Cold Tacoma? Why You Should Let It Warm Up First

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ur-car-before-driving/?utm_term=.c3704ddd8bcd

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a19086/warming-up-your-car-in-the-cold-just-harms-engine/

 

yes....

 

I can see. VROOM VROOM!



Sadly, I've seen several of these on highways

 

That Pop Mech article sums it up pretty well.. thanks for the link!

 

I let it run while I scrape the windows, then I go.

I do take it easy until the temp gets past the first line on the guage, but with todays engines and engine oil I dont think it does much good to let it run other than warming the cab.

our trucks use 0w-20 syntehtic - which means the oil is thinner and easier to circulate when its cold!
When the engine comes up to temp the oil acts as a 20w. so the oil is thicker when your truck is warm.

All the engine warm up stuff was true in the days before fuel injected engines, carbureted engine's needed to warm up for the carb to work correctly - not to circulate oil.
Plus if you had a carb tuned in the summer that tune needed to be adjusted in the winter when you have a cooler more dense air or the air fuel mixture would be way to lean.

 

Unfair comparison...she has a Heep!

 

The only time I warm up my vehicles in freezing weather is for human comfort. I live downhill and 4 miles away from the freeway entrance heading to work. I also park my truck/car in a closed by not heated garage which is about 15 degrees warmer than outside. I open the garage door, start the truck, back-out, and head down the road. The truck mostly coast down the hill and hardly goes faster than 40mph. As soon as the temp gauge even moves up past the bottom bar, on comes the heater. If on rare occasion I have to scrape the windows, it gets started first. My next vehicle will have a remote starter mostly to get the truck COOLER in the summer when leaving from work to home.

 

There is an electric PTC heater in the heater core. It works when you turn the temp to max and have the fan on. There are a few threads about it here, including pics. There is a PTC relay under the hood. If there is a relay in that spot, you have the heater.

 

Try this. Wake up in the morning and without getting ready or anything immediately go outside and start sprinting half a mile and see how you feel. That’s how your truck is going to feel without a small warm up.

 

No. There is absolutely no correlation between your human body and your 'feelings' and how your truck and its mechanical components work.

 

If you're cold, they're cold.

Bring them inside.

 

You no FUN.

 

On a 2nd Generation???

 

Let it idle for a minute or two. Drive gently for 15 to twenty minutes before hammering it. Drive gently for several minutes or idle a couple of minutes before shutting down. Start,circulate,gentle warm up,hammer it,gentle cool down. Just like a Ferrari,Mclaren,racecar etc. If its leased or rental just hammer it. Rental try some curb driving at speed. One side on the curb and one side on the pavement. Before you burn the tires off a rental make a note that said tires seem to have very low tread.

 

My bad!

 

No problem. This is one feature that might just help get me into a 3rd Gen in the next 2 years.

 

It is a nice feature, but it only blows slightly warm air until the coolant takes over. Definitely better than frigid air. I really like my 3rd Gen, but I wouldn't make it a deciding factor if I was on the fence. Try a cold start at a dealer.

 

I don't know how you cope this time of year where you live, this year is setting records where I live and glad it's not our norm.

 

De icing fluid. My Ace in the hole for 20 years and shitty winters.

 

People who live in frigid climates like Northern MN, Canada, Alaska can attest that when it is minus 30 for a couple days and then warms up to 12 above it actually doesn't feel all that bad. Funny how temp is relative. I got in to go to work this morning and the temp said 12. I didn't mind so much.