Proper warm up before engaging transmission

Ain't that the truth. On days like that mine sometimes draws all the way up to my knees.

 

I guess you're supposed to be able to fire up your rig and drive right off in cold weather. But tell that to folks in MN or likewise ass-cold-winter states. A lot of us go out there and fire it up, go back inside the house and let it warm up for several minutes before we leave. Otherwise, you're getting into a cab with stiff steering, sluggish shifting, iced up windows (try scraping glass without pre-warming on a -20 day if you want to really have fun) and bone-ass hard freezing seats. If you want to avoid parking brake freeze-ups in winter here, unless you're forced to park on a slope, we don't use 'em.

So, I might be breaking rules by not driving right off, but, yea, guilty as charged.

 

Here's the thing with the long engine warm-ups. You're wasting a lot of fuel and warming up a LOT slower because there is no load on the engine, it’s just spinning not working. If you move the load creates friction and heat.

But I get it, unless you have a garage, the front and rear W/S maybe frozen and so are the side mirrors. But TG for the electric heat on our truck, I get heat in about 2 minutes

Cheers!

 

I hear you, Hammer, and agree. I keep the warm-up to just a few minutes but it does help (at least my mind). Now with my new '19 Tacoma, I've got seat heaters, and outside mirror heaters too, so that makes it all a bit less of a pain!

 

Yes the torque converter generates alot of heat especially if you're running a high stall converter . The converter in my Camaro is a 9" converter that has a stall rating of 4500rpm and it's a very loose converter

 

Don't go to that dealer again. The epitome of telling a customer BS to get them out the door.

 

It will not warm up the transmission at all if it's in Park. Put in neutral and the pump(s) circulate trans fluid, which warms the fluid very quickly. Should be SOP for anyone starting an aut trans in very cold climates.

 

I've had this issue before and it wasn't the transmission. The issue where the rear drum brakes/E-brake freezing due to moisture. The transmission has never given me issues during winter(in New England). Yes, it is good to warm up the engine/transmission but not necessary. You can drive it cold, just make sure you don't over-rev the engine and drive slow-ish until it engine reaches normal operational temps.

 

I have had block heaters in the past and your engine and water temp stays about 140. Get in and drive when its 20 out.

 

It will indirectly through heat transfer, just not as efficiently.

 

The transmission pump spins off the crank, not the driveshaft. So, no, being in Park circulates just as much fluid as being in neutral. If anything it would warm up quicker in park as the torque converter’s rear fins would be held stationary, causing more fluid friction as the engine rotates the forward fins past them

moreover it shouldn’t /need/ to warm up. If it’s not going into gear immediately after start-up you have a fluid level or pump/pressure issue

 

But TG for the electric heat on our truck, I get heat in about 2 minutes

Cheers![/QUOTE]

Hammer, I forgot to ask, are you referring to "electric heat" as in an engine block heater, or some Toyota feature I'm not aware of? Thanks! Bill

 

These transmissions ( AC60 series ) circulate the fluid in Park as well as Neutral . Are you a former Dodge owner ? Where did you get this information from ? If you look through the schematic , the 3rd gen transmission has a pre-heater . Start your truck and allow the engine antifreeze to warm your transmission . With this being said and only if the OP didnt use his parking break , there is a possibilty the transmission could be low on fluid . Now that the weather is cooler , it takes more time for the transmission pump to supply cold fluid to the forward clutch pack . https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...be-low-on-fluid-directly-from-factory.405642/

 

Hammer, I forgot to ask, are you referring to "electric heat" as in an engine block heater, or some Toyota feature I'm not aware of? Thanks! Bill[/QUOTE]
There’s an electric heater core to supplement the coolant heater core, since these motors are so cold-blooded

 

You're thinking of old Chrysler TorqueFlite transmissions. Those didn't pump fluid in PARK and even the dipstick specified to check the level with the gear selector in NEUTRAL only. Just about every other transmission manufacturer pumps fluid in the PARK position.

 

I was given this information years ago, and it proved to be true, at least for the vehicles at the time. Yes, it was specifically Chrysler products...1994 3.9 V6 Dakota, 2002 5.9 V8 Dakota. It really helped to warm the trans up when leaving work in the middle of February with wind chills below zero. If I started the truck and let it warm up in park, the windows were defrosted and the heater was blowing tons of warm air, but the trans was sluggish to shift for the first few miles. Warm it up in neutral and it performed normally.

So, I have done this with every vehicle I have owned since then. Apparently it wasn't necessary, but old habits die hard. But I can learn, thanks.

TorqueFlites were a long time ago, 1960's and 70's. Chrysler autos at least up through the 45RFE (until early 2000's) still didn't pump in park. I don't know about after that time, maybe they changed after that...but my last Dodge was my last Dodge

 

Ahh yes the dreaded Torque flite . You can now purchase a new manual valve that allows the torqueflite to warm the engine in Park . The new manual valve also has many advantages over the original manual valve . I install one of the upgraded manual valves in every Chrysler transmission I overhaul .https://www.sonnax.com/parts/1835-manual-valve

 

Hammer, I forgot to ask, are you referring to "electric heat" as in an engine block heater, or some Toyota feature I'm not aware of? Thanks! Bill[/QUOTE]

There’s an electric heater core to supplement the coolant heater core, since these motors are so cold-blooded[/QUOTE]

^^ Yep, what he said^^

 

"I've had this issue before and it wasn't the transmission" - Correcto mundo!

But it appears some here would like it to be and always blame the transmission saying it's low on ATF fluid from the factory.

EVERY TIME!

In this case, I'm more inclined towards the parking brake, simple solution, leave it off and see.
If it should still act up, it's still not the transmission low on ATF fluid, its a software issue and there may be a tsb at the dealer.

 

Well there has been a lot of good and some not so good responses, I also have a 16 offroad. My winters can be minus 20 to low teens and so on. My tranny has never been an issue. But as some people said if the truck is parked with moisture in the drums, they will freeze . I try to be careful as you
take off but that's horse crap about the warm up stated by the dealer. Just placating you until next time. Common sense when cold is to warm up at least 30 seconds or little more. If it was my truck I would make sure the trans fluid was full. Good luck.