Will constantly turning my engine off and on shorten its life?

Hello I just got a part time night job collection trash in my truck so I'm constantly turning off and on my truck. Will this shorten the life of my engine? It's a 3.4 auto

 

Just shorten up the oil change intervals, at the end of the shift do you have a longer drive home? A good romp on a highway is the best way to burn off the carbon and water in the engine.

A fuel cleaning agent in a tank wouldn't hurt to fight carbon build up in the engine.

3.4 is stout, you'll be ok.

 

Sometimes the work in 30 minutes away and sometimes 10 minutes away but I do add marval mystery oil to my gas tank and have a oil addative added to my engine oil

 

Would every 3k miles be ok ?

 

Might kill your alternator before it kills your engine. All that work all the time starting the truck...

 

Should I just leave it running instead?

 

Depends on how long you were to leave it idling. Starters and alternators are relatively cheap and easy to replace.

 

About 5 hours

 

I'd definitely turn it off. Sitting for 5hrs at a time isnt gonna kill anything. I was thinking you were making dozens of little stops all night long. On off on off on off. That sort of thing.

 

I do make dozens of little stops my shift is about 5 hours so if I don't turn it off and on it would just be running my whole 5 hour shift

 

I do make dozens of little stops my shift is about 5 hours so if I don't turn it off and on it would just be running my whole 5 hour shift

 

make sure you get a few extra spare keys made so you can lock your truck if you feel the need to get out and leave it running in a possible sketchy area of town, don't want someone hopping in and driving away with it!

 

This is definitely one of those "just my opinion" threads, so here is mine.
If your cooling system is clean and you have good oil pressure, idling won't harm your engine. You could compare it to people sitting in stop and go traffic every single day as commuters.
It may result in your spark plugs getting dirty sooner.
Of course, every revolution is a tiny, tiny, tiny bit of wear, but will it ever catch up with you....
I'd make sure you watch the coolant temp (scan guage?).
If you do shut it off each time, I'd get one of these to keep an eye on your charging/battery condition.

Dual USB Car Charger,4.8A Output,Cigarette Lighter Voltage Meter Compatible with Apple iPhone,iPad,Samsung Galaxy,LG,Google Nexus,USB Charging Devices,Black

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C5H7VPT/ref=dp_cerb_1

 

The OP should consider getting one of those little magnetic boxes and stick your spare key inside. Then put the box on top of the frame rail near the driver's door. I do a lot of off-roading in remote areas, over roots, rocks, and ruts, and the magnetic box never moves.

 

The company I work for has a fleet of a couple thousand Toyota forklifts with 4Y engines in them and we actually saw reduced starter replacements when we mandated they be turned off any time an operator was not in the seat. Zero downside and 100% upside with reduced fuel consumption, reduced maintenance costs, and improved safety in the event the unit was left in gear.