black and white that the car engine does not need to be warmed up.

Having voiced this information, the manufacturer does not in any way worry about the resource of your car. No, in principle, he doesn’t care how much pass the engine Your car is 300 or 320 thousand km, since by this time the warranty will end a long time ago. The manufacturer pursues selfish goals:

• Specify the lowest possible fuel consumption per 100 km, because when you are standing, fuel is consumed, and the mileage is not added.
• Satisfy the environmentalists. Modern Euro standards severely limit the content of toxic substances during the start-up and warm-up of the internal combustion engine. And here the first batch is played by an over-enriched working mixture, that is, the mixture where in in large numbers contains gasoline. As you know, it is not gasoline itself that burns, but its vapors. At severe frost, gasoline does not really want to evaporate and the air from the street enters the cylinders cold, which means with a high density. The following situation develops, in order to compensate for the low volatility of the fuel and the high density of air, it is necessary to supply to the cylinders more gasoline. And what is not completely evaporated - flies "into the pipe".

The second opinion is diametrically opposite - the engine must be warmed up until the arrow leaves the blue zone or reaches operating temperature at 90 degrees Celsius. Just when the arrow rises to operating temperature, the engine is fully warmed up, and you can hit the road.

I can immediately point out the inaccuracy in these arguments. Recall what temperature the arrow shows? Coolant temperature. It must be remembered that for the power unit more important parameter is the oil temperature. Its fluidity and pumpability through the lubrication system depend on how warm it is, and this, in turn, affects the formation of an oil (protective) film on rubbing parts.

Coolant and oil temperatures differ quite significantly. As studies show: when warmed up to 90 degrees, the oil gains a temperature of only about 40–55.

By no means do I want to say that there is no need to warm up the car, but I want to emphasize that raising the arrow to operating temperature does not at all indicate that the power unit has completely warmed up.

Carburetor ICE

For carburetor engines the first option will not work, here you can’t do without warming up. Even if closed air damper, as a result of which the speed will rise, and a mixture enriched with fuel will be supplied to the cylinders, the engine will still work unstably.

Therefore, the verdict is unequivocal, on machines where such an atavism as a carburetor is in the power system, the internal combustion engine is subject to mandatory warm-up. Warm up until the engine starts to run steadily.

And here it is better not to take risks, but to carve out additional time (usually 10 minutes is enough) to warm up the engine. Since if the engine stalls on the road, then there will be little pleasure, and even more vacuum booster brakes, works due to the vacuum inside the cylinders. We have the following picture, if the engine has stalled - there is no vacuum and try to push the brake pedal when there is a strong "minus" on the street: brake fluid thickened, the seals of the main and slave cylinders were hardened ...

Injection ICE

In contrast to the carburetor engine, injection engines have become more technologically advanced, namely, they have received electronic system engine control, which itself selects the optimal composition working mixture, which allows the engine not to "stall cold" and warm up faster.

Also in modern power units high-tech oils are used with the appropriate type of motor and tolerance, which reduce friction in loaded nodes.

Therefore, for owners injection engines I propose the following algorithm of actions:

Despite the fact that automakers do not recommend prolonged warm-up at idle, remember - they are pursuing selfish goals (environmental). In our country, not everyone is worried about this. Remember thirty-year-old KamAZ trucks flying on our roads and releasing kilograms of soot on passers-by. It’s better to warm the engine and it obviously won’t get worse from this, but if you are limited in time, then you can start moving after 1 minute, we set aside this time for the oil to splatter in the engine, that is, it gets on all rubbing parts. Naturally, the first kilometers in this case should pass without sudden acceleration and it is advisable not to increase the speed above 2000–2200 per minute.

Also, prolonged heating makes it possible to obtain warm air from air vents, and, accordingly, the ability to melt ice on the windows, which has a positive effect on visibility.

Separately, I would like to say a few words about turbocharged engines. These engines provide high traction and speed properties car with a small working volume. Since the working volume is small, the losses involved in heating the unit and, accordingly, heating the coolant are also not large, and it can take a very long time to wait for the turbocharged internal combustion engines to warm up at idle.

Warming up cars with automatic

In addition to the engine itself, the transmission and chassis need to be warmed up before the trip. The oil in the box, when the internal combustion engine warms up at idle, almost does not heat up, and gains operating temperature only after 20-30 km. run. This is especially critical for designs that include a torque converter ().

To warm up the oil in the machine, you need to move the selector to position D (with your foot on the brake pedal) and wait 2-4 minutes.

Possibility of being fined

In some developed European states Legislative provisions prohibit long work engine at idle. It turns out that in winter, standing car it is necessary to freeze, and in the summer to bathe without air conditioning.

But this is in Europe, and in most regions of Russia, an alarm system with auto start or autonomous heating installation it's not luxury at all, but winter necessity. Although the use of autorun in a residential area is not always legal.

If you open the text of the traffic rules, then there, in paragraph 17.2, it is written in black and white: "Parking with a running engine is prohibited in a residential area." Accordingly, if there is a clause of the rules, then, accordingly, there is a fine for its violation.

Part 1 of Article 12.19 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, the driver faces a warning or an administrative fine of 100 rubles.

Therefore, if the fact of parking is fixed, i.e. the movement is stopped for more than 5 minutes, then the traffic police can write out a protocol. By the way, such operations are periodically carried out in microdistricts of large cities.

In the text of a rather long story, almost every car owner will find for himself the answer to the question of warming up or not warming up the car engine. All trouble-free winter operation car, see you soon.

In order to answer this question, let's imagine that you need to wake up early in the morning to start running a marathon right from home. What will be your course of action? It is unlikely that you will immediately run out of the house for a marathon as soon as you wake up, is it? A similar situation with a car, but only partly similar - in fact, it is not necessary to warm up the car engine in summer on most modern models at least that's what their user manual tells us. But the opinions of car professionals and experienced drivers on this matter differ when it comes to warm summers, although in the case of winter, opinions are almost the same - you need to warm up the car in winter.

So is it really necessary to warm up the car engine in the morning before driving in the morning? summer time? To answer this question, we again have to delve a little into the bins of the engine.

The indisputable fact is that the engine needs some time to build up normal operating oil pressure and for the aluminum pistons to expand from temperature and form an ideal gap between them and the cylinders. And the operating temperature of the engine is on average 90 degrees. Thus, it turns out that in summer we still need to warm up the engine, albeit not by 100-120 degrees, as in winter (if it is -30 - -10 degrees outside), but much less, but still required. On the other hand, in summer, the engine warms up much faster than in winter, since the warm-up process does not accelerate uniformly, but exponentially - that is, the higher the initial temperature, the faster the car engine will warm up (for example, warming up from 0 to 40 degrees will take 1 minute , and warming up from 40 to 80 degrees - that is, for the same temperature difference - is only 30-40 seconds. Therefore, most opinions agree that it takes 1-3 minutes to warm up the engine in summer. That is, in principle, that time will be enough for you, after which you clear windows, check your mirrors and fasten your seat belts, your engine will warm up and be ready to drive, but only soft and light until you get to operating temperature.

However, all of the above is not entirely true for cars made 20 or so years ago, when cars were not equipped with automatic choke, they were carbureted. Cars today are all computerized, and warming up the engine in the summer actually takes place in a very short time - just a few minutes - what experts call "engine fully warmed up to operating temperature", which simply means that the car is in its ideal temperature environment. .