No warm up?

[Jay B.]

I was just thumbing through my cars owners manual 2000 S and I just noticed it says on the initial cold start ups to never let the car warm up and should drive immediately.. Is this true? What damage does this cause by letting these cars warm up? My old 912 had wait until operating temps before just pulling out of the garage.. Funny how Porsche's have changed over the years..

[VGM911]

In the old days, warm-ups were necessary (in part) to allow the choke to adjust itself after start-up in order for the car to run smoothly/efficiently.

After the widespread adoption of fuel injection and electronic ignition allowed engine management to be better controlled, warm-ups became less necessary.

Most cars should be driven immediately after start-up, albeit gently until they reach operating temperature. Warm-ups nowadays are seen as wasteful of gasoline and therefore unnecessary/inadvisable.

[EZY]

Glad I stumbled across your message cause I always let my '02 warm up b4 driving it..lol. My wife had told me she read an article on the internet that said it was bad for the engine to keep doing that. Of course I'm pretty hard headed n know most everything about nothing so I dismissed her comments as not based on facts...hope she doesn't read your message..

[Jay B.]

Interesting....Yup I'm hard headed as well and I also have a 2012 Dodge Durango Hemi that in habit I always let warm up so I better check that owners manual as well because I'm sure it also says not to let it warm up.

[grc0456]

Honesty is a good quality, Ezy! I'll be honest too, I have been letting mine warm up for a few minutes when it's cold.


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[lkchris]

The real story is that you shouldn't try for maximum performance until the car is warmed up.

And, the motor will warm up faster if you do drive away immediately, because there frankly isn't much heat generated just idling.

And the goal is to achieve fastest warm up because this creates the fewest emissions.

[BIGJake111]

I warmed up my car last winter and this winter I drive right away.

The car prefers this year. I back out of the garage immediately, then I put it in neutral while I close the garage and plug my phone into my USB adapter In order to make the first shift from 1 to 2 easier.

Then I pull away, by the time I'm out of the neighborhood and out of the first few small turns and roads the cars needle has begun to move.

Driving immediately warms the car up quicker and is better for it. Just be easy on the throttle at first.

I even noticed that last year, the car was less responsive once warm and on power then it is now once warm.

[jdraupp]

At the risk of sounding redundant, yes times have changed. Modern engines do not need a warm up period much like they really don't need a break in period from new anymore. Letting your car idle to warm up now is only a selfish thing we do when we don't want to be in a cold car.

Moral of the story, directly from porsche, start it when you are ready to drive away. However as others have alluded to, don't give her hell until the oil is at operating temp.

[Benitom]

I don't know how to shift in my 98 Boxster when it's cold. Car jerks - I can never cold shift unless I rev high.

[10/10ths]

.......drive off immediately after start and just keep the revs below 3,000 RPM until the oil temperature comes up to normal.

If you have trouble shifting, double clutch. Google it.

The reason to drive off is because you will get fuel wash by the rings into your oil supply if she idles while cold. This contaminates the oil which leads to premature engine failure.

Ever see the movie "LeMans"? Watch the start of the race.

Good luck.

[rfuerst911sc]

I get in the car and fire it up. Then I put on the seatbelt and double check the mirrors. Then I drive off only revving to 4k or so until I see the temp coming up. Modern engines run so much cleaner and modern oils flow so much better than in the past.

[kk2002s]

Of course Mfg suggest start and drive, helps MPG figures.
This subject has gone the rounds before and I have changed back to my original old style. At least let the coolant get to 100 F before driving.
My rational: So many different materials and different expansions rates.
I treat my machine like I treat myself - The older I get the more I need warming up before I can move

[batshapedheart]

I usually have my 02 remain idle for a minute until the secondary air injection shuts off. Have I been living a lie?

[Smallblock454]

If you let the car run at idle, the rpms go down very soon. And that's the problem. You loose oil pressure.

So start your drive before the rpms go down and hold the rpms between 1.500 and 2.500 rpm at low torque until the engine gets fully warmed up.

Just my 2 cents.

Regards, Markus

[10/10ths]

....it's not a matter of "modern" oil.

It's all about the piston rings growing as they and the cylinder walls expand as they warm up and start sealing tighter. If you just sit and idle, you get fuel washing past the rings and the fuel gets into the oil. This breaks the oil down over time. The oil then can't protect the engine internals as well.

Remember, the car runs rich on start-up. This dumps extra fuel into the combustion chamber.

You have a flat engine.

The fuel gets by the rings.

By driving off immediately, the engine warms up faster and therefore the piston rings seal up faster and the fuel injection squirts a less rich mixture faster.

You get less fuel in the oil, and your oil does its job of protecting your engine longer, before it needs to be changed.

Just keep her below 3,000 rpm until she's warm.

[Seadweller]

I've got two VW Jetta's in the family, and the idle is too high at start-up to put them in gear. My 2.5 comes down within 30 seconds, but the 1.8 Turbo takes at minute or so for the idle the come down below 1K.

I saw the same thing in my Boxster manual, and did notice on my '98 that there's really no high idle at start-up to speak of, so I do drive off as soon as I can after a cold start.

[10/10ths]

.......about a high idle speed that prevents you from shifting into drive or reverse.