Ok all; I am not a mechanic, and I didn't stay at any hotel/motel last night.After reading a post in "Begining RVing" concerning oil change and idling, most of the people said that idling for more than 20-30 seconds can be bad for a newer(since the 80's) engine. I have always been told(since the 50's) that the initial start-up after a night of sleep is the hardest on any engine. For those with a towed or 5er, the starting, stopping, restarting, etc., in the mornings would be the worst possible time for an engine. Would it be better for the engine if it is only started after ALL things are taken down and put away, idled until hookup is complete(I can pull out of a site and hook up my toad in less than five minutes) and then heading for the road?

There is no good reason to idle an engine, unless to charge the battery, or to make the heater work.It does not hurt to idle an engine for an hr or 2, but don't :)

Metal and oil hasn't change all that much. Not putting a heavy load on an engine till it is up to operating temperature is still the best. That said, I would ease out of a campground if I might annoy others.

You got it. The engine is best served by starting it up and using it under a moderate load once it's up and running with the oil pressure stabilized, etc., which is a matter of seconds typically.Idling the engine after a cold start is harder on it than using it. For most motorhomes especially (and a great many modern vehicles in general), the engine is never going to wear out before the rest of the vehicle, so doing everything humanly possible to prolong its life is perhaps a bit unnecessary; but idling when you aren't going anywhere also wastes fuel and serves no useful purpose, so avoiding it when practical is a good idea regardless.

A little bit of idle time on the engine to get it reasonably warmed up before putting a strain on it isn't going to hurt anything and in my opinion helps the engine. Note that I did not say you have to let it sit there and idle for thirty minutes to bring it up to full operating temperatures.A little bit of idle time to reasonably warm up the engine is best if you're going to pull out of the RV park and immediately up onto the highway and have to merge with traffic. Look at it this way, you're engine will spend far more time idling at stop lights than you'll ever idle it before starting out in the morning.Bill

When I was a cop we were either driving our cars to calls or letting them idle for long periods as reports were written (mostly the latter). Seldom were they turned off during a 10 hour shift. Some of the cars had well over 100,000 miles and were still running fine. Does this example apply to our RV's? Other than wasting fuel, I don't have any other issues with an idling engine. Don't the big DP's have to idle for a period to bring up pressures and such?

Idling an engine | Good Sam Community

mpierce
Explorer
Jan 31, 2016
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
down home, :)

Every big rig on the road has that timer shutdown. If you or anyone else wants one, a big shop with a parts department has them.

"Every Big rig" not even close. Very few do. Some do. I have over 3 million miles over the road, and have seen exactly two!
time2roll
Nomad
Jan 31, 2016
hotpepperkid wrote:
What ever you may have to say Im going to do what I want, its my truck.
Some day you will just want a few more minutes to sleep and the diesel next to you will start at 5a while he breaks camp to leave 30 minutes later. And the wind will be just right so you can enjoy the exhaust. Go back to sleep? Nope kids are up too, time to start breakfast.

Cheers.
hotpepperkid
Explorer
Jan 31, 2016
old guy wrote:
one of my pet peeves is people starting up there engines early in the morning and then breaking down camp. I have pet names for those people also and I usually let them know it

What ever you may have to say Im going to do what I want, its my truck.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Jan 30, 2016
down home, :)

Every big rig on the road has that timer shutdown. If you or anyone else wants one, a big shop with a parts department has them.
down_home
Explorer II
Jan 30, 2016
I saw a few minutes of a car show the other day, Wheeler Dealer, I think.
They had a gas engine, of course, RX7 with twin turbos.
It has, a thermostatic controlled, switch, on the console, that kept the engine running, after cutting, off the ignition, until the thermostat, from the pyrometer said the turbos had cooled down enough.
I don't know who sells them but is an excellent idea for all those Mercedes, and everything else now with turbo engines.
FW
Explorer
Jan 30, 2016
Thanks all for your replies. With what was said, I will continue
to do as I have been doing.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Jan 30, 2016
Motor oil has undergone a sea change since I started driving. I remember when the refinery first formulated "Fire & Ice" 20W/50 using zinc dithiophosphate additive. Could smell the stuff for 200 mts.

I drove my junkertoad Spirit in 122F temps using 5W/30 Castrol and never had a problem. It seems like folks like a equate higher viscosity oil with better lubrication at warmer temps but my vote goes to paying attention what is written in the owner's manual.

In very cold subfreezing temperatures my own personal opinion is to allow extra time for the engine and transmission oils to circulate freely. Perhaps a couple of minutes. Then ease into gear and creep along for 5-minutes if conditions allow it, then slowly increase speed. If I lived in Walrus Tusk NWT next to a freeway on-ramp I would modify this personal recipe.
ChooChooMan74
Explorer
Jan 30, 2016
X2 on letting turbo engines cool down, especially after a pull. I usually let my 2.8l diesel idle to 300 on the pyro and the EcoDiesel to 350 on the pre-turbo pyro. After a pull, maybe up to 5 mins.
down_home
Explorer II
Jan 30, 2016
riven1950 wrote:
down home wrote:
On gas engines with turbos, I will let it idle five minutes too. Don't care what pc says. I burned up the bearings, by using semi synthetic oil and shutting off engine on a really cranked up turbo engine years ago.

Are you saying you would idle a F150 eco for 5 minutes before shutting down?

Perhaps the better idea would be an oil temp gauge right after the turbo and a pryometer.
Otherwise it is just guessing as to time and a safe idea to idle it a minute or so.
I haven't hear or read anything about failuers of the turbos on the F150 other than initially they had a design life of 150,000 miles.
steveh27
Explorer
Jan 30, 2016
When I boondock and didn't bring my genny or portable solar panel (or it's too cloudy) I idle to recharge the house battery on my gas Class B. Never had a problem. Had the unit since 2000 and now have 165,000 miles on it.

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