Warming up in cold weather

[SwishTDI]

How do you appropriately let a TDI warm up in cold weather? I have seen on a few sites not to allow these TDI's to idle

[cep]

Drive it.

Don't flog it while the blue temp light is on.

Drive normally after it goes off.

[SwishTDI]

I do not flog it while that light is on...but is it okay to let idle for 15 mins prior to leaving as you would any other diesel

[DarthBeetle]

No. just start it and drive under 2500 Rpm, that's what i do. from what i've read, idling doesn't allow enough oil to get up in the turbo and the engine is so efficient that it doesn't heat up. you could idle for a while and not warm it up enough to get the blue light off.

TDI FAQ

[CoriBug]

15 MINUTES?!?!? Sorry, but that's just wasting fuel and it could be bad for your engine. Hook it up to a heater. I've never done that because I always park my NB in a garage.

[oceanjoe89]

I've always been told to start it, let it run for like a minute maybe two (when it's really cold) and then drive it gingerly till it warms up.

[FarrisK]

The blue light goes off too early, IMHO. Wait for the light, then 3 or 4 more minutes.

Idling like you are all talking about gets the ENGINE warm, but does nothing for the transmission. When you take off, your engine is nice and perky, but the trans fluid is still cold and won't flow well. If you're hard on it, it can cause damage.

[cep]

Originally Posted by SwishTDI

I do not flog it while that light is on...but is it okay to let idle for 15 mins prior to leaving as you would any other diesel

Nobody that I know of lets diesels idle for 15 minutes prior to use, not even big trucks. The only reason they idle for a little while is that they have air brakes and can't move until the air pressure is up to the minimum needed to release the brakes. The engine and drivetrain warm up better and faster under a light load.

[simonsi]

Originally Posted by SwishTDI

I do not flog it while that light is on...but is it okay to let idle for 15 mins prior to leaving as you would any other diesel

Many modern diesels net LOSE heat at idle so cool off if left long enough, idling before moving off for 15mins can do nothing but harm IMHO.

[DZLBUG]

How you treat it does somewhat depend on outside temp. When its 10 F or above I usually just start the engine, buckle up, check my mirrors, tune the radio and go and then take it easy for awhile.

If it is below 10 F and especially below zero, I will let it run until the idle smooths out and until the turbo changes tune a bit. The oil does need time to flow and you're not hurting anything by letting it idle for less than 5 minutes. Anything beyond 3-5 minutes of idling is ineffective and completely unnecessary as a cold engine does not really generate any heat at idle.

If you want easier starts and instant heat, get a coolant heater. FrostHeater.com - Welcome

[Johnny.M_CZ]

ALH engines in our cars has 3 special electric plug heaters in cooling circuit. So it warms a motor. But not transmission. You can kick it up, put off all the snow etc. and then drive. But best heat up is under small load as written up. But you do not harm the motor because it warms up by the plugs.

[FarrisK]

Originally Posted by Johnny.M_CZ

ALH engines in our cars has 3 special electric plug heaters in cooling circuit. So it warms a motor. But not transmission. You can kick it up, put off all the snow etc. and then drive. But best heat up is under small load as written up. But you do not harm the motor because it warms up by the plugs.

Those aren't stock over here in the states.

[DZLBUG]

Originally Posted by FarrisK

Those aren't stock over here in the states.

They are on manual transmission cars.

Automatic-equipped cars have the transmission cooler which sort of serves the same purpose.

[FarrisK]

Originally Posted by DZLBUG

They are on manual transmission cars.

Automatic-equipped cars have the transmission cooler which sort of serves the same purpose.

My manual didn't have one.

[The Cheat]

i used to start mine, wait 37 seconds (enough time to buckle, turn on the seats, defrost to low, crank the radio, and light up the morning smoke), then drive off.

of course, if the windshield is iced, nothing i can do then for a few minutes except wait, so i'd go back in and smoke inside the house.

[DZLBUG]

Originally Posted by The Cheat

of course, if the windshield is iced, nothing i can do then for a few minutes except wait, so i'd go back in and smoke inside the house.

Of course, you could have gotten your butt out of the car and scraped the windshield off. Ice takes forever to melt off when the engine is cold and idling.

Originally Posted by FarrisK

My manual didn't have one.

I can assure you that it did.

[FarrisK]

Originally Posted by DZLBUG

I can assure you that it did.

:smacksforehead:

I was thinking block heater that plugs into the wall, like a fullsize diesel pickup.

[Wheatridger]

I'm idling mine for 5 minutes or so before I start school runs at 7 am, when it's 20 degrees or less. If I don't I won't have any defroster as my breath condenses on the inside of the glass. The car seems to be happy with this treatment. My mileage has dropped to 40 or so, but it's only for a few months.

[Smileybug]

Originally Posted by FarrisK

:smacksforehead:

I was thinking block heater that plugs into the wall, like a fullsize diesel pickup.

They aren't just for big trucks! Picked one up for our Mk1 TD Been too cold to want to dig into the car to install it though. Oh irony!

[MichelleRoze]

I don't let mine idle long. I start it up, buckle up, turn on my music and then go.

Has anyone noticed that since it's been cold their engine revs high (like 1.5rpm) then goes down to idle? Never noticed it in the warmer months. Sounds like I revved the engine when I started it, then levels off to normal idle. Strange. Maybe cause it's cold and I have no muffler, I notice it more....