If you dont warm your car engine in the winter what happens?

Question

HAVE BOUGHT A NEW CAR AND KNOW ITS THE COLD WINTER DAYS DO I NEED TO WARM UP MY ENGINE BEFORE I DRIVE? IT SEEMS FINE TO DRIVE WITHOUT WARMING UP. WOULD THIS HAVE AN AFFECT LATER OR IS IT OK?

Answer 1

Hello,

(ANS) No! modern car engines are extremely good but with a new car if there has been a VERY cold night and there is frost on the vehicle. Then YES! you can just drive away from a cold standing start, but in my opinion this does increase the wear & tear on the engine in the long term.

Its definitely better & kinder to the car to let the engine warm up or idle for a few minutes on a cold morning, but most people do in fact do this without realizing. As they spend a few minutes scraping the ice off the windscreen or clearing the windows of condensation before driving away.

**No! the best way to avoid increased wear & tear is to a) drive with care not like a boy racer b) have the car serviced when required c) just make sure all the vital fluids are kept topped up i.e.brake fluid, engine oil, water,etc. Its all very basic stuff & mostly just common sense anyway, its normal TLC if you like your car??

Ivan

Answer 2

In older cars (over 20 years ago) it was often necessary to warm up the engine before driving.

For the past 20 years manufacturers have been recommending driving off as soon as possible after starting, mainly to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, but also because the engine will heat up more quickly when given some work to do (particularly diesel engines).

However, do not use high revs (or full throttle on turbocharged engines) until the engine oil is fully warmed and has had a few minutes to circulate fully around the engine, or you will cause increased wear on the engine's internal components.

Answer 3

No need to warm up the car before you set off. In fact this can actually damage the engine as the oil pressure is lower at idle, the oil won't be pumped round the engine as quickly leading to increased wear. This is true fro both new and old cars (my car is 25 years old). In new cars with climate control the heater will work before the car is warm as well, so the windows should clear before the engine is warm anyway...

Answer 4

The lengthy warm-ups of the old days are no longer a must...
however running your engine for a couple of minutes before
taking off and insuring that the oil is of the proper weight for those cold days is very important ... failure to pay attention to these details will most assuredly cause premature engine
failure and component wear.... A remote start for those wintry mornings is always a good idea, and jumping into a warm car is kinda nice too.... good luck

Answer 5

Myth #1: The engine should be warmed up before driving. Reality: Idling is not an effective way to warm up your vehicle, even in cold weather. The best way to do this is to drive the vehicle. With today's modern engines, you need no more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days before driving away.

For every two minutes a car is idling, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to go about one mile.

Answer 6

I'm not sure what you consider cold, but even below freezing you only have to warm them up to clear the windshield. Anything more is a waste of gas. You should give it a few seconds to heat the oil, but really we're not talking much time at all. That said, drive slowly for the first few minutes to let it heat up. So, drive gently starting out, but you don't have to just sit there and burn gas before you drive.

I grew up in Vermont and live in New Hampshire and I deal with this all the time.

Answer 7

There's no need to have a lengthy warming-up period with modern engines, or more precisely modern oils. You can drive off straight away. Having said that, like most people I start it and leave it running while I remove any ice/frost & clear the windows. That few moments helps the oil to circulate and begin to warm, and starts to recharge the battery. I drive off once I can see properly, being reasonably gentle to start with.

Answer 8

If it's below 0 I think I would warm it up for 5 minutes or so.The oil pressure will be fine because the oil is thick when cold but the trans fluid needs to be warmed up as well.I would be more concerned about trans wear than engine wear.

Answer 9

Idealy just start and let it idle for about 20 seconds just to get the oil circulating. Then drive gently till the engine is up to temperature. Don't rev the nuts out of it when starting, just let it idle for those first important seconds. Letting it idle for a prolonged time at start up means the engine takes longer to reach its working temperature. Finally don't skip or extend oil changes, oil might seem expensive but it's cheap insurance for your engine.

Answer 10

properly permit me say i'm a ford man or woman, 166,miles isn't lots for a ford, despite if the factors on any vehicle is the priority. If it sits and spins, there are some issues.; injury to the main considerablepersistent kit gearing, worn counter shaft bearings, in chilly climate no longer appropriate lubricated, it relatively is something each and every man or woman might desire to do, whilst it transformations season replace your oil and have a lube activity. Oil desires to be approximately 10-40 or 10-50w skinny so it ought to commence in chilly climate. warmer months is approximately 10-30w, additionally the lube prepares the vehicle like chap-stick on your lips. examine with you mechanic I specific that's no longer costly. examine you trans fluid whilst it relatively is working, in case you have fluid at a heat temp permit you already know mechanic. a bearing or u joint. no longer great deal.