m5monster

Guys,
How long do you guys let the engine warm up when starting up first time of the day, in the morning?
Manual says after starting the engine drive off immediately. Well, I waited for a minute before drive away. And does ambient temperature affects the time?
Appreciate your reply.

MEnthusiast

My take on this is that the engine will let you know when its warm enough to begin harder revs. Heres what I do. When I start in the morning I drive out of the garage and I can sense the engine not wanting to rev and being very hesitant. So I slowy bring the revs up to like maybe 3000 and then I shift. I dont go over 3000-3500 when its cold. Sure the lights tell you that you can go over this number but I drive the car by feel and it feels like the engine wont like that. In about 5-10 minutes the engine loosens up. The tach lights recede and I take a look at the oil temprature. If the engine feels loose now and if the oil temprature needle has moved to the 1/4 position (I find that by the end of my drive its closer to 1/2) then I can now drive the car like I normally do (not truly aggressively but I like to rev it and enjoy the engine). At this time in the morning I wouldnt be doing an immediate full throttle, but I bring the revs up in a gentle manner. I had over 60,000 miles on a E36 M3 before the M5 and I drove it this way every day and when I turned the car in it felt like the engine was getting better every day. The M5 engine is beginning to exhibit some of this now at around 7600 miles.

ME

fais2000

i keep it below 3k until all the lights are out. i never bring it up 3k until at least the first light goes out, after that if i really wanted to (out of impatience or such), i may take it to 3.5k or just below the light, but almost never do. I dont warm the car up before driving, dont think it is necessary.

fas

rtorre

m5monster,
--I would recommend this:
1st.- wait 30sec at idle just for the oil pump to oil the upper parts of the engine
2nd.- start driving (as MEnthusiast said) a.s.a.p. to warm up the engine "on the move" for if you decide to warm it at idle A) it takes for ever, and B) the engine starts accumulating carbon deposits in the valves; but don´t rev it hard until the oil temp. NEEDLE has reached at least 1/4.
--
--Also, remember that not only the engine has to warm, but so the transmision liquid and the differential grease (I call it grease, it is too thick for me to call it oil), for which you have no gauges to monitor their temp. Here you don`t measure waiting TIME but waiting DISTANCE: the transmision and the rear axle need to ROLL for them to warm up (I guess about 3-4 miles would do the trick). So, although it is now safe for the engine to drive it to the red-line, the engine-transmision-rear axle system won`t perform at it`s best until the oil AND coolant temp. needles have reached nearly 1/2. (If outside temp. is below about 40F driving easy will only bring it to 1/3; you must drive it hard for a while to bring it to 1/2)

Ricardo

alpywhite

Having owned a blown car, I stick to the following rule of thumb.

Shift at around 2500-2750 for about 5 minutes, or at least until the needle's out of the blue.

m5monster

Great advice everybody!!!!
You guys never cease to amaze me. How come you know so well about the car?
Like MEnthusiast said, I do feel the engine being hesitant in the very first drive of the day, like 5 minutes or so. In 1st or 2nd, after acelerating 3000rpm, and reelease the gas pedal, feels the car is braking.

bobafett

Out of habit, I keep the revs below 3k until the engine temperature is just past 155 degrees (the 1/4 mark, which is where mine stays tegularly). It takes about 10 minutes, but then you can push it. Ignore the changeup lights.

--Dan

proust0657

I usually wait till the rev light gone to 6 then I start my day with the beast. usually takes about 10 min for me to warm up. most of time Im not in hurry,also I feel better this way.
just my 2 cents

alpywhite

Sometimes I'll leave her outside all night, then place a cinder block on top of the gas pedal and crank her over.

I'll sit on my balcony and sip tea, giggling like a maniac, listening to her bounce off the rev limiter..."that will teach you to be cold with ME, you and your fancy progressive redline"

(kidding...kidding...)

Mattar

I let it sit for 3 mins till the first light of the RPM goes off.

Italia

M5Monster,

Thanks for bringing this up. I was wondering myself what the proper method was. It's good to be reassured that what I've been doing pretty much is consistent with everyone else here.

Isn't this board great?

MAVERICK

Alpywhite:
LOTFLOL! That's too funny. As you said, that'll teach her to be cold with you in the mornings. After all, who can blame you for wanting her to perform to the highest limits at the snap of your fingers, right?

Mattar: 3 minutes!! That's way too long. Between 30 & 45 seconds is more than enough for oil pressure to stabilize, and then you really should start rolling. Don't exceed 3000rpm for the first 3 miles and don't exceed 4000 until all the lights extinguish.


[This message has been edited by MAVERICK (edited 11 February 2001).]