To warm or not to warm is the question!

[mamabird]

I was taught by my father that you warm up your car in cold weather. When I was a little girl my father use to go out in the cold and warm up his Road Runner. I followed this ritual for as long as I could remember. However, I have heard it a few times that it is bad to leave your car running idle for a long period of time. My Raven sleeps in the garage with her cover and away from the cold, but I do warm her up in the morning. Do these new age computer ran cars need to be warmed up? Or am I just following a old learned tradition that my father practiced?

[austx]

Re: To warm or not to warm is the question!

I've seen several queries re. warming - all said "not necessary for modern cars" - I assume this excludes cars sitting under 3" of Canadian ice -anyway, I think waiting for the tach to roll back is sufficient, especially for a house kept bird.

[FUN X 3]

Re: To warm or not to warm is the question!

[I]...I think waiting for the tach to roll back is sufficient, especially for a house kept bird...

My car is garage kept, the above is what I do, starts at ~1,600, rolls back to ~1,000. If I put it into gear before it rolls back, there's a slight clunk and lurch.

[00mustng]

Re: To warm or not to warm is the question!

....tach rollback...no matter what the weather....right now, for mine @-25C...about 5 minutes....just to get liquids warmed...and the heater going.....

[Tbirddave]

Re: To warm or not to warm is the question!

DITTO on the tach roll back...

[Borla Babe]

Re: To warm or not to warm is the question!

If I put it into gear before it rolls back, there's a slight clunk and lurch.

I've heard that clunk , what exactly is it?
Ditto on the tach rollback, no clunk.

[Lonestar]

Re: To warm or not to warm is the question!

I've heard that clunk , what exactly is it?
Ditto on the tach rollback, no clunk.

That clunk would be the transmission. Not healthy for it.

[thehansons5]

Re: To warm or not to warm is the question!

take a look at your tach.... once it rolls from 2 rpm to 1 you should be good to roll

[Leroy]

Re: To warm or not to warm is the question!

I think the main reson to let your T-Bird or any car warm up depends on what the weather conditions are. A warm engine will respond better and give you the heat you need for defrosting and defoging conditions and it's also not a good idea to run an engine at higher RPMs untill the oil has warmed up to the right viscosity. Also during the Winter months it's not a bad idea to run your A/C every once in a while for a little bit. I helps keep the seals and O rings from drying out. Leroy

[AZTB]

Re: To warm or not to warm is the question!

....tach rollback...no matter what the weather....right now, for mine @-25C...about 5 minutes....just to get liquids warmed...and the heater going.....

...here in Phoenix, about 15 seconds on a cold car is maximum!

[yelobird2002]

Re: To warm or not to warm is the question!

Once the RPM's have settled down to 1,000 RPM's it is safe to drive normally. Just don't floor it and race around until normal operating temp is reached.

[V8 Cat]

Re: To warm or not to warm is the question!

Also during the Winter months it's not a bad idea to run your A/C every once in a while for a little bit. I helps keep the seals and O rings from drying out. Leroy

Is this necessary? Isn't the compressor always on if you keep the system on "auto" to the keep the windows from fogging up in the winter?

[Ediron]

Re: To warm or not to warm is the question!

If you do use this practice of warming the engine remember to still drive slow for the first couple of miles.With a warm engine the rest of the vehicle is still cold ,shocks ,springs , front end parts etc. My Brother -in - law has a repair shop in N.Y. he loves the freezing weather he says"this is when people break-up there cars from the cold". Some will warm up the engine and head down that country road with bumps and ruts at 65

[luvbirdz]

Re: To warm or not to warm is the question!

Is this necessary? Isn't the compressor always on if you keep the system on "auto" to the keep the windows from fogging up in the winter?

If you are set to Defrost it should kick on but only down to a certain outside temperature, at least that is what was said for some other cars I have owned. (My owner's manual is in the Bird in storage)

Martin

[DavidA]

Re: To warm or not to warm is the question!

These days, idling is a no-no. that is why many manufacturers of Hybrids have automatic engine shutoff when stopped at a light. It is illegal in some states, california especially, to sit at idle while standing still for a length of time.

With the TBird, I also wait for the tach to drop to 1000, but I do it only because of the transmission clunk. That is hard on the car. With my other cars, I delay putting them in gear for only about 15 seconds, just to get the thick oil moving. Modern cars are very different from pre-80's cars and don't require the same 'rules' that we were taught.