How long should you warm up your vehicle? — via drivingdotca WinterDriving Troubleshooter
The biggest risk to an engine is putting it under load by engaging the transmission and moving off before all its oil has a chance to circulate to all of the lubricated components. This is when wear can accelerate, sowing the seeds of premature issues. Fortunately, even at the coldest outdoor temps, most passenger- and light-truck engines’ full oil pressure and flow is realized within a minute of startup.
An engine can reach normal operating temperatures much faster under load than just at idle. Reaching that point brings welcome heat into the cabin and allows the engine controls to lean out the fuel mix quicker, meaning better fuel economy. But it’s not just the engine oil you have to worry about on cold starts and take-offs. Transmission and power-steering fluids have to be up to pressure and flowing freely to avert premature wear and performance problems. Depending on the types of systems involved, the time and temperature factors can differ.
As a rule of thumb, wait until the fast idle settles down to its normal engine speed . Once you do take off, start with gentle acceleration , then head safely on to your winter commute without delay.
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