Car idling for ages

[The Basket]

Dunno. Yeah dunno.

Some kid got some Audi so I call him Audiboy and he outside this house with his car idling and does this all the time.

Dunno what he doing and he ain't disturbing the horses so whatever.

But I gots to thinking he idling his motah so long it not good.

Now this is Autumnal weather in good old Blighty so don't worry too much about overheating.

But is that damaging the motorised transport?

I am in 2 minds on this subject.

 

[GrauGeist]

An idling engine does build up carbon deposits across the valves.

Engines were designed be under load, where they hit peak efficiency.

 

[cvairwerks]

Lots of variables come into play.... carb or mechanical or efi, turbo or not, if turbo, the wastegate or vvi, gas or diesel...

Diesels in smaller trucks often idle for hours at a time, for their lifetimes. Under good conditions, gassers can too, but are definitely going to need increased maintenance over their life.

 

[The Basket]

Certainly a modern Audi small engine so probably turbo.

Petrol engine. Fuel injection.

The air temp is low so shouldn't over heat and is 5 years old.

Obviously wasting petrol and causing unnecessary wear and tear but is he damaging the engine by doing that?

I have read many ideas pro and con. As long as the oil is flowing and the cooling system is working fine then it should be ok. Also being in a British Autumnal evening helps.

But I still wonder at the issues.

 

[Stig1207]

Obviously wasting petrol and causing unnecessary wear and tear but is he damaging the engine by doing that?

I bloody well hope so.

 

[pbehn]

I have had to sit in my car for hours waiting for things. No car I have had in the last 30 years would warm up fully on tickover, to get the heater to actually heat the car up you have to rev the engine occasionally. The car I have now shuts down the electrics after about 10 minutes running off the battery so you have to run the engine a minute or so to restore things, tech is wonderful.

 

[The Basket]

He not warm engine.

Engine should be plenty warm.

He just sat there with engine idling.

For many minutes.

So why dunno. That's his beeswax.

Just a mental conundrum.

 

[pbehn]

He not warm engine.

Engine should be plenty warm.

He just sat there with engine idling.

For many minutes.

So why dunno. That's his beeswax.

Just a mental conundrum.

In Russia I worked with guys from Siberia, in winter they frequently just leave engines running, if you stop them for a period of time they dont start again, It doesnt affect the engine but cars dont last long there anyway.

 

[The Basket]

Yeah I am thinking as long as car good then it shouldn't do now harm.

Just a waste of fuel and wear and tear which don't need to be happen.

 

[GrauGeist]

When I was involved with police vehicles, they would use engine hours instead of mileage to determine when a vehicle was to be removed from service and sold.

Typically, an American patrol vehicle runs all the time, when they respond to an incident. This is a holdover from older times when the two-way radio (10a RX/50a TX) and emergency lighting (halogen or strobe) drew a great deal of amperage from the vehicle's system (typically with a 78amp alternator).
With modern two-way radios (5a RX/20a TX) and lighting (LED) along with improved charging systems (125a to 200a alternator), there is no need for the vehicle to be left idling at the scene, but it's an ingrained habit.

 

[The Basket]

How would u know how long an engine has run?

I almost went passed Audi Boy but he moved. He must be a member of this august website.

I guess in the days of carbs and poor quality petrol then maybe idling was am issue.

 

[GrauGeist]

On many newer vehicles (especially ones used in fleet applications), the hour meter is incorporated into the odometer and can either be accessed by the odometer reset button or via the vehicle's computer ALDL port.
The hours accumulate and cannot be reset - they only accrue when the vehicle is "standing" in neutral or park on most models.

 

[ODonovan]

When I was in my second year of college, my girlfriend at the time was a high school senior (class of 1977). One day she drove to school, got out of her car, put her books on the roof, and started talking to a friend. When it was time to go in, she locked the car door, grabbed her books, and they walked in together. That afternoon, she couldn't find her car keys. They were still in the ignition and the engine was still purring away. She had to go inside (no cell phones back then), to call her parents to bring her spare key. 1/4 tank of gas wasted, but zero harm done to the car.


-Irish

 

[SaparotRob]

Life is a learning experience.

 

[bdefen]

When I was in my second year of college, my girlfriend at the time was a high school senior (class of 1977). One day she drove to school, got out of her car, put her books on the roof, and started talking to a friend. When it was time to go in, she locked the car door, grabbed her books, and they walked in together. That afternoon, she couldn't find her car keys. They were still in the ignition and the engine was still purring away. She had to go inside (no cell phones back then), to call her parents to bring her spare key. 1/4 tank of gas wasted, but zero harm done to the car.


-Irish

I worked with a guy who did something similar.

He came to work @ 8 AM, parked in the company lot. Got out of his Jeep Wagoneer (yellow with fake wood on the sides), leaving the keys in, car running. Didn't try to lock it. Went into work, deep in thought. Came out at noon for lunch with another guy. Car still idling away. He took a little ribbing, had a laugh. He drove to lunch in his thoroughly warmed-up Wagoneer.

On the way back from lunch, while driving through a school zone, he got a speeding ticket. 30 mph in a 20 zone.

Must have had a lot on his mind that day.