diesels are they ok be left to tick over for a longish time?

diesels are they ok be left to tick over for a longish time?

Author
Discussion

Yamahadivvyrider

Original Poster:

450 posts

117 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
Hi
Me and the family like to go of camping lots over the year.do festivals and shows also.we usually take the wife's car a Vauxhall Astra 1.7 d.now when off we usually start it up and let it run for a hr so to charge up phones etc.the cars seems to been ok with it.but time has come to change it.looking at d5/4 volvos.are these modern engines ok to left running around a hr.
It's also used to dry wet clothing by turning up the blower and heat and leaving .

Edited by Yamahadivvyrider on Saturday 22 November 15:00

adsvx220

705 posts

182 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
Will be fine, It's just like sitting in traffic for an hour. In the warmth of summer you would keep the car ticking over in traffic to keep the aircon running the same as winter to keep the inside warm.

Asking as the cooling fan works it will be fine. A bloke that I know kept his m3 running all day at work as he forgot to turn it off.

Yamahadivvyrider

Original Poster:

450 posts

117 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
Thank you for the reply.thats what I needed to hear smile .just wasn't sure if these fancy new engines would like it

Willy Nilly

12,511 posts

166 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
Just about the worst thing you can do to a diesel engine is let it idle.

cj2013

1,314 posts

125 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
Yamahadivvyrider said:
Thank you for the reply.thats what I needed to hear smile .just wasn't sure if these fancy new engines would like it
The D5 is an established engine, not so much 'fancy' at all but a fairly well designed beast. There have been 3 revisions/versions, a 2001, 2005 and now 2009 versions.

Engines are normally (and in this case) only ever revised due to Euro emissions. The engine designs fit in with Euro 3, Euro 4 and Euro 5 (2009) standards. Stage 6 engines are in 2015 cars now. Generally, the higher the Euro standard, the more complicated and subsequently expensive repairs can get.

Idling isn't much of an issue, but DPFs do require a blast every now and again to allow them to regenerate.

adsvx220

705 posts

182 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
Willy Nilly said:
Just about the worst thing you can do to a diesel engine is let it idle.
Why?? In traffic would you turn off your diesel car??

Just interested as we keep our pick up trucks running all day at times to run stuff through power inveters etc. some of them have nearly 300k miles and going strong.

herewego

8,814 posts

212 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
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What a shocking waste of fuel, why don't you get a solar charger.

MJK 24

5,648 posts

235 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
Willy Nilly said:
Just about the worst thing you can do to a diesel engine is let it idle.
Ice Cream vans seem to manage ok at festivals in the summer!

xRIEx

8,180 posts

147 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
adsvx220 said:
Willy Nilly said:
Just about the worst thing you can do to a diesel engine is let it idle.
Why?? In traffic would you turn off your diesel car??
I think NOx emissions are at their worst when the engine is on very low loads.

If it's obvious I'm going to be at a standstill for several minutes I do turn the engine off, because I'm tightfisted.

sday12

5,053 posts

210 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
herewego said:
What a shocking waste of fuel, why don't you get a solar charger.
Duh, this.

littleredrooster

5,523 posts

195 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
HATO vehicles (& police) are often left running at idle for up to 8 hrs at a closure.

In fact, if you're a HATO manager-blokey, you sometimes start your management car, get distracted by a phone call and resulting admin, then come back on shift 24 hrs later to find the car still running. smile I know who you are...

Boobonman

5,645 posts

191 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
Err, DPF?

Older diesels are fine, new ones, not so much.

Buy a cheap generator and padlock it to your wheel or something at festivals.

eldar

21,614 posts

195 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
littleredrooster said:
HATO vehicles (& police) are often left running at idle for up to 8 hrs at a closure.

In fact, if you're a HATO manager-blokey, you sometimes start your management car, get distracted by a phone call and resulting admin, then come back on shift 24 hrs later to find the car still running. smile I know who you are...
Hehesmile About half a tank of fuel gone I guess...

bigdom

2,072 posts

144 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
Take a spare battery pack to charge phones, the large ones will do multiple charges or even a spare small deep discharge car battery.

ambuletz

10,690 posts

180 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
littleredrooster said:
HATO vehicles (& police) are often left running at idle for up to 8 hrs at a closure.

In fact, if you're a HATO manager-blokey, you sometimes start your management car, get distracted by a phone call and resulting admin, then come back on shift 24 hrs later to find the car still running. smile I know who you are...
there's a police focus in my area that always parks up in the same spot. whenever I see it there it's always unatended and with the engine running.

Foppo

2,344 posts

123 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
adsvx220 said:
Why?? In traffic would you turn off your diesel car??

Just interested as we keep our pick up trucks running all day at times to run stuff through power inveters etc. some of them have nearly 300k miles and going strong.
I do sometimes turn the engine off in traffic or when waiting for a train to go by.Why idle a engine unnessecary polluting people around you? I drive a diesel.

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
Willy Nilly said:
Just about the worst thing you can do to a diesel engine is let it idle.
You do know cement mixers, portable generators etc etc all run at idle 24/7 some for week after week depending on the need.

Diesels are at their best under load but it will do no damage to it- ditto a petrol too no harm would happen as the cooling fan would kick in and out as and when required.

Matttracker

630 posts

146 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
Sat in an idling diesel right now!
Leave the police vehicles at work idling for ages whilst at calls, they take so long to boot up all the equipment that you need straight away when you get back in.

Elroy Blue

8,686 posts

191 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
littleredrooster said:
HATO vehicles (& police) are often left running at idle for up to 8 hrs at a closure.

In fact, if you're a HATO manager-blokey, you sometimes start your management car, get distracted by a phone call and resulting admin, then come back on shift 24 hrs later to find the car still running. smile I know who you are...
Yes and the DPFs on our 530ds get knackered as well.

mph1977

12,467 posts

167 months

Saturday 22nd November 2014
quotequote all
herewego said:
What a shocking waste of fuel, why don't you get a solar charger.
or a 12 v power pack or if the need for electricity is regular , a split charge system, battery 'bank ' and inverter if you need 240v ac ( which is what 'mobile office' and emergency vehicle set ups are