How long do you let your engine warm up for?
- Thread starter Robbo
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In all other cars I've driven the operating temperature was between 80-90°C. In my Z4 however the 'middle' is 120°C. If you are not pushing it it will only go up to 110°C and stay there. Once you start revving it a bit more it will go to 120°C, but drop down quickly to 110°C once you lay off the revs.
Soldato
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I agree. Engine designs have margins though to help mitigate against idiots giving beans without properly warming up and also 45 year old Susan who does not change the engine oil because it is a 'waste of money'.
I don't think I have ever thrashed the diesel Astra
. The MX5 though I give some beans to when warmed up, albeit the temperature gauge is designed for the aforementioned 45 year old Susan i.e. it sits in the middle for a huge temperature range then suddenly swings to the right if the engine is about to blow up!
diesels sitting around idling and filling up the vicinity with smog and a clatter a John deer would be proud of is as rank as the car themselves.
In terms of taking it near/to the red line I'll try and give it closer to ten miles unless I get in a very rare situation where it warrants the need to use the full rev range sooner. My commute is 25 miles each way, so plenty of time to let it warm up and then exercise it. Looks like a lot of people might say ten miles is excessive, but its an old car with 177K on it so most of the time I treat it to a more sedate life these days and maybe give it a decent blast towards the end of the commute two or three times a week to keep the cobwebs out. Then it gets a brief chance cool down before being switched off, mainly because of the turbo.
An interesting tidbit. Not sure doing away with the coolant temp gauge was the right call though. Though I guess it will just flash up a message instead if coolant temp gets too high.
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Engine is N54, 3.0l straight 6. Not sure on oil grade if I'm honest.
Usually takes a good 10-15 mins for engine & transmission temps to get to green on the gauges.
Keep it below 2k revs till then.
Having said that, most of my journeys are commuting and they are only 20 min journeys, so on the road I hardly ever go above about 3k to 4k revs (redline 7.5) but then 3k in 10th is damn near 100mph
Keep it below 2k revs till then.
Having said that, most of my journeys are commuting and they are only 20 min journeys, so on the road I hardly ever go above about 3k to 4k revs (redline 7.5) but then 3k in 10th is damn near 100mph
Soldato
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That's just due to it being a diesel
. Is there much point redlining diesels anyway, isnt the most optimum power at low revs not high?That's just due to it being a diesel
If you want to rag a diesel you want to change gear so that the RPM's drop to the bottom of the torque band. Its usually not worth redlining them unless they have an upgraded turbo.
There is only so far the electronics handle it in my auto
I'm usually limited to 2-2.5K until it has warmed up (which is a lot on a 3L V6 with 550nm torque) - but if I go into kick down it will exceed that even cold - potentially putting it into limp mode on a steep hill :sI tend to go easy on my car for the first few miles although I don’t let it idle when I first starting, I get in and go, just as the owner’s manual advises...
With the truck which takes a good few miles to make the temperature gauge start to move it has to deliver pretty much full power as soon as I’m leaving the yard - if I’m at full weight - as there’s a steep hill to climb within 1/4 mile of our depot.
It’s largely pointless to idle to “warm up” especially with a diesel, I’ve noticed if I’ve stopped and left the engine running for a while (say 15 minutes or so) the gauge will drop from the middle down into the blue as the engine cools, the owners handbook for the truck specifically advises against idling for any length of time with a cold engine.
With the truck which takes a good few miles to make the temperature gauge start to move it has to deliver pretty much full power as soon as I’m leaving the yard - if I’m at full weight - as there’s a steep hill to climb within 1/4 mile of our depot.
It’s largely pointless to idle to “warm up” especially with a diesel, I’ve noticed if I’ve stopped and left the engine running for a while (say 15 minutes or so) the gauge will drop from the middle down into the blue as the engine cools, the owners handbook for the truck specifically advises against idling for any length of time with a cold engine.
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What if your torque band is basically the whole range!
wikipedia said:
Mine idles at 750 (not sure if it is a typo on wiki). A little turbo lag aside I just love this thing - I've driven much faster vehicles but the way it puts the torque down is so **** satisfying.
What if your torque band is basically the whole range!
Can't answer, your mileage may vary.
I know on more modern diesels with an efficient hybrid turbo, you can pretty much use the whole RPM range like you can in a petrol. And in an old diesel with a giant turbo you should probably change gear at the reline.
My only experiences have been in VW's. A 1.9TDI VE 90, a 1.9TDI PD115, a 1.9TDI PD130, and a 2.0TDI 140 with a remap to about 180 on the standard turbo.
In the 1.9TDI's there was basically no point redlining it.
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Or not very much at all on mine if you rag it
does OK if you drive sensibly but heavy foot and you can literally watch the fuel gauge move.Or not very much at all on mine if you rag it
You know what I mean damnit.
Soldato
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I tend to leave it a good 10 minutes usually, non of our current cars have an oil temp gauge but when i fitted one to my Subaru it was amazing how long it took to warm compared to the coolant.
In the works van however... that'll get ragged foot to the floor within 20 seconds of being started
In the works van however... that'll get ragged foot to the floor within 20 seconds of being started
I'm not sure if related but possibly why we have a relatively high EGR failure rate for our work vans :s though strangely pretty rare to have DPF or turbo issues.
If you only have a water temp gauge and don't have an oil temp gauge, the rule of thumb that I've always worked to and find is accurate is that it takes approximately 2.5-3 times longer for the engine oil to reach operating temp than the water
Soldato
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Would a good multigrade oil of the correct spec not be doing a good job from the get go?