I was recently reading an Article, as to whether or not its a good idea to Warm up your Car Engine, before you go and drive it on a Cold day.

But as an XJS is not exactly a normal Car, it would be interesting to hear what you would do, without being biased by what the Article said.

 

I believe all vehicles benefit from a warmup as well as an easy drive off.

Don't forget, you can warmup your engine and still have a stone cold
differential.

 

I think its good to let the engine run for a minute or so to get the oil pressure up, then to take off gently. It also depends on how long the trip is going to be and what speed you are going to attain. As stated previously the rest of the running gear needs to come up to operating temperature. My morning commute is 11 miles one way, taking surface streets. I usually take the surface streets to avoid traffic. Other times I would take the freeway. I'm two miles from the freeway on ramp with numerous stoplights so the car usually warms up a bit before I would enter the freeway. Besides the oil, the fuel enrichment system is on and it's good to burn off the excess fuel to avoid fouling the plugs and building up carbon in the combustion chambers. I think I read somewhere on this forum that you should never run your XJS less than ten minutes. That is probably good advice. I drive my carbureted old Mustang to work in the morning. A couple of pumps to the throttle, it fires and I drive it away on fast idle. I take it easy for a couple of miles and don't have a problem with stalling out. It doesn't get much colder than 40 degrees F here in the morning. It's 70 degrees right now!

 

I'll let everyone know what the Article said when we have a few more replies

 

That is interesting, the Article refers to how long you let the Engine Warm up before you hit the road.

But you could probably hit a mustang with a Steam Hammer and it still wouldn't break.

 

Been habit for me since 1968, so the brain really does nothing different.

For the V12's, I start it up, finish my coffee, open the gates, settle into the beast, and away we go. Time elapsed about 5 minutes.

NO Redine for at least 15kms (no idea why that number), and then I usually drive it like I stole it.

The newer S Types get the same treatment.

 

Now we're really onto something, in the form of someone with years of experience driving and maintaining these Cars but does this agree with the advice in the Article? We will see.............

But what 'The Wizard' doesn't know, 'You don't need to know' at least as far as someone like me is concerned.

 

Damn we have missed your WIT.

When you go to that cottage again, take the bloody internet with you, and heaps of candles for "her".

 

NEVER let your engine warm up idling. It is a disaster for the envoirement and isn't healthy for the engine itself. Transmission, differential and bearings are all still cold.

Drive the car from the moment you start it up but not hard. A comfy warm up phase via driving is the best way to do so. If you lived in Siberia I'd say okay. But in our areas below/above the polar circles (Northern/Southern Hemispheres) we shouldn't. No, I'm no Greenpeace activist, but why do something like this?

The engine warms up quicker and better when driven. Modern engines are built to be so efficient, that they won't warm up in idle. Not to the operating temperatures. And if they do, they will take ages.

 

Grant you haven't listened to anything I've said!

Candle lit dinners are so last year and are nothing compared to a couple of Bacon Sarnies, with the 'Thump, Thump, Thump' of a 3.5 KVA Diesel Genny, providing the perfect backdrop for an evening of Romance.

 

This is getting better by the minute!

It seems we have a difference of opinion in the Camp, so we'll have to see which one of you agrees with what I was reading in the Article.

 

I live in Florida, I'm in the "this is right up there with an oil thread" camp.

 

I'm in the "start up, drop into gear, drive" camp. Well, OK, maybe wait 30 seconds in freezing conditions and/or if the car hasn't been driven for a few days.

Cheers
DD

 

Let's define "warm up".

Do you mean waiting for the coolant temp to actually come up to normal?

Or are we talking about just giving the engine a minute wake up?

Or.....?

Cheers
DD

 

I have collected cars for 30 years and have always let them idle for around 30 seconds and then drove them easy until up to operating temperature (5-10 minutes depending on weather temps) . ... Having read many articles about how bad it is to let your car idle for numerous minutes, has made my decision a no brainer.

 

I've always heard the same.

But......

Just to play devil's advocate for a moment.....

It would be interesting to gather 100 members of the "let the engine warm up" crowd, examine their cars and repair records, and determine exactly what 'bad' things have resulted from their practice. What 'bad' consequences have they suffered?

Other than wasted gasoline I'll have doubts that we'd come up with anything remotely significant or conclusive.

I think the admonitions against warming-up go back many decades when the typical car had a carburetor and a crude automatic choke (or even more crude manual choke). These older cars tended to baulk and complain when cold....so owners would let 'em warm up on the choke, which tended to over-fuel (or, more accurately, under-air) the engine....sometimes grossly so. We're left with visions of cylinders walls being washed down, fouled spark plugs, nasty black smoking rolling out of the pipes, etc.

Though fuel injections systems have an enrichment circuit I think it's a safe bet that the cold fueling is much more precise and therefore much less of a concern.

Cheers
DD

 

My Dad was an old time mechanic. Even in the 60s with the carbureted cars, he said, idle long enough for the choke to start opening and stabilize, then stay under 2000 rpm until oil pressure and temp are half way to normal, then slowly resume to normal speed. Has worked well on all my cars. I warm in increments, start, pull out of garage, sit until door is all the way close, then move. follow speed limit in town until gauges move then resume hwy speeds when leaving town. I never start a car in the cold and move a few feet and shut down, always take a cruise around town until warm and then park.

 

All over the map, I suppose. Many of my cars have used hand chokes.
A bit of a warm up needed or they would stall. My 69 Toyota FJ40 had a hand choke!!!


Then, the auto chokes. If not just right were balky and prone to stalling in cold weather. A bit of warm up needed.


My hot flat head v8's at times had no chokes. Needed a good warm up or a stall was guaranteed.


And, early oiling systems not what the ones today are.


My garage door is a roll up, but manual. So, I fire the jag, back it out, let it idle, get out, close the door from inside and back to the car. Ready to go. FI handles fuel map needed.


Jeep lives in the drive. Get in, crank it. Buckle up, put on or change spectacles. Ready to go.


Caveat, in each case, easy does it before getting on the freeway and "pouring it on".


AS to environment, yeah, idling and not moving adds to the pollution with no return. Return is covering distance.


That moderation thing is a good guide, as usual...


Carl

 

Interesting opinions out there...

The first 10 mins is where most engine wear occurs, as far as I understand, to I'm easy on the gas for that time period, not over 2k rpm. Oil also takes a lot longer than water to warm up.

 

I'd say the first 10 seconds !


Cheers
DD