Do you warm up your engine

obi_waynne

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Before moving off do you warm up your engine? Do you assume that allowing it to tick over will count as warming it up?

How long does it take normally to reach operating temperature?
 
The recommendation by motoring clubs is to not let it idle to bring up temps but to drive and do not get up it before the gauge is well on the way towards normal operating temperature.
 
I've always left my car running for a few minutes in the mornings before I set off to work, its enough to let the oil circulate, but not enough for it to idle.
 
Thirty seconds or so is good practice. Idle til fully warm is generally not recommended. Don't rev or load up your engine until it is FULLY warmed up. The coolant temperature gauge is not a perfect indicator. My previous car had oil temperature gauge in the instrument panel - that together with coolant reaching full operating temp is a better guide.
 
Standard road cars - Get in, fire up and go. Modern engines and oils work fine from cold, although I wouldn't stress the engine until fully up to temperature.
 
Not as much as I should do.

I never gunned the Evo cold, but the Volvo I just drive as normal. Should maybe give her 2 min to warm up but never really bother. :embarrest:
 
Standard road cars - Get in, fire up and go. Modern engines and oils work fine from cold, although I wouldn't stress the engine until fully up to temperature.

Pretty much agree but 30 seconds or so doesn't hurt - time enough to get seatbelt on etc. In supercold weather even the 0w/30 in my engine is gonna take a few seconds to fully pressurise all the tappets.
 
Thirty seconds or so is good practice. Idle til fully warm is generally not recommended. Don't rev or load up your engine until it is FULLY warmed up. The coolant temperature gauge is not a perfect indicator. My previous car had oil temperature gauge in the instrument panel - that together with coolant reaching full operating temp is a better guide.

Pretty much my routine.
 
Absolutely! I sit there until the engine revs drop which means the thermostat has opened, this usually takes about 4 minutes to happen; only then do I drive away.
 

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