Idling hurts your car? Yahoo article.......

[Lou84]

Found this article ............. what do you think?

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...car-in-winter/

[MF2SSRS]

seems like they are more interested about the environment and saving money than hurting the engine.

[Jaime068]

Well I'm from FL so it doesn't get as cold out here, and I always let it warm up 30sec-1min anyways lol

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by MF2SSRS

seems like they are more interested about the environment and saving money than hurting the engine.

its one of those long-term damaging things vs an overnight damage to the engine.

but yes, excessive idling can cause wear on an engine.

[jtzako]

It isnt good for the engine, but not horribly damaging either. But just as well, you also do not want to go do any spirited driving or significant acceleration when the engine is cold.

It is really more an environmental, health and pocket book issue. When idling you are burning gas for no purpose. So you are not only wasting money but also dumping more co2 into the air. Not to mention that if you are in or near the car when it is idling you are breathing in exhaust that gets into the car.

[Russell James]

Your car could idle through a full tank of gas with zero problems, short or long term. If idling is causing a problem, something else is wrong with the car.

If the AFR is right, oil pressure is right, temps are right... why would an engine care if it is running at 600 rpm or 1500 rpm in cruise control for hours. It doesn't. There are plenty of fleet vehicles such as cop cars with the exact same engines that idle all day long. They may have larger cooling systems and alternators, but if a non cop car is sitting there idling and not overheating... same amount of damage is occuring, none.

I bought a new Z06 once in the middle of winter. With 2 miles on it, we let it idle in the dealer's parking lot for almost an hour while we did the delivery paperwork, features review, OnStar set up.... That LS6 was one of the best motors I ever owned. That long idle when new had zero affect on anything.

Years ago when flat tappet cams needed a specific breakin process, different story. Todays cars are pretty fool proof. I also drove that same car straight to FL from MI when brand new, mostly on cruise control. Lots of idling and cruise control on a brand new car caused..... zero problems. Same with millions of new cars sold every year.

[v6sonoma]

If you can't hear the sweet sound of a V8 idling what's the point of having one? lol

Tree huggers.

[jdenotter]

Im a police officer and we have our cars idle for hours depending on the situation and it doesn't hurt a thing. Most of the cars that have 100k plus run just as good as the cars with a couple hundred. Of course bad gas mileage is a downfall of idling.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[LS3CAM]

What about the defroster??? It takes a solid 10 to 15 min. for that to kick in and start working. (block heaters use precious electricity too). What about the driver??? He/she is better able to opperate the vehicle in a safe manner if they aren't curled up in a ball shivering!

[Rip]

Originally Posted by Russell James

Your car could idle through a full tank of gas with zero problems, short or long term. If idling is causing a problem, something else is wrong with the car.

If the AFR is right, oil pressure is right, temps are right... why would an engine care if it is running at 600 rpm or 1500 rpm in cruise control for hours. It doesn't. There are plenty of fleet vehicles such as cop cars with the exact same engines that idle all day long. They may have larger cooling systems and alternators, but if a non cop car is sitting there idling and not overheating... same amount of damage is occuring, none.

I bought a new Z06 once in the middle of winter. With 2 miles on it, we let it idle in the dealer's parking lot for almost an hour while we did the delivery paperwork, features review, OnStar set up.... That LS6 was one of the best motors I ever owned. That long idle when new had zero affect on anything.

Years ago when flat tappet cams needed a specific breakin process, different story. Todays cars are pretty fool proof. I also drove that same car straight to FL from MI when brand new, mostly on cruise control. Lots of idling and cruise control on a brand new car caused..... zero problems. Same with millions of new cars sold every year.

Because of water condensation. Again, it's not doing it every once in a while, it's doing it repeatedly without burning the water out of the system.

[76z28]

Originally Posted by Rip

Because of water condensation. Again, it's not doing it every once in a while, it's doing it repeatedly without burning the water out of the system.

But an engine at operating temperatures is the same at 55mph and 0mph...if its working correctly

[Number 3]

The most damaging thing to an engine is a cold start. The very brief time when there is not oil pressure and rotating and sliding parts aren't lubricated is bad. But if you aren't running hot and aren't running without lubrication, idleing should be an issue, as stated above.

That being said, letting an engine idle is more damaging than not running it at all. But hurting the engine? I don't think so.

[Ject]

Originally Posted by Rip

Because of water condensation. Again, it's not doing it every once in a while, it's doing it repeatedly without burning the water out of the system.

Sign me up for whatever drugs you're on

[08-G35s/6MT]

1. Driving warms the car faster than idling

If your concern is not the health of the car, but simply your own creature comforts, Bob Aldrich of the California Energy Commission points out that "idling is not actually an effective way to warm up a car — it warms up faster if you just drive it."


The coming electric cars, such as the Nissan Leaf, will incorporate a wonderful feature that allows the owner to use a cellphone to tell the car (which is plugged into the grid) to pre-warm or pre-cool the interior. No idling necessary.

2. Ten seconds is all you need

Environmental Defense Fund, which produced the Idling Gets You Nowhere campaign, advises motorists to turn off their ignition if they're sitting stopped for more than 10 seconds.


"After about 10 seconds, you waste more money running the engine than restarting it, said Andy Darrell, deputy director of the EDF Energy Program. "Switch the car off at the curb, and you'll be leaving money in your wallet and protecting the air in your community."

3. Idling hurts the car

According to the Hinkle Charitable Foundation's Anti-Idling Primer, idling forces an engine "to operate in a very inefficient and gasoline-rich mode that, over time, can degrade the engine's performance and reduce mileage."


The Campaign for an Idle-Free New York City points out that idling causes carbon residues to build up inside the engine, which reduces its efficiency.
[ Related: Five secrets to make your car last longer and save you money. ]

4. Idling costs money

Over a year of five minutes of daily idling (which causes incomplete combustion of fuel), the "Anti-Idling Primer" estimates that the operator of a V8-engine car will waste 20 gallons of gasoline, which not only produces 440 pounds of carbon dioxide but costs at least $60.

5. Idling in the garage can kill you

Idling a car in a garage, even with the door open, is dangerous and exposes the driver to carbon monoxide and other noxious gases. If the garage is attached, those fumes can also enter the house.
[ Related: Six surprising sources of indoor air pollution. ]

6. Block heaters beat remote starters

Lori Strothard of the Waterloo Citizens Vehicle Idling Reduction Task Force in Canada says, "Remote starters can too easily cause people to warm up their cars for 5 to 15 minutes, which is generally unnecessary."
A block heater, which is designed to heat the engine and can cost under $30, on a timer set to start one to two hours before driving, does the trick in very cold climates.

7. Quick errands aren't quick enough

Natural Resources Canada points out that leaving your car idling while you're running into a store on an errand or going back into the house to pick up a forgotten item is another way to waste gas and pollute both your town and the planet.


"Leaving your engine running is hard on your pocketbook, produces greenhouse gas emissions, and is an invitation to car thieves," the agency (PDF) says.

8. Idling is bad for your health (and your neighbor's health)

According to Minneapolis' anti-idling ordinance, "Exhaust is hazardous to human health, especially children's; studies have linked air pollution to increased rates of cancer, heart and lung disease, asthma and allergies."


Isabelle Silverman, who runs EDF's anti-idling campaign, says that car idling "is the second-hand smoking of the outdoors. One of the problems is that cars idle close to the curb, where pedestrians are walking. And when you have a child in a stroller, they are particularly close to the tailpipe. Studies show that children's IQ levels are lower when they live near major roads with lots of traffic." (A fresh study even links autism to freeway pollution.)


Alex Scaperotta, who created an anti-idling campaign with a classmate when he was in fifth grade in Wilton, Connecticut, came up with a slogan that was used on bumper stickers and websites: "If you're stopped for more than 10, turn it off and on again." Sounds like good advice.
[ Related: Five road-tested ways to pay less than $1 a gallon for gas. ]



Some of that seems a bit extreme and enivronmentally focused....