A car’s engine needs a certain operating temperature in order to function properly. This is especially true for modern cars, which have lots of computerized parts that don’t work well outside a specific range of temperatures.
Cars need a warm-up period because the parts of an engine must reach a specific temperature before they’ll work together efficiently and deliver maximum power from the engine.
The longer it takes for your car to warm up, the more gas you’re wasting, and the more emissions you create while driving your car. Most motorists don’t realize how important it is to let their engines heat up fully before driving off on cold mornings. In many cases, this advice applies even if weather conditions aren’t extreme at all - but particularly during extremely cold weather, a longer warm-up period is necessary.
If you’re wondering why does my car take so long to warm up, read on for all the details!
What Happens During a Car’s Warm Up?
During a cold start, gasoline engines require several minutes or even as much as 10 minutes of idling before they can deliver full power and maximum fuel economy. It takes time for the oil to reach operating temperature and work efficiently between moving metal parts. When an engine is cold, friction increases dramatically at first. The oil is also thicker and less effective when it’s cold - it doesn’t flow as well through lubrication points in the engine. Therefore, engines need extra time to warm up whenever they’ve been sitting unused for at least several hours.
Even with a modern diesel engine, it takes time for the glow plugs to heat up and warm the cylinders so that ignition can occur when you turn on your car’s ignition key. On many newer cars, the glow plug indicator in your instrument clusters lights up before you even start your car so you know when this is happening. If your dashboard doesn’t have an indicator light telling you when these are warming up, keep in mind that most likely they’re working hard behind the scenes while you wait for your motor to fire into life.
Why Does My Car Take So Long to Warm Up?
Cars take longer to warm up in cold weather because engine parts don’t operate until they reach certain temperatures. Before a car can work hard enough to reach high engine speeds that generate maximum horsepower, the pistons, and other parts must warm up. In order for your car’s battery to deliver maximum voltage - which is necessary to get spark plugs sparking and glow plugs hot enough so they work efficiently - you need a minimum temperature in the cylinders.
In extremely cold weather, damage can occur if you try to start a cold engine too quickly. This happens because when certain engine parts are very cold, it only takes a little extra heat from sudden combustion before these parts expand beyond their usual working tolerances or break altogether. If this occurs while there’s still no oil in the crankcase because the oil hasn’t had time to warm up yet , major damage will result.
If you don’t want to risk breaking your car, why not let it warm up before driving off on cold mornings? You’ll save money and help the environment. Plus, you’ll reduce the chance of damaging your engine when it’s at its coldest. That way, it will last longer and serve you well for many years!
