Do I need to warm it up?

I guess its a simple question but I don't really know... I live in the coastal Norcal area and make a lot of short, (less than 10mi.) hilly trips. Use 10/40 if that matters. Should I warm my car up for a min or two before I drive it? I love the car and want it to last. Thanks for any info-

- TJ

First -- stop calling it a "car" or we'll have to kill you -- it's a "Jeep" or a "truck" or an "XJ," but certainly not a car!

Warming it up before starting is not the best way to preserve it. Frequent short trips that don't allow the engine to reach and run at normal operating temperature don't burn off condensates and such in the oil, but idling for two minutes when cold adds more condensate rathe r than reducing it. It would be better to just follow a "severe duty" oil change interval. Before I switched to synthetic, I changed oil and filter every 2500 miles, just because that was an easy interval to keep track of. (I didn't go by mileage from the last change -- just looked for multiples of 2500 on the odometer, so one change might have been at 2600 and the next at 2400, but still considerably better than what the factory calles for.)

Thanks much. Ever since I found this site I have been fixing up my TRUCK (my bad!) and lovin' it. I'm no longer worried on the back roads. I've put in new CPS, AIS Motor, temp and speed sensors, muffler,radiator, K & N filters, rancho shocks, starter, w-pump and a round of Techron Fuel system cleaner. I CAN NOT BELIEVE how good this truck is running now, And I want to keep her that way- thanks to all who post on this site. Question: I read the oil filter review. All I can find around here is Fram and K & N oil filters. Is there a place to order a cheaper, high quality oil filters (bulk?) online? What part # ? The K & N works great but was a kinda $$$ if I'm gonna change oil every 2500mi.

Thanks everyone...

BTW, Eagle, why did you switch to synthetic? I think I read somewhere you recommended dino oil for my type of driving. True?

- TJ

If you are doing a lot of short distance dirving, use dino oil and change it often...especially in winter.

You should NOT let any car sit and wrm up for the above mentiond reasons. It is much better to just get in it and drive since it will get up to temperature much, much faster, rather than lingering in that luke warm range for ever.

I live in Hotlanta and drive it a lot. Have always used Mobil-1 or Shell Rotella T synthetic. Currently over 188K miles and it runs great and doesn't use a drop of oil.
It's your call really, cause 100 people will tell one way or the other.:anon:

truckeejeeper said:

BTW, Eagle, why did you switch to synthetic? I think I read somewhere you recommended dino oil for my type of driving. True?

- TJ

Click to expand...

I agree with Manny -- with a lot of short trips I think it makes sense to get the condensates and acids out as often as possible.

I changed over because I put on a lot of miles and my 2,500 mile oil change interval was getting very burdensome. My brother is a tech advisor at a BMW dealership, and when he told me that BMW now ships their cars with synth in them and recommends a 15,000 (that's THOUSAND) mile oil change interval, I decided I could safely run synth on a 5,000 mile interval and save a few nights on the cold hard ground.

Also, the oil pressure on the '88 was going away. 10W40 wasn't doing the job in summer, and 20W50 was too heavy for winter cold starts. Mobil-1 has a 15W50, and the Castrol I now run is 5W50. Castrol is the synth oil supplier for Volkswagen, so I figured if it's good enough for them it's good enough for me.

The engine runs a tad quieter with the synth, gas mileage may be a smidge better (but may not), and I don't use more than a half quart in 5000 miles, so I think it was a good decision.