by Max
1. October 2009 09:34
There are many misconceptions about idling to warm up your vehicle. The best way to warm the engine and all other components is to drive your vehicle. Tests show that most vehicles need no more than 30 seconds of idling to circulate the engine oil before you drive away on cold days. Although fuel-efficiency becomes particularly challenging in winter months because fuel consumption and pollution output are higher in cold weather, anything longer than 30 seconds of warm up time produces needless greenhouse gas emissions and wastes fuel.
Engine Warm Up
• Warm Up vs Idling
Tires, transmission, wheel bearings and other moving parts all need warm up time and the catalytic converter doesn't function at its peak until it reaches between 400°C and 800°C. Although it is safe to drive your car after a cold start, it is important to avoid high speeds and rapid acceleration for the first two to three miles. The goal is to bring the whole vehicle up to peak operating temperature as quickly as possible while maximizing fuel economy.
• Block Heaters
Using a block heater will allow the engine to start more easily and reach its peak operating temperature faster. Use a block heater to warm the vehicle and engine before you start it. This also reduces engine wear, improves fuel efficiency and reduces emissions by up to 20 percent in cold conditions. Use an automatic timer or plug in your block heater two hours before you plan to start the vehicle.
Engine Start Up
• It is important, when starting your car in extremely cold weather, not to flood the engine or kill the battery.
• If your car is fuel injected and made in the past 10 to 15 years or so, you won't need to pump the gas at all, because a computer chip runs the injectors for optimum gas flow.
• Older vehicles will need a little more gas than usual, but not too much more.
• Turn the key. If the engine doesn't turn over, turn off and wait a few seconds.
• When running, a non-fuel injected engine will need a little gas until it warms up.
• Oil settles in an engine, thickens and coagulates.
• Allow a minute for the oil to thin out and get pumping.
• Running high RPMs with cold oil creates an unpleasant metal-on-metal environment which is detrimental to an engine's health.
• Once the engine is warm, it can be run like any other time.
Battery Care
If its going to drop below -10°C overnight, take your battery out of the car and store it indoors. Very cold batteries have almost no power.
Motorcycles
Bike engines use the same principles as car engines. However they do tend to get hotter than car engines as their RPM is so much higher. Make sure your bike is well warmed to avoid serious damage to your engine.
Before You Drive
Window Care
• Defrost all windows before driving your vehicle. Speed up the defrosting process and prevent your car windows from fogging up by opening a window as soon as you enter the vehicle.
Snow Build-Up
• Clear snow from the air intake on top of the hood to prevent the defroster from drawing moisture into the system, into the vehicle cabin and fogging up the windshield.
• Clean wheel wells of snow build-up and under the bumper to decrease weight, rolling resistance and fuel consumption.
Tire Care
• Under-deflated tires contribute to higher fuel consumption, which can be avoided by checking tire pressure regularly, especially after drops in temperature.
Trip Planning
• Combining small errand trips into one larger trip allows the engine to remain relatively warm and avoids unnecessary cold starts.
Be prepared
If you perform maintenance and repair on your own vehicles, it’s always a great idea to have service information handy. Having a service manual available when performing a repair or even routine maintenance is important. Diagrams and step by step instructions are essential for an occasional garage mechanic. Also with service information on hand, you’ll be able to gauge the difficulty of the repair or maintenance before you begin. To obtain a factory specific service manual for your vehicle check here