Warming up the engine

When starting cold my oil pressure is up around 80 PSI on both 3.4 engines .

Then living in the Woods I don`t have to worry about the truck being outside idling after I start it if that was not a option the idle times would not be as long

There was one day I pulled the truck outside and completely forgot it was running walked outside about 4 hours later .

Then over the years I have napped in below Zero with the truck idling for a few hours

 

I should say lower 'flow' rather than pressure. When the pump is spinning at idle when oil is cold, the pressure is up there because viscosity is high, but there is a reduced flow of oil because the pump is spinning slower.

 

We are having a lot of idling vehicles stolen in Calgary. Something to think about.

 

certainly something to consider with your warmup procedures is the possibility of crime in your neighborhood.

But first you need to define "a lot". A "lot", like to the point that the police have a special task force dedicated to it, or a "lot" like to the point where it made the local news (which could just mean it happened to one of the producers, and they wanted a story out of it).

If you're a pansy like me and like a warm vehicle to get into, you just need to weigh the cost/benefit of the possibility of your vehicle being stolen (cost), vs. having a warm car to drive off in (benefit).

I think most will agree that the amount of time it takes to shovel the snow and scrape the ice off your windshield is more than sufficient enough time for the oil to start flowing in the engine, and at least start to approach operating temps. Plus, you aren't at any point leaving your vehicle unattended.

 

funny you say that my buddies f250 got jacked outside of his house in Kensington last week

 

Only a few more years and I can "make" my kids do this for me!!!

 

Get a spare key made and stick it on one of these. Then you can leave your car locked and running.

 

I have a small carabiner I use so that I can separate my daily driver keys, house/work keys, and my tacoma keys.

But my keys are already ranging on "janitor", so last thing I need is another key, just so I can leave my truck running while unattended. Plus, when has a locked door ever stopped someone from stealing a car before, especially when they know they don't have to hot wire it!

I live in Cali, so it's not like I get a lot of "frozen solid" mornings, but in the time it takes me to scrape the ice off the windows on those bone chilling 30 degree mornings (lol), my truck is already half way warm inside anyway.

I also live in a fairly secluded neighborhood where I don't fear it being stolen. If I did, I think I'd prefer the being cold for the first 2 or 3 minutes vs. the possibility of having my truck stolen.

 

No shit. The point being, you have people ask that question as well.

 

remote start FTW.

 

In Wyoming we often saw -20 or colder days. 'Freezing' was actually a lot warmer, you could put things in the freezer to warm them up. I remember 10 days of hunting where the town 1000 feet lower than my camp never got warmer than -42 during the day. I found the ultimate solution to warming up the car.

I moved to florida.

Before that, time allowed I would start the truck and go back inside. Drink some coffee, watch tv, get in the truck when it was nice and toasty. No time, it was 30 seconds and a slow drive until the temp needle started moving. I still do the 30 second run before driving, let the oil flow and then back out of the driveway. Unless the car has been driven in the last hour or so, then it's in gear shortly after starting.

Even if I knocked 50k miles off the life of the engine, I'm not keeping it more than a few years and it's not some sacred relic that must be treated like a sugar cube in a rainstorm.

 

I grew up in Iowa where it gets plenty cold. Most people get a block/oil warmer. Anybody have one installed? Might be an option that would satisfy the needs of most in cold weather climates.

 

I try to let my truck idle at least 20-30 seconds on EVERY start up, for the oil to get good circulation started. Never understood how someone can hit the starter, then immediately grab the shifter and off they go.

If it's cold, i usually warm up until it first begins to idle down then drive very easily until I'm past the C mark on the temp gauge and it starts rising quickly.