Cold start

[towlie]

I always thought it was good to let your engine warm up in cold weather before driving. But looking through my Renault manual it says to drive the car normally (not hard) rather than let the engine warm up when stationary. I have a clio mk3 dci 106. Are these good instructions?

 

[BMark]

Thats what the manual for mine says too. Different car though. I was thinking of asking the same question a few weeks back.

 

[Ja5on]

1 min of warm up before you go anywhere on a cold day aint gona do any harm,

 

[Initiale]

Mine usually idles for a few minutes at least whilst I get it out of the garage, close garage door, load up boot and lock up house, etc. I usually try and let it idle for a few minutes before I turn the engine off as well to let the turbo cool down.

 

[DrR]

Just get in it and drive, the engine will outlast the rest of the car anyway.

 

[mattjk]

Just get in it and drive, the engine will outlast the rest of the car anyway.

I blew mine up lol but it wasnt cos of not letting it warm up etc..

 

[DrR]

Mine broke to, but also nothing to do with warming up.

 

[R172]

Shouldnt really leave your car to warm up too much over a couple of minutes on idle as it polishes the bores. Best to let it have a minute idling whilst its on automatic choke and then keep the revs below about 3k for 10minutes to let the oil warm.

 

[Michael172]

i drive mine carefully and start beating it as hot air is coming out of the vents. Not warm air either.

Tbh i didnt think letting ti run for a bit really mattered.....

 

[caister]

Letting your car sit and idle isn't too good for the engine as said above. You should just drive it easy when its warming up.

 

[Env]

i turn the key,
dip the clutch select my gear and pull out onto a 4 mile straight. normally get to 105-115 within first few minutes of the engine been on.
not a single problem yet.
my engine loves me.

 

[Clgale88]

when i start mine from cold i leave it to idiol for abit then when i drive away its really juddery and holds back the power feels horrible anyone have any ideas what it could be or just where its cold.

 

[towlie]

Yeah i usually just keep from putting my foot down hard until ive been driving for a few minutes as i thought it could cause damage in cold weather. If that is the case what sort of damage can be caused by driving your car hard from cold?

 

[Martin_172]

i start my engine drive straight away because im late for work, drive half a mile then come to an.... airfield which it hits 135mph on every day lol all within first few minutes of driving!

 

[Munson]

when i start mine from cold i leave it to idiol for abit then when i drive away its really juddery and holds back the power feels horrible anyone have any ideas what it could be or just where its cold.

Most of the sports do this. Mine certainly always has. Not always, just randomly.

 

[Martin_172]

im sure its VVT not being activated untill the coolant temp gets to a certain temperature (and some other perimiters).

henk @ Fastchip sorts it with his remaps.

 

[-Leigh-]

Only time I let mine idle is to defrost the windscreen. Other than that I pull off straight away.

 

[Stuart182]

I normally leave it so tight to get to work on time, I dont have time to let it idle. But I dont go over 3000rpm until the engine up to temperature :rasp: Just in time for a nice few roads to open her up on

 

[JuanBoy]

I wait for the 'Oil OK' letter to go out, and drive the first 10-15 Minutes below 3k

 

[Munson]

im sure its VVT not being activated untill the coolant temp gets to a certain temperature (and some other perimiters).

henk @ Fastchip sorts it with his remaps.

How come it's completely random though? If mines going to do it, it will be from cold, but no necessarily cold weather. Mine does it in winter or summer for example...

 

[BRUCEY]

i turn the key,
dip the clutch select my gear and pull out onto a 4 mile straight. normally get to 105-115 within first few minutes of the engine been on.
not a single problem yet.
my engine loves me.

naughty naughty:nono:

 

[ripp]

any expert opinion on this? I'm not leaving mine to idle unless there's a thick layer of ice on the screen and need the heat to get it off
so leave it idle for 1 min or not?

 

[mark smith87]

How come it's completely random though? If mines going to do it, it will be from cold, but no necessarily cold weather. Mine does it in winter or summer for example...

If there's any wear in the dephaser pulley,this seems to exacerbate the rough running until the car warms up. Mine was rough when it was cold until i had the timing belt done and replaced the dephaser at the same time. Now it pulls much better from cold,but I still let it warm up before giving it full throttle. I wouldn't recommend leaving the engine idling to warm it through as the engine will tend to coke up due to unburnt fuel not being burnt off properly that will disperse when the engine is driven straight away. Just start the car and use it straight away but let the fluids get up to temperature before using full throttle. This will help protect the engine. Also don't start the engine with your foot on the clutch.
With turbo engines, if you have been driving it really hard ,let the engine idle for a couple of minutes to allow the turbo to cool down before switching off.

 

[Whirly172]

i normaly start mine up wait a few minutes then drive but dont go over 3000rpm untill the engine is up to temp

 

[DrR]

I've always thought it's better for the engine to start it and drive right away, can't say i do/don't drive mine hard when cold, just use it however i need to.

 

[MarkCup]

I've always thought it's better for the engine to start it and drive right away, can't say i do/don't drive mine hard when cold, just use it however i need to.

This is correct, best treatment is to drive it as soon as possible;

Oil gets warm from the engine heating up.
Until the engine heats up the oil is not warm.
When the oil is not warm you are doing the maximum possible damage/wear to your engine.
Burning fuel is the only way you will heat your engine up.
An idling engine is burning very little fuel.
A gently driven engine will heat up itself and the oil much much quicker than one left idling.

To sum up, immediately after starting the car things wear in the engine, and continue to wear until the oil reaches it's optimum temperature. Leaving your car idling means it does this for MUCH longer than if you were to actually get in it and drive it.

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Also at <1500 RPM (idle), there is very little oil splash due to the low speed so it is doing more harm than good sitting there cold and idling as the oil is not getting about.

 

[Munson]

My current shed idles at 1500rpm for a good 30/40 seconds before settling down to 800. I'm assuming it was designed to do this without eating its own head. In fact it's pretty much accepted that it's best to leave it like this before driving. Then again it's boosted and uses 0-40w oil, which I understand is good for cold running.

 

[jesus]

RS Tuner remap gives better warmup behaviour, you don't get the juddering etc. and it just feels generally better to drive

 

[ripp]

^I can confirm that

 

[Ralphizzle]

A remap won't help with the coldstart issues, it's the engine failsafe programmed in the ECU.
(i have the remap from Fastchip btw)

Only when the coolant is above 70 Centigrade the F4R will run free ie. above 3 thou rpm, summer or winter.
Even so the engine isn't ready to Go!

Start, idle for 10 sec., drive off.

 

[jesus]

Mine has been remapped and it doesn't hesitate etc. any more, but I wouldn't hammer it until it's warm obviously.

 

[Munson]

Also don't start the engine with your foot on the clutch.

Only just noticed this. What's the reasoning behind not depressing the clutch? I was always under the impression that, if anything, it saves the starter motor from churning over a stone cold gearbox. Also, it's actually impossible to start my car without depressing the clutch, so I'm guessing it doesn't do the engine any harm?

 

[J.B.]

Woops, I've been depressing the clutch to start for well over a year since I had starting issues, now it's just habit.

 

[LiamR172]

My 172 is very nasty to drive when its cold. Rather slow aswell.

Gear changes are rough and juddery.

i find that going straight onto the dualler and giving it beans warms it up the fastest.

 

[Ralphizzle]

Clutch IN or clutch OUT!?

Clutch OUT to save the thrust bearing of the crankshaft?

 

[davo172]

Only just noticed this. What's the reasoning behind not depressing the clutch? I was always under the impression that, if anything, it saves the starter motor from churning over a stone cold gearbox. Also, it's actually impossible to start my car without depressing the clutch, so I'm guessing it doesn't do the engine any harm?

Lol at not pressing the clutch on starting ! New VW'S and audis won't start till you do ! I am sure if it causes problems that would know !

 

[James23]

Idling before you drive off is a terrible idea. They run richer when they're cold so the bores will be being washed.
I drive off straight away then wait til the temp gauge sits at its normal level then wait a few more minutes for the oil to warm up before I give it beans. Most engine wear happens when your oil is cold.
Not that it really matters i suppose unless you intend on keeping it forever. Loads of cars on here are ten owner sheds now.

 

[bill]

start it and drive it ffs.

 

[Tunst]

Mine gets hell from the turn of the key :evil: