is it possible to damage an engine from idling too long?

[MISHI]

I have a question: If a car's oil level is not at full mark but near the lower notch and the car is parked at angles where the oil settles a slightly off from the pickup, can oil starvation occur?

[r3iXmann]

idled for 4 hours in my hatch already

[EXODUS]

yes mishi...the same principle for ur gas tank. imagine ur Gas tank level is on E and ur ascending a hill. the car would sputter a lil as opposed to driving on a flat terrain.

[MISHI]

actually I was just trying to incite an "AHA!" moment...

[EXODUS]

o i c

[shotta 20]

It was only friday that i had my car idling in work (from 1:30pm-5pm) , cause the battery wasn't holding charge to re-start the engine to go home.

Battery replaced and car working fine..

Thank goodness for subsidized fuel!!

Nah, burnt less than $10 gas. i didn't mind, was easier than the hassle of looking for a battery to get a start.

[MG Man]

some owners manuals say 'avoid vehicle idling for prolonged periods' but they never say why............my boss told me I too idle but this may be an unrelated issue tho

[illumin@ti]

2 hours, standing still, no air to aid in cooling the engine. It might be possible


This wouldn't happen to be a turbo charged boxer engine by chance?

nope. evo 7 engine

apparently the guy fell asleep in his car for approx 2 hrs with the a/c on

heard a loud explosion

when he woke up there was smoke all around the car and the engine was knocking

when the block was scrapped it turned out to be a spun bearing

opinion is the the car was idling so long that the gas diluted the oil in the cylinder and the bearing wasn't lubricated properly

i just never heard anything like that before and was wondering how plausible it was....

explanation might be much simpler than that ,,, its possible he fell asleep and his foot sank on the pedal ...repeat on limiter ..... boom! *shrugs* meh

[MISHI]

as per this classic video (caution language)

[MadCrix]

civic hatch idled for 2 1/2 hours while i was locked out of it... sold car, 4 years now. engine still goign strong

[Bizzare]

excuse my n00bish question, not much of an engine expert as I'd like to be, but how does idling differ from actual driving, apart from the obvious differences - I mean technically. When idling the only difference is the engine disengaged from the gearbox and at lower RPMs right?

My question is, how does idling too long differ from driving too long?
yes I know its a dumb question

[Stephon.]

Slept in my vehicles enough times with the AC on.

[rollingstock]

excuse my n00bish question, not much of an engine expert as I'd like to be, but how does idling differ from actual driving, apart from the obvious differences - I mean technically. When idling the only difference is the engine disengaged from the gearbox and at lower RPMs right?

My question is, how does idling too long differ from driving too long?
yes I know its a dumb question

Will try to answer in teh limited time i have.

Basically the biggest difference is cooling efficiency, but with newer vehicles this is hardly a problem. There is of course the build up of carbon deposits and the incomplete burning of fuel in the combustion chamber, but all these are minor and not in any way detrimental to an engine.

A vehicle driven for long periods is better able to cool due to air passing across the radiator instead of air being pulled through by the fans, and also air passing through the engine compartment. Then there is the fact that fuel is being burned almost completely, hence less deposits and more air going throughteh exhaust system so so less deposits on the cat/converter.

[X2]

A properly tuned and fully functional car should not suffer any type of catastrophic damage from idling for extended periods.

Some of the items mentioned like carbon deposits, gas making it into the oil, etc... also would not damage a vehicle to the extent quoted by the OP. If the engine is re-tuned and idles too rich, it will, however, taint the oil... but spinning a bearing due to that ? unlikely. Maybe the oil pickup was clogged or the filter, etc... that starved the assembly for oil... maybe the oil pump is bad, etc... As far as a sitting car's cooling ability not being as good when idling... again... I would have to say that is a fallacy... an idling car is not producing as much heat as a vehicle under load, so as long as the cooling system is in working order (fan, thermostat, thermo switch, water pump)... the car should be able to idle indefinitely with no significant damage or even any heavy wear. The fan will cool it just fine... a lot of the benefits of a moving vehicle is to help draw radiated heat from under the hood... not absolutely necessary for a stationary vehicle.

If the Evo7 was sitting for a long time... and the oil has gotten mucked up, this could be a concern when idling as the pump/filter could clog or even piston squirters, etc... can get clogged from cars that have been left in extended hiatus.

[Bizzare]

or so its about cooling.
my pops always taught me to let a vehicle idle for sometime before use.

[redmanjp]

like i said more than likely he fell asleep and his foot relaxed on the x

wont he be dead now if that happened?

btw, should cars nowadays or fuel-injected cars manufactured in the 90s like a Nissan AD wagon have to idle and warm up when you start it up like early in the morning when the engine cold? or is it just a waste of gas?

[X2]

Idling to warm up a car is still just as important today as it was with carb'd cars, etc...

For many reasons... the main reason is that a standard combustion engine is designed to work at specific temperatures... if the engine operates hotter or colder than the temperature it is designed to work, it may run inefficiently or may experience abnormal wear.

Once the oil has warmed up to operating temperature (hence the engine itself is at operating temperature), then the oil itself also functions the way it was designed to... properly lubricating all the proper parts, reducing wear on the parts (bearings, cylinder walls, crank, rods, pistons, pins,...etc... Most modern day cars (EFI) that run ecu control will also tend to have a 'warm up cycle' when the car is cold and this may put more gas in the cylinder during idle to richen and heat up the cycle to get the car to temp faster.

The other major thing that many people overlook when warming up is that automatic transmissions also operate better at temperature... and many cooling systems pass the tranny oil thru the radiator (for cooling)... the upside is that the radiator also helps heat up the tranny oil faster. Since auto transmissions don't pump the oil thru it's casing (as would an engine oil pump)... the warming up of the engine helps aid longevity.

back OT now... lol...

Was the evo sitting a while ? was it sitting outside ? what did the oil look like when you drained it ? How bad did the bearing spin ? Is the rod/crank journal ok ?

[Aaron 2NR]

hmmmm so the underlying question is why was the car idling for so long??


never heard of that happening before though...

[Garrett Inside]

That engine seemed to be not healthy just prior to the damage.
My oil does change color after just one event when racing, so every two events I will change, that is <500 km eh. The oil does literally look burnt.

Remember that same oil does go thru tiny squirters, oil pumps, lines etc so muck is not your friend.
People treat higher boosted cars horribly, so sorry, but hopefully it won't happen again.

I mean seriously guys, one single quality aftermarket engine part on a evo, sti, gtr, silvia etc could cost more than a foreign used complete sr20det, rb20det, etc.

Proper maintenance and upkeep guys!

[rfari]

Why this feeling like a makeout ched?

[MadCrix]

man lookign to cut cost for econo and looking at alternatives... come nah fellars

[cacasplat3]

what type of oil cooler? liquid or air cooled? if air cooled.....well.......

radiator cap condition? if it fails to re-seat properly i could see overheating happening.......especially with the ac running......

idling on a stock car should not cause serious problems....

[InDeForest]

Its obvious the man had previously and/or was in the act of blighting the car...

Were there any mods that may have contributed to cooling system restrictions like a very large intercooler?
How about a change in compression ratio? things like that? All the fans were still working?

[kurpal_v2]

I love this rasta

[gooner]

There is a problem with letting a car idle for too long. It can damage the catalytic converter which can cost $$$

The problem comes with the throttle plate. This is effectively a valve that opens and shuts in the intake manifold and regulates the air flow. It is attached to the accelerator/gas pedal and when the pedal is pressed, the throttle plate opens proportionally. When you floor it, the throttle plate opens 100%. However when you don't touch the pedal i.e. let the engine idle, the throttle plate almost closes- but not quite (or the engine will stall). It is only about 3% open. Under these conditions the engine has to act as a pump, effectively forcing air through in order to run.

The lack of air means the engine will be using much more fuel to run (ever wondered why you use a lot of fuel while in a traffic jam?) and this richer mixture can clog up in the catalytic converter.

If you have to leave the engine idling for any length of time then take the car for a blast down the motorway/freeway and let the engine rev to 5500-6000rpm so the unburnt fuel deposits will be blown out of the system- you will see a cloud of black smoke coming from the exhaust.

[Death-Row]

fans go at any time hoe. could be a coincidence? happen to me b4. never had a prob with idling tho. left my car to idle for 4hrs and just drove off normal after. only thing i can think of is the fan deciding to go at that time.

[rfari]

Dat gyal bress rell nice jed

[X2]

fans go at any time hoe. could be a coincidence? happen to me b4. never had a prob with idling tho. left my car to idle for 4hrs and just drove off normal after. only thing i can think of is the fan deciding to go at that time.

On a very old fan sure... but an oem fan (on most japanese cars) is normally a real trooper.

Obviously tho... if the fan or other part of the cooling system failed, causing the problem... they would find out quickly and discussing it in the thread is moot.... unless it's a betting pool on actual cause.

[redmanjp]

Idling to warm up a car is still just as important today as it was with carb'd cars, etc...

For many reasons... the main reason is that a standard combustion engine is designed to work at specific temperatures... if the engine operates hotter or colder than the temperature it is designed to work, it may run inefficiently or may experience abnormal wear.

Once the oil has warmed up to operating temperature (hence the engine itself is at operating temperature), then the oil itself also functions the way it was designed to... properly lubricating all the proper parts, reducing wear on the parts (bearings, cylinder walls, crank, rods, pistons, pins,...etc... Most modern day cars (EFI) that run ecu control will also tend to have a 'warm up cycle' when the car is cold and this may put more gas in the cylinder during idle to richen and heat up the cycle to get the car to temp faster.

The other major thing that many people overlook when warming up is that automatic transmissions also operate better at temperature... and many cooling systems pass the tranny oil thru the radiator (for cooling)... the upside is that the radiator also helps heat up the tranny oil faster. Since auto transmissions don't pump the oil thru it's casing (as would an engine oil pump)... the warming up of the engine helps aid longevity.

hmmm- a few sites i've come across say it not necessary & is a waste of gas but i guess is because gas prices in the US are so high

[*$kїđž!™]

http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/myths/idling.html

SHOULD I SHUT OFF THE MOTOR WHEN I'M IDLING MY CAR

HERE'S THE RULE OF THUMB: If you're in a drive-through restaurant/business line or waiting for someone and you'll be parked and sitting for 10 seconds or longer... turn off your car's engine.

Why??

For every two minutes a car is idling, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to go about one mile. Research indicates that the average person idles their car five to 10 minutes a day. People usually idle their cars more in the winter than in the summer. But even in winter, you don't need to let your car sit and idle for five minutes to "warm it up" when 30 seconds will do just fine.

But you're not going anywhere. Idling gets ZERO miles per gallon.

The recommendation is: If you are going to be parked for more than 30 seconds, turn off the engine. Ten seconds of idling can use more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it. And when you start your engine, don't step down on the accelerator, just simply turn the key to start.

An alternative to idling is to park your car, walk inside, do your business and then go back to your car.

Here are some other Myths associated with idling.

Myth #1: The engine should be warmed up before driving. Reality: Idling is not an effective way to warm up your vehicle, even in cold weather. The best way to do this is to drive the vehicle. With today's modern engines, you need no more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days before driving away.

Myth #2: Idling is good for your engine. Reality: Excessive idling can actually damage your engine components, including cylinders, spark plugs, and exhaust systems. Fuel is only partially combusted when idling because an engine does not operate at its peak temperature. This leads to the build up of fuel residues on cylinder walls that can damage engine components and increase fuel consumption.

Myth #3: Shutting off and restarting your vehicle is hard on the engine and uses more gas than if you leave it running. Reality: Frequent restarting has little impact on engine components like the battery and the starter motor. Component wear caused by restarting the engine is estimated to add $10 per year to the cost of driving, money that will likely be recovered several times over in fuel savings from reduced idling. The bottom line is that more than ten seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine