Engine warm-up in the morning. Is it necessary?

Hello all. Just wondering if anyone warms up their engines in the morning. I usually warm it up until the rpms drop below 1k - usually takes 10 minutes or so. I was told by others though that obd2 cars dont need to be warmed up because the o2 sensor gives everything the right temperature anytime you start the car, cold or not. thanks.

 

I usually warm mine up, but not for ten minutes. Maybe 2 or 3.

Mostly want to get all the fluids circulating before revving higher than idle. The scangauge shows the transmission wont shift to 3rd until the fluid temp is above ~85*F but sitting at idle takes a long time to get it there on winter days so again, no point in letting it idle for more than a couple of minutes.

 

LOL. thanks for the replies. I guess 10 minutes is a little long. I always thought I had to warm it up until the rpm went under 1k...i guess thats a honda thing. anyways, thanks for the replies. ill cut down my warm up to a few minutes.

 

i wait maybe 30 seconds and go for it..haha

 

I let mine warm up until i see them temp gauge get up to being within bracket
My manual usually doesn't start shifting real smoothly until the temp gauge makes it up to 1/4 - 1/2 (I've got MT-90 in there and it's properly filled)
I don't like to just turn the key and go, if for no reason, other than that

 

thanks for the replies!

 

I let mine stay running I till it's warm in it, I ain't trying to drive when it's freezing, haha

 

Crank n go.....naw if its real cold like 35 lowest it gets normally around here. But thats at night during the day itll be 50+. im drunk and rambling

 

I start it and go. Then again, I'm in Phoenix. Summertime oil temps are over 100f on a cold start.

 

I usually wait until the high idle kicks down a bit, then I go. Maybe 2 minutes tops?

 

I give it around 10 minutes or so - wait for the heat to actually warm the interior before I go sit in it.


Also I hate the feeling like my clutch is being worked with syrup.

 

I usually give it 1 to 3 minutes depending on how cold it is. If it is real cold I will go outside and start it and turn the heat on and then go back inside for about 5 minutes.

 

The faster I get going the faster the truck warms up.

 

I've been in Duluth, Minnesota for the last month and its cold every day. Like -4 for the last week or so. I usually give it five minutes, but I have also waited thirty seconds or so and driven and have not had any issues pushing in the clutch. Sometimes however shifting into second is tough if I have just started the truck with little time to warm up. Anyways the guys on cartalk say thirty seconds is sufficient.

 

I only warm it up if my daughter is coming with me. Otherwise I crank and go. I do take it kinda easy on her at first.

 

I read somewhere that you should at least wait 30 seconds before shifting into drive after starting no matter what the temperature is outside. It had something to do with it takes that amount of time for everything to start circulating.

 

In general, even the OBDII vehicles should be given at LEAST 30 seconds of idle before shifting it into gear. Is it NECESSARY? No. Is it a good idea? Yes. When the fluids are cold, they are thicker obviously. This means that they resist flow a bit. This resistance to flow means that when you increase your RPMs, the fluids MAY (I didn't say will, I said may) resist flow enough that any RPM over 1500 could result in improper lubrication for a very small amount of time (seconds). Now sure, this does not seem like a lot, but in my book anything that I can do to make my engine or transmission last longer, is a good thing. Not to mention the ALREADY thick gear oil in the diff needs to splash around some. Even in the summer I give it a little bit before I move.

Basically at a minimum I will sit in the seat, start the truck, then put on my seatbelt and get settled in the seat. By then it has run enough to get the fluids going good. Just my $.02 worth.

 

When I drove Porsche cars (that feels like a lifetime ago) the factory sent out a bulletin, recommending that even with synthetic fluid, to keep rpm's below 2K until the coolant and the oil were warm. That takes about 10-15 minutes of easy driving, and that is exactly what I do.

Even when I don't go to the office, on cold morning, I avoid high speed roads, until my vehicles engines are fully warmed.

 

This^

This isn't true... O2 sensors don't start operating until they reach about 600 degrees. Until they reach that temp ur engine is operating in open loop mode

 

Yes, but most vehicles built since the late 90s have heater elements built in to the O2 sensor. They usually reach optimum temp within 30 seconds. (Thanks for the support on my other post!)