can a Toyota (or any) stay running in idle overnight?

Can't find the article, but I know I heard the radio broadcast when the boy passed away that they stated it was an almost-new vehicle and that it was attributed solely to tailpipe blockage. Sorry..

 

It has plenty to do with emissions and CAFE. Auto manufacturers are able to produce lighter vehicles that get improved MPG using lined cylinders in a lighter-alloy block. Lighter engines with as high, or higher, compression ratio than previous designs. And they hold up as long. More efficient combustion in a lighter vehicle.

Is it a direct emissions item? No. But believe me, the engineers are doing it to address a specific product requirement.

 

Not that anything I say is of any value to anyone. I would just like to state my experiences.

1. I have been struck by lightning twice in my life so far. Alive and kicking with no issues to my knolege (intentional misspelling ) from it.

2. When traveling for long periods of time on the road, I do sleep in the cab. Sometimes engine running. What I do is check the weather, and more importantly, wind direction. Now I park my vehicle in a direction where the exhaust would be blown the opposite direction of my vehicle. I never park in a garage, only in an open lot, field, or space with nothing else around me.

I feel IF, IF you are going to attempt to sleep in the CAB while the vehicle is running, you take proper additional safety precautions.

Not once in my years have I had any issues with the exhaust of any vehicle I have been in, but I realize it only takes once for there to be an issue and its curtains.

3. Cleaning my bathroom was more dangerous than anything I have had happen in the past. People mis labeling the wrong chems and POOF> Knockout gass.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu_USD2QaW4

see its good for you!

x2 with skygear

 

Probably already mentioned but I believe Darton makes sleeves for these guys, no idea what they run though.

 

This is going to be a long post.

First I wanna talk about the motor...

Your two posts contradict each other... And aren't correct.

Car engines and generators are not equal. Generators are designed to have a specific and fairly constant output. The regular operating RPM of a generator is also not necessarily what might be considered "idling" for the motor it's using. While a generator may have to compensate for electrical draw, temperature and air quality, it is not the same as a vehicle engine that has to compensate for different gears, electrical draw, ac systems, hills, ect..

Car Engines are not all designed to be constantly sufficient at "ANY" RPM. Our engines are most efficient at one RPM range, provide the most torque within another RPM range, and provide the most power (horsepower/wattage) at another. Engines are also designed differently, with different RPM ranges. Lubrication and cooling systems are indeed RPM dependent, as you stated in your second post. A Ferrari's oil/water pump is able to adequately lube/cool the motor, even when its at 12,000 RPM; while a Toyota 4.0 V6 is not going to be able to match that demand. Yes, the oil pump will be spinning faster, but that doesn't mean it's going to be moving enough oil to compensate for the increased heat.

By the same token, while you are correct in saying that the engine is producing less heat at idle, it is also moving less oil. When you're cruising at 65 mph at 1800 RPM's, you have more pressure in the cooling system, you have the fan moving faster, plus ambient air flow, as well as more oil pressure than you would have sitting in a driveway idling at 800 rpm. It's probably fine for awhile, maybe even a few hours, but after a period of time, the parts that aren't getting as much oil will get hotter, those parts should be getting more lubrication, but they aren't.

For example: I (unknowingly) had an oil leak in my 97 civic, and it got way too low once... driving at speed was fine and I didn't notice anything with the temp gauge, no CEL/Oil pressure light. Cruising at about 2000 RPMs. As soon as I stopped at a light, the rpms dropped to idle (~800), and I noticed the temp jump way way way up. I knew there was a problem, so I increased the RPM's while at the light, just to move more oil; the temp went down and I was able to limp off the road when the light changed.

Granted I should have been paying more attention to the oil level, but the point is, the system will move more oil at higher RPM's than it will at lower, and that idling can in fact be hotter.

That being said, I don't exactly agree that idling overnight will put 10,000 miles of wear on an engine, but I would agree that there is more wear than it would be for driving normally for the same period of time, I just don't know how much, or if it's measurable/quantifiable.

Also, in response to co2 (Carbon Dioxide) in stationary air... well, the Composition of Earth's air includes about 395 PPM of co2... about 0.03%.

I think what you meant was co (Carbon Monoxide). 0.1 ppm in air, (0.00001%).

As far as ambulances and police cars go, these vehicles are driven very harshly. They generally have significantly more maintenance done to them. Just a thought.

As far as the CO emissions, while I agree, you, nor I have not died from the CO of sitting in an ambulance all day. However, if I smell exhaust in the cab or in the back, indicating a possible exhaust leak, we're required to go out of service and go get a new ambulance, for safety reasons.

OK... So... cars before 1975, no catalytic converter, had an average output of ~7000ppm. (Your quote says 4-10%, so that would be 4000-10000 ppm)

In an atmosphere of;

6,400 ppm of CO, a person will have a headache/dizziness in 1-2 minutes.
Convulsions, respiratory arrest, and death in less than 20 minutes.

1000 ppm is considered rapidly lethal.

1200 ppm is considered by NIOSH to be IDLH (immediately dangerous to life and health).

100 ppm in a building, Baltimore Fire Department will evacuate that building, most FD's will evacuate at a far lower ppm number.

Another source says that most modern cars, with a working/hot catalytic converter, will produce...

100-1000 ppm of CO.

9 ppm (yes, NINE) of carbon monoxide, is the Lowest CO level producing significant effects on cardiac function (ST-segment changes, angina) during exercise in subjects with coronary artery disease. (Allred et al., Environ. Health Persp., 1991, and others).

So even using your numbers (on the low end) of 99% less than a vehicle before 1975, a modern vehicle, with a cat, can produce between:

40-1000ppm of co.

Let's also take into consideration, the fact that carbon monoxide is a by product of unburned fuel. An idling engine is less efficient, therefore, more unburned fuel... That means even more co.

Please don't come in here touting the fact that you've been in unsafe conditions and been fine as if it's come kind of accreditation.

It's not. Car exhaust is still dangerous, and extremely lethal.

x2

 

That cat needs rehab... It's obviously a exhaust fumes junkie.

 

AFAIK Toyota casts them into the block at manufacture with a trabeculated/spined outer surface to improve adherence during casting. I'm pretty sure you gotta go to a new block to replace/get rid of them.

Rep for this phrase alone.

I'm amazed by the number of people who don't understand the difference between statistically significant data and (useless) anecdotal experience.

"I did it and I'm fine" means nothing in the world body of knowledge. I've been stung by bees with no ill effects beyond a little discomfort. Other people have died from it. Stop thinking personal experiences are as good as established scientific knowledge. They aren't, and you're ignorant for thinking so.

 

back in high school my buddy locked the key's in his running t100 on a Friday & had to wait for his parents to come home from a business trip that Sunday to get the spare key out of their safe. We went back Sunday afternoon and there it was... still idling

 

My '94 overheated from a cold start in 1/2 hour on a hot day.
Started it up to get the AC going to blow the hot air out of the cab.
Chatted with the contractor longer than expected, walked back to the truck and the temp gauge was just getting into the red.
It came down when I got rolling, but I don't want to think what another 5 or 10 minutes would have meant.


Just putting that out there since one of the parameters of the OP was "hot"
Before anyone brings up cop cars again, they often have aux electric fans that kick on when the AC is running so there's a backup to the belt-driven fan.

 

I remember this was in September because it happened in the first few weeks of school. September's here are hot during the day (high 80's-low 90's) & cooler at night.

Anytime I see police cruisers parked, idling, doing traffic safety or something requiring extended idle times.. most police officers are smart enough to pop the hood to allow the heat to escape from under the hood.

 

Okay...I have sat in vehicles for 16 hours straight doing nothing but idling. Not super duper aux fan harshly driven police vehicles...just regular company lease vehicles. Would I do it to my own car day in and day out, no...would I sleep in my truck at a rest stop while idling with the A/C or heat on, sure. I have done it before, and would do it again.

 

I have never ever heard of this under any circumstances. I cannot imagine that this is within any kind of protocols for a police dept and have never seen this done. This would not really help, and could lead to a compromised hood in an emergency situation... Not safe.

See Rich's post; they have AUX fans to supplement cooling when stopped.

Ambulances do as well.

 

hahahaha he is full of this BS.

 

I wasn't referring to "super duper special equipment aux fans" that are only installed in special purpose vehicles.

ALL modern front wheel drive vehicles are equipped with at least one, and often two electric fans. They run based on engine temperature, and will kick on with the AC.
Many full sized vehicles will also have an aux fan in front of the radiator to assist the belt-driven fan.
It's not something special, it's just a part of the standard heavy duty cooling package from the factory.

 

Fuck you

 

I was more pointing out the fact the cops don't pop their hoods when they're idling for long periods of time, but rather they have upgraded cooling systems to help.

 

Agreed. I don't think I've ever seen that here in SoCal.

 

There are respectful and disrespectful ways to disagree.
Spoon and I have gone around before where he thinks he knows everything about wrenching, even though I've got about 20 years more experience wrenching than he has experience shitting.