The content of the article:
- Do I need to warm up the engine
- How to properly warm up the car in winter
The onset of winter is a test for both people and technology. Not all car owners leave their vehicles in garages or in heated parking lots, preferring street parking lots or the courtyard of their home. From day to day, the falling temperature forces drivers to go out earlier in the morning to clean the car of snow and ice, as well as to thoroughly warm up the engine.
Young car enthusiasts, especially motorists, do not understand why they need to warm up their cars for a long time. They are confident that modern models are able to instantly jump into work and rush the owner on business.
However, negative temperatures significantly affect the operation of all mechanisms, increasing the load not only on the engine, but also on the heating and cooling systems.
Also, under the influence of the cold, all technical malfunctions immediately manifest themselves clearly, which in standard weather may not bother the driver.
That is why it is necessary to learn how to handle a car in winter, so as not to contribute to the accelerated wear of metal structural elements yourself.
Do I need to warm up the engine
Modern people are very fond of scooping information from the Internet, where it is often quite contradictory. For example, the operating instructions for the car say that you can start a trip without pre-warming up, especially on the street. And in the Scandinavian countries, despite the frosts comparable in strength to the Russian ones, it is completely forbidden by law to idle the engine on the territory of residential areas.
However, these recommendations are not related to technical recommendations, but exclusively to environmental protection. Exhaust produced during idle operation of the engine is extremely toxic.
The fuel in the unloaded unit does not burn out completely, filling the vapors with extremely dangerous nitrogen oxides. That is why, as part of an active struggle for a clean environment, manufacturers prohibit heating machines.
So what are the really compelling arguments for the benefits of warming up the engine before driving on a frosty morning?
Engine oil density
In the service book for the car, you can find the manufacturer's instructions on the parameters of the oil used in winter and summer. For example, mineral oil is categorically not applicable in the cold period, as it tends to freeze already at -10 degrees.
Semi-synthetic oils are more resistant to temperature changes, but they are not suitable for too low temperatures.
But pure synthetics are able to adapt to different temperatures without losing their qualities either when the engine is cooled or when it heats up. But even it, depending on the degree of frost on the street, thickens, and therefore the first time the engine is running does not function as it should. The effectiveness of the lubrication decreases, the friction of the key engine parts increases, causing their accelerated wear.
If you allow the oil to warm up, letting the engine idle for a while, it will get rid of excessive viscosity, regain fluidity and be able to effectively distribute throughout the unit.
Security
It is necessary to warm up not only the engine, but also other elements of the automotive structure in winter. In the cold, the windshield and other windows also freeze thoroughly and become covered with a thin layer of ice.
Many drivers do not like to completely clean the windows, whether it is dirt from off-road, road dust, snow or a crust of ice - they wipe themselves a small dormer and hit the road. This is extremely dangerous for the driver himself and neighbors on the road, since the view with dirty windows is very limited and can unwittingly provoke an accident.
Wear of parts and assemblies
From school physics lessons, we know that in the cold, objects tend to shrink in size. This also applies to metal parts of an automobile engine, which are insignificantly, but decrease and do not work correctly in a cold engine. In order not to contribute to wear of the elements and to minimize the effect of negative temperatures, it is required to let the engine idle for at least 10 minutes.
Fuel consumption
Drivers who monitor their car's fuel consumption will definitely notice that a cold engine will consume significantly more. Moreover, this applies to both gasoline and diesel units, because in the cold, the formation of the fuel-air mixture is slower. To ignite it, even more efforts are needed to combat viscous fuel and cold air, and for this it is necessary to actively “feed” the engine with fuel.
Battery
Often, drivers involuntarily harm the car battery when, in the cold, instead of gradually heating the windows, a rather aggressive electric heating is started. In this case, a cold battery tries to provide all sources of consumption with the necessary energy, while it itself loses the density of the electrolyte and the life of the battery.
How to properly warm up the car in winter
Surveys conducted by automotive magazines and portals show the following results:
- 38% of car owners must warm their car thoroughly before driving in winter;
- 27% do it periodically, at too low temperatures;
- 19% rarely heat the engine;
- 15% never do it.
Cars of old designs, carburetor engines must be warmed up without fail. The fuel-air mixture in them is formed without the use of electronics, but only through physical processes. Such a machine will not be able to move without a heat of a certain temperature, and, in addition, due to its design, it will not be able to withstand loads from a temperature difference.
In order to save the most important parts and components of the car, it takes only 15-20 extra minutes in the morning.
Preparing the engine
A short-term inclusion of the low beam will help to wake up the motor faster in the morning. Then you should squeeze the clutch, disconnecting the starter from the transmission and the crankshaft.
Disengage neutral to make it easier to start the engine in frosty air.
For a diesel engine, you will need to wait until the glow plug heating coil stops burning, which is recommended to be used several times for a good warm-up.
Launch
If the engine does not start on the first try, then there is no need to torture it again and again by putting the battery down. After the first time, the battery will need a minute to recover, after which you can try again.
After starting the engine, it is not necessary to immediately turn on the glass heating, then most of the generated heat will go to other needs. The glass should be heated after heating the rest of the cabin, because if they have the smallest cracks or chips, the flow of warm air will provoke their increase.
Start of movement
A cold engine will operate at high revs - about 1200-1300 rpm, while in a warm state this figure will vary within 1000 rpm. When the tachometer shows a drop in engine speed, this will be a signal to the possibility of starting movement.
It is not recommended to immediately pick up a high speed, limiting itself to 40-60 km / h, only after the first kilometer gradually increasing the speed and not overloading the working units of the motor.
Conclusion
Engineers have made excellent progress in cold start protection technologies over the past decades. In modern cars, the electronics independently prepare the mixture, the engine starts quickly and easily, synthetic oil for the winter period is effectively sprayed and reliably wraps the parts with a protective film. Thus, both the transmission and the motor itself are able to work actively even at extremely low temperatures.
But engineers cannot override the laws of physics and completely eliminate unwanted friction from automotive components. Therefore, it is recommended to warm up any model without fail both in severe frost and in cool weather. How long it will take for each specific car to warm up key parts and assemblies, the car owner will learn to determine independently.
An elementary ritual will not take much time: start the engine, warm up the interior, glass, brush off the snow, clean the ice and carefully, at an even speed, set off. But it will save the driver from unnecessary breakdowns, wear of parts and accelerated aging of the car.
