Do I HAVE to warm up my car in the winter?

Question

In the winter it gets sooo cold; I just want to get in the car and zoom away. Will it hurt my car if I don't warm it up?
(I have a '99 Ford Contour, SE, if it makes any difference...and it's black cherry color.)

Answer 1

It shouldn't. I was a technician for 9 years, 4 at Ford. I have heard all of the hype about how it damages engine internals but I have never seen a modern engine with damage that resulted from driving while cold (not warmed up). I have also seen some tech reports that indicate more harm may come to an engine just sitting idling on cold mornings. I have a 1993 ranger with over 240,000 km on it and I live in Nova Scotia - I drive mine away as soon as I start it every day and have no trouble with it.

I also think you'll save fuel by not wasting it on a warm up.

Answer 2

When an engine is cold, tolerances between working metal parts most notably bearings, are different than they were designed to be at operating temps due to metals contracting and expanding. This will most notably prevent oil from properly reaching and lubricating key areas during high rpm operation since it may be forced to flow into a smaller region. When an engine is cold, it will endure increased wear most notably at high rpms, but also to a small degree at lower idling rpms, there is nothing you can do to avoid the wear at idling, since your engine MUST be cold if its not running, however avoiding high rpms should be avoided when an engine is not at operating temperature. Another factor involved here is the promotion of carbon buildup from prolonged engine idling, something which is not good, so you should NOT idle your engine to warm it. As a whole, there is NOTHING you cna do to eleminate the increased wear from an engine being cold, all you can do is minimise it. The less time the engine spends running when it is cold the less increased wear the engien will endure and the quicker the engine warms the less effect the cold temp period will have on harming the engine. The engine will warm quciker if you dont turn on the heat, and if you burn more fuel, or have a block heater installed. You can burn more fuel by reving the engine, but i have explained how this is bad for a cold motor due to inadequate pubrication capabilities, another way to burn more fuel is to put a load on the engine, you could do this by simply driving the car. Drivign the car will warm the engine faster than it would warm by simply idling, and as a whole, will reduce engine wear. So there it is, start driving the car, avoid high rpm operation, dont turn on the heat untill its warm, best way to reduce engine wear from cold starting. Its not neccesaary, but it will increase the longevity of your engine when done as suggested. Idling the engine is not a good for it in a way not related to the increased wear caused by cold engines, and should be avoided. Clarifiing curther, engine warming IN THE PAST was neccessary for carbs to function correctly, and engine oil to lubricate properly, modern engines are fuel injected which have temp/air pressure sensore and can create chemically perfect air/fuel ratios for every cylinder finring no mater what the temp is. Modern engine oils have special chemical additives that keep the oil at the same viscotiy no matter what the temp is (to an extent) (these additives break down over time causing the need for you to change your oil) It is no longer NECESSARY to warm an engine prior to driving, and in fact is harmfull in comparison to not warming it.

Answer 3

The Canadian government (who should know something about driving in the cold) recommends against it. They claim it takes no more than 30 seconds to circulate the oil, and that some parts (like wheel bearings) won't warm up at all until the car is moving. They also note it wastes fuel (10 seconds of idling burns more fuel than restarting a car), and that an idling car emits twice the fume of a car in motion.

Answer 4

I feel the same way.
It's not REQUIRED, of course. But it can harm your car and your engine. For example, I've had a lot of trouble with my car recently. It is older than yours, but I had some fuel problems. Always keeping your tank above half full will help warm your car up faster, plus it will help keep a lot of moisture out of the tank. When you keep your gas level low, and if you're doing a lot of city driving, a lot of that moisture/water can build up in the tank and water down your fuel. Then your car won't even start. However, driving more and more without letting your car warm up can blow a gasket, which is a major repair job. It can be fixed, but who want to spend that money? I know its hard, as I have trouble with it too, but my best advice is to just start wamring your car up like 10 minutes before you need to leave somewhere...that way it will be ready to go when you go and get back into it.

Good luck.

Answer 5

The car needs to warm up a bit, but don't start it and zoom off, go slow and make sure your windows are clear before you start going :P. If it snows I'll start the car crank the heat then go and scrap all of the windows off, it'll be a little bit warmed up, and by the time you are done it should be good to go.

Answer 6

It will be a little harder on your car if you don't warm it up for a minute or two. When it is that cold the oil in your engine is thick and needs a little warmth to get the oil to go up into the heads.

Answer 7

F.Y.I.~ The color doesn't mean anything.LOL

YES... What I do is turn on my heater and the car and let it warm up before I get in. Look at your Temparture meter and wait until you see it start to move up. Then you can go, but if your not in a rush, warm it up as much as you can...

Remeber your car is cold, inside/out. You don't want to shock it and force to drive with out it being warmer. YOU CAN CRACK YOUR ENGINE OR POWER STEERING!

Answer 8

In general, idling the car to warm it up can create carbon deposits etc. Better to start it and drive off SLOWLY until it warms up... DON'T race the engine or take off like a bat out of hell - even if it, too, is freezing over!

Answer 9

You should let it warm up for at least a couple of minutes, especially in the winter. I start my car and scrape the ice off of the windows.

Answer 10

the cold oil going through the engine of your car is not good for your car at all!!!! in some extreme cases not most you can even crack a head in your motor. if you want to extend the life of your car always start it ahead of time. if you don't wanna get out in the cold to start your car get remote start installed in your car.