Hi,

Just a simple question I believe. I have a 1,9 TDI Fabia that's 6 months old, and was wondering one thing. I remember in old plain diesel engines, one should not drive fast like 120 km/h before engine reaches it's working temperature, but what's the case with these new TDI engines? Can I drive my car on the highway couple of minutes after engine starts or should I wait until engine reaches it's normal operation temperature, even though that might take up to 10-15 minutes depending on the surrounding outside temperature?

Thanks...

I live approx 1 mile from a main dual carriageway and when really cold in the mornings im always gentle until the engine is up to full working temp.

I try to keep below 2250 in any gear and in 6th in the vrs is plenty until the car is warm!!!

I believe the term is mechanical sympathy

Matt

I live approx 1 mile from a main dual carriageway and when really cold in the mornings im always gentle until the engine is up to full working temp.

I try to keep below 2250 in any gear and in 6th in the vrs is plenty until the car is warm!!!

I believe the term is mechanical sympathy

Matt

Keep it up, no point in thrashing a cold engine

I think that with all engines, driving with mechanical sympathy at all times - that equates to driving with moderate "throttle demands" but do not let the engine labour when it is warming up, if you want it to reward you with a longer service life - ie no rocket science with older or newer engines - just common sense until full operating temperatures have been reached (but I don't know when that is!) will minimise wear on internals.

(Damn, someone beat me to the use of "mechanical sympathy")

Keep it up, no point in thrashing a cold engine

Except to warm it up so a) the engine's cold for a minimum amount of time and you're cold for the minimum amount of time

Just drive it how you would normally.........

Chris

I to am not sure of the correct operating temp or when that is reached, the temp gauge measures the water temp so oil will take longer to warm.

I guess a couple of mins after the water has reached temp the oil be up to temp as well

Im lucky i have a nice straight quiet straight 10miles with no stops or starts to let them engine warm up slowly and correctly.

Matt

The problem is that, it takes approx. 10-15 minutes for my engine to reach 90 degrees (that should be optimal), and the secon problem is that I live like 0,5 mile from the highway, so I usually take the next exit to the highway, just to get some engine warm before hitting 120 kmh. When I asked the retailer about this, he told me that no need to wait, just start and drive regardless of local, regional or highway. The worst part is that in the instruction book it says that "No warm is generated when engine is idle, no need to wait for the engine to reach working temperature" and nowhere in the book it's mentioned that one should not drive above certain speed with cold engine. :(

I think that your handbook is telling you not to start the engine and leave it running at idle until the engine warms up - that would waste fuel and there is a school of thought that considers that engine wear is always highest when cold AND when at idle - so start engine and drive off after a minute. If the ambient temperature is low AND you are trying to warm up the inside of the car, then the engine water will take longer to warm up. I would expect your car to warm up in 10 minutes if it was a petrol and probably 15 minutes if it is a TDI as modern diesel engines (I believe) are so thermally efficient that they do not produce as much waste heat as a petrol engine. If you are in a "cold" region then maybe you need an engine water (electrical) pre-heater and maybe even one of these diesel supplimentary cabin air heaters that can be specified elsewhere in "cold" regions.

I have no problems with cabin warm, as I get warm air after maybe a minut or so, and they told me that these latest models of Fabias and Octavias have this new feature that you don't have to wait like 10 minutes to warm up the cabine, so basically if I need to clean the snow of the car (max 3-5 minutes) once I am in the cabine it's nice and warm

Just need to apply a little common sense here, start car and drive off, no need to let it idle for 10 mins.

Keep revs under 3K, but as a previous poster said, don't let the engine labour either until correct operating temperature is achieved.

Correct operating temperature is when the temp gauge is half way (90oC)

HTH

#shut up and drive drive drive drive#

as long as you dont rev the guts out of it when cold i wouldn't worry.

Correct operating temperature is when the temp gauge is half way (90oC)

Although that is the water temp and not the oil temp

Chris

i have less than a mile drive to the motorway from my house , just generally drive it smoothly without revving too much, and never usually above 60mph for the first 2-3 miles on the motorway

Although that is the water temp and not the oil temp

Chris

Fair point Chris, although it takes about 4-5 miles for the coolant to get to 90oC so the Oil should be flowing quite nicely by then.

Fair point Chris, although it takes about 4-5 miles for the coolant to get to 90oC so the Oil should be flowing quite nicely by then.

A mechanic friend of mine tells me that with modern multigrade oils the oil is pretty much working effectively from the outset, although I have no idea if he has any science to back that up. Looking at how most reps/taxi drivers drive their cars and how long they go on for, it seems to make sense, but it would be interesting to find some proof one way or the other as I'm guessing even a complex multigrade oil has an optimum operating temperature....

Who knows?

Chris

#shut up and drive drive drive drive#

as long as you dont rev the guts out of it when cold i wouldn't worry.

im with you on this one , as long as the engine has had enough time to get the oil round it ,it wil be ok