Turn off or Idle?
Oct 21, 2023 12:57:48 #
Someone posted on a local forum about wasting gas while idling a car's engine. Someone replied that it takes more gas to restart an engine than to run it for three minutes. That never made sense to me.
Contrary to popular belief, restarting your car does not burn more fuel than leaving it idling. In fact, idling for just 10 seconds wastes more gas than restarting the engine.
https://www.edf.org/attention-drivers-turn-your-idling-engines#:~:text=Contrary%20to%20popular%20belief%2C%20restarting,warm%20up%2C%20even%20in%20winter.
Contrary to popular belief, restarting your car does not burn more fuel than leaving it idling. In fact, idling for just 10 seconds wastes more gas than restarting the engine.
https://www.edf.org/attention-drivers-turn-your-idling-engines#:~:text=Contrary%20to%20popular%20belief%2C%20restarting,warm%20up%2C%20even%20in%20winter.
Oct 21, 2023 13:08:28 #
MosheR
Loc: New York City
When my Prius Prime idles, it switches to electric mode. When I'm driving, and I need it, it automatically switches to gas.
Oct 21, 2023 13:31:37 #
MosheR wrote:
When my Prius Prime idles, it switches to electric mode. When I'm driving, and I need it, it automatically switches to gas.
Clever.
Oct 21, 2023 13:35:50 #
MosheR
Loc: New York City
jerryc41 wrote:
Clever.
That's just the way plug in hybrids are. When they can, they switch from gas to electric.
Oct 21, 2023 13:51:31 #
Of all the different operating modes you can use with a car engine, idling is the worst except for long term Wide Open Throttle operation. I wholeheartedly agree with the article you posted. You don't need to worry about wear & tear on the starter from frequent re-starts with the modern automobile. Cars today start running as soon as one cylinder is cranked over top dead center on the compression stroke, which is to say almost instantly.
One of the most detrimental things one can do to an engine in cold climates is to crank it up and let it idle to warm up. Fat chance cylinder walls will be oiled properly with cold heavy oil like that. Idling is the very slowest way to warm up a car in cold weather. I could go on and on about that but will leave it alone at this point to keep it short.
One of the most detrimental things one can do to an engine in cold climates is to crank it up and let it idle to warm up. Fat chance cylinder walls will be oiled properly with cold heavy oil like that. Idling is the very slowest way to warm up a car in cold weather. I could go on and on about that but will leave it alone at this point to keep it short.
Oct 21, 2023 13:53:22 #
What we have is pretty common, I think. When at a stop, the car engine just stops after a few seconds, and when you tap on the gas to go again it does a quick re-start. This is apparently to save fuel.
Oct 21, 2023 15:38:22 #
frankco
Loc: Colorado
With the old carbureted engines of the past it was true that starting an engine burned a lot more gas than a warm engine idling. Until the engine warmed up the choke would feed extra rich fuel/air to the cylinders. Pressing the pedal would squirt an extra dose of gas via the accelerator pump. FYI: An idling engine can burn up to 1/2 gallon an hour. That would be 0 MPG.
Oct 21, 2023 20:31:27 #
MosheR wrote:
When my Prius Prime idles, it switches to electric mode. When I'm driving, and I need it, it automatically switches to gas.
Just remember to feed the little hamsters under the hood. After a while, when you step on the gas, the car will slow down if you don’t. Poor little buggers, they bought the farm.
Oct 21, 2023 21:25:24 #
MosheR
Loc: New York City
Scruples wrote:
Just remember to feed the little hamsters under the hood. After a while, when you step on the gas, the car will slow down if you don’t. Poor little buggers, they bought the farm.
I keep a bag of peanuts handy. If you get hit by my car, you have to go to the hospital to have them remove it.
Oct 21, 2023 22:49:18 #
If I'm going to be gone for just a short time I let my car idle. I think it saves wear and tear on the starter. I do that unless I am not in a safe place.
Oct 22, 2023 05:10:47 #
I drive a fairly new Porsche 911. It has a button that if I keep it off it will turn the engine off automatically at stoplights. I like it to do that on my wife for first love to do that so I have the button on when she is in the car.
Oct 22, 2023 05:17:43 #
frankco wrote:
With the old carbureted engines of the past it was true that starting an engine burned a lot more gas than a warm engine idling. Until the engine warmed up the choke would feed extra rich fuel/air to the cylinders. Pressing the pedal would squirt an extra dose of gas via the accelerator pump. FYI: An idling engine can burn up to 1/2 gallon an hour. That would be 0 MPG.
Oct 22, 2023 07:59:49 #
ed3
Loc: Belton, MO
It is a government dictate, manufacturers are required to make it that you cannot permanently opt out. And it requires that you go through a sequence to turn that function off every time you turn the car on the first time. With this function on and you save fuel, in a week it required restarting the car several hundred times and saved less than one half gallon of gas. Image who is going to pay for the starter motor replacement.
Oct 22, 2023 08:05:27 #
Stop and go is not that great for an engine , you save 1/10 mile per gallon????. also in an automatic trans , you need an electric oil pump to keep the system under pressure . Also , how long dies the starter last ?? . There is a gadget that plug into the obd2 plug to cancel that shut off .
Oct 22, 2023 08:05:37 #
I can't speak to the amount of gas used but re-starting should take a hit on the battery and starter. I don't know the long term impact to them but the little gas used could cost less that both on them.
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