Hi Everyone: I live in So,Calif,where temps seldom dip below 40*. The question is : In the morning,should I need to warm up my MCS before I start motoring? If so how long or what should I do or not do? kalm

 

I think the general rule is no. No need to warm up longer than maybe a minute. This is what I have read on other threads.

 

At those temps, warm-up should not be a factor. However, I've heard you'll want to run it briefly before max-performing the engine, to ensure the oil has been circulated from the oil pan to between all the moving parts. Laurie's one-minute figure sounds about right.

 

With todays fuel injected cars....warm-up is not needed and only wastes gas. 15-30 seconds max and get rolling. Give it a few miles to get all of the fluids warmed up and then have fun.

 

What about subzero temps?

 

Welcome to the club! You're going to love your MINI. What dealership are you picking it up at?

Warming up your car isn't needed here in SoCal. My wife insists on letting her Frontier run for 3 minutes EVERY DAY to warm it up; even on hot days. 30 seconds is all it takes, and even that probably isn't needed. This would be a good question to ask your MA when you go pick it up. Let us know what he/she says.

 

Check out the owner's manual when you get it. It recommends not idling the car at all, and also keeping the RPM's low until the engine has warmed up.

 

I let my MC warm up for about a min. or so. I think the coldest I've seen my temp. at here in WLA is 49*.

 

1) Read the manual
2) Generally speaking, warming the car up before moving it is a near-complete waste of time and gasoline. You can go almost as easy on the engine WHILE bring the drivetrain up to speed by motoring easy the first few miles. The exception would be if you lived on an uphill freeway on ramp where you had to get into the throttle HARD right out of your driveway, or if the temp is WELL below zero degrees Farenheit.
3) You can drive easy to moderate while the engine is cold, BUT... before you really "give her the boot", make sure your oil is up to temp and the oil pressure has dropped closer to "normal" operating range. NOTE: Water temp or heater output is NOT the best gauge for engine temperature, since it takes longer for the oil (and hence all moving parts) to get up to temperature. Maxxing any engine out before everything is up to temperature is not a good idea. High school physics: differential rates of thermal expansion/contraction and thicker oil at low temps (before it's warmed up) puts additional stresses on the engine.
4) Trans oil should also be warmed before attempting any speedy shifting; auto-trans is the same. While the trans oil/fluid is cold, it's thicker, snd shifting will be delayed or slowed as a result. Go easy, but don't NOT go.

Hope this helps.

Note: There are probably threads ALL OVER here about this, and everyone has an opinion, but I've tried to stick with facts. Fact is, oil doesn't lube as well when cold and thick, the engine takes a while to warm up, BUT that doesn't preclude driving it easy while it's warming up, since that also warms the gear oil, p/s fluid, tires, etc. and gives you some motion for your hard-earned gas money.

 

I never warm up. The engine will warm up more quickly by driving it and you'll save on gas by not idling. The manual even says to start the engine for about 10 seconds then drive away at a "moderate pace" (whatever that is, lol)... at least that's what I recall reading.

 

no.

operational temp for modern cars is -40C to +85C.

socal temp is luke warm even in your coldest days. i know
cause i use to live in LA late 90's.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you
I hope some mechanics chime in on this one

I have long been a believer in darn near start and go (not to the max right away though)
The family next door t0o mae ALL have thes start up system that just drives me NUTE.
A very new ford truck, a very new chevy truck a honda civic or something like that, then they also have motorcycles
The family rule must be to not move untill up to full operating temp (who knows maybe even wait till the cooling fan kicks on)

 

I just start it, red line it in reverse down the drive way and go down the street bumping off the rev limiter. My M3 likes it like that as well.

 

In the old days when piston-cylinder clearance was .008+ and oil came from dinosaurs, careful warming up kept the wear down in the cylinders. Today's cylinders run minimal clearances and synthetic oil flows much faster, so long warm-up a waste of fuel.
That said, you do want to run the engine gently until it's fully warmed up, oil is flowing properly and all the clearances are set. Somebody mentioned a M3 (my previous ride.) The new ones have a tach with racecar-style indicators that warn you about running the engine too fast before it's fully warmed, and a E46 M3 has a lower output/displacement than a MCS. Scale a JCW up and at M3 size it would be over 400HP! When cold, the M3 warns you at ~4000RPM
So my routine for my JCW is simple:
Get in, insert key, put GB in neutral and start it up.
Put on seatbelt.
Tune radio or select iPod.
Drive off, gently on the throttle, staying under 3500RPM until the engine is fully warmed up and I've driven at least 1 mile before hard use. Shift gently too - gearboxes need to warm up also.
If you have to climb a hill, use light throttle in lower gears.
If you have to get on a freeway immediately, take a short ride up the block first.