Engine warmup and short distance dilemma.

[KARR]

Greetings everyone.

My new part-time job makes me drive a 1.62 miles distance from home. There's one traffic light about halfway the trip and a climb up followed by a climb down, both with the same length. The problem about this is that the distance is too short and the engine cannot reach its normal running temperature, no matter how hot is the outside air.

On the other hand, there's an alternative way: a 3.98 miles road with about 2 miles of freeway and then the engine can reach the optimal temperature way before I get to work.

I've been choosing the longer way when the engine is cold and the short way when the engine is already warm.

In terms of hypermiling and/or engine wear what would be your suggestions? Is it worth to always choose the short way no matter the initial temperature of the engine?

Thank you.

[theholycow]

Warmup isn't THAT important. You would have to get double the fuel economy for the longer trip to pay off. You'll almost certainly save fuel by taking the shorter route and accepting that the engine won't warm up.

For engine wear, it would make sense to use an accelerated maintenance schedule, with oil changes closer together and using better oil. If you went the longer distance instead, your service interval could be longer (in miles) but you'd still do it as often (in months) anyway.

[dkjones96]

Unfortunately, either trip puts you at the frequent oil changes. It is only recommended to use the longer change interval if you engine runs, at minimum, 7 miles one way.

[maximilian]

Would using an engine heater mitigate the problem?

[theholycow]

I was thinking even more frequent than the usual "severe service" schedule for the ultra-short trip where the engine doesn't warm up.

[ffvben]

I just changed jobs, orig was 33miles one way now its 6. mpg dropped from 22-24 to 15ish blaa but i'm not filling the tank as much

[thisisntjared]

im in a similar dilema with a larger distance. with 1.6 miles i would be riding a bicycle more often

[Mr Incredible]

1.6 miles? I wouldn't even bother unchaining the bike. Sounds like a good walk, and much better for your car.

[BEEF]

couldn't you also get an insurance rate reduction if you walked to work? one of the questions that they ask you is how far you commute to work.

I know you aren't in the US but that may apply everywhere.

walking to work would be awesome as long as traffic didn't mow you down.

[zero_gravity]

bike or walk and if that doesnt work, get a block/coolant heater. put it on a timer, it only needs about an hour.

[almightybmw]

1.6 miles....and you think about driving? Good god man, get off your *** and walk or bike. Even in a rural setting I wouldn't grab the keys.

[KARR]

About walking to the job, the big problem is that I will leave at about 1 am and the way back at that hour is not recommended.

I've already block the front grille, but it is still not enough to warm up the engine through the 1.6 miles.

About the engine. It has already 264.000 miles. I've changed the oil just yesterday. I do it every 6200 miles. Do you think it should be changed more often?

Thank you for your suggestions.

[theholycow]

Yes, you should definitely change it more often. With the engine that old and so few miles going on it, I would probably change oil every 3 months or 1000 miles, whichever comes first...if I was concerned about the engine's longevity.

If I was looking for an excuse to buy a new car, I'd change that oil once per year, which probably would not hurt it anyway (and which would be more often than your 6200 mile interval if you only use it for driving to work).

[shatto]

You can take it with you...and use it on another vehicle.

A By-Pass filter really earns it's keep in your driving situation.
You need to be using the best synthetic oil also.

Our low-use/low-miles driven Prelude has 100,000 miles on the oil and analysis says it is still fine.




The Amsoil BMK-21 By-Pass filter cost $190.00.

The Ea By-Pass Oil Filter (EaBP) provides the best possible filtration protection against wear and oil degradation. Working in conjunction with the engine?s full-flow oil filter, the AMSOIL Ea By-Pass Filter operates by filtering oil on a ?partial-flow? basis. It draws approximately 10 percent of the oil pump?s capacity at any one time and traps the extremely small, wear-causing contaminants that full-flow filters can?t remove. The AMSOIL Ea Bypass Filter typically filters all the oil in the system several times an hour, so the engine continuously receives analytically clean oil.

[theclencher]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Yes, you should definitely change it more often. With the engine that old and so few miles going on it, I would probably change oil every 3 months or 1000 miles, whichever comes first...if I was concerned about the engine's longevity.

If I was looking for an excuse to buy a new car, I'd change that oil once per year, which probably would not hurt it anyway (and which would be more often than your 6200 mile interval if you only use it for driving to work).

Don't fill the guy full of ****.

1000 miles?!?

Regular service interval... or at worst, the factory recommended severe service interval.

Others beat me to it- ride a bike or walk, the neighborhood can't be that tough. If it is I'd move out, that's no way to live.

[theholycow]

Look at any other post I've made about oil change intervals; I always advocate longer intervals than everyone else. This is the only case where I'd advocate not only the severe service schedule, but more than that. He's got a lot of miles on it and drives 1.6mi per trip twice a day. All that's going to do is get the oil all full of condensation and gunk...

Maybe with one long trip per week, a more normal service schedule could be used.

[theclencher]

A simple test to see if that short interval is necessary would be, is the oil on the dipstick all milky? That is from excess condensation.

Another thing that would help more than throwing good oil out is to take the car out of town once in a while and run the **** out of it.

[theholycow]

I agree on both points. In fact, with so much oil changing at stake, it might be worth getting the oil analyzed once in a while. http://www.bobistheoilguy.com is a forum where you can find out where to get oil analyzed, but I don't know if anyone there knows an oil analysis company in Portugal.

[shatto]

Originally Posted by theholycow

I agree on both points. In fact, with so much oil changing at stake, it might be worth getting the oil analyzed once in a while. http://www.bobistheoilguy.com is a forum where you can find out where to get oil analyzed, but I don't know if anyone there knows an oil analysis company in Portugal.

http://www.oaitesting.com/

[slurp812]

My mom killed her 1994 Buick Century short tripping it. GM ended up giving her an entire new car. What ever you do, get that thing on the freeway once in a while to save the car...

[mikemoss]

A By-Pass filter really earns it's keep in your driving situation.
You need to be using the best synthetic oil also.

Our low-use/low-miles driven Prelude has 100,000 miles on the oil and analysis says it is still fine.

How often do you change the oil with the bypass filter? I have heard elsewhere that with a bypass filter some people just add to it when it gets low. I cant imagine that a bypass filter is that good.

[KARR]

I've checked the oil, it's not milky, just the usual black. I'm not doing that commute anymore. Now a travel the same distance on a complete straight line, which I will definitely cover it by bike.

You've referred a by-pass filter, I don't know what that is. Can it be installed in a old diesel engine?

[shatto]

Originally Posted by mikemoss

How often do you change the oil with the bypass filter? I have heard elsewhere that with a bypass filter some people just add to it when it gets low. I cant imagine that a bypass filter is that good.

The Amsoil by-pass filter cleans down to 1 micron. In about 5 miles all the oil is filtered, so it is analytically clean.

Go here and read details: http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/eao.aspx


I sold the Dakota so fast I didn't have time to remove the by-pass....darn it, so I don't have one on the Tundra.

The Tundra has the Amsoil oil and filter changed at 25,000 miles.

On the Dakota, I changed the full flow at 15,000 miles until the current filter came out. The by-pass filter lasted a year or longer, but I usually only changed it when oil analysis indicated it was necessary. 100,000 miles between complete changes was usual.