Warming up and cooling down...

[olliep]

As we're fast approaching winter, can anyone shed some light on what the correct routine for warming up and cooling down the engine at the start and end of a journey? sounds a bit dense but its my first year with a cupra and dont fancy issues...

ta

 

[traumapat]

oil can take 15-20mins to warm up in winter so i go gently until then. last couple of miles i tend to drop down to easy levels so the turbos not cooking when i stop.
i dont sit on the drive for long , a min a most as i think the engine warms quicker when used gently rather than just idle.... besides i cant afford the fuel
if you switch off on a red hot turbo the oil wont circulate and the turbo cooks in it.

 

[Neil_Ireland]

What I usually do is....

Start the engine and drive away when the secondary air pump has stopped running, about 30 seconds or so. Drive easy, i.e no boost for at least 10 mins till the oil temp comes up.
Your coolant temp will rise quickly, this does not mean your oil is warm enough to use high revs/boost.

After a hard drive I will let the engine idle for about 2 mins then turn off.

Neil.

 

[BCM]

The best way to warm up and cool down a car is to drive it, nice and easy till the oil temp is right (not the water temp on the dash)
Same with cooling it down, drive conservativly for 3-4 miles on the way home just before you get to your drive/parking.

 

[Colonelk]

How unrealistic are you lot?

15-20 mins for oil warm up? I have reached work and switched off by then!

I keep it easy for between 5-10 mins then wind it up on the dual carriageway near work. I take it easy for the last mile or so usually too.

Never had a problem so far.... /touches wood !

 

[traumapat]

How unrealistic are you lot?

15-20 mins for oil warm up? I have reached work and switched off by then!

I keep it easy for between 5-10 mins then wind it up on the dual carriageway near work. I take it easy for the last mile or so usually too.

Never had a problem so far.... /touches wood !

in winter -3 has taken up to 20mins but thats a rare temp round here so 15mins is usually enough.

even in summer 5mins wont see the oil hit ideal operating temp.. 10mins is far better
if you do many short journeys its worth giving the car a good run every so often to clear moisture and keep the oil nice.

 

[olliep]

thanks for the advice, all pretty consistant. what is the optimum oil temp? i gave an autoguage fitted... that said god knows if its accurate??

 

[traumapat]

thanks for the advice, all pretty consistant. what is the optimum oil temp? i gave an autoguage fitted... that said god knows if its accurate??

i too doubt the accuracy but mine goes 80/90 general upto 125 when driven very hard

 

[jaskandola]

Yh keep it nice and steady before u switch it off, also invest in a turbo timer, for times like when you are late for work and hav to dash out,

ive had mine fitted for £50 and i can leave the car running locked and alarmed, and it will cool down and switch off itself

 

[traumapat]

Yh keep it nice and steady before u switch it off, also invest in a turbo timer, for times like when you are late for work and hav to dash out,

ive had mine fitted for £50 and i can leave the car running locked and alarmed, and it will cool down and switch off itself

does your immobiliser still work?

 

[DannyC87]

my oil sits around 75degrees on the motorway, but can get to around 120 when driven hard. oil temp takes about 10mins on average to get to 75ish. i thought turbo timers didn't get on well with the leons immobiliser?

 

[The Mann]

If your car takes 20 minutes for the oil to warm up I'd suggest getting it checked out.

 

[jaskandola]

does your immobiliser still work?

yeah mate it is fully alarmed, immobiliser, and the steering is locked, no1 can do anything in it.

 

[traumapat]

If your car takes 20 minutes for the oil to warm up I'd suggest getting it checked out.

what does yours do from -3 to correct temp out of interest?

 

[turbin]

Im not pressing the engine until I see 75psi on my el. oil pressure gauge. Takes usually 5-7mins. Then again, my LCR is always parked inside a garage with permanent 20c....

 

[Colonelk]

in winter -3 has taken up to 20mins but thats a rare temp round here so 15mins is usually enough.

even in summer 5mins wont see the oil hit ideal operating temp.. 10mins is far better
if you do many short journeys its worth giving the car a good run every so often to clear moisture and keep the oil nice.

We use my car for the trips up and down the country too so it gets to see the motorway for a fair proportion of time.

 

[andycupra]

basically, start up wait just a few seconds then drive away, leting it tick over isnt actually any better than driving it gently. It could even be worse.
Use as little throttle as you can and aim to keep a constant speed (at around 2,000 rpm if you can) for the first few miles.
Once the coolant temp is up to 90 this indicates that the coolant has warmed up but not the oil. So try to give it another 5 mins after its hit 90 before you give it some.

As for cooling down, many will park up on tick-over for 3 mins. But frankly this isnt a fantastic way to cool down and its silly if the guy you zoomed past 2 mins ago parks up and gets to where hes going while you are still sat in the car.
Anticipate, you know where you are going so think ahead. Take the last few miles easy, dont thrash it, little throttle, dont zoom up to junctions and brake, plan ahead and coast (in gear often uses zero fuel).
This allows cooling on the move and you may also save some pennies from using less fuel.

Or in short, dont thrash it for the first part and end part of your journey.

 

[andycupra]

in winter -3 has taken up to 20mins but thats a rare temp round here so 15mins is usually enough.

even in summer 5mins wont see the oil hit ideal operating temp.. 10mins is far better
if you do many short journeys its worth giving the car a good run every so often to clear moisture and keep the oil nice.

while i agree its good to take the car for a longer drive regularly if your trips are short; its also a good idea to consider shortening oil intervals. Many people who do few miles think they can stretch servicing out do to doing less miles, which is ok for many servicing tasks, but not for oil. So people may consider doing an additional oil change if they do short journeys.
Many people do an extra change no matter what mileage they do.

 

[Faisal]

plan ahead and coast (in gear).

QUOTE]


a garage told me coasting in gear is bad for your car.it does something to the clutch.
isnt coasting in neutral ok though?

 

[andycupra]

a garage told me coasting in gear is bad for your car.it does something to the clutch.
isnt coasting in neutral ok though?

rubbish. - So what do you do everytime you lift of the accelerator?

coasting in neutral is against advice in the highway code as it provides you with less control of the vehicle.