Idling - How Long Is Too Long?

[sms2022]

The engine is built like a tank. They used to run crossbolted 427 FE engines as natural gas well pump engines and they would idle for years on end. The bottom end and oiling system of the coyote is superior to the 427. This is another case of mustang ocd imo!

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[CrackedHorn]

The biggest wear/degradation to an engine is heat cycles. ON/OFF ON/OFF ON/OFF kinda thing. An engine continuously running for week will have less wear than an engine that shut on/off several times a day.

Generally agree with this sentiment.

 

[Johnny maverick]

I thought they put coyotes in the number one selling work truck of all time.

 

[Paddles]

Some good stuff here, thanks for the replies gentlemen. My takeaway so far is that GTs are solid like work truck generators and we're good to let them idle all day with proper maintenance and worrying about it is just OCD. Also ty Skye for the stuff from the manual, can't believe I didn't think to look there.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

Some good stuff here, thanks for the replies gentlemen. My takeaway so far is that GTs are solid like work truck generators and we're good to let them idle all day with proper maintenance and worrying about it is just OCD. Also ty Skye for the stuff from the manual, can't believe I didn't think to look there.

I'm more curious why you were asking the question in the first place. Is there a story behind this?

 

[Paddles]

I'm more curious why you were asking the question in the first place. Is there a story behind this?

haha yes but not an interesting one. I got stuck in traffic for hours once due to a crazy wreck, it wasn't six hours but it was hot and miserable. Out of abundance of caution I decided to shut the car off and sweat it out (2010 GT). Now that I'm in Texas again I was having flashbacks so I tried to search for examples of extended S550 GT idling but came up short soo I figured I would ask here and get a thread going.

I did some testing yesterday and let her (2023 GT) idle for a couple hours powering the AC. Ambient temp was 96. Intake temps hit a staggering 145, CHT rose to 225, and oil pressure stayed at around 17, RPMs stayed at about 600 for the duration. I propped the hood open for the last 45 minutes and intake dropped to 105 and CHT dropped to 205. Seemed to run like a champ the whole time but part of me was still thinking idling = bad.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

haha yes but not an interesting one. I got stuck in traffic for hours once due to a crazy wreck, it wasn't six hours but it was hot and miserable. Out of abundance of caution I decided to shut the car off and sweat it out (2010 GT). Now that I'm in Texas again I was having flashbacks so I tried to search for examples of extended S550 GT idling but came up short soo I figured I would ask here and get a thread going.

I did some testing yesterday and let her (2023 GT) idle for a couple hours powering the AC. Ambient temp was 96. Intake temps hit a staggering 145, CHT rose to 225, and oil pressure stayed at around 17, RPMs stayed at about 600 for the duration. I propped the hood open for the last 45 minutes and intake dropped to 105 and CHT dropped to 205. Seemed to run like a champ the whole time but part of me was still thinking idling = bad.

Wow. You let it idle for a couple of hours just to test it out? That's some serious OCD man. Pretty much any modern car will idle until the fuel runs out without overheating. Unless you live in Death Valley, you are way over thinking it.

 

[Paddles]

Wow. You let it idle for a couple of hours just to test it out? That's some serious OCD man. Pretty much any modern car will idle until the fuel runs out without overheating. Unless you live in Death Valley, you are way over thinking it.

I know I know, I just love this one so much. I am glad to have the input from you guys to bring me back to Earth haha.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

I know I know, I just love this one so much. I am glad to have the input from you guys to bring me back to Earth haha.

I just wish the heat extractors actually worked. That was one thing the 15-17s did better.

 

[ORRadtech]

As someone said before, Ford tests these things in far harsher conditions and for far longer than you are ever likely to experience.
Relax and enjoy the AC...

 

[Garfy]

Interesting to know regarding which injectors are used at idle. I've never delved into it but was curious what Ford's operating conditions were in terms of when it uses port and when it uses DI as well as if there's ever a time when both are used at the same time.

 

[Garfy]

I know I know, I just love this one so much. I am glad to have the input from you guys to bring me back to Earth haha.

I've never liked to idle any engine for a "long" period of time; this comes from the "old school" days and granted the Coyote has been torture tested by Ford during the development of the engine. Yet in all my cars, if I'm idling parked somewhere because I want the a/c running, I would periodically raise the rpm to about 1500 or so for a minute and then let it idle normally again. I would typically let it idle for 10 minutes or so before I repeat the higher rpm routine... but that's just me, whether it's considered OCD or not. BTW, when I wipe down my car, I always do the painted areas under the trunk lid, all the doors and door jambs, under the hood and fenderwells including the plastic covers and such. I like keeping it looking like it's still in the showroom.

 

[DrZed]

Interesting to know regarding which injectors are used at idle. I've never delved into it but was curious what Ford's operating conditions were in terms of when it uses port and when it uses DI as well as if there's ever a time when both are used at the same time.

.... actually!!! There was a thread on here sometime ago that showed the load cycle of which injectors. Pretty interesting. @Cobrajet Remember that one??? Something from an HP tuners screen shot if I remember correctly.

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