How long would you let your truck idle?

It seems that nothing puts the kids to sleep faster than A ride in my truck. I think it has to do with the soft noise of my flowmaster & the vibrations of the running truck. However, As soon as I kill the engine, there heads will pop back up & if I try to move them out of there car seats, it never fails they they will wake up.

I find myself driving around the block to put them to sleep quite often, then pulling back into the garage (leaving the door open of course) & letting the truck idle for a while while they sleep. It doesn't seem to bother the truck, but can anyone tell me of a reason that this is not good for the engine? I know it is not like a diesel.

 

nah, you'll be fine. remember Silverback07 left his truck running for like 3 hours while he slept with the AC on? haha
Just watch your gauges and make sure the engine doesn't get too hot.

 

No you should be fine...think about it millions of people sit in deadlock traffic everyday just sitting there with thier car in idle for a looooong time, so I think you should be just fine

 

I don't think there is any bad that can come of idling your truck.
If trucks can handle long ass road trips and wheelin through open desert, im sure you will be just fine.

 

record your truck idling then put stereo under their bed,should save gas

 

Trucks used for work [utility work in particular] idle all day long every day sometimes,esp. in the winter.It won't hurt a thing.

 

I have always assumed that it was fine, just started to wonder yesterday while I was standing in the garage with the truck running/kids sleeping for over an hour. I always check my temp gauge often, It is no problem being as I can exactlly leave the kids unattended anyways.

 

You'll have to wait till next year, but DVR a Nascar race. It puts the wife to sleep in like 30 laps.

 

I've heard that an idling engine is not quite as efficient in the combustion process, so the oil may become "dirty" a little faster? Can't really back this up in any way though, and I heard it a long time ago, so maybe today's engines are better with that...?

 

That's an expensive sleep process idling for too long can cause moisture to build up in the cats which may corrode them prematurely...not that any of us care about our cats anyways Plus if you stay idle, exhaust fumes may creep into your cab...especially after installing aftermarket exhaust. just a thought

 

http://tsx.acurazine.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9439357&postcount=8

 

Close the garage door and open the windows, they'll fall asleep real quick.


=D j/k please don't do that.

 

Omg

 

Leaving it idle will be fine... though leaving it idle in the garage... even with the door open is kinda.... not a good thing to do for any exteneded length. It may be vented, but if you don't have air circulation to move air out the door you're still in an enclosed area with poisonous gas....

 

I once let my truck idle in 114 degree heat for 25 minutes while in the desert, and the temperature gauge for the radiator never even moved. It's a pretty good truck!

I would guess that you could idle away all your fuel and no damage to the engine/truck would occur.

 

Yeah, I though about that, I only pull the truck into the garage forward far enough to shade the cab, but not far enough for the tail pipe to be inside.

I also know about the condensation when starting up from cold, do you guys think that it should still be a concern after driving around for a while before I leave it idling?

I know that is an expensive way to put the kids to sleep when you consider the fuel I waste doing it, but if you have kids as young as mine you would understand why I do it. When they are tired & cranky, cost is the least concern. lol

 

Over this summer I let my truck idle for about six hours a day with the A/C on, I guess I did this for about 10 days straight. The oil was fine (Mobil 1), the temp gauge never moved. We idle patrol cars all day for years. As long as you maintain the truck, and make sure fluids are good you'll be just fine.

 

^Was this while on a stakeout to find the "duct tape cat abuser"? What a freaking joke that was. Murders every day in Philly and there's a manhunt for a dumbass who duct taped a cat. Good luck with all that up there, man. Philly's a tough town for a cop.

Absolutely. My 1 year old daughter falls asleep almost instantly in the truck. Desperate times call for desperate action and when you can't get a child to sleep any other way, you do what you have to do.

 

Actually I got in a little trouble for a accident with a patrol car, so they had me on a "foot beat". LOL

 

until my truck runs out of gas.......................