How do you warm your Tiv up?
Discussion
simpo two said:
I heard that it's a bad idea to start a car from cold and leave it ticking over for ages - maximum engine wear etc.
Just read this on one of my other threads. Now, this has got me worried so I think it deserves it's own thread.
What procedure do the rest of you follow when starting your Tiv up from cold?
I start the car up and let it idle until the water temp hits 70. Is this not good as suggested by simpo?
It would be good to hear some other people's routines.
its defnately not good to let a car warm up from cold just at idle speed.i also think that driving it at much lower than the manufacturers reccomendation can also be a bad thing ie 2k revs and below,as you will probably labour the engine more than necesary-definately not good when cold.i just get in mine and drive straight away,keeping below 3k revs until the oil-not just the water, is fully warmed through.
I think it depends on the year of the car. Anything that is computer controlled and built after about 1996 the o2 sensors are generally heated and will go into closed loop in 2 minutes or less (the newest cars it only takes about 10 seconds). It is best not to idle them for more than a couple of minutes and drive them easy until warm. Some manufacturers will even limit the available RPMs until the coolant temp signal is sent to the PCU saying normal operating temp is achieved. This is generic info not specific to TVRs but I hope it helps.
Bottom line: idle for no more than 2 or 3 minutes then drive easy until warm.
Bottom line: idle for no more than 2 or 3 minutes then drive easy until warm.
The idea behind leaving the car idling for a while to get fluids (especially oil) up to temperature is not such a poor idea. As such it's probably better than driving straight away from cold. The problem is that the engine does not heat up evenly using this approach. The best approach that I've heard is to idle a little and then drive gently for a few minutes.
Accordingly I do just that, normally idling for the time it takes to stow the roof or until the idle speed has settled, whichever is the longer. Setting off before the idle speed has settled can make for an uncomfortable couple of minutes driving as the engine keeps over-revving.
Accordingly I do just that, normally idling for the time it takes to stow the roof or until the idle speed has settled, whichever is the longer. Setting off before the idle speed has settled can make for an uncomfortable couple of minutes driving as the engine keeps over-revving.
shnozz said:
start my journey straight away and stay below 3k rpm until the temperature is up to 70
I just floor it from cold - JOKING!!
I drive off straight away and wait until the thermostat has opened - easy to see on a Cerb as the temp drops by 10/15 degrees before giving it any ooomph. Sympathetic to the drive train/engine before that though, no labouring at low revs,etc and always below 3k revs.
My Cerb 4.5 has zero low speed torque when first started. Just putting the a/c on at tickover is enough to stall the engine. This means using more revs than normal at the clutch bite point which cannot be healthy. So I like to let it run at tickover or even a little faster for a couple of minutes before driving it. One way is to start the engine before doing anything else like belting in, choosing music, wiping the windscreen, looking at the map etc.
Most people just look at the water temp gauge and base it on that... bad idea... oil temp gauge would be a very helpful thing... but shpub is spot on, same here, start her up leave her running for a minute or so, and then take it easy, keeping her under 2000rpm... but the colder the day is, the longer i leave her running...
when you first start the engine, there is an acidic corrosive fluid that builds up on the oil, which is harsh on liners etc., so its best to warm the oil up to get the viscosity of the oil to a perfect level before thrashing the pants off her... the first minute of startup is where abrasive wear and tear is high....
if you want the best out of your engine, get an engine oil and gearbox oil heater installed, plug the car to the mains, when she's ready, drive off...
for maximum security, you can even get tyre heaters...
the way I see it, the better you look after your high performance car, the longer she'll hold it together and the safer your drive...
when you first start the engine, there is an acidic corrosive fluid that builds up on the oil, which is harsh on liners etc., so its best to warm the oil up to get the viscosity of the oil to a perfect level before thrashing the pants off her... the first minute of startup is where abrasive wear and tear is high....
if you want the best out of your engine, get an engine oil and gearbox oil heater installed, plug the car to the mains, when she's ready, drive off...
for maximum security, you can even get tyre heaters...
the way I see it, the better you look after your high performance car, the longer she'll hold it together and the safer your drive...
I've used the same technique on all of my cars:
Idle for a minute or two for the liquids to start circulating, then easy driving until up to temp.
I try not to labour the engine too much at this stage so, I do tend to use all of the first 3k RPM.
Fingers crossed, it's left me with no problems at all with any of the cars.
Tuan
Idle for a minute or two for the liquids to start circulating, then easy driving until up to temp.
I try not to labour the engine too much at this stage so, I do tend to use all of the first 3k RPM.
Fingers crossed, it's left me with no problems at all with any of the cars.
Tuan
Personally I drive off and until it's warmed through I keep somewhat below 3k revs which seems about right on the 5ltr.
OK... so there's this guy opposite me who is a bit of a plonker who has a Reliant Scimitar V6 that he appeared to have superficially restored last year but which never moves off his drive now. And... every month or so he comes out and literally rev's the nuts off it for 15 minutes and goes back indoors again
I don't much like the Scimitar but it pains me to listen to him killing the engine! 
What an IDIOT 
Rich...
OK... so there's this guy opposite me who is a bit of a plonker who has a Reliant Scimitar V6 that he appeared to have superficially restored last year but which never moves off his drive now. And... every month or so he comes out and literally rev's the nuts off it for 15 minutes and goes back indoors again
I don't much like the Scimitar but it pains me to listen to him killing the engine! What an IDIOT Rich...I'm pretty sure this has been mentioned before, but when starting my car up from cold, the engine will die if I try to press on the accelerator. After about 2 mins you can hear a 'click' from the engine and then the idle drops by a 100rpm and it will rev freely.
Does anyone else have this?
Does anyone else have this?
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