warming up engine?
 

hey guys

im new to rotary engines and was jsut wondering how essential is it to warm up the engine before i drive it for the first time in the day, and for trips after that say when im going home from somewhere.
i have a 89 turbo rx7

thanks

you dont HAVE to warm it up before you drive it really.....

but as with any car, piston or rotary, driving the car hard while cold puts more wear on things than normal! so try to drive nicely while warming up.

I let mine sit for 3-5 minutes running before driving it anywhere, then i keep it under 3000RPM until the thermostat opens and the idle drops down to normal. It's not that much trouble, and it might make it last longer.

I just start and drive. Drive gently until it warms up. And, I make an effort to never shut it off cold. This prevents re-start problems and allows enough time for battery to charge back up after cranking.

Do a search for thermopellet.

i like to let her sit for 5mins at least then shift at 2500-2750 when cold

be careful when u turn it off , buy a turbo timer, its a really good investment ...
i had one on my 240sx (swapped with a Skyline r33 half cut ) and before shuting the car off, i always let the timer at 3-5 minutes ( depending if i drove it hard or not , so when u got number like 0-300kmh in 28.9seconds ... its worth to let it rest for a good 5 minutes ...

There's absolutely no reason at all to warm up the car before you drive it. Start it, do up your seatbelt, then drive away. Don't beat on it until it reaches full temperature.

Long warmups are bad for the cats, they waste gas, pollute and just generally waste your time. Also more likely to foul plugs (excessive idling when cold), and walking away from a running car is ilegal in most communities.

thanks everyone for the replys, very helpful

cheers

Mr. Gotboost,

A turbo timer on a stock-turbo'd FC is unnecessary - PERIOD.

The turbo does a fine job of cooling itself, and in no way needs a turbo timer to allow a bunch of junk run through the system to make sure the turbo is properly lubed-up.

Of course, it's never a good idea to go WOT seconds before shutting down the car...in this case, I guess a turbo timer would be alright. But if you go WOT before parking you're car, like in a neighborhood, or the parking lot you're going in to..well, you need more help and realistic driving lessons than a turbo timer can provide.

turbo timers aren't for lubrication. Dude. They cool off the turbo. And they prolong the life of a turbo. Always. They are ALWAYS a good idea. True they don't need it.. Just like they don't need to warm up.. Just more wear and tear. But suit yourself.

And about warming up.. I let mine warm up in the morning especially because i like it to be a little warmed up when i hop in LoL

it IS for lubrication. the timer allows your car to run longer so oil (lube) can go through the turbo and cool it off. plus it lubes up the bearings in the process.

actually since the Turbo of a FC is water cooled, unless you have a radically non stock motor, a Turbo timer will just add wear and tear as well as a waste of money.

There is no advantage to running a Turbo timer on a water cooled stock Turbo. Turbo timers were created for the old Turbo systems, that only used oil cooling and the Turbo tended to coke the oil in the Turbo. With a water cooled Turbo, the bearing temp never gets high enough to coke the oil, even when shutting off after aggressive driving.

In addition, why do you think they cool the motor. You are running your motor for an extra minute...maybe 5 minutes... do you really think that the engine compartment is going to cool down if the car is parked and idleing??? If anything it will prolong the underhood temps, and raise the oil and water temps, as minimal air flow is being sucked through the rad. Its not like the engine is running a 50 MPH on the highway where the engine can really get air flow though the engine compartment. If you actually believe that the engine is getting cooler while sitting at idle... well why don't you check and see if your air conditioning gets any cooler at idle or while you are moving. The air conditioning has the same air being pulled through it at the radiator and the oil cooler... does your air conditioning get cooler when the car is parked and idleing???

It is an old wives tale to say Turbo timers add to the life of a Turbo or motor...

Hehe thanks for clearing that up Mark.

And on a completely different subject,

BTW, hey hows the weather in ST paul... I have to go there on the 12th of this month for a week

www.weather.com search!



im kidding...please dont ban me! :)

yeah, but internt weather is never quite as accurate as somebody right there in the thick of it

dammit, one of the few threads i post in and i get owned

As already mentioned, the turbo does not need prolonged idling to cool it down. It has a water cooling system to do that. The engine's cooling system works much better whan the car is moving, not sitting stationary. Taking it easy for the last mile or two cools the turbo far better and does waste gas.