Hi t2grr,

It is best practice to let your vehicle warm up during cold weather. Also, your Owner Guide states the following info under the “Driving” section on page 158:

Important safety precautions
A computer system controls the engine’s idle revolutions per minute
(RPM). When the engine starts, the idle RPM runs higher than normal in
order to warm the engine. If the engine idle speed does not slow down
automatically, have the vehicle checked. Do not allow the vehicle to idle
for more than 10 minutes at the higher engine RPM.

Hope this helps.

Deysha

 

Gotta respectfully disagree, because your own website also disagrees.
Please read #3 in the following link.

http://media.ford.com/article_displa...ticle_id=28946

 

I quote from My Ford magazine, Winter 2010, Ask the Expert column.

"How long should my car warm up on a cold day?"

"All it takes is a matter of seconds. 'The myth that you should let your car idle for five to 10 minutes before driving to protect the engine is completely false,' says Brett Hinds, advanced engine design and development manager for Ford. Even at temperatures as low as -20 degrees, your gasoline engine has full lubrication and is ready to go within five seconds of ignition. For best warm-up and fuel economy, a vehicle should be driven as soon as it's ready, adds Hinds." Then there is some further information about warming hybrid engines. Then, "In all vehicles, the cabin and the windshield may take a bit longer than the engine to heat up, so don't forget your scarf."

 

My interpretation of the owner's guide with a cold engine is, as soon as you crank the car, floor it, no?
I'm hardcore.

 

Mustang.. Start, let idle down a bit and go..
At the track.. let it cool as much as possible, start and hammer

 

Thanks Guys

Some great feedback, i am really pleased to have 45 replies to my second post (yes i know some went off in a different direction).

Some good advice.

Thanks

Graeme

 

Owners Manual says start her and go.
I wait until the fuel system goes from open loop to closed loop mode.
This happens when the O2 sensors are up to temp and sending valid
readings to the PCM.
Modern engines dont care about warming up periods.
Thats old school.

 

Sorry if I'm not convinced about this part.

The physical phenomena of differential expansion and unequal heating of parts hasn't changed in the meantime. If it had, I might have had to find different employment.

"New school/just replace it" attitudes seem to involve not worrying about why you might have to replace something, or how to avoid having to (just live in the moment). Sure, some or maybe even most folks can get away with this. But wouldn't it really suck to be the one guy in ten, or a hundred, or a thousand who couldn't.

Maybe an engine is a little like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, where you don't know what you're going to get.


Norm

 

I agree with you Norm.
The new school makes it easier to operate an engine when cold, that's about it...

 

Agree as well Norm. Engines may have changed over the years, but metallurgy has not. At colder temps metal is more brittle and under sudden load has more of a chance to break or fail. For that reason alone, I will always warm my engine approx 3-5 mins on cold mornings before putting a load on it.
Now i'm not saying u can't run butt cold, just saying that you do run a higher risk of failure over the course of time by doing it over and over in cold weather.
just my 02.