Engine on/off, operating temperatures, warm-up period, and everything else oil-related

MuffinMcFluffin

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So I've understood the crux of what people have mentioned with things such as:

- Let the car run idle for 30-60 seconds and wait for the RPM's to drop (giving time to lubricate all components).
- Drive the car for a while to let oil reach operating temperature, especially before pushing it hard.
- Don't turn off the engine immediately after pushing it hard.


Based on these three things, I have some questions:

1) How long after pushing it hard should you drive before turning it off again?

2) If I drive for a long time, kill the engine for two minutes, then turn the engine back on, are the parts of the car still lubricated with oil? Or do I have to wait for the idle period again? I realize my oil is still at operating temp at this point, obviously.

3) Is there "harm" in turning on your car (on a cold start) to move it very briefly, then turn it off again? I'm talking about 10 seconds of activity. I'm quoting "harm" because people are going to assume I'm overreacting, but I'm asking what the difference is between doing that (when parts haven't lubricated and oil hasn't reached operating temp) versus driving the car for five minutes and not letting the oil reach operating temperature as well, which is an ill-advised plan in the long term.

4) If my oil reaches operating temperature, is there a gradual rate at which I should work toward pushing my car hard? Like if I drive normally for 30 straight minutes and never hit higher than 3.5k RPM, should I slowly work to higher RPM's and higher boost first before doing a straight pull, or if I did a straight pull at that point (immediately go to 20 psi and redline) is all good without having to "work toward it?"

5) Where is the harm hit in turning off the engine if not letting it warm up fully? Is it in turning it off, or is it in leaving it off thereafter? For example, if I’m running errands and my first stop is only three minutes out, but I’m only there for a short while and make multiple trips thereafter (to warm up dat engine), did I “harm” it the same way as I would have if I stayed in that first stop for a while? I guess I just don’t know what exactly is the problem for the oil to not fully be warmed up if you’re not pushing it, and where the actual deterrents lie.

6) I know running the AC will run the engine hotter, but is it okay to “artificially” warm it up that way, or should I let the engine naturally warm up and then do something like run AC?

Then I have a general question related more so to boost that I never really got answered in another thread of mine before: how often should I be using boost in my car? Clearly it's a turbo engine, but could I drive five minutes on a highway in 4th gear with 5 psi and be cool? Or is boost supposed to be a short-term accelerating thing only? How many times in a trip should I be allowed to go above like 15 psi? Like am I limited? This is assuming I'm fully hot-oiled up and such, of course.

Thanks.
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The Vyzitor

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It shouldn’t take any more than 10 minutes. Especially with these modern cars that have various systems in place to warm up as fast as possible for peak efficiency.

Certain BMW M cars actually have a variable redline/rev limiter that rises as oil comes up to temp. The tach has an array of lights that fill up more red when the car is cold, and gradually move to the peak redline once warmed up. Usually takes less than 5 miles of driving. (Pictured)

I don’t drive my 10th gen hard really, but I’ve had a few previous cars that saw quite a bit of abuse and light track duty. Once the oil is up to temp, you don’t have to ease in to it. You can go full throttle after 5 to 10 minutes.

Honda Civic 10th gen Engine on/off, operating temperatures, warm-up period, and everything else oil-related 007B29FB-69D4-4BB0-8BDE-B4F336ADF00A
 

Gotch

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1. Let the idle stabilize and shut er down.
2. Yes, surface tension of the oil leaves a film and with the oil hot, it flows quicker to boot.
3. Yes, cold starts are murder on the friction surfaces, along with a bit of warmth, creates condensation.
4. The engine temp is one thing to look at, the transmission takes a bit longer to completely warm up, along with all other driveline items. 10-15mins after engine has warmed up, hammer down!
5. Yes, condensation buildup.
6. Doesn't really matter but when warming up an engine, you should do it with as little load as possible.

Bonus question - no limits on boost usage (within reason), if your engine temps spike, let it cool off by driving normally for a bit.
 


 


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