Are short trips bad for engine?

Here is the deal. A vehicle is a tool...if your job is tough on a tool...its still a tool and should be used as such. If my commute was short and hard on my truck, would i stop driving it? Hell No. But the question was...are short trips hard on an engine. The answer is absolutely. Its about the hardest operating condition a vehicle sees.

Vehicles don't like to sit for long periods and they done like short tripping. Can you keep them on the road...of course. But they will need more maintenance and repair than a daily driver that sees 15k plus a year.

Its the reason the crazy super high mileage vehicles are generally driven regularly...its good for them (and how else would they get the milage). My 1st gen had over 400k on the original 2.7. It was wheeled hard and reved high...but it was driven every day and generally a pretty good distance. The motor was NEVER opened up. It got 1 water pump, 1 alternator and 4 sets of plugs and wires. Coils too...but only once. It was sold running like new but with a ruined frame.

The trick to a vehicle driven like this(short tripped) is to change the oil frequently...perhaps every 3k...maybe even 2k. Also it should be taken out on the interstate as often as possible. If this can be done at least once a week you wouldn't have to change the oil early and could easily run it out to 10k on a quality synthetic...but if you can only get it out once a month...drain it at 3k. This will help with the fuel dilution. Id run the thinest 20wt oil i could find to help with the cold starts...regardless of the ambient temps...90f is cold to an engine.

Nothing you can do for the cats...but drive the shit out of it when you can. When they fail...bypass the 02s unless you have emission testing in your state.

YMMV

 

Here is a video of a Tacoma making a pass on a 1/4 mile drag strip to put .2 something miles in perspective.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5cOBcIqIvSI

As others have stated, if there is no physical disabilities and you are not hauling large items this is a very walkable distance.

 

https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/academic...partments/mechanical-engineering/index.cshtml

The colder an object is, the higher the chance moisture will stick to it instead of not. Dust particles in the atmosphere are cold, that's why we have rain.
If you have a heated mirror on your truck and have ice or condensation on it, press the mirror button with the squiggly line, and the water leaves.

Id take a truck parked in a heated garage with a 2 mile commute once a week over one sitting outside in Fairbanks, AK driven 30 miles each way every day.

If a doctor tells you you have cancer, would you not willingly part with your money and let him sell you stuff? You could always get a second opinion (this forum right here) by those with degrees in the field relating to the problem your experiencing (see above) just to make sure you aren't being taken advantage of.


Edit: Tldr, it's fine, just change oil more often and stop worrying. High chances are you won't keep it long enough for it to be an issue. Sell it after 5 years and it's someone else's problem. (hmm, wonder why I try to buy new cars even though it costs me more)

 

Lol to think that bringing a cancer opinion into this provides positive weight to your post is Fantastic! Ya that word got a capital F for its awesomeness.

The link just goes to an academic dept, not to actual peer reviewed and further examined literature. Maybe that was an error in your post.

 

The more outlandish an example something is, while still being true, amuses me. Never said I had good taste.
Sometimes motor oil companies tell you to buy their shit because you need to. Sometimes they want you to do changes every 3k miles when you can go 20k between changes. That's life, get opinions to help make decisions.
Sometimes doctors are paid by big pharmaceutical companies to perscribe expensive shit you don't actually really need. Sometimes doctors suggest you do the exact thing that would actually help you. That's life, get opinions to help make decisions.

The link I posted (on the internet, oh the irony) was my basis on all the information I posted here.

The internet link below is as close as I can get to the scientific peer reviewed standards you hold in such high regard.
https://people.howstuffworks.com/how-do-colleges-get-accredited.htm

 

I suppose he could go to BITOG and talk to the lube industry guys over there...they have tons of what he's after

 

Best option is to pick a lube...pick a maintaince plan...check result via a used oil analysis...make the necessary adjustments and move on.

 

It's also a Toyota engine, not sure you even have to change the oil to make it last 200k miles.

The 5th Gen Tacoma oil dipstick will be located in the same place the 3rd Gen transmission dipstick is now.

 

My first worksite is 1.5 miles away from my house but down a road that is not walkable. Then I drive to my second worksite 2 hours later that is the 1.7 miles back towards my house. Finally I drive home the .2 miles at the end of the day.

I live in the middle of a small town, majority of my trips are under 2 miles. With a longer drive thrown in a few times a week.

 

Short trip driving will NOT cause internal mechanical wear IF the motor oil is changed more frequently to remove the corrosive acids that will form in the oil.

The most serious problem continual short trip driving will cause is an internally ROTTED OUT $2,000+ EXHAUST SYSTEM.

 

Or if you do not drive 5,000 miles in 1 year like myself, get the oil/filter changed once a year.