Warm the engine driving or in the driveway? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

986Porsche986 · 08-08-2012, 05:47 AM

Just wondering what was better, to warm the engine idling in the driveway OR to gently drive it until it gets to normal operating temp? Please fill me in.

seventythree · 08-08-2012, 05:58 AM

Driving ....

Ghostrider 310 · 08-08-2012, 06:15 AM

gentle driving till warm, that's what the manual states or something like that.

stephen wilson · 08-08-2012, 06:28 AM

Driving. Do a search, there's several threads on the subject.

black_box · 08-08-2012, 06:41 AM

turn on engine, put on belts, drop top, play with radio / nav / HVAC, check mirrors, slowly engage 1st / reverse, go. Prob good idea to let it idle at least 30s before pulling out IMHO.

AndyA6 · 08-08-2012, 06:45 AM

Drive! 1,000,000,000 %

Endless disussions about this topic on all kinds of forums etc etc.

thstone · 08-08-2012, 07:10 AM

Driving gently. Short shift. I don't exceed 3K rpm until the engine is warm.

Johnny Danger · 08-08-2012, 07:14 AM

Somewhere I read that holding a hairdryer over the engine for a few minutes before driving works great .

SoK · 08-08-2012, 07:19 AM

i run mine sitting until the rpm's drop (out of cold cycle) and go no higher than 3500 until it's warm.

CoBeerToad · 08-08-2012, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

Somewhere I read that holding a hairdryer over the engine for a few minutes before driving works great .

I believe this is correct only when used in conjecture with putting your keys in the freezer before starting the car.

Ghostrider 310 · 08-08-2012, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

Somewhere I read that holding a hairdryer over the engine for a few minutes before driving works great .

Well Mr. Shecky Green, back when we used to have winter we installed plenty of these.

I sheared off a shift pin on an X19 that sat one week on the shore of Ontario, it was standing still warmed up when it happened, that's how viscous the gear fluid got.

Mark_T · 08-09-2012, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ghostrider 310

Well Mr. Shecky Green, back when we used to have winter we installed plenty of these.

I sheared off a shift pin on an X19 that sat one week on the shore of Ontario, it was standing still warmed up when it happened, that's how viscous the gear fluid got.

New York, eh? I can tell you live in a sub-tropical climate as you only have one cord coming out of the grill. Up here we'd have dual block heaters, a battery blanket, and an interior warmer, and we'd still have to put a pan of hot coals under the oil pan for 15 minutes and spray ether into the air intake before starting it.

Howling winds, deep snow, freezing temperatures... and when we get outside it's even worse!

986Porsche986 · 08-08-2012, 07:56 AM

Wow!!! Thanks for the input. I have been doing it all wrong all these years. I just hope no one wants to race me just after I pull out of my driveway.

Overdrive · 08-08-2012, 08:18 AM

Manual says drive the car immediately after starting. Don't apply full throttle, don't exceed 80% throttle, and don't exceed 4,000rpms, until the car reaches operating temperature...then you can drive it however you want.

particlewave · 08-08-2012, 09:20 AM

I usually let idle for 20-30 seconds then bring rpms up to 2500 for 5 seconds or so before taking off. If I don't bring rpms up first, it surges and lurches on first take off.

l3m · 08-08-2012, 10:46 AM

Driving immediately also warms up the transmission.

BYprodriver · 08-09-2012, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 986Porsche986

Just wondering what was better, to warm the engine idling in the driveway OR to gently drive it until it gets to normal operating temp? Please fill me in.

The object of the game is to minimize the load on the driveline until it is at operating temperature. How in the hell anyone can think driving is less of a load than idling where you start it is beyond me.

SoK · 08-09-2012, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BYprodriver

The object of the game is to minimize the load on the driveline until it is at operating temperature. How in the hell anyone can think driving is less of a load than idling where you start it is beyond me.

That's what I was always told. Why operate something that's not at least out of the cold cycle? I usually let mine run for a few minutes when cold, even in the dead of summer, before i take off.

particlewave · 08-09-2012, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BYprodriver

How in the hell anyone can think driving is less of a load than idling where you start it is beyond me.

Ummm....because Porsche says so, and they made the car.
Do you not have an owners manual? I'll take their word for it.

I think the point is that idling the engine is doing exactly jack for the drivetrain and its fluids. Idling til warm may make one think that the car is ready for hard driving, when in truth this would be extremely rough on the drivetrain. Gentle driving until warm ensures that everything is ready for high rpm driving.
JM2C

stephen wilson · 08-09-2012, 10:26 AM

The problem isn't about the load on the engine while idling. Engines don't run as efficiently or cleanly at idle, so it can lead to excessive combustion byproducts in the oil.

Shadrach, you answered your own question. The reason to limit RPM's while warming up is because all of the engine components haven't warmed up, so internal tolerances won't be correct. It's not just a question of having some oil flowing. As far as the 2500 RPM number ( I usually hear 3000 ), I think that's derived from experience and common sense. You can feel it, 4000 it getting to the area I would consider high RPM.