DON’T always believe what the manual tells you. It may say the car doesn’t need a warm up but that has a lot to do with the EPA.

ALL vehicles need a warm up before you drive them “normally” Piston rings, oil seals, etc, don’t just come up to temperature and seal properly in seconds and thus on cold days your engine tolerances are MUCH bigger then under normal driving conditions when the motor and its parts have come up to temperature. Metal expands with heat and retracts when cold. You take two pieces of metal that are designed to have a clearance of say 0.002” when at operating temperature and they could have a clearance of 0.020 when cold. That is a HUGE gap and if it wasn’t like that you would seize moving parts because when they warm that gap will get much smaller. It’s simple physics and there is nothing that will ever change that unless man designs a metal that NEVER expands or retracts because of heat and cold.

Also, you get approx. 80% of normal engine wear at start up because there is NOT enough liberation to prevent wear at start up regardless what weight of oil or how much money you spend on that oil. Cold parts, huge gaps, little lubrication, when rubbing together will wear, it’s just life. There are things you can do to reduce wear at start up but, at least for now, you will never eliminate some wear at start up and those first seconds or minutes while the motor warms up to normal operating temperature.

While you can start the car and drive off with it take it EASY with the car for the first 5 – 10 minutes or until you see the temperature needle in the normal zone before you drive it “normal” otherwise you DO risk damaging your motor and other drive train parts.

It reminds me of reading very stupid information from people that have NO clue about motors telling people that today’s motors do NOT have a break in period and/or that they come from the factory already broken in. All complete BS for those just not willing to educate themselves on the FACT’S…

Motor’s, ALL motors, anything with MOVING parts have a break in period until they are COMPLETELY seated properly and until they are seated properly they are at GREAT RISK of damaging moving parts and/or seeing early failures by just treating them as if they were broke in…

 

Well, I start driving out as soon as I get it in gear. Sometimes I flood out if my boost-a-pump kicks inif I back out of the driveway aggressively (0 vacuum). This is probably aggravated by my HT0 plugs.
As far as the above post goes, there is the camp that believes that the sooner that you warm up an engine, the sooner the parts reach operating clearances. I guess I'm in that category. I've been driving for over 30 years now, have owned over 30 vehicles...never had an engine failure (except one that locked up 2 weeks after I bought it from a used car dealer--I don't count that one!)

 

the time it take my garage door to close. unless you count the backing out firstthe zero. just dont drive it hard for the first few miles

 

I always let her warm up at least a couple minutes. Then I drive her like a granny till she's all warmed up. After that, she's subjected to my lead foot!

 

I guess it all depends on how long you enjoy sitting still with the engine going, getting ZERO miles per gallon! I don't think driving down your alley at 15 or down the street at 25 is going to hurt anything in a modern car. I wonder how the hybrids do it. Don't they shut off when the car comes to a stop?

 

have you compared oils and how they stick to metal "sure not all oils or even expensive oils have this but those that do really help"
although this thin layer of lubrication is not as good as with the oil pump running but it is better than nothing

these oils leave a layer of lubrication on the metal parts and that helps protect the engine
then some race cars with electric oil pumps switch it on before starting the engine
other than that piece of ignorance I agree with you
this thin layer of lubrication also helps prevent rust (inside of the engine) for those of you that leave it parked for months (yes I know the 4.6 isn't iorn sothe rust partdoesn't apply as much)

 

Its bad I know, but I live 6 blocks from work, and I usually dont wake up in enough time to allow the car to warm up. It ildes pretty high when cold, I use that idle to get to work basically.
The bad part is the car never gets to operating temps.
Now this is just to work,. Going home usually I let it warm up til the rpms drop, then go. Sometimes a few errands just to put some miles on it and get it nice and warm.

 

I've been leaving the car warm up so the windows defrost. I work a short distance away so heat is not needed.
In the summer, I wait until the idle goes down. I think it tells you in the manual to do so.

 

ok thanks guys..

 

lol in the winter when its 0 degrees celcius, my volvo with a carb wont even move a block unless its been idling for a good 5mins or so

usually i let my mustang idle for 1-2 mins before driving off like a granny

i have a compustar with auto start so i always start it up when im leaving a building and walkin to the car