I keep the rpm low for the first few minutes ... by the time I get out of my development; I am usually good to go.

So my answer is keeping the rpm low ... it is really speed dependant.

 

I would not say keeping the rpm low is the answer, its keeping the load on the drivetrain light.
More rpm equals more oil flow, while bogging the motor at any time is bad, as there is more force on things without the high oil flow/pressure.

On most cars with the auto transmission, when cold the ecu sets the shift points higher to warm the engine up quicker, and get oil flowing to things faster.

So 3000 or 3500 rpm with a light load is fine, shifting at 1500 or 2000 rpm would not be as good...

Brett

 

going 3000 rpm around my neighberhood is a lil to fast..unless I keep it in 1st or 2nd all the way to my subdivision exit....I dont like the way that feels or sounds especially after your car has been sleeping all nite....I'd rather gradually increase my rpms to near 3000rpm....either way I never really go above 3000rpm when im driving regulary. I shift all my gears at 3000rpm even if I've been driving for hours....not to say I've never redlined!!!

 

thanks. would be nice if it showed oil temp info

 

I usually never let me car warm up before driving it. Unless my windows are fogged up and I have to wait til it clears up, I jump in my car and go. I used to do that to my Civic all the time and got almost 200,000 miles out of it before I got my TL. I'm not knocking on the people that 'warm up' their cars for 5 minutes before driving it, but I think it's a waste of time.

 

There is no sensor for oil temperature in our cars (and any other I know of). But it shows exact coolant temperature, which is just as good.

 

It isn't just as good because:
1. of what I said yesterday in my post further up the page.
2. the gages in current cars (most of them and definitely ours) are no more than an idiot light with a pointer and dial, and they do not show exact coolant temperature. They go up to a preset point and stay there unless there is a major malfunction and then they go straight to the top.

Have you ever seen yours move off of the place it goes to once the engine is warmed up? My 87 Olds 98 temperature gage is constantly moving as the thermostat opens and closes. You can watch it go up high and then drop down to operating temp when the thermostat first opens, and then it varies slightly according to the exact water temperature.

 

I just get in the car, start it, fasten seat belt and put the car in drive. I drive normally and let the car warm-up while driving.

I am not saying my method is best. Just how I have driven my cars since the early 90's.

 

Thirty seconds is enough to put it in gear even on the coldest day. Certainly no longer than it takes for the idle to come down.

After that, go easy on the gas pedal and RPMs until the temperature gauge reaches the normal operating temperature. Even after that I wouldn't push it real hard till it's been running a good 15 minutes or so.

 

What do folks mean by cold? Cold is relative to your location. Forty degrees is cold for Tampa and a heat wave for Minnesota. I gather from reading this forum that even if it's -20 below to get in the car and start it, let RPM's come down to the 700 - 800 range and drive normally if you are not a lead-foot. Yes?

 

Maybe even a little more gently than normal, even if you're not a lead-foot.

 

I'm not sure about this but in the RSX-S and the Si, you will not be able to go into VTEC until the engine is warm, does this apply to our VTEC's?...I think so, and getting back to the subject I leave my car outside and only in cold weather I take a few minutes to let the engine warm up a few minutes, enough to go back in the house and take my dog to go P.... , but in the warm months I just get in and drive off ...

 

Where I live, temperatures can get extremely cold (-40°C or °F at the worst). On those days, if you even get in the car, your breath will cause a frost haze on the windshield and you won't be able to see anything.

To avoid this, I do these things (assuming my car is outside, because our garage has one space to park, but we have 4 vehicles):

1. Plug in the car - I can't stress this one enough. The block heater keeps the engine block at a reasonable temperature (still cold, but not frozen solid). Doing this saves a LOT of gas and time in the morning. The engine will warm up significantly faster.

2. Use synthetic oil. I use 0w30 in the winter. I find the engine starts the easiest on this grade of oil.

3. Let the car idle for ~3-5 minutes (depending on temperature, and usually just long enough to get your ice scraping done) just to make the air warm enough to get rid of frost haze. The air will still feel cool to the touch, but it is enough to keep your windshield from hazing over with your breath.

4. Scrape the windows. Having ice on your windows, even the rear ones, will draw heat away to melt it. This is a waste of heat. Scrape it off while the car is idling.

5. Keep a tank of gas over 1/2 full. The car starts easier and seems to drive better (just experience).

6. Drive carefully. If you have an automatic, let the transmission choose the appropriate gear. Remember your tires are still cold too, so their grip will be lessened; drive appropriately. If you have a manual, let it rev just a bit higher than normal (mimick the behavior of an automatic under cold conditions). Don't rev too high though. Try and keep your engine speed to more than 3500rpm below the redline, but don't lug the engine either.

7. Avoid abrupt gear changes in an automatic (ie: don't push on the gas, and then back off, and then push back on the gas; try and keep it steady).

8. When you start the car, have the other electrical systems off to give full voltage and current to the starter (most modern cars do this already).

9. Once you've been driving for a little while, you can do whatever you want (longer times for colder temperatures...if it's -40 outside I suggest driving for 15 minutes before opening up).

10. Try to avoid WOT in the extreme cold for the sole reason that it will suck gas like no tomorrow. The air is extremely dense, and the ecu will compensate for this by richening the air:fuel ratio to normal levels. Of course you'll get a rather large boost in power (like having a super cold air intake), but fuel economy will suffer, and suffer badly! (up to a 50% penalty in my experience, under certain conditions).

 

He's absolutely right. With the other Acura's I've had in the past the Acura MANUAL says don't "warm up" by sitting still for more than one minute, your car will warm up faster by driving it than sitting still.

 

I let it sit for about 30 seconds to a minute when the outside temp. is lower than 45.

 

Sorry, I missed your post. You are right, of course. The only soution is to keep oil level closer to a minimum during the winter months.
HVAC diagnostic mode shows exact temperature in degrees Celsius. I can see that it fluctuates between 81 and 83 when engine is fully warmed up.