zaghloul

Got a quick question about warming up the car in the morning. More often that not I'm late for work, and don't have the time to let the car fully warm up on its own. In an effort to warm the engine a bit faster I rev the engine to 1500 rpm for about 60 seconds and then I'm off. Is this a smart thing to do, or should I just leave it warm up on its own? Either way I wouldn't be able to give it more than a minute. I hope this isn't too bad for my engine.

Rebel73

I generally don't rev up the motor to warm it up faster. I don't think that's a good idea on a cold motor. The oil hasn't had a chance to circulate. Generally, I wait until the engine reaches normal idle speed on it's own, and then I take off. However, I keep it under 3K rpm until it reaches normal operating temperature.

jmanpatsfan

Since you have an auto, you should strongly consider a remote start (if you dont leave your car in a garage of course), so you can leave the car running while you get ready.

infinityonhigh

I remember reading a similar question like yours in the Q&A section of the magazine Ford puts out for new car owners called "My Ford". In fact, If you want, you can read it on page 30 at this link (http://www.myfordmag.com/myford/2007fall/?fm=1). If you do not want to bother with that this is what it said:

Question: Your vehicle needs to idle for a few minutes to warm up in the winter.

Answer: False, Driving slowly for the first few miles warms up your engine faster than sitting still. Idling was necessary on older vehicles with carbureted engines that often ran poorly when cold, but modern, fuel injected engines need to idle only long enough to circulate the oil, or about 15 seconds.

Hope that has answered your question.

MustangLynda

Mine will not drop to normal idle speed until I take off, no matter how long I sit and wait for it to warm up. Once I take off it will drop to normal idle the second or third time I push in the clutch though.

Keystone

I'll second Infinity's anwser. There's really no reason to let a modern, fuel injected vehicle warm up. Just take it easy on the Rs and throttle angle until the gauge gets off cold and everything will be fine.

theedge67

Plus you are in Kuwait. How cold does it really get there anyway? 80F? Just start it up, and by the time you put your seat belt on and release the e-brake, you are ready to go. 15 seconds idle should be enough for your climate. 30 seconds idle time if it is below freezing temps.

Rebel73

that's interesting...when I first fire mine up, the revs jump up to about 1200 and then work their way down to about 750 or so in a few seconds. Is yours an auto?

Rebel73

BINGO!

poldrv

You should let it warm up on its own...its not a good idea to step on the gas when the car is in park to warm up the motor. The preferable route is to let it run for 30 seconds on its own, then drive it slowly for a while to get the fluids moving through the engine components. Stepping on it while the engine is cold is not a good thing....it's similar to you trying to drag your body out of bed to get on with the day. Surely you have 30 seconds to spare?

zaghloul

I live on the 8th floor and my car is in an underground garage. I would love a remote starter but I doubt there are any with that kind of range.

Thanks man, that was very helpful. I used to let my car warm up for 5 mins when I had time to spare.

While summers here are he|| on earth, with temperatures reaching 150F in the shade, the winters do cool down quite a bit. Nothing like my beloved Toronto, but in the winter (Dec-Feb) the temp can be as low as 30F.

05stanggta

just be careful if you get a remote start. ive actually seen vehicles start up on their own before. a friend of mine put a remote start on his jeep. he came over one day when i was changing the oil in the stang and his jeep started up out of nowhere. startled both of us. lol

MustangLynda

Manual. It will high idle at 1500 and then drop to 1200. But it won't drop to 750 until after a couple shifts.

krnpimpsta

My friend had remote start / alarm installed in his manual Integra for under a grand - and it has an outdoor range of 1/4 mile. Sure, his key-fob is the size of a small pager, but he can remote start his car when he's parked blocks away and we're in doors. I'm guessing it might also be able to go through 8 floors of building, not sure.. let me know if you want me to look into what brand/model he has.

wjones14

Hmm, mine behaves like Rebel's - the revs drop to 750 after a few seconds. It takes slightly longer if the outside temperature is really cold. But I never have to drive and shift while it's idling over 1000 rpm. Maybe yours needs an adjustment?

KenB

While it's normal to have higher RPM when cold, it should come down quicker. I just noticed you are from Cincy! Do you have a tune on your car?

Looks like it does.

MustangLynda

[quote=KenB;1057641]While it's normal to have higher RPM when cold, it should come down quicker. I just noticed you are from Cincy! Do you have a tune on your car?

No, but it's funny you ask. I was just saying in another thread that I would if there was a mustang-friendly performance shop locally that I could work with when I need help. One example is I really want a CAI but if I get one by mail it will sit in the corner in a box. I need someone to install it and then show me how to take it on and off. Regarding the tune, if I got a Bamachips or Brenspeed tune and had a problem, people here can suggest what to do, but I can't do it. If I had a good MUSTANG mechanic, I'd be fine.

I did go to TD Performance on Rt 4 and we talked about a borla exhaust and they recommended some tune and a CAI I never heard of or saw on any mustang forum anywhere. Upon questioning it turns out they have never dealt with mustangs before, mostly ricers. They were really nice folks but I'm not gonna be their guinnea pig...

MustangLynda

Oh yeah, the idle issue I'll be ordering a 2008 in March so unless it gets a lot worse I probably won't do anything about it. Most likely they'll just tell me it's not happening anyway!

MustangLynda

[quote=MustangLynda;1057696]OK I just did a search on our local mustang forum and I don't think it's possible for the Cincy folks here to LOVE YOU anymore than they do Ken. I may have just found my solution. See ya in the Spring....

KenB

[quote=MustangLynda;1057716]Great!

Stop by and check out the shop anytime.