Engine Warm-up Time

[PStaff716]

I don't drive under any circumstances unless the rpm has dropped down to 1,100 or wherever it sits at once it's warm. You'll know when it's ready because it sits at about 1500 when it's warming on a cold start

[samfrs]

Start a few sec and off to an easy going. Who got time to wait?

[jd666]

Wait for the initial RPM to settle down. Putter around in low gears and at low speed ( below 3000 rpm) till the Temp needle starts rising. Once its reached operating temps, then drive normally.

Never/Avoid switch on the A/C before the temps are up. The compressor puts unwanted load to a cold engine.

[radroach]

I warm the car up for awhile because it helps with the initial cold 2nd gear engagement.

I let my car warm up for 5 minutes, or I let it cycle through initial idle, then pull it out on the street and roll in first gear down the street, then park on the sidewalk and let it warm up a little bit more. At that point the car is warmed up enough and 2nd gear shifts smoothly.

[Fish Eagle]

I use an oil temp guage.
Oil takes a lot longer to warm up than most think - about 2x as long as the coolant.
I won't go WOT until oil reaches 90°C, and that takes about 8-10 mins of regular driving.

[Wise]

I just get in and drive and shift before 3,000 until the water temp is just about normal level.

[mike_ekim1024]

Originally Posted by Wise

I just get in and drive and shift before 3,000 until the water temp is just about normal level.

So there are two recurring themes here.. wait until coolant reaches operating temperature before going above 3 or 4,000; or wait until oil temp reaches coolant temp/operating temp. The second one is more difficult without a gauge, I wonder if it does really make a difference?

[shellslinger]

Originally Posted by radroach

I warm the car up for awhile because it helps with the initial cold 2nd gear engagement.

I let my car warm up for 5 minutes, or I let it cycle through initial idle, then pull it out on the street and roll in first gear down the street, then park on the sidewalk and let it warm up a little bit more. At that point the car is warmed up enough and 2nd gear shifts smoothly.

I do the same exact thing word for word...weird ahaha

[Don Ivey]

Originally Posted by shellslinger

I do the same exact thing word for word...weird ahaha

IMHO, you're both wasting time and gas. Just get in and drive slowly, changing gears slowly and gently, until the temp. gets to normal range, and then, if it's still notchy shifting, take it easy a while longer. Then whatever you want.

[stueck9356]

unlucky for me, work is only 5 miles away so my car doesn't warm up fully before I have to shut it off. I just get in and let the rpms drop while sitting, then just cruise to work under 4k. modern oils are advanced enough to minimize wear and tear when cold as long as you drive normally.

[mush]

i start driving when rpm drops to under 1k

[radroach]

Originally Posted by Don Ivey

IMHO, you're both wasting time and gas. Just get in and drive slowly, changing gears slowly and gently, until the temp. gets to normal range, and then, if it's still notchy shifting, take it easy a while longer. Then whatever you want.

Doesn't work like that for me. I can't shift into 2nd when cold at all unless done forcefully. Gearbox goes tight and doesn't want to sync up at that temperature.

[wheelhaus]

Originally Posted by radroach

Doesn't work like that for me. I can't shift into 2nd when cold at all unless done forcefully. Gearbox goes tight and doesn't want to sync up at that temperature.

Engine temp does little for the transmission, I believe that's what he was getting at. In other words, getting the car moving will warm the transmission more quickly for a couple reasons. 1- the engine builds heat more quickly from being driven (even gently). 2- Friction from the thick oil and some minor stress on the gears will generate more heat within the transmission itself. By letting the engine warm up at idle, you're relying on engine and exhaust heat to passively radiate into the transmission casing, which does have an effect, but takes a lot longer because the cold transmission casing is acting like a heat sink on the engine.

Try some experimenting, personally I'd be curious. Try your method, and time from startup until you feel the shifting is "good" into 2nd. Then try startup and immediately drive. you might need to coax or skip 2nd gear a bit, but time again from startup until you get a "good" shift. I wonder if there's much of a difference...

[Drobinson1692]

I've always (in all my cars, turbo'd,NA):
-fire up car
-buckel up, send a text, set radio for about 15-30 seconds
-drive lightly
-don't get on it until temp is fully up