FocusCanada Forums

How long is too long for idling in cold weather?

Few mornings ago the hood cable was frozen so I let the car idle until it had thawed and shut.

Just wondering at what point does it become excessive, if bad for the car? I'll admit it took a fair few minutes being that it was -30.

this morning I go out to my car and see this



guess where the car is and what it's doing... lol I just wanna know I'm not doing anything TOO terrible to the car by letting it idle for extended periods of time.

i believe 3 mins is plenty enough, that is when gauge starts to move up little.

(01-19-2012, 12:50 AM)Mystake Wrote: [ -> ]How long is too long for idling in cold weather?

Few mornings ago the hood cable was frozen so I let the car idle until it had thawed and shut.

Just wondering at what point does it become excessive, if bad for the car? I'll admit it took a fair few minutes being that it was -30.

this morning I go out to my car and see this

guess where the car is and what it's doing... lol I just wanna know I'm not doing anything TOO terrible to the car by letting it idle for extended periods of time.

We run our cars at various throttle positions for hours at a time - I don't see anything particularly different about idling except for the fact the car's not moving. If there was to be any concern at all I would think it's when the outside temps are very, very high and you've got the a/c on.

Idling for 10 minutes isn't that bad, way better than starting and driving within seconds in that weather.

I've seen an early 70's ramp truck (a staircase for planes) being taken out of service. It had less then 2000kms on it. Huge amount of idle time on it. Lasted quite awhile, and think the only reason it was pulled was due to the stair no longer reached the newer aircraft.

alright thanks guys. and when I say extended periods of time I'm talking 60-70 minutes.


and yeah... 3 minutes isn't enuff for my car to warm up. closer to 10-15 works.

In the cold, it'll easily idle as required. Indeed, don't set your interior fan speed above 2 if you want that windshield to thaw anytime soon. In North Bay, I can't run my blower at 4 when hardly hitting the throttle at this time of year or it actually cools the coolant faster than the engine heats it.

(01-19-2012, 03:34 AM)ZTWsquared Wrote: [ -> ]

(01-19-2012, 12:50 AM)Mystake Wrote: [ -> ]How long is too long for idling in cold weather?

Few mornings ago the hood cable was frozen so I let the car idle until it had thawed and shut.

Just wondering at what point does it become excessive, if bad for the car? I'll admit it took a fair few minutes being that it was -30.

this morning I go out to my car and see this

guess where the car is and what it's doing... lol I just wanna know I'm not doing anything TOO terrible to the car by letting it idle for extended periods of time.

We run our cars at various throttle positions for hours at a time - I don't see anything particularly different about idling except for the fact the car's not moving. If there was to be any concern at all I would think it's when the outside temps are very, very high and you've got the a/c on.

In response to this, there's a difference to idling and under load. The stresses of the engine are different under load than when idling.
Idling causes excessive wear on the rings and valves and excessive carbon build-up in the combustion chamber.
Idling to warm up the engine, 3-5 mins (or until the needle moves) should be enough. You don't want a warm engine and a cold drivetrain, it's better to warm them together.

Found this on another site:

Vehicles are a lot different today than they were even just 15 years ago. Unfortunately many of us started driving long ago or we were trained by someone who did. Back then vehicle technology wasn't as sophisticated as today. And it's not like we do refresher courses in the meantime. Therefore we have a number of myths to shed and facts to learn. With the proper information we can all be idle-free drivers.

Common Myths

Myth: The engine should be warmed up before driving.
Reality: The best way to warm up your vehicle is to drive it gently. Even in cold weather you need no more than 30 seconds (or just long enough to defog the windshield) of idling before driving your vehicle.

Myth: Idling is good for your engine.
Reality: An idling engine will leave soot deposits that can build up and cause oil contamination. This can damage engine components, including cylinders, spark plugs and exhaust systems. This is true for diesel engines too.

Myth: Shutting off and restarting your vehicle is hard on the engine and uses more gas than if you leave it running.
Reality: Frequent restarting has little impact on engine components like the battery and the starter motor. Component wear caused by very frequent restarting of the engine is estimated to add a minuscule $10 per year to the cost of driving.

Myth: Remote control engine starters are great for warming your engine in winter.
Reality: Remote starters waste fuel. Plugging in an electric engine block heater on a timer so your car is ready when you come out saves fuel and doesn't wear your engine. If you must use a remote starter then turn it on only after your coat and boots are on and you have stepped outside.

Myth: Drive throughs are efficient ways to get your banking done and grab a coffee.
Reality: Any time your engine is idling money and fuel are being wasted. Banking online and making a coffee at home and filling a re-useable mug are Frequent restarting has little impact on engine components like the battery and the starter motor. Component wear caused by very frequent restarting of the engine is estimated to add a minuscule $10 per year to the cost of driving

Facts

Idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel than restarting your engine.

Idling causes spark plugs to become dirtier more quickly. This can cause an increase in fuel consumption by 4 to 5 percent.

Excessive idling lets water condense in the vehicle’s exhaust system, which can lead to corrosion.

Health Canada estimates that more than 5,000 Canadians die prematurely each year because of air pollution. Idling contributes to this sad figure.

Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution. They breathe faster than adults and inhale more air per pound of body weight.

A study in the City of Toronto found that more than a third (35-45%) of parents idle their vehicles while waiting to pick up their children.

If every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada avoided idling for just five minutes per day, we would prevent more than 3,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

If every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada avoided idling for just five minutes per day, we would save 1.6 million litres of fuel worth more than $1.2 million.

Canadian motorists idle their vehicles an average of 5 to 10 minutes per day.

A study suggests that in the peak of winter, Canadians voluntarily idle their vehicles for a combined total of more than 75 million minutes a day. This is equivalent to one vehicle idling for 144 years.

Service delivery vehicles spend 20-60% of their time idling, which costs fleet owners a lot of money.

Stopping unnecessary vehicle idling is one relatively easy way to help improve air quality and the respiratory and cardiovascular health of people in our communities.