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Engine Warm UP Time

4K views 37 replies 17 participants last post by  t conroy 
#1 ·
How long do you let your engine run to warm up before driving? I've heard "a few minutes to let the oil spread throughout the engine" and also "as soon as it idles smoothly w/o the choke, it's ready."

Thoughts?
 
#27 ·
OK, I'm a mechanical idiot, I admit it. I love driving my cars and my bikes but, honestly, don't know diddly about what to do if something doesn't work right or it starts to sound funny. I do want to treat all of my vehicles with the proper care so they don't wear out prematurely and run properly. So, here we have a thread on idling at start up. Most people say "No, just run it after starting it up but don't rev too high" but others say, who seem to have some mechanical knowledge, "It doesn't hurt to let the bike idle for up to 15 minutes".

I'm not really competent to judge who is right on this. Same thing goes for "break in" and how much better synthetic oil is/is not for the engine. There are so many conflicting opinions on these sorts of subjects it's hard for a mechanical ignoramus like me to figure out what the "right" opinion is....
 
#28 ·
Txspike, originally I was interested in learning the optimum way to warm up a cold engine. I think Bubba68CS's clarification earlier in the thread, i.e., to put a light load on the motor as soon as it idles smoothly in order to speed the warming process, makes good sense.
 
#29 ·
Warm up aside the number one killer of all engines is cold start. And when i say cold start i dont mean cold oil but rather no oil to the upper end for a couple seconds everytime you start it up. If you used some sort of pre oiler on any engine it would instanly last twice as long over the course of years. I've never seen them for bikes but. If you hook an oil pressure gauge up you will see that no matter how cold your engine is most like you will have good pressure in 1 to 3 seconds. And those seconds add up over the months years decades and thats what kills your engine period. I say give it a min to churn the butter but all in all it really doesn't matter. Theres lots of grey area here like alot of other topics every response is acurate. If you warm it up or not it aint gonna make it or beak it. And i disagree these cooling systems will not hold the block temps down forever. Run your bike till the fan comes on and everytime it does you most likely will see the the coolant tick up a notch everytime. Besides that atleast in my area the stop lights are 6 mins each and a 1/4 mile apart these engines are made to idel with ease.
 
#30 ·
Warm up aside the number one killer of all engines is cold start. And when i say cold start i dont mean cold oil but rather no oil to the upper end for a couple seconds everytime you start it up. If you used some sort of pre oiler on any engine it would instanly last twice as long over the course of years. I've never seen them for bikes but. If you hook an oil pressure gauge up you will see that no matter how cold your engine is most like you will have good pressure in 1 to 3 seconds. And those seconds add up over the months years decades and thats what kills your engine period. I say give it a min to churn the butter but all in all it really doesn't matter. Theres lots of grey area here like alot of other topics every response is acurate. If you warm it up or not it aint gonna make it or beak it. And i disagree these cooling systems will not hold the block temps down forever. Run your bike till the fan comes on and everytime it does you most likely will see the the coolant tick up a notch everytime. Besides that atleast in my area the stop lights are 6 mins each and a 1/4 mile apart these engines are made to idel with ease.
A pre-oiler is certainly a good idea...but it takes quite a while for the oil to actually drain back to the sump (been there, done that). If you ride/drive everyday, you aren't starting the engine with no oil coating the top half. Yeah, it takes awhile for oil pressure to build, but there is still oil coating everything important...it is not completely dry. There's a reason you prime the oil pump after a rebuild, but not before every drive...that little bit of coating is sufficient. Not saying a pre-oiler isn't best...it is. But to most, not worth the expense or hassle.

And yes, the cooling system, at least for a car and 100% liquid cooled bike, properly operating, will keep the engine at its operating temp forever and ever. Some bike cooling systems are not designed for it...air cooled bikes can't idle forever (natural convection is not that strong). And bikes designed to be both air and liquid cooled (like the 900) probably can't do it forever in high temperatures (as the liquid system is just designed as a supplement at idle and low speeds). But anything that is 100% liquid cooled can idle for a full tank of gas without overheating. Unless you are boiling fluid...unless you have vapor pockets wreaking havoc on your cooling system, and causing your temperature gauge to dance...unless you have coolant flowing out your overflow tank, or you are bursting hoses, plastic radiator tanks, or gaskets...the block hasn't risen in temperature enough to matter...that is, it hasn't risen to the boiling point of the fluid.

Been there, done that with most of this.
 
#31 ·
I'm kinda of old school on this i always give it a few mins or just about till the temp gauge starts to read. There was a big push in the mid to late 90's telling people to just start there cars and take off. All that really does is heat the engine up faster making the cat work sooner and maybe produces less smog. But i would think just that hair extra of blowby past the rings may just void that theory. The piston rings expand by bolth gas pressure and heat expansion.
Just caught this contradiction (not sure how I missed it before :redface: ). So, you honestly believe that warming the engine up faster, and closing the seal from the rings to the wall sooner is going to INCREASE blow-by? As compared to allowing the engine to idle (with an extremely rich mixture) for a half hour without ever coming up to temp? :lol:

Com'on...you just proved my point! Idle just long enough to keep the vehicle running in gear...then get moving (unless you're from the great white north where your fingers will freeze to the keys ;) ).
 
#32 ·
Im glad I keep my bike in the garage were it is heated and 60% in the coldest of winter.By the way,dont ya just love Mo. weather??? 68 friday, rain and snow since then, 58 by thursday:-D
 
#35 ·
Snow?

Glad I missed that! We have been getting all the rain though. :frown:
Get ready to ride! Friday and Saturday are suppose to be dry!!!!Time to winterize the boat and change the oil in the bike. Im hoping they wait as long as possible to put salt down this year,Im not done riding yet!
 
#36 ·
Mizzou Crew, I spent five winters at Scott AFB, IL across the river from St Louis and remember well the interesting mid-continental weather patterns. Loved the area, not its weather, though.
We have a swirling storm pattern right now.It's coming back around for the 3rd time in 5 days!Really sucks!
 
#37 ·
Get ready to ride! Friday and Saturday are suppose to be dry!!!!Time to winterize the boat and change the oil in the bike. Im hoping they wait as long as possible to put salt down this year,Im not done riding yet!
I rode through last winter...planning to do it again this year (especially being in town now...don't have to endure the cold for an hour and a half at a time anymore). I'm just hoping its relatively dry...either that or we get a ton of snow so I can have fun with my 4X4 :biggrin: No in between though!

We have a swirling storm pattern right now.It's coming back around for the 3rd time in 5 days!Really sucks!
Yeah, this storm system really sucks. Seems like October was just a constant barrage of moisture from the south...looks like that couple week break is over now :frown:
 
#38 ·
I rode through last winter...planning to do it again this year (especially being in town now...don't have to endure the cold for an hour and a half at a time anymore). I'm just hoping its relatively dry...either that or we get a ton of snow so I can have fun with my 4X4 :biggrin: No in between though!



Yeah, this storm system really sucks. Seems like October was just a constant barrage of moisture from the south...looks like that couple week break is over now :frown:
For the last 2 weeks I have put over 800 miles on my new metzler tire now I have have not ridden since friday!Next spring Im headed your way!
 
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