Quote:
Originally posted by TerryH
I'd had an argument recently on the subject that most damage done to a motor is on startup. I came across this article .....
"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."
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How would the engine know the difference between idling in place and gently motoring away down the street? Common sense tells you not to beat on a car/truck/motorcycle/etc.. when it is cold, but things warm-up a lot faster under even gentle load than just idling in place. Plus you have the advantage of not polluting the environment and wasting fuel w/ no corresponding forward motion, and the transmission/brakes/axles/steering/etc.. can all warm-up as well.
I come from the coldest state in the union, (MN.), and believe me, you want that POS to warm-up as soon as possible when it is 30 degrees below zero. I had a Datsun 510 in college that sat outside and the shifter felt like you were stirring ice cream in a really cold freezer for the first 10 minutes. With a brand-new battery you got *1 shot* at starting the car before it was jumper cable time. Just sating that we know a little about cold starts up there. In a climate like AZ. or GA. you are talking about a non-issue my friend. In your description above, it is a wonder that any engine makes it to the end of its warrantee period w/o exploding. In reality, my 911SC engine bottom end looked brand new @ 130k miles. (Bearings and crank).