Idling is bad for your engine..

[Picard]

Taken from a Canadian website... Mejo kakatamad basahin kasi mahaba but it makes sense.

Idling: Myths Versus Reality

Ask Canadian motorists why they idle their vehicles, and you'll likely get a simple answer: to warm up the engine before they drive away. It's one of the most commonly held myths in Canada about driving. And it costs you money, wears out your vehicle's engine and generates unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
Contrary to popular belief, idling isn't an effective way to warm up your vehicle, even in cold weather. The best way to warm it up is to drive it. In fact, with today's engines, you need no more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days before you start to drive.
The notion that idling is good for your vehicle is passé – in fact, it hasn't been the right thing to do since the advent of electronic engines. The truth is that excessive idling can damage the engine.
The reason? An idling engine isn't operating at its peak temperature, which means that fuel doesn't undergo complete combustion. This leaves fuel residues that can condense on cylinder walls, where they can contaminate oil and damage parts of the engine. For example, fuel residues are often deposited on spark plugs. As you spend more time idling, the average temperature of the spark plug drops. This makes the plug get dirty more quickly, which can increase fuel consumption by 4 to 5 percent. Excessive idling also lets water condense in the vehicle's exhaust. This can lead to corrosion and reduce the life of the exhaust system.
Besides, what's often forgotten is that idling warms only the engine – not the wheel bearings, steering, suspension, transmission and tires. These parts also need to be warmed up, and the only way to do that is to drive the vehicle.
Perhaps you're concerned that continually shutting off and restarting the vehicle is hard on the engine. But studies show that frequent restarting has little impact on engine parts such as the battery and starter motor. The wear on components that restarting the engine causes adds about $10 a year to the cost of driving – money that you'll likely recover several times over in fuel savings from reduced idling.
So, when should you turn off the engine? Believe it or not, more than 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine. As a rule of thumb, if you're going to stop for 10 seconds or more – except in traffic – turn the engine off. You'll save money. And your vehicle won't produce harmful emissions of carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

[Picard]

If you want to read more...

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportatio...?attr=8#wastes

[j_avonni]

Once I started the engine, I immediately but slowly drive away. I read similar article about idling years ago. Since it really makes sense, I follow it.

[Picard]

Ako ngayon ko lang to nalaman. I usually start the engine and let it idle for mga 2-3 mins bago ko idrive sa umaga. Hindi pala maganda.

[silhouette]

Yup, I do the same. Start and go, but not pushing hard.

[boybi]

how about for diesel engines? wala naman spark plug ito get dirty.

[NazQ]

hmm.. nice article.

[mbeige]

how about for diesel engines? wala naman spark plug ito get dirty.

Some diesel engines have glow plugs especially earlier ones, they can also collect carbon deposits kaya when one buys a used car sometimes it's also good to ask kung dahan-dahan lang parati pagtakbo ng kotse dahil kung ganun halos puro carbon deposits siya so one needs to drive it hard once in a while.

[batusai_jr]

whoa is this true? napaisip ako bigla

[OldSchoolHack]

If you have older diesel cars, a minute or two idling would make it run better from cold starts (example - sa umaga). More than two minutes means you have other problems.

Same with gas. With some older cars the driver believes it will run better when warmed up. Usually this is true because your oil and oil pump are so low in the sump that it takes a little warming up to get it up to the piston area. A cheaper way is to make sure your oil is closer to HOT spot from a cold engine (unless specified in the manual na dapat turn on mo engine before reading the dipstick) thus it reaches the pistons faster.

[harold13]

parang hindi ako naniniwala. more on environmental ang pino point out nila dito.

para sa akin kaya may indicator na cold, may purpose yan, e kung Hot indicator bakit pinapahinto yung auto para lumamig?

tsaka sa traffic, its also considered as idling din pero wala naman tayo magagawa doon.

[speed unlimited]

Lalo na pag traffic nakakainis naman kung magpapatay ka pa ng makina pag hinto . Hindi rin maganda sa starter .

[CVT]

Taken from a Canadian website... Mejo kakatamad basahin kasi mahaba but it makes sense.

Idling: Myths Versus Reality

So, when should you turn off the engine? Believe it or not, more than 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine. As a rule of thumb, if you're going to stop for 10 seconds or more – except in traffic – turn the engine off. You'll save money. And your vehicle won't produce harmful emissions of carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

In Canada's traffic siguro. Pero dito sa Pilipinas, 15minutes kung nagpapa-counterflow ang mga Traffic Enforcers, not 10seconds+. Hindi mo naman mapatay ang makina rin, dahil mainit.... no choice!


:starwars:

[iceman_uel]

harmful pala sa engine kaya i'll stop warming up my engine in the morning. tumataas din pala fuel consumption.

[Gumusut_Amige]

[SIZE=3][SIZE=2]another read discrediting idling...http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...car-in-winter/[/SIZE][/SIZE]

[SIZE=3][SIZE=2]Eight Facts About Warming Up Your Car in Winter[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Old habits die hard, and one of the oldest — still rigorously enforced by many drivers — is that "warming up" the car for a few minutes is necessary to avoid some kind of unspecified damage. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]But idling is totally unnecessary, which is why many communities have enacted ordinances against the practice. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Don't take my word about idling being ineffective, but do listen to my mechanic, Rob Maier, who runs Maier's Garage in Bridgeport, Connecticut. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]He says, "You don't really need to idle your car, because of the efficiency of modern fuel injection, which eliminated carburetors and chokes. The only reason to let the car idle at all is to get the oil circulating, but after 30 seconds that's a done deal. My truck has 150,000 miles on it, and I just throw it into gear and go."[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Here are some quick facts and tips that should put the idling question to rest: [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]1. Driving warms the car faster than idling[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]If your concern is not the health of the car, but simply your own creature comforts, Bob Aldrich of the [/SIZE][SIZE=2]California Energy Commission[/SIZE][SIZE=2] points out that "idling is not actually an effective way to warm up a car — it warms up faster if you just drive it." [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]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. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]2. Ten seconds is all you need[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Environmental Defense Fund, which produced the [/SIZE][SIZE=2]Idling Gets You Nowhere[/SIZE][SIZE=2] campaign, advises motorists to turn off their ignition if they're sitting stopped for more than 10 seconds. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]"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." [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]3. Idling hurts the car[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]According to the Hinkle Charitable Foundation's [/SIZE][SIZE=2]Anti-Idling Primer[/SIZE][SIZE=2], 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."[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]The [/SIZE][SIZE=2]Campaign for an Idle-Free New York City [/SIZE][SIZE=2]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. ] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]4. Idling costs money[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]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. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]5. Idling in the garage can kill you[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]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.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][ Related: [/SIZE][SIZE=2]Six surprising sources of indoor air pollution[/SIZE][SIZE=2]. ] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]6. Block heaters beat remote starters[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Lori Strothard of the [/SIZE][SIZE=2]Waterloo Citizens Vehicle Idling Reduction Task Force[/SIZE][SIZE=2] in Canada says, "Remote starters can too easily cause people to warm up their cars for 5 to 15 minutes, which is generally unnecessary." [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]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. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]7. Quick errands aren't quick enough[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]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. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]"Leaving your engine running is hard on your pocketbook, produces greenhouse gas emissions, and is an invitation to car thieves," the [/SIZE][SIZE=2]agency [/SIZE][SIZE=2](PDF) says. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]8. Idling is bad for your health (and your neighbor's health)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]According to Minneapolis' anti-idling ordinance, "[/SIZE][SIZE=2]Exhaust is hazardous to human health[/SIZE][SIZE=2], especially children's; studies have linked air pollution to increased rates of cancer, heart and lung disease, asthma and allergies." [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]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 [/SIZE][SIZE=2]autism to freeway pollution[/SIZE][SIZE=2].)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]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.[/SIZE][/SIZE]