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I'm sure the cited expert really is an expert, but this article fails miserably at conveying any cohesive understanding from them to you. It's full of conclusions that don't follow from their leading statements. My understanding about warming up an engine before putting load on it had nothing to do with fuel or power steering fluid, it was about thermal expansion of all the machined parts that suffer wear if they are…
When an engine idles (with no load), it produces relatively little heat. Comparatively, an engine running faster, under load produces much more heat. The engine will warm up more quickly and less evenly when loaded, likely leading to thermal stress, and possible mismatched thermal expansion. On the other hand, modern lubricants are very good at handling different temperatures.
The other thing to consider is that the engine is only one part of the vehicle, and various other components of the drivetrain may actually suffer more thermal stress from the idling than from immediate driving.
Synthetic oils have a wider temp range where they maintain viscosity and lubricating properties. Of anything, always recommend good quality full synthetic oils for cold climates.
If your area reaches -40F in winter you will need a "0 Winter 30" oil grade; or 0W/30, that is more expensive but very thin so it will not freeze
5W/30 will work until -31F
10W/40 will not freeze until 0F. This is the standard grade used for both winter and summer in many temperate areas
If you use the 15W grade for tropical areas in cold places, the oil could be too thick, will freeze at night and lose their properties. If you start the car without warming it first, you will probably damage your engine and your oil pump will suffer.
Change it ASAP to the lower viscosity grade that could be managed by your engine (or keep the car in a warmed garage until spring. Your car, your choice). Check the owner manual.
A too thin oil will lubricate worse. If you live in hot climates, 10W and 15W will perform better in summer
Diesel vehicles will care of warming the diesel before to start and will refuse it unless the diesel is warm enough. If starting the car at morning takes ages, some of your glow plugs are probably broken and will need to be replaced.
This can be a delicate operation. If stuck don't force it, go to a professional with the correct tools. Old plugs can be fragile and if they break inside the engine, it will be a very expensive mistake.
"peratures can shorten the life of your engine by stripping away oil from the engine’s pistons and cylinders — two critical components that help your engine run." Nonsense, if the oil pump and engine are built correctly and working as intended this does not cause librication not to work correctly. How many cabs would die early because they are idling in traffic all day? Your personal cars engine is not a formula one…
I worked at the engine plant in the early 2000s that made the 4.6l v8 that was in Crown Victoria for cop cars and cabs. The cop/cab version of the engine was different in that it had a highly polished timing chain for exactly this reason.
What does polishing the timing chain accomplish? Or is it more “accurate” timing?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The battery is heated to avoid that damage though. Nothing does this in an ICE car.
While true, how long can the car heat the batteries before it's practically unusable because the battery has depleted so much you need to charge it again before driving to work? Not everybody has a charging port at home, especially in Europe.
First the heater without the engine started for 10-15 minutes, then if it’s really cold I remote start the engine for 5 minutes before driving. But I avoid idling the car cold without running the heater first.
If i "ran the heater without the engine on" in any of my vehicles it would just blow cold air, and for sure one uses engine waste heat for cabin heat.
Wow. This is unreal. The OP says: > In a blog post on its website, Smart Motors Toyota says letting your car idle in cold temperatures can shorten the life of your engine by stripping away oil from the engine’s pistons and cylinders — two critical components that help your engine run. > via VERIFY Great, they got some kind of content from somewhere else. Let’s follow the link to verifythis.com: > Yes, warming up your…
This is just plain wrong. The whole article. What kind of content farm puts those articles out.
I'm sure the cited expert really is an expert, but this article fails miserably at conveying any cohesive understanding from them to you. It's full of conclusions that don't follow from their leading statements. My understanding about warming up an engine before putting load on it had nothing to do with fuel or power steering fluid, it was about thermal expansion of all the machined parts that suffer wear if they are…
There's a pretty good description here: https://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/779/journal-bearin...