Literally screaming for people to stop warming up their frozen engines every time the car is idle. It seems to us that the information is worth attention as a topic for discussion. Therefore, we present it to our readers.
Harsh winter conditions are a tough test for your car, but you can make it even more challenging if you spend some time warming up the engine every morning when starting your car before you start driving. If that's the case, then you're just another one of the many drivers who thinks it's important to warm up a car's engine at idle, and it's important to protect the engine when it's cold. which will do more harm than good!
So, peremptorily, this article-advice begins. Go ahead. Note. author.
We spoke to mechanical engineer and former drag racer Steven Chiati about this pervasive myth that you need to warm up your car in the winter.
For the past 26 years, Chiati has worked - mostly in gasoline - and currently oversees all work done on internal combustion engines at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois.
Getting straight to the point, Chiati explained that when idling in the cold, the car not only consumes more fuel, but also during this there is a flushing, purification of oil, the critical components with which the engine actually works, namely from the cylinders and pistons.
At this point in the reading, it became clear that this theory is something new, and it is worth listening to. So I continued reading and found out interesting points.
Theory. Why it is not advisable to warm up the engine in winter
Under normal conditions, it runs on a mixture of air and fuel vapors, gasoline in our case. When the mixture enters the cylinder, the piston compresses it, at a certain moment, a spark jumps, which eventually leads to the combustion of fuel, setting the engine in motion.
But when it's cold outside, it will evaporate worse. The car itself initially compensates for this by adding more gasoline to the air mixture - what any experienced motorist knows is called a "rich fuel mixture", and this is where the problems begin.
"It's a problem because you're actually adding extra fuel to the combustion chamber to burn it off, and some of it hits the cylinder walls, more than it should," explained mechanical engineer Steven Chiati. "Gasoline is an excellent solvent and will easily wash away a thin film of oil from the cylinder walls if you leave it to run in cold conditions at idle for an extended period of time."
Over time, the cleansing properties of the fuel can "have a detrimental effect on the lubrication and life cycle of things like piston rings and cylinder liners" that are critical to the operation of the piston-cylinder group, to the normal operation of the engine.
Outcome: Contrary to popular belief, warming up your engine and idling it in cold weather does not extend the life of your engine, it shortens it.
As can be seen from a short theoretical digression, gasoline, under certain conditions, is a serious enemy of some engine elements. In fact, there is a rational grain in this. In theory, everything is correct. But what practical advice would an American mechanical engineer give?
The simple solution for engine protection
Luckily, your car doesn't run rich all winter. This only happens when the engine is cold. As soon as your engine warms up to +4 degrees Celsius, the car switches to a normal rate of fuel consumption.
Are you sure that you are productively and safely warming up the engine at idle? , the engine is still cold.
"Idling will take the engine up to operating temperature for too long, and until it does, the brains of the engine will continue to send a rich mixture of fuel into the cylinders so that it can be ensured that there is enough fuel in the cylinders for normal evaporation and proper combustion of the fuel."
The fastest way to warm up the engine is to use it for its intended purpose, in other words, drive!
Many will object, but how can you drive an unheated car right away ?! In sub-zero temperatures, all lubricants, oils and technical fluids (gear oil or fluid in a hydraulic booster, for example) are very cold, so they cannot perform their working or protection functions 100%.
As an example, the article shows the operation of a hydraulic booster on an unheated car. Like, the liquid in it is cold, which means it is thick, which means that the hydraulic booster will not work correctly and may even fail. Is not it? To which Steven replies everything will be fine and here's why...
You will warm up the oil faster when it starts to “work” and flow in the system if the car slowly drives a short time after starting the engine. Steven replied that warming up for 30 seconds or 1 minute is enough and you can go.
Unfortunately, no temperature limits were given. After all, going to -25 is not the same as starting at -5. But most likely, temperatures do not drop below -10, -15 degrees, so the authors of the article did not have any questions about this.
Yes, you will feel that the car will behave a little differently, it will be all too smooth in its work, "rubber". But the same feeling will arise during the usual long warm-up of the car in the cold.
Again, it is logical that the car consists not only of the engine, it also has a lot of useful and important parts. All rubbing or rotating surfaces are lubricated, which, like the oil in the engine, thickens and temporarily loses some of its protective abilities when cold. These parts also have to do the work to disperse the grease. It can only be done while moving.
Thus, the beginning of the movement in advance (the MAIN THING OF A SLOW AND CAREFUL MOVEMENT) will be able to warm up the engine and disperse the oil in the gearbox, grease in the CV joints, hubs and other parts of the car.
Stephen Chiati's conclusion: It is worth taking exactly as much time to warm up the engine as you need to clean the windows of your car from snow and ice.
Don't run horses!
This point of the American article is highlighted. As we said, a little higher, it is IMPOSSIBLE to give a load on an unheated car.
Be careful with the operation of the gas pedal immediately after leaving. Your engine will take some time to warm up to operating temperature. It usually takes 5 to 15 minutes for the vehicle to move within the operating range. If you immediately press the gas pedal to the floor, nothing good will happen to the engine, it will experience serious loads, which, if systematically encountered, can lead to premature breakdowns.
Plus, a warm engine will increase fuel consumption and overall your car will run at least 12% less efficiently.
Therefore, do not try to fit a cold car. You will get nothing but increased fuel consumption and wear.
From myself, we recall once again, in warming up NEED ALL ITEMS OF THE VEHICLE, so even if you have warmed up the engine at idle, as usual, to almost ideal operating temperature, the speed of your movement for the first few kilometers on the road should ideally not exceed 40 km / h - 50 km / h. It is especially important to monitor the gear shifts in order to avoid damage to it.
The roots of the myth about the "mandatory warm-up of the engine in cold weather"
Some myths are tenacious, the obligation that the car needs to be worked out in cold weather is no exception. The myth originated in those days when car engines were powered by carburetor systems.
Until 1980, carburetors were the main engine fuel system. A little later, more sophisticated electronic fuel injection systems began to develop.
The key difference between the power systems is that electronic fuel injection has a sensor that constantly supplies the correct air-fuel mixture to the cylinders. Carburetor cars didn't have this important sensor.
The issue of warming up the engine with the onset of cold weather is one of the most discussed topics. If the situation with the old ones is clear (it is necessary to warm up such a unit before a trip, otherwise the engine will work unstably until a certain warm-up, failures occur, the engine stalls), then everything is not so simple. There are a large number of supporters and opponents of warming up a modern injection engine before driving. The fact is that injection engines have become much more technologically advanced units, equipped with complex ones, the materials for manufacturing the parts of the power unit themselves have changed, engine oils have been improved, etc.
An engine with an injector after a cold start works quite normally, that is, in fact, you can immediately start moving. At the same time, many drivers are still of the opinion that such an engine must be preheated, especially in winter. Others, on the contrary, argue that a modern motor does not need to be warmed up. In this article, we will talk about whether it is necessary to warm up the injection engine, to what temperature the engine should be warmed up in winter, as well as how to raise the temperature of the internal combustion engine before starting and how to make it easier to start the engine in winter.
Read in this article
Warming up the engine in winter on a modern car
Let's start with the fact that the technical manual for the vast majority of modern cars specifically states that the engine does not need to be warmed up before the trip. Manufacturers pay attention to the fact that engine oil and other technical fluids heat up evenly in motion at low speeds. In other words, production technologies and high-quality technical fluids allow you to start moving in a gentle mode without much damage to the engine's engine life.
Note that the main purpose of such statements is the desire of manufacturers to convince car owners that the engine does not need to be heated. This is done primarily for the sake of the environment, and not for the sake of increasing the life of the power unit. It is a well-known fact that any engine warms up faster in motion, and as the temperature rises, the catalytic converter also starts to work. It is quite obvious that warming up at idle takes longer, fuel consumption during warming up the engine in winter is increased. For these reasons, it is proposed to heat the unit on the move in order to reduce the toxicity of exhaust gases as soon as possible.
Let us add that in many European countries, at the legislative level, separate norms are fixed that prohibit warming up or prolonged engine idling in a residential area, etc. In other words, you can not warm up the engine in winter or let the engine idle in summer, otherwise the driver may be fined. Taking into account the fact that in the CIS a car for a large number of people continues to be an object of great material value and environmental standards are not so strict, increased attention is primarily paid to the serviceability of the power unit. It should also be added that the mild climate of Europe with its moderate temperatures cannot be compared with the severe operating conditions of internal combustion engines in severe frosts, which are relevant for our winters.
Supporters of not warming up argue that the car manufacturer would never have indicated in the manual that you can go right away, warming up the engine on the go. The main argument is concern for the reputation of the brand, as well as warranty obligations to the consumer. We can agree with this, but only partially. A common practice today is the warranty for a new car, which is, on average, 100-150 thousand km. run. Note that this indicator nurses almost any modern engine without serious breakdowns. In other words, the margin of safety assumes such operation without warming up, subject to a number of additional conditions. At the same time, not every driver in the CIS changes his car for a new one at the end of the warranty period, and is also not ready to do it after 100-150 thousand kilometers traveled. Given all of the above, it becomes clear that neither technology nor the most modern oils can seriously affect the laws of physics and the features of the internal combustion engine. If you intend to maximize the life of the power unit, then the motor should be warmed up.
How and how much to warm up the engine in winter
So, we decided on the need for warming up. The fact is that many people mistakenly take the overall temperature of the engine as the temperature of the coolant (it is this indicator that displays the temperature gauge on the instrument panel of civilian cars). At the same time, one should not forget that for internal combustion engines in winter, the temperature of engine oil is a much more important indicator. The degree of heating of the oil determines its fluidity, pumpability and the effectiveness of the formation of a protective film on the parts.
- Since it is well known that in a cold engine, the gaps are increased (the parts shrink when cooled, and expand when heated) and the oil thickens, then it becomes clear that even minimal loads on the internal combustion engine can lead to defects. In other words, the pressure in the lubrication system may not be enough, the oil film breaks, dry friction occurs, scoring and other damage to the surfaces of loaded elements appear.
It is also important to know that coolant temperature and engine oil temperature are very different. Warming up the coolant to 90 degrees Celsius is accompanied by the fact that the oil has warmed up to only 40-55 degrees. For this reason, starting the engine in cold weather means that the lubricant will warm up much longer compared to the coolant. You can also add that the consumption of gasoline when the engine is warmed up in winter in motion will be increased at the initial stage compared to fuel consumption when warming up at idle.
- Given the above features, it becomes clear that it is optimal to warm up the car from 5 to 15 minutes at idle (depending on the outside temperature and certain conditions). For example, on many cars, it will not be possible to remove frozen ice and snow from the windshield until warm air comes out of the deflectors, and driving with an icy windshield is simply unsafe. Of course, some drivers remove ice using special defrosting compounds or use a scraper, but in this case, additional financial costs for auto chemicals will be required, and there is also a risk of scratching the windshield. Comfort can be considered another weighty argument in favor of warming up, so immediately getting into a frozen interior and starting to move is not particularly pleasant.
- After warm air began to blow from the air ducts and the temperature arrow began to rise slightly from the minimum mark, you can start moving. It is no longer advisable to warm the engine at idle, as the engine will warm up very slowly. When driving, it is necessary to move smoothly, in low gears, while not spinning the internal combustion engine above 2-2.5 thousand rpm. Hard accelerations are also unacceptable. Also, one should not forget that not only the engine needs to be warmed up, but also the transmission, as well as the chassis. According to many experts, the oil in the box almost does not heat up at idle and warms up to operating temperature only after 20-30 kilometers.
If you carry out sudden changes in load conditions while driving, then a large number of mating parts are subjected to accelerated wear. In other words, until the thermal gaps return to normal, and the complete dilution of the working fluids does not occur, even medium loads on the power unit and other vehicle components should be avoided. Ignoring these rules leads to increased consumption of engine oil, occurrence, scoring, etc.
We add that in addition to the engine, hydraulic components (steering rack with power steering), shock absorbers, etc. suffer. In the process of heating such parts and assemblies, it is necessary to avoid driving through pits and sharp inversions of the wheels at a large angle for a couple of kilometers. This statement is also true for rear-wheel drive / all-wheel drive cars that are equipped with gearboxes with oil. Without preheating the lubricant, these elements can also quickly fail under load. Finally, we add that it is necessary to heat both, and motors with. The fact is that the turbine is a rather sensitive element to the quality of the lubricant. Minimum warm-up at idle for the initial dilution of oil and other technical fluids is also required, after which such units are further warmed up on the go.
How to start the engine in winter and make cold starts easier
If the car is operated in a climatic zone where there is a significant seasonal drop in temperature or frost is almost constant, then it is worth considering how to warm up the engine in winter before starting. The use of solutions such as the installation of an engine pre-heater, electric heating of the engine in winter and other developments in this area make it possible to ensure ease of starting, increase the efficiency and comfort of operation of gasoline and diesel vehicles at low temperatures.
We add that if the car is located in a region where the climate is temperate, then it will be enough to know how to keep the engine warm in winter without major modifications. We are talking about . In some cases, a car blanket, hood insulation, or even a simple cardboard damper in front of the radiator is enough. This approach allows you to accelerate the warm-up after starting and increase the cooling time of the engine in winter during parking.
It should be noted that most modern car alarms today are equipped with a useful function that allows you to implement automatic engine warm-up in winter. In this case, even if there is no such option initially, you can install . This solution allows you to start the engine remotely, that is, the car will already be warmed up at idle by the time the driver intends to make a trip. Autostart can be configured so that the car will start, for example, every two hours. This will prevent the engine from cooling down too much during parking, which will minimize possible cold start problems in severe frosts just before the trip itself.
Read also
How to properly warm up a car engine. Features of warming up engines with a carburetor, injector and installed HBO, as well as diesel engines.
The operation of the car in the cold season has a number of features, the knowledge of which will ensure complete trouble-free use of the vehicle. In cold weather, technical fluids and various moving parts of a car engine may not work properly, which in turn leads to increased wear. That is why before you start moving. it is required to preheat the car, which will solve problems with a low engine temperature.
To warm up or not - that is the question
There is no consensus among car owners whether it is required to pre-heat the car in the winter season. Whereas older carbureted vehicles required this preheating without fail, today, thanks to the use of high-quality modern synthetic lubricants and fully automated injection engines, there is no need to preheat the car.
That is why most engine repair specialists and ordinary car owners note that warming up cars for 5-10 minutes in winter is no longer required. Literally 1-2 minutes of idling will be enough, after which you can immediately start driving the car.
Preheating the engine in winter
If you have already decided to warm up the car engine in the cold season, then you should remember that such warming up should be performed exclusively at idle. You should not sharply gas and raise the engine speed above the 2000 mark, since in this case the car will not only not heat up, but the engine will also show increased wear, which will subsequently lead to the need for expensive repairs.
The duration of such a winter warm-up of the car engine will directly depend on the temperature in the yard. If the overboard is about zero, no long warm-up is required. One minute of engine idling will suffice.
But at temperatures down to minus 10 degrees, two minutes of engine idling is enough. During this time, the oil will warm up slightly and will provide high-quality lubrication of moving parts.
At ambient temperatures below minus 20 degrees, let the engine run at low idle for about 5 minutes. During this time, the car heater will heat up and the car interior will become warmer. Remember that at such low temperatures you should not immediately turn on the stove for heating after starting the car engine, since in this case the car will heat up much longer. It is necessary to let the engine run for about 3-4 minutes, which will allow the stove radiator to heat up, after which you can turn on the supply of warm air, and in the few remaining minutes the engine will finally warm up, and the temperature in the cabin will rise to a comfortable level.
Whether it is worth using a car in extreme frosts, each car owner decides for himself on an individual basis. Someone constantly operates a car in winter, regardless of the weather on the street, but someone still decides to refuse to travel in such hellish cold. It should be said that at extreme negative temperatures, all systems and components of the car have an increased load. Therefore, even with a high-quality warm-up of the car before driving, increased wear is still noted, which can lead to failure of various components and assemblies. Especially in winter, at temperatures below minus 30, the car engine, battery and various suspension elements that use rubberized parts and gaskets will suffer.
In some cases, after a long parking of the car in the winter season, there may be certain difficulties with starting the engine. The problem can be a dead battery, which does not hold a charge well in the cold, and does not provide the necessary starting current to start the car engine. In this case, it is best not to try to somehow start the car from a pusher or start it with a light, you should dismantle the battery, charge it at home in the warmth, which will solve the existing problems with the operation of the car in the winter season.
When warming up the car engine in winter, try to pay attention to the idle speed of the power unit. Usually, automation independently raises idle speed on a cold engine and, as it warms up, lowers it to 600-800 rpm. That is why, as soon as the idle speed has dropped to its minimum, you can fearlessly start moving.
We operate the car in winter without preheating the engine
Indeed, the high-quality synthetic lubricants common today retain all their performance characteristics and viscosity indicators even at deep minus. That is why any additional heating of such oil is not required. Modern cars use an appropriate injector, which is fully electronically controlled. At negative temperatures, the electronics simply increase the enrichment of the fuel-air mixture, and the car keeps high speeds until it warms up completely. That is why such modern cars that use high-quality oil do not need any additional warm-up.
Just remember that when operating such a car with a cold engine, you should not immediately increase the engine speed. During the first 3-5 kilometers after the start of the movement, certain accuracy should be observed, slowly and smoothly accelerating the car, without spinning the engine more than 3000 crankshaft revolutions. During the first few kilometers, the engine, gearbox and other components will fully warm up, after which it will be possible to use the car in full mode.
Conclusion
Proper operation of the car in winter will allow you to guarantee trouble-free operation of the vehicle, avoiding any serious breakdowns, which in turn will reduce your costs for car maintenance and upkeep. To warm up or not to warm up the car engine is the decision of each car owner. Remember that this procedure is recommended for vehicles over 10 years old. But on modern and well-maintained machines, such additional engine warm-up is no longer required.
Helpful Hints
Each new generation of drivers is wondering if it is worth warming up the car before setting off, especially after a long idle car.
Many environmentalists believe that if the car is in a parking lot, then you should start driving immediately after starting the car. Thus, less poisonous gases will be released into the atmosphere.
We can agree with environmentalists, especially considering that when driving, the engine warms up faster and fuel is burned more efficiently. However, it is worth noting that this method can affect the health of the engine, and not for the better.
Auto companies reassure car owners, believing that after they start the car, they need to go right away, since everything was calculated at the factory and the engine can work quite normally in this mode.
In fact, this refers to the operation of the engine during the warranty period. After that, they are not responsible for the car.
Whether to warm up the car
Both in summer and winter, if you start the car and immediately go, the engine life is significantly reduced.
It is worth clarifying that for the most part, the operating temperature of car engines is 90 degrees or higher. That's the temperature they're designed for. This temperature allows the engine oil to better lubricate the gaps between the rubbing parts of the machine.
Even if it is +25 C outside, this is not enough for oil, which means that the engine still needs to be warmed up. Well, even more so in winter.
As a result, the answer to the main question is simple: you need to warm up the car.
Regarding the indignation of environmentalists, it is worth saying that in a big city where there are a lot of cars, the main air pollutants are not exhausts, but dust from the rubber of the wheels, which is rubbed off on the asphalt, and abraded pads.
And in rural areas, warming up the car does little harm at all.
Interesting fact: Erwin Rommel, a German field marshal and allegedly one of the conspirators of the assassination attempt on Hitler, always demanded that the troops warm up the engines for 10 minutes.
This rule even extended when he commanded troops in the deserts of Africa. As a result, his motorized troops showed, on average, a lower percentage of breakdowns compared to other troops.
Warming up the car in winter
How long does it take to warm up the engine?
If you have a relatively new car, then you do not need to warm it up for a long time. The average warm-up time is 3-5 minutes. It is worth noting that while driving, the engine warms up faster.
How long to warm up the car
* If the outside temperature from +5 to 0 С, then the warm-up time is 1-2 minutes.
* At air temperature from 0 to -10 C, engine warm-up time 2-3 minutes. During this time, all technical fluids will have time to warm up.
But to warm up the interior of the car at this temperature, you need 5 minutes or even a little more.
* If outdoors from -10 to -20 С, then it is worth warming up the car 3-5 minutes. In such a frost, the windows of the car freeze, which means that it will take a few more minutes to defrost them. The best option would be to warm up the engine first, and then start defrosting the windows.
* If the air temperature below -20 C, then it is worth warming up the engine at least 5 minutes, maybe a little longer. This time depends on the technical condition of the machine. A more modern car means less warm-up time.
In this case, the interior should be warmed up from 10 minutes or more.
Do I need to warm up the car (video)
How to warm up the car (video)
Warming up a diesel car
The best option is to warm up the engine in winter - from 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the air temperature. The colder it is outside, the longer it takes to warm up.
In summer, the diesel engine warm-up time is 1-2 minutes.
After warming up (at an engine temperature of 40-50 degrees), the oil liquefies, the parts in the engine heat up, and the fuel in the cylinders burns out completely.
When you have warmed up the engine, start a smooth movement. While driving, the engine warms up faster to the desired temperature.
It is also worth noting that it is worth warming up not only the engine, but also the transmission. This applies to an automatic transmission, where special gear oil is poured.
Automatic transmission warming up
Warming up the automatic transmission is necessary in order for it to serve you longer. To warm it up you should:
1. Warm up the engine.
2. After the engine has warmed up, apply the brakes and put the transmission into "Drive" mode (D).
3. Wait 2 minutes.
4. Start moving smoothly and start moving several kilometers at a speed of no more than 50 km/h.
How to warm up the automatic transmission
How to warm up a car with automatic transmission (video)
Do I need to warm up the engine in winter and summer? What does it depend on? How does the material of the engine affect the need for warm-up? What happens if you do not warm up the engine or warm it up for too long? Is it possible to warm up "on the go"? Why in Europe, even in winter, no one warms up the engine before a trip? All these and other questions will be considered in our article.
So, do you need to warm up the engine before driving? Today there is a lot of controversy about this, but there is no consensus on this matter.
Even 15–20 years ago, the answer to the question was unequivocal: yes, it is necessary to warm up the engine. And both in winter and in summer. Cold cars sneezed, coughed, stalled, or refused to start at all.
But with the advent of more modern cars, motorists massively refuse to warm up the engine. Moreover: in many European countries, warming up the engine in the parking lot is strictly prohibited by law.
So how to be an ordinary car owner? Warm up the engine before every ride the old fashioned way, or do you like the West and forget about preheating? And most importantly: why are there so many people who desperately defend warming up, if most of Europe has long since abandoned it?
Why do you need to warm up the engine?
To understand why you need to warm up the engine, it is worth understanding what happens in the engine after a long period of inactivity. Especially if it's winter outside.
So, we have an engine with a bunch of parts, a gearbox, as well as working fluids: fuel, antifreeze, oil.
All parameters of these components are selected in such a way that they provide the car with a stable ride with minimal wear on parts. Most parts are made of metals and their alloys, and such materials tend to expand when heated. Accordingly, the gaps between the parts of the assemblies are initially designed for the normal operating temperature of the engine.
If the temperature in the engine is significantly lower than the operating temperature, then:
- working fluids have a higher viscosity and run out faster (risk of sedimentation increases);
- parts are lubricated more slowly;
- the protective properties of additives are reduced;
- the gaps between the parts deviate from the norm, due to which friction increases, shocks occur, scuffs are formed, accelerating the development of corrosion.
According to some estimates, one cold start of the engine leads to the same amount of wear that 500-700 starts of a warm engine would cause.
At the same time, if you do not warm up the engine before driving in winter, you will also have to be nervous for the first minutes due to fogging of the windshield and lack of good visibility. And getting into an ice car is not very pleasant.
In addition, the first 5-10 kilometers the car can "eat" much more gasoline than usual. Driving dynamics will also worsen.
Therefore, warming up the engine is a very useful and necessary thing. But everything must be done wisely. And below we will tell you why.
Do I need to warm up the engine in summer?
Why warm up the engine in the summer, when the temperature overboard is already significantly above zero? Or why warm up the engine if the car leaves the heated box? Perhaps, in this case, warming up is pointless and even harmful?
Actually, no: and summer warming has its own rationale.
Firstly, the operating temperature of the engine is about 80-95 degrees. And the air temperature in summer rarely exceeds 25-30 degrees. Accordingly, even in summer, the car engine in the parking lot is “cold”.
Secondly, even if all 50 degrees Celsius were kept on the street, it would be wrong to start abruptly from the parking lot. Think about it: even the human body - an almost perfect "machine" - needs a warm-up before any physical activity. So the motor needs to work for some time without load in order to come to an optimal state.
How long does it take to warm up the engine?
Perhaps this is the most appropriate question. After all, we have already come to the conclusion that it is necessary to warm up the engine in almost any case. It remains only to understand how long the warm-up should take.
So, you can follow the hint:
| Air temperature | Warm-up time |
|---|---|
| +20 C and above | 0.5 - 1.5 minutes |
| +15 C | 1 - 2 minutes |
| +10 C | 1.5 - 3 minutes |
| +5 C | 2.5 - 5 minutes |
| 0 С | 3 - 7 minutes |
| -5 C | 3.5 - 8 minutes |
| -10 C | 5 - 10 minutes |
| -15 C | 8 – 15 minutes |
As you can see, in the summer, warming up takes very little time. You only have time to get comfortable in your chair, fasten your seat belt, adjust your mirrors and turn on your favorite radio channel.
You don't have to wait until it's fully warmed up. As soon as the temperature of the working fluid rises to 60-70 degrees, you can gently start moving. But it would still be more correct to accelerate when the temperature of the liquid reaches 80-90 degrees Celsius.
Why can't the engine warm up too long?
As we said above, everything needs a measure. It is also impossible to warm up the engine for too long.
The fact is that at low temperatures the fuel mixture does not evaporate well, so a car with electronic fuel injection immediately generates a command to release an additional portion of fuel.
But the car stays where it is. And it turns out that at idle, an excess of gasoline is formed in the combustion chamber. Gasoline, in turn, causes engine oil to be washed out, that is, in fact, it leaves the engine without protection. Gasoline, as we know, is an excellent solvent.
However, if you do not delay warming up, nothing like this happens, and premature destruction of the engine does not occur.
Warm up on the go
Recently, warming up the engine on the go, that is, in the first minutes of the car's movement, has become very popular. You just move off smoothly and slowly (at low speeds) leave the yard or garage. At the same time, it is desirable that the road be as smooth as possible, because jerks and shocks are undesirable during warm-up.
On the move, the engine warms up faster and spends less fuel.
This method has one drawback: whatever one may say, the movement starts with a cold engine, so the load on the mechanism is greater (remember the gaps and viscosity of working fluids). In addition, the gearbox also needs to be preheated, and without it, the gearbox parts undergo accelerated wear, the oil is used up faster and precipitates.
The ideal option: a couple of minutes (twice as long in winter) to drive the engine in idle mode, and then start a smooth movement at low speeds.
What is the danger of warming up the engine?
Many are afraid to warm up the engine due to a number of complications caused by this procedure. The disadvantages of warming up usually include:
- increased consumption of gasoline;
- the formation of resin deposits on the valves;
- washing out oil with gasoline.
Washing out the oil is especially dangerous. This primarily affects the piston rings and cylinder walls. However, it has been proven that all these disadvantages appear only in cases where there is a chronic long-term warm-up of the engine.
With moderate warming up, nothing happens to the engine that could significantly impair its performance.
Is there a difference between old and new machines?
Previously, absolutely all engines were warmed up before the trip, and warming up took a lot of time. Why did this happen?
The first reason is the poor quality of working fluids. At that time, little was known about additives, so oils and antifreezes behaved very capriciously when the temperature dropped. Often the car simply would not start or start, but immediately stalled.
The second reason is the different coefficients of expansion of the materials of the cylinder block and the pistons themselves.
Older cars were dominated by cast iron block engines. Cast iron expands differently, so it was impossible to achieve an ideal clearance with the pistons without sufficient warming up of the motor. In addition, cast iron has a lower thermal conductivity (4.5 times lower than that of aluminum), which is why it took more time to warm up the engine.
And the old cars didn't have all the sensors that we have today. That is, the process of mixing fuel with air was not regulated by hardware. And in order to return the engine to working capacity, it had to be completely warmed up.
Modern cars are crammed with electronics and are mostly built on an aluminum cylinder block. Aluminum pistons are coated with a thin layer of nikasil (nickel-silicon alloy). This combination of metals allows you to maintain an ideal gap at any engine temperature.
We can say that due to this, the wear resistance of the motor is maintained, even if you are too lazy to warm up the engine. But do not forget that in addition to gaps, the properties of liquids play an important role. And no matter how technologists dodge, they have not yet succeeded and are unlikely to be able to create antifreezes and oils that work equally well in a wide temperature range.
But what about Europe?
Oh yes: Europe. There, the engines in cars have not been warmed up for a long time. But this is done more for environmental reasons than because of the high reliability of the motors.
Europe stands up for the reduction of harmful emissions, so for them to just be in the parking lot with the engine running is an unforgivable sin.
Do Europeans care about engine durability? – Why would they? In Europe, it is customary to change a car for a new one every 4-8 years. And their standard of living allows it. Naturally, this time is very short, so that the lack of warm-up has time to seriously affect the performance of the engine.
But this is Europe, and we live in Russia. And not every Russian can afford to buy a new car at least once every 10-15 years. Therefore, it is very important for us to minimize any factors that can degrade the quality of the engine. ESPECIALLY if the motor consists of an aluminum block and nikasil pistons (such engines are almost officially recognized as unrepairable).
By the way, many car brands are reintroducing cast iron power units into their engine lines. Such engines are today on the 2017 Toyota Camry. The 1.0-litre Ford EcoBoost engine found in the Fiesta, Focus, B-MAX, C-MAX and Mondeo also has a cast iron cylinder block instead of aluminium. Cast iron returns to Opel engines. Some Japanese brands also remembered him.
Obviously, the manufacturers made sure that even when cold, such engines work with minimal wear. Although even purely theoretically, warming up would not hurt them.
Global conspiracy?
In the meantime, we continue to warm up the engines in our cars, in advertising you can increasingly hear information that this or that model does not need preheating at all. Manufacturers claim that the advertised car is so convenient and reliable that it can start without any preparation.
Of course, it is easier for an ordinary motorist (especially if he does not understand mechanics at all) to buy such a car and forget about warming up with peace of mind. After all, the factory gave good. And, most likely, nothing will happen during the entire warranty period.
But when the warranty expires, problems can begin. Replacing the engine will result in a pretty penny.
Automotive brands benefit from this. Manufacturers are not interested in the fact that the machine worked without breakdowns for 10–15–20 years or more. Factories need us to change vehicles as often as possible. In fact, Europeans do just that. But if you want your car to serve you well for many years after the warranty expires, do not neglect the engine warm-up.
So, warming up or not warming up the engine is a personal matter for every car owner. After all, it's your car and it's up to you to decide how to handle it. But remember: it is profitable for car factories to impose on you the idea that new cars do just fine without warming up, even in winter.
Important: preheating the engine is important, but it is not a panacea. If you warm up the engine every time according to all the rules, but at the same time save a lot on working fluids, the consequences will quickly make themselves felt.
Your task is to extend the life of the engine, and starting at low temperatures is always stressful for the engine. Try to understand the specifics of this node, ask experienced mechanics. They saw the engine from the inside hundreds of times, saw with their own eyes the consequences of a “cold start”. Each of them will tell you that you need to warm up absolutely any engine and at any time of the year.
