Question about oil warming time on startup
 

I've read that most engine wear comes from when the engine is used before the oil has warmed up, and I have a quick question about that.

What are acceptable ways to warm up your engine with manual transmission? I read somewhere that in an MT, the engine won't warm up if you don't use it...

Additionally, I usually park at the top of a parking deck, and it can take me 2-3 minutes to get to the exit. What is the effect on warming the engine if I use a bit of gas to start rolling down the deck, then put it in neutral and use momentum to get the rest of the way down? Figured I could get 2-3 minutes of warming time in if that doesn't count as using the engine before the oil warms up.

Thanks!

I just start mine and begin driving within 30 seconds.

Just dont go hard on it (mid to higher revs are OK, heavy load is not) until the water temp (dash gauge) is in the middle range.
Oil temp lags water temp so oil is not warm yet.

If you really want to know get a ELM327 bluetooth OBDII reader and the torque app.

The car has an oil temp sensor, just no gauge.

Here is a log:
http://i366.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps15089244.jpg

I'll buy into ol stugray's plan ..... :clap:


humfrz

Just drive the car gently when it's cold... the car warms up fastest when it's being driven around.

The most "wear" is actually when it first starts up after the car has been sitting for a while.

This is why it's important to use the correct weight of oil so that the oil and flow through the engine efficiently and get to the parts it needs to lubricate quicker.

However, there is still a small film of oil left after you turn the car off.. But it's not a lot.

Sounds good to me, thanks for the tips! Looking forwards to trying to keep the engine as healthy as possible!

I agree, I drive gently after startup, won't exceed 3k until water temp moves above the lowest mark. Then I'll drive normal under 4k until water temp is norm. After 10-20 min depending on outside temp, then I'll go wot to redline if needed/wanted.

Adding to above points...

I have the Pivot Dual Gauge (review link), and having driven it for a few days in Southern California weather I can safely say the following:

- Ambient starting temps are around 25-30C for both fluids. Car is garaged and ambient air temps are around 55-60F.
- 30 second warmup + ~90 seconds of < 3000 RPM driving gets the needle to the first mark on dash temp gauge. At this point the Pivot gauge reads 60C water temp and around 50C oil temp.
- A total of around 4 minutes is needed for easy driving to get the thermostat to open up around ~70C. The oil temp stays around 60-65C
- Largest delta between coolant and oil temps was around 20 degrees, when the coolant hits 80 but oil temp still is barely 60-ish

Results may vary, but it's safe to say that with easy driving + 30 second warmup, you're looking at roughly 5 seconds for each degree centigrade increase in oil temp from a completely cold engine. Coolant may take longer to warm up if you have the AC on.

-alex

Our cars take forever to "warm up" depending on where you live. I live on the west coast, and by the time I get to work, barely quarter way the temperature needle has moved.

I drive like a turtle in the morning, 3K rpm shifts max LOL

damn you must have a short commute... I WISH I was that close to work, I'd be on the bike every day!

As a rule of thumb, if it's cold outside I like to wait 60-90 seconds to get the oil flowing and viscosity down. Up north on really freezing days, I'll even wait a few minutes.

No that I'm living it warm Florida, it's really not too much of an issue. I do however, keep the RPMs below 3.5K for the initial 5 minutes to get proper temps before opening up the throttle, even if it's hot outside.

Thanks for this too! Thanks everyone for the input on how to handle these cars as the oil warms!

Do you know about at what time the oil hits ~90 or 95 C? That's around what I read optimum operating temperature is for motor oil.

If the car is the same as the other Drive By Wire Subaru's, you should be able to hold the gas pedal to the floor while you're cranking and the car won't start up. That's how you're supposed to cycle fluids through the engine if its sitting for a long period of time.

I haven't tried it on the BRZ, but make sure you're in neutral if you plan on trying it, lol.

this is a pretty hot tip, let me know how it goes if you try it out! In a MT, would you have to hold down both the clutch and the gas while cranking?

wow thats quick... im in NYC and i warm my car up for 15 mins in the morning minimum