Last Monday we had our monthly Corvette Club meeting. I had a great time, hanging out with Xracer and Red73. After the meeting we saw some interesting things that people do when starting their Vette when it is cold out.

[Story time]When I first start my car after it has been sitting for a while, I go through a step by step procedure: Check the oil, adding more if nessary. Get in the car and pump the gas 3 to 4 times. Turn the engine over for 2 to 3 seconds. If she does not fire, I pump the gas 2 or 3 times and hit the key again. This normally gets the car running if it has been sitting for a few days. Once it is running, I pull out of the garage and let it sit in the drive way at idle until the temp comes up before driving.
If the car has been sitting outside in ~40 degree weather for 2 to 3 hours, I will start it up and let it idle until the temp comes up. If I try to drive before the temp comes up, the car bucks and stalls. (probably a simple choke adjustment on my part) [/Story time]

After the meeting, while we were standing in the parking lot, a couple got into their 75 coupe. It is a super nice looking car, has a new crate engine, and a under car chambered exhaust system. (which sounds SWEET!) Now this is what kills me. They get in the car and start it. I would say 10 seconds after the car is running, he rev's it up to 3000 or 4000 RPMs. (the chambered exhaust really does sound sweet!) He them pulls out onto the road and hammers down as he leaves the parking lot. (did I say how good chambered exhaust sounds?) :)
I would not even think of doing this in my daily driver, let alone in my Vette. Am I just really **** about starting my car? I didn't think it was a good idea to rev a cold engine.
What is your opinion on this? Do you let your engine warm up before you rev it up, or drive away?

-John

:cheers:

 

Pics of the car John's talking about. The engine was a new crate motor this past summer.

 

I have looked into this and here's what I found:

Letting a car idle until warm is NOT good. Chevies rely on splash oil for camshaft lubrication and there is very little oil splash at idle.

Best thing is to drive the at engine speeds below 2500 rpm, and only light load until the coolant is at operating temp.

No, revving a cold engine to 4000 rpm and peel out is not a good thing to do. :eek:

 

From my point of view it ain't that bad but its not good either....letting your engine idle for a little while will make sure that its well oiled up. And since the oil gets thicker in winter, its a good thing to let it idle a bit more. Thats the only reason I could see.

 

OK, here's my $0.02. Move to a warm climate and drive your car 365 days/year. Just a suggestion.

 

I hate you 79MakoL82 :D

 

Long idle times are bad for several reasons; fuel economy, oiling and blowby. Most car manfacturers recommend a very short warm up followed by moderate driving. Avoid heavy loads or excessive rpms until fully warmed up. The engine actually warms faster, has better oiling, reduced oil contamination and fewer emissions when driven at moderate speeds after a brief warmup.

That being said, I'd rather purchase a used car from the long warmup camp than the hammer 'n go types :smash:

 

My start procedure (from the Owners Manual that came with my documentation package for my car):

1) Quickly press accelerator all the way down once and let up fast (this sets the choke closed and kicks the linkage into fast idle).

2) Crank with very slight pedal pressure until it fires up (usually 2 - 3 seconds).

3) If it doesn't fire right up, well, that never happens.


As for idle, I let it idle for 1 - 1.5 minutes max before driving off. I then keep it below 2,500 until it is at operating temperature. You can damage motors by revving them so much that the secondaries open before the engine is warm...

When I get a chance, I'll scan the page that I'm talking about that has the starting instructions on it. And remember, if you flood it, hold the pedal all the way down before cranking again or you'll never un-flood it.

:smash:


[Modified by rainman69, 1:18 PM 11/28/2001]

 

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

sdotson: You KNOW how funny that is coming from me. Like I said, Florida does have it's advantages too. :cool: :lol:

 

79MakoL82 - What's up? Just last week you were complaining about Florida
& cold calling tan salesmen that play too much golf.

 

A "warm climate" doesn't necessarily mean Florida. I would also say that there are advantages to a warm climate (which DOES include Florida) and one of those is being able to drive your Vette 365 days/year. My rant last week was a result of 18 months of frustration. I have my good days and I have my bad. I'm not completely against Florida, in fact there are many excellant things about it, unfortunately for me, employment is not one of them. I DO enjoy driving my Vette every day, and have no "cold start" problems. :D

 

I usually drive it out of my driveway immediately after I start it (due to not wanting to tick off the neighbors at 7 AM). Then I drive very nicely until the oil pressure at idle is near what it is when fully warmed up. This is usually after the coolent reaches normal temps.

 

Two things- I drive my Vette more in the winter than Summer and hammer down takeoffs on a cold motor will eat up valve seals.