Letting the oil warm up

[WhiteyDog]

Be mindful of oil temp for two things:
1) Don't rev the car high in the first moments from a cold start - oil does take some time to flow
2) If you are boosted, FBO-tuned, revving significantly higher than stock, wait till it's warmer to get on it

Driving the vehicle will warm the oil much faster than sitting there idling. Just give it a little bit of time before jumping on the throttle. It will thank you, and you will thank yourself later. Hot oil flows much faster, and flow is what is important to keeping your moving parts lubricated, not pressure per se. It is correctly stated that Ford engineers the engine to be able to take abuse like this and still live to 150k miles.

This. I take it easy for a little before gettin' to the good times.

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[GT Pony]

Does this really matter? I swear this is only for old cars. If anything you might do damage extremely long term but gunning it after cold start (years down line) but everyone I spoke to said new cars it really doesn't matter

There have been a few instances reported on this site where guys lost their oil pump gears after hammering the engine shortly after a cold start-up. Coincidence? ... probably not.

 

[Endokendal]

I always crawl under the car and breath lightly on the oil pan for 20 minutes until the oil is tempered. Then I get in the car and push in the "on" button very slowly so I don't frighten the car. Then I idle for 30 minutes before driving away at no more than 5 mph for the first 30 miles.

 

[Dak2Zeke]

There have been a few instances reported on this site where guys lost their oil pump gears after hammering the engine shortly after a cold start-up. Coincidence? ... probably not.

find that hard to believe...stepping on it cold a few times here and there I doubt would cause significant damage..like some have said these are made with these things in mind

 

[BmacIL]

find that hard to believe...stepping on it cold a few times here and there I doubt would cause significant damage..like some have said these are made with these things in mind

Stock, sure. Doesn't mean it's advisable or doesn't reduce life of the engine.

 

[GT Pony]

find that hard to believe...stepping on it cold a few times here and there I doubt would cause significant damage..like some have said these are made with these things in mind

Lot's more stress on the OPGs when the oil is really cold. It's kind of crazy that some guys can't wait 5 minutes of driving after a cold start to go gonzo on the throttle pedal. :headbonk:

 

[Bartly]

There have been a few instances reported on this site where guys lost their oil pump gears after hammering the engine shortly after a cold start-up. Coincidence? ... probably not.

Seems like finding posts of those who actually broke their OPG is kinda tough. Hadn't seen enough reports to even begin to see that a cold engine could have been a common denominator. Can you reference any of those threads here?

 

[GT Pony]

Seems like finding posts of those who actually broke their OPG is kinda tough. Hadn't seen enough reports to even begin to see that a cold engine could have been a common denominator. Can you reference any of those threads here?

Just search for the phrase 'failed OPG' in the main forum page. Un-check "Search Titles Only".
http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/index.php

Some OPGs failed at high RPM even when the oil was warmed up, so revving real high with thick cold oil doesn't help out the situation at all. Lots of them are on GT350s ... which by the way run 5W-50 oil which might have a factor in the amount of stress seen by the OPGs.

I never beat on my vehicles until the oil is fully warmed up ... it's safe practice.

 

[bluebeastsrt]

No I don't warm the car up. I get in and drive sensibly for a few minutes before I get on it. Driving normally heats the oil up quicker. It's not like the clearances in your engine change. They are the same at idle,as they are at 2000 RPMs.

 

[GT Pony]

No I don't warm the car up. I get in and drive sensibly for a few minutes before I get on it. Driving normally heats the oil up quicker.

Yep, that is "warming up" the oil before going gonzo. Be it idling for a while or driving mellow for awhile, the end result is the same.

 

[bluebeastsrt]

I don't know how old you are? But back in the day. Warming the car up. Ment letting it idle in the driveway for 5 minutes. But either way running it hard cold. Won't hurt anything. My 95 drag car doesn't even need the fan turned on til I hit the return lane. If it was bad for the car. every drag racer on earth would be screwed!:shrug:

 

[turbosc297]

I installed an oil temp gauge in an A pillar pod because I didn't trust the dash display.

Green on the dash starts when oil temp is below 140 degrees. That's still much too low to hammer on a motor. It takes a minimum of 10-15m of driving to get the oil up to 180+ degrees with a reische thermostat.

Beating on a motor with cold oil is asking for problems down the road. For those with no oil temp gauge, use the PP oil pressure gauge- after a long drive, notice the pressure at idle and say 2000rpms, use that pressure as a benchmark for warm oil after a cold start

 

[BmacIL]

I installed an oil temp gauge in an A pillar pod because I didn't trust the dash display.

Green on the dash starts when oil temp is below 140 degrees. That's still much too low to hammer on a motor. It takes a minimum of 10-15m of driving to get the oil up to 180+ degrees with a reische thermostat.

Beating on a motor with cold oil is asking for problems down the road. For those with no oil temp gauge, use the PP oil pressure gauge- after a long drive, notice the pressure at idle and say 2000rpms, use that pressure as a benchmark for warm oil after a cold start

There's a big difference in flow (via viscosity change) between an oil at say 70 F and 140 F, and not much of a difference thereafter. Oil pressure is only useful for detecting a problem with the oiling system and does not tell you if you are getting adequate flow for lubrication. Flow in bearing passages is what is important.

 

[Jay-rod427]

So much focus on the oil temp, but in reality what needs to warm up a bit is the engine internals. The metal needs to warm up so things like the bearings can swell to proper clearance before beating on it.

 

[airfuel]

"Normal operating temperature" is the key here. Not cold engine.

Why is this an issue? Start car.....drive car to warm up...then do what you want.

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