How much do you guys warm up your bB's before driving off.

Will I do any harm by turning the ignition on and just taking off.

Is is normal for my engine to be doing this.

Every bB owner knows about that blue temp. light that comes on when you turn on the box...

I have never had a car that has to be "warmed up".

Why did Scion do this?


please help!

 

It's just to protect the engine from overextending until it's warmed up... I usually just take it easy for a few blocks, then it's good to go.

 

actually every car has a period to warm up, its not completly horrible to not warm it up, but it helps keep things running longer, give a chance for the motor to get the fluids moving properly

 

Thats why I got the Viper autostart alarm. I let the ol' box warm up before I even walk out tha door. Probably the best $175 I ever spent.

 

I thought I was the only out there doing this "warm up".

It is weird to feel the motor "kick in" when everything is warmed up!

 

I have always warmed my cars up for a minute or two before driving...I just start the car, turn on the radio, flip through the stations, put on my seatbelt and then back out the driveway. I figure it takes about a minute to do those few things and the blue light goes out in about a block of driving. I just never was one to get in, turn the key and stomp on the gas.

 

I sit in the driveway or where ever for a min or 2. Then when I do drive away, I dont take it above 2000 rpm till that light goes out..

 

Im sure you guys know that the owners manual says not to warm up the box, when I first read that I laughed, then I read somewhere that perhaps the oil pump on the xb isnt powerful enough to pump oil adequately when the engine is cold and idiling.

There was a time when I didnt warm up the box but now I just start and go, as easy as I can at first of course, I also use full synthetic oil. To each his own.

 

i have always warmed up, to some degree, every vehicle i have ever had. dis-similar metals take 20 to 30 minutes at operating temperature to reach the same temps through and through. on the other hand i dont want to sit there forever. in the winter here it can take 20 min for the light to go off, while in summer it is off before i have my s belt on! sold my last car 1990 nissan maxima with 210k on it for 2,500 dollars because i took care of it this way. ALSO, since i dont always wait, i am always careful to not LUG or ACCELERATE (more that about 1/4 pedal) until it is warm. i also run mobil I synthetic and change it at 2,500 mi intervals. far superior cold start protection and well worth the price. have been using synthetic since '78 and have noted the improvements in the product over the years. i WILL get over 300k on this box, just you wait and see!

 

I agree with you socks about warming up a vehicle's engine, especially when its very cold out...I have feelings of doubt when I do or dont warm up the box, simply because of what it says in the owners manual, what are your thoughts on why toyota says not to warm up the box? Thanks.

 

None of the car manufacturer's recommend "warming up", nor do Click and Clack. Warming up wastes gas, and the long idling prolongs the time that the engine is running cold on a rich mixture. The best thing for the engine is to allow it run a half minute before driving, and then drive gently until whenever the blue temperature light goes out (which is 137F), and then don't drive hard until another minute or two so the engine can reach operating temperature (184F).
In the days of carbureted cars, a long warm up was essential to safe driveability, as they would easily stall when given gas. It took many minutes of warming up using their chokes and manifold heaters before they would run without stalling.

 

I live in Arizona. So it never really gets that cold here. But I have always let it warm up a little. It's about a half of a mile drive to get to a main road here where I live. So driving thru the neighborhood I just drive to 25 mph posted. It warms up by the time I hit the main road. I bought a scan gauge II. The blue light goes off around 137 deg. I think you prolong the life of a motor by letting it warm up to some degree. My dad has been a mechanic for over 50 years and has always rode are ___ about taking care of vehicles. He says never push a cold motor. SO I don't. Right or wrong according to the experts, I still do it. Every car I have traded in had over 100k on them. And were in very sound condition.

 

That sounds reasonable, but can be taken different ways.
Does "warm up" mean stationary idling?
Does "pushing" mean driving, and does "cold" mean before the blue light goes out?
In other words, are you in favor of idling until the blue light goes out at 137F, before driving?
Or are you in favor of idling for a little bit, then warming up by gentle driving until the blue light goes off?
Section 3 of the Owners Manual specifically says do not warm up by idling:By the time I buckle up, back out of the garage, turn around, and get to the street curb, the idle time is over and the car is ready to warm up by driving gently.

 

I should have made it more clear. Warm up as in stationary. Driving puts a load on the motor. I let the motor warm up to around 100 deg and then drive the 25 out of my neighborhood.

 

During the warmed days I usually just get in and go, maybe let it warm up for 30secs in the morning, n thats it. I'll baby it for a bit, then the blue light goes out and I drive in whatever mood I feel like that day. As for the colder days I'll let it idle for maybe 3-4minutes just so I can get that oil circulating real good, or untill how long it takes me to defrost the ice off all the glass.

 

When Scion says I think they are aware of what's best for the engine. And they specifically say to drive rather than idle.
In any case, in summer it takes less than half minute for a cold engine to reach that 100F, according to the ScanGuage.

 

I am with ya. I am not trying to debate or ____ anyone off. I just feel putting a load on a cold engine is bad. All the oil settles over night in the pan. I think you need atleast a minute for it to circulate. It is however a small motor meaning it takes very little time to do so.

 

The point I was trying to make when I started this thread was that if I don't warm up my XB, there is quite a noticeable drop in power when the engine is "cold".

I never had this problem with any other car.

I am not even sure if this is a problem or not

 

Perhaps it is part of the ECU's self-protection of the engine, same as the automatics not shifting into overdrive until the blue light is off.
Or perhaps in other cars with larger engines, the drop is just not as noticeable.
No engine can make full power when it is cold - the mixture is too rich for best combustion and the oil is too viscous. And it might be more noticeable when there's only 1500cc.