warming up in the morning!

[Rosie]

How long should I let my 67 series 88 Rover, with rebuilt engine (very new), warm up in the morning before I take off?
I am in NY.....cold

[Jeff Aronson]

Warm Up

I'm in Maine, also sort of cold, and neither of my '66 II-A's has ever warmed up very quickly. But I don't know if there's an absolute recommendation that works here.

Ideally, you want to warm the car up enough so you don't need the choke for it to run smoothly. The less rich you run the car, the better for overall life and short term gas mileage. The warmer the gearbox and transfer case, the easier the car will be to shift, but they really only warm up when the car is underway. Both of my cars are s-l-ow to shift until the gear oil gets warmed up; that's why enthusiasts with gearboxes that don't leak run synthetic gear oil for smoother operation.

I admit to being quite "frugal" so I generally drive mine off as soon as it starts; I hate wasting gas on warm up. That said, the car is certainly more comfortable once the heat has actually started to flow.

I run a "winter" thermostat this time of year; the higher temperature heats the coolant more before the thermostat opens so I get more heat. It's an easy replacement and worth the change twice a year.

Jeff

[scott]

i'm about to begin the break in of a new rebuild. fortunantly i'm in NM and the winters aren't so cold. the first 500 miles shoud be run at various rpms so if you've already have 500 on your motor i'd say let it idle as long as you want. i will avoid morning starts such that i can take off for city driving after just a minute or two until the 500 mile break in is complete.

[Moose]

Your engine will heat up much faster while you drive the truck. And the engine needs to work to get some heat into it. It's been known to get a might chilly up here in the Great White North on occation but once started, I drive off within 20 seconds. Drive easy and don't flog the engine till it comes up to temp.

Brett

[BGGB]

If you were to install a electric fan in place of the belt driven one it would allow the engine to warm up faster, this is in my plans for the future, it also has other benefits. i live on a hill/mt that gets pretty chilly in the winter so i just start up and cost down the hill

[Jeff Aronson]

Warming Up

Remember, too, that breaking in a new engine has its own guidelines. Don't change the recommendations of your rebuilder for the first 500/1,000 mile restrictions.

If you adhere to them, change the oil religiously, and maintain the car in good tune, these engines can last a very long time.

I have an engine rebuilt by Rovers North in the mid-90's. It now has over 350,000 miles on it. It still has good compression and power, and gets about 800 road miles per quart of oil.

As an aside, from installation to 100,000 miles, it used no oil between oil changes. The previous engine had gone far fewer miles but had not been as well cared for during its lifetime in the car. That engine was getting only 80 miles per quart when I finally decided it was time

Jeff

[Momo]

Moose is right on. You really don't need to let a car sit and warm up unless you want to get the cabin heated and defrosted, in which case the answer to your question would be "as long as that takes". Just drive it gingerly when the drive train is cold.

Now granted I am in CA and don't deal with Arctic air, but we do have some nippy early mornings here at sea level and on those days I try to feather the controls and take it easy, and the 109 is grateful.

[gudjeon]

I installed a block heater that was suggested by the OVLR parts list. Warm up time is very short. For every dime in electricity cost you save a couple bucks in gas to get it warmed up. Cold starts are hard on a motor in terms of wear and tear. Covering up the grill helps it warm up faster. I run a 195f thermostat all year round to get good temps to maximize heater output. Never had problems with overheating in the summer with this as well. If you can't plug in then use a good winter oil made for the task that doesn't thin out once the engine is warmed up. I am using Esso xd 0W40.

[ArlowCT]

Running a winter thermostat and getting a muff for the grill helps heat things up quicker too. When it gets down close to zero here I run the truck for about 5 min with it in gear and the four low lever in neutral. I've found it puts a small load on the engine helping it to warm quicker and helps bring the gearbox to life.

[mechman]

The trick with the choke is to start with full choke and two pumps of the gas, then as soon as it's running move it to about half. Once your engine starts to warm up it will begin to run a little rough, that's the time to push the choke in all the way (open the butterfly). This is for really cold motors - in warmer months, half choke should be all you need to get 'er lit off.

If you find you need full choke for longer, then something is out of adjustment in your motor or your carb needs work.

All things being correct in your motor (oil fresh, valves adjusted, timing correct, everything working right, etc), you don't have to sit there waiting for your truck to be ready to drive. Once the oil pressure comes up, just go! You'll have heat in no time.

I used to start up a truck on full choke, push it to half once it was running smoothly and buzz right out. Usually I was shutting off the choke within about a half mile. This is in a Philly winter, temps in the 20's or so.

I'm not a big fan of 195f thermostats. If you develop a problem that causes overheating, often you don't notice it until it's too late. Even if everything under the hood is new, you could still have a hose collapse. If you're starting at 195 degrees, you'll be at 210 before you MIGHT notice a problem. Bye-bye head gasket...

Block warmers are great, especially if you live in Alaska. Or Maine. Or even Minnesota. But for a crisp winter morning in LA? Nahhh...

Mechman

[Jeff Aronson]

Winter Thermostats

Good point on paying attention to the temp gauge and the coolant level; running the higher thermostat does mean higher temperatures.

On the other hand, it also means a warmer car for winter driving. I can tell you from experience that I really do feel the difference as to which thermostat is in the car. And by May, it's absolutely, positively time to change out the thermostats; it really runs warm in warmer weather.

Jeff

[Jim-ME]

Pull choke all the way out it to start it. Push in the choke until it runs rough then pull it out a little bit. Then drive it. Run choke until 100 degrees or so then push choke in. If you want it to warm up faster buy a radiator muff from our hosts and or put in a warmer thermostat for the cold months.
Jim

[Rosie]

Thanks so much!!!
I was a bit worried about pushing into motion too quickly, but sounds like Moose's 20 seconds should work just fine!!! Thanks for the advice on the choke too!!! I still plan to stay off the salted roads, but I'll be Rovering on the dry days even if it is below freezing!

[daveb]

by bye head gasket @ 210F? Huh?

If you're starting at 195 degrees, you'll be at 210 before you MIGHT notice a problem. Bye-bye head gasket...


Mechman

[mechman]

Nahh, the head gasket doesn't go out at 210, what I'm getting at is that you have to keep a much closer eye on your temp gauge if you run a 195 than if you run a cooler t-stat. The temp usually spikes fairly quickly when you develop a problem, and if you're already starting higher than stock, you might not notice the needle going a little higher than it should. The last way you want to find out you're overheating is by seeing the steam condense on your windshield. Usually it's too late by then...

Mech