Question on letting car warm up

[03_TrueBlue_GT]

Hey guys well its gettin friggin cold down here in Houston I have no idea how you guys up north handle this stuff! Well I want to ask is how long should I let my Mustang warm up in the morning before I go to class tomorrow, it will probably be around 30* but with the windchill its supposed to feel like 26* tomorrow around 6:30am. I usually let it run for 2/3 minutes before driving it but for this cold should I just wait longer or just wait 2/3 minutes? Also my drive is about 14 miles to the college and the car never gets in the middle of the temperature gauge and if it does its when Im driving under 40mph and when I get up to highway speeds it goes down... What could be causing this?
Thanks!

 

[twogts4us]

No warm up is necessary. As soon as you have full oil pressure, you're good to go.

As far as the other issue, a stuck or otherwise malfunctioning (or lack of a) thermostat is likely the problem.

By the way, windchill has no effect on an automobile.

And you engine will LOVE the big gulps of cold air...more power!

 

[Rejekt]

Yep ^

 

[bhuff30]

Yup, exactly. No need to let the car idle. It wastes fuel and can actually cause more wear than just driving the car and getting it to temperature. I think most people who let their car idle before driving just want some warm air from the heater.

What temperature is your thermostate set for? I have a new 192* t-stat and it runs slightly below the middle mark. The old and worn (factory) thermostat ran right in the middle, but I always thought it ran a little too hot. Anyway, replace the t-stat. The springs and expansion materials get tired over time.

 

[trinity_gt]

A few thoughts:

30oF isn't really "cold" though it may seem so. Your car won't care about it. However, keep in mind that (a) you can have ice form on the roads, especially insidious "black ice" so watch the road and (b) that summer tires (and even "all seasons") grip the road with far less tenacity when the temperature falls below about 7oC (or 44.5oF) so go easy on on- and off-ramps.

The advice above is generally sound. Idling a modern car isn't needed. Getting underway will be better overall than simply idling. Having said that, don't beat on it either. Wait until you've got some temperature in the coolant -- and thus in the reciprocating parts and oil -- before revving the piss out of it or loading it heavily.

As for your temp, I agree with the others: the thermostat is probably stuck partially open. You might also want to verify the coolant level in the expansion tank. If it's low, don't add any until you change the T-stat and if it is low, you'll need to find out where the coolant is going.

 

[N8Dogg98]

Hey guys well its gettin friggin cold down here in Houston I have no idea how you guys up north handle this stuff! Well I want to ask is how long should I let my Mustang warm up in the morning before I go to class tomorrow, it will probably be around 30* but with the windchill its supposed to feel like 26* tomorrow around 6:30am. I usually let it run for 2/3 minutes before driving it but for this cold should I just wait longer or just wait 2/3 minutes? Also my drive is about 14 miles to the college and the car never gets in the middle of the temperature gauge and if it does its when Im driving under 40mph and when I get up to highway speeds it goes down... What could be causing this?
Thanks!

It's been between -10 and -20 the past few days in the AM here in MN. My car (Chrysler New Yorker) is really noisy at start up due to the thick oil, but I let it run for about 15-20 seconds and get on the highway about 2 miles from my house. I try not to let the revs climb above 2500... been doing this outside in every winter with every car I've ever owned and it's never caused an issue. Hell in 30* weather we breakout the shorts, t-shirts, the BBQ, and some even drop the top on their convertibles up here in MN

 

[SlammedGT]

30 is t shirt and windows down weather around here

 

[N8Dogg98]

30 is t shirt and windows down weather around here

yep, break out the champagne and condom's... 30* = party time

 

[Rejekt]

Snow today... and they're calling for 60 degree weather this weekend. lol Crazy ass southern weather!

 

[midnightdriver]

It was 74 degrees today by me and suppose to stay in the 70's for the next week or so.

To OP

My car when I am on the freeway about 70ish my car tends to run a little cooler than if I am sitting in traffic. My gauge reads about a little to the left of the little temp sign (1/16") on the gauge when on the freeway for awhile (about 30+ miles) and in traffic it reads basically on the left side of the temp sign somewhat covering.

I did notice after I completely flushed my coolant system over the summer that the car runs a little cooler too but on my SCT it data logs around 189-193*.

 

[03_TrueBlue_GT]

Thanks for the responses guys I appreciate the input... Funny thing happened to me today with the car, I go and start it as normal this morning for class and it gets me to school all ok without a problem, then i get out of class and the battery was dead... Ok well I got to thinking what may have done this? I did drive up there with my lights on, I had the radio blaring on the way up too... I only went 50mph the whole way... Hmmm

I couldnt figure it out bc I turned the lights off of course when I parked and the car only sat for about 4hrs... Anyways I still cant think of why the battery was dead beside it being miserable cold and it being an O'reillys battery... When I got the car jump started it started right up and idled fine but when I went to leave the parking spot the car started hesitating and bucking like wild, and then it suddenly died... I automatically went to restart it after it died and it cranked right back up... Now when it was bucking the theft, abs and traction control lights all came on, I thought that it was in a theft mode because it came on but other than that I have no idea what the heck happend to my car....
Any Ideas?

O btw how hard is it to replace the thermostat?

Thanks again guys

 

[midnightdriver]

Thanks for the responses guys I appreciate the input... Funny thing happened to me today with the car, I go and start it as normal this morning for class and it gets me to school all ok without a problem, then i get out of class and the battery was dead... Ok well I got to thinking what may have done this? I did drive up there with my lights on, I had the radio blaring on the way up too... I only went 50mph the whole way... Hmmm

I couldnt figure it out bc I turned the lights off of course when I parked and the car only sat for about 4hrs... Anyways I still cant think of why the battery was dead beside it being miserable cold and it being an O'reillys battery... When I got the car jump started it started right up and idled fine but when I went to leave the parking spot the car started hesitating and bucking like wild, and then it suddenly died... I automatically went to restart it after it died and it cranked right back up... Now when it was bucking the theft, abs and traction control lights all came on, I thought that it was in a theft mode because it came on but other than that I have no idea what the heck happend to my car....
Any Ideas?

O btw how hard is it to replace the thermostat?

Thanks again guys

Don't know on the thermostat but I would check to see if you alternator is going out unless you left the door ajar or left something on. I would get both the battery and alternator tested, which is free. You could also scan for any codes.

Guess* The bucking seems normal if your battery was dieing because the engine is misfiring/fuel pump shutting on and off. The lights always dsplay when the car stalls out, or at least on my car when I stall out on a steep hill

 

[sneaky98gt]

And you engine will LOVE the big gulps of cold air...more power!

Definitely! With my non-intercooled blower (read: VERY temperature dependent), I'd be willing to bet there's a 30+ hp difference on a 80* day versus a 40* day.

Snow today... and they're calling for 60 degree weather this weekend. lol Crazy ass southern weather!

Lol. Snow was gone in like 30 minutes.

 

[mrvax]

Agree on having the codes scanned. Could be an alternator issue.
Coolant temps usually rise in stop/go traffic and drop when driving at highway speeds due to the large amount of air entering the radiator. Your T-stat may be OK if you do get heat during your 14 mile trip.

 

[03_TrueBlue_GT]

Well I went today after work and had the cars alternator and battery checked and they both came up good, nothing bad on anything... I also noticed that the coolant resevoir was a little low so I added a little more to it, Im not too worried about the thermostat cause it hasnt really acted up that much, yesterday I did a lot of city driving and it stayed right in the middle of the temperature gauge and didnt budge... I think the cold air from the friggin cold fronts are what affects it... Thanks for the help on it though

 

[Hardtop68]

Did they check the diodes? sometimes they just skip that if you do not mention it... If some diodes are gone the output voltage will be low thus not charging the battery... a sign of diodes fault is a whinning sound from the alternator... I do not heat the engine up, I drive right away up to 1500 RPM until the needle starts moving... Do the odometer trick to read the coolant temperature signal when the needle starts to move.. or you can choose another reference point to start driving normally...

 

[Dark04GT]

Agree on having the codes scanned. Could be an alternator issue.
Coolant temps usually rise in stop/go traffic and drop when driving at highway speeds due to the large amount of air entering the radiator. Your T-stat may be OK if you do get heat during your 14 mile trip.

+1. Your thermostat sounds like it is working fine. I wouldn't worry if it doesn't hit the middle. Most of the time mine doesn't make it up to the middle, especially if it is a short hwy trip.

Now for the alternator... best of luck. I would start with the basics and make sure all of the battery connections and alternator connections are on tight / all the connectors are clean. Then it might be time to check for error codes/ think about alternator replacement.

 

[trombonedemon]

Electricity is still a mystery to the best of the best, I'm still figuring how a low voltage L.E.D. could have turned my dash lights on, any who. My interior dome light was left on, and for the life of me, I could not figure out why my car P.A.T.S. system kept going off. I turned the light off and the alarm stopped going off.
Point being, you might want to do some test your self like voltage trickle and or some parasitic draining of your battery, the tests are posted here on Stang Net or to other websites.
Like someone stated just because the alternator and battery tested ok, does not mean the two are.
Battery can give normal voltage and be completely a dud.

 

[Blackponies]

As far as warming up goes my engine warms up pretty fast but it's my transmission that sucks when it's cold. Won't shift into 2nd or 3rd until the trans is warm. That's the only reason I let mine idle for about 5 minutes when it is below freezing. It doesn't get driven much in the winter anyway because it's never seen road salt. I usually ride my SUV in the winter since it's got remote start...LOL.

 

[03_TrueBlue_GT]

Update


Well its been a week since this happened and the car hasnt given me any problems at all in fact it did really well on a road trip visit to a college im interested in going to... I really think that it was the cold weather that made it do that thats the only thing I can think of... Thanks for all the help too guys!

Btw Blackponies I know what you mean, when the car is cold the transmission seems to be a little bit of a pain to get into gear.. Mine does it only when its really really cold like it was last week here...