Don't Let That Engine Idle!

[Armored_Saint]

Was on sick leave for the past 2 days and spent a bit of time washing the car. Noticed this blue Rolla driving up the MSCP and I instantly knew who it was and knew what he would do. He parked right up nicely into a lot, left his engine on for the next half an hour while chatting on the phone - the time I took for the wash job. And it's not uncommon to find him doing this...especially on weekend mornings.

 

Having driven for many years, I have always believed that engine idle should be kept to a mimimum. Oftentimes I've seen many drivers who park 'temporarily' - only to leave their engines and airconditioners on.

 

I thought the following points might[/url] be helpful for new drivers who may not ever have had a clue about the cons of leaving the heart of a car on while not on the move:

 

(http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/cleanairpart...e_factsheet.pdf

 

 

Idling creates unnecessary pollution

A vehicle idling for five minutes produces more than a quarter kilogram (271.4grams) of the greenhouse gases that are destabilizing our planet

Edited December 4, 2003 by Armored_Saint

[Gadgeter]

Interesting article.

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing.

[Armored_Saint]

[Vidz]

only need to idle for about 15sec in the beginning of the day to oil the the engine block internals... the rest can only be wrmed up during motion.

[Esky]

But sometimes when double-parking and with no shades nearby... no choice lah! Personally I will stop the engine and wait under somewhere shady and close by if I have the choice.

[Ace_t]

thanx for sharing.. good article.

 

altho I din know a person idles more with age ? kekekeke

 

heard that an idle mind is the devil's workshop .

[Armored_Saint]

Yeah, I thought the last point was quite funny...but what the heck! I think engine idling is very much overlooked by most drivers.

 

Idle minds are really no good...they lead to emotional and physical boredom, which leads to stupid, aimless ideas leading to crime and vice, IMO.

[Ace_t]

agree wif u...a thinking mind is a healthy mind.. but of course dun over-do it..else go ku-ku.

 

Idle minds are really no good...they lead to emotional and physical boredom, which leads to stupid, aimless ideas leading to crime and vice, IMO

[Vidz]

Yah.. dont idle..

GO BACK TO WORK!!

 

[Armored_Saint]

 

That's the end of this thread, folks!

Edited December 4, 2003 by Armored_Saint

[Ace_t]

[Vidz]

 

*****That's all,folks******

 

 

 

[Buzz]

if i know that i will be waiting for more than a minute i will turn off the engine even if under the sun. Maybe it only shows i very neow

[Armored_Saint]

That's what I do too! And get of out the car for some ventilation.

 

I'd give the for anyone who does it like you...won't consider you neow lah. The truth is some people there are actually people who think that restarting the engine wears out engine components faster and wastes more fuel - now that's a mistaken neow concept!

[Saaber]

I got this from somewhere,

 

 

 

The current trend is the "90% of your engine wear happens at startup" advertising ploy. This fact is absolutely true, but as it happens, it's less to to with "grinding engine parts" and more to do with combustion. When the combustion gases burn, they form acids which are highly corrosive when their vapours condense. These acids collect in the upper cylinder areas where their temperature is raised above their dew point. The acids condense and etch the cylinder walls and piston rings. In reality, this accounts for over 85% of engine wear, the other 15% being down to abrasion. So the adverts are nearly right - most of the engine wear does happen at startup, and it is because of a lack of oil, but it isn't because the oil isn't coating moving parts - it's because it's not transporting these acidic gases away. Having said that, if you start the engine and let it idle for 15 seconds or so before moving off, you can probably add another 100,000 miles to your engine's life without one bottle of additive. This warms the oil up a tad and makes sure it's in all the most vital areas before you start putting a strain on the engine. Most handbooks tell you not to let the engine warm up before driving off (they're referring to the acid corrosion mentioned above), but they mean don't let it reach working temperature. If, however, you insist on starting up and belting off down the road, think of this next time: it takes an average engine around 3 minutes of average driving for the exhaust manifold to reach 300

[Armored_Saint]

I think the article speaks more about starting an engine when it's cold, say in the morning. I do agree that it's wise to let an engine idle for a few tens of seconds when cold before moving off. I know some car manuals tell you to drive your car off IMMEDIATELY after the engine has fired up.

 

Personally I think the article is correct and I would always let my ride warm up for at least 20 secs before moving off. And since peak engine temperature takes a while too, it's important to go light on the gas for maybe the first 15 mins.

 

But I think if your ride has already warmed up from a journey and you're gonna wait 5 mins at some next stop for some reasons, it's much more beneficial to cut off the engine. Restarting is really harmless as the internals would have been geared up/oiled to a good extent.

[Vidz]

but then again, in this small little island.. some journey is less than 15 minutes..

so by the time engine warm up.. "kau liao"

[Armored_Saint]

Err, I'm not too sure if real estate issues are of a concern as far as the design of automotive engines are concerned...hahahaha...maybe it's time to build more intelligent, durable and adaptable engines, or metals for that matter!