Archives

these last couple days has been really bad on my MPG, its been very cold at night (down to the mid 30s) and thus in the mornings when i drive to work it takes around 10 miles to get the engine and transmission fully warmed up and ready to hypermile.

that's also complicated by my commute, which is about 37 miles each way, however its like this: start up car, idle 30 seconds, let tach stabilize, drive 1/2 mile in neighborhood, cross a road and get on freeway. first mile or so the engine is still basically cold, and the next 9 miles or so it slowly warms up, i drive the minimum (45) and the tranny is in 5th and the rpms are way high, the same as if I'm going 60. i drive my regular 60 and the rpms are the same as if i'm going 80. so in other words, i get really bad mpg, no matter how i try to drive.

what is the best way to warm up the engine and tranny without using alot of fuel?
usually i just do about 85 for a couple miles, suffer the 11MPG penalty then then the engine + tranny is warmed up and ready to go. there's gotta be a better, more fuel efficient (not to mention legal) way than that.

how i can tell if the engine and tranny is warmed up right is if I can do 60mph at just about 1900 rpm. if the engine or tranny isn't warm enough it'll be higher than that and i loose speed very quickly when i put my foot off the pedal.

so what is the best way to heat up the engine & tranny fast but also fuel efficient at the same time?

and what i drive:
'03 Kia Sedona minivan,
3.5L V6, 5 speed automatic tranny
no IFCD or FCD, don't think it have the skill to do any kind of FAS, open to everything else.

Consider a partial grill block ($1), at least if you have a ScanGauge II to watch coolant temp.

If you have a plug (eg, garage) at home, you could use an engine block heater ($40?).

General rule is to drive it, gently, during warmup, because mpg sitting still is zero.

If you have a garage think about a block heater for the engine. Set the automatic timer for say two to three hours before you leave for work. Second if your not running synthetic transmission fluid think about draining and refilling with a good synthetic.

Synthetic makes a big difference over mineral transmissions fluid from dead cold until it warms up to temperature.

Chances are the Kia may already be filled with synthetic but check first by looking in the owners manual for specs on the transmission fluid. $100 for a good synthetic alone BTW.

I can't tell you how to drive it, but I can tell you that driving a cold engine at 85 mph engine speeds will put a horrible amount of accelerated cold engine wear on your mechanical components. You're far better off to poke along at 45 mph than to accelerate up to or above 60 mph on a cold engine.

I'd definitely use grill blocks and coolant and oil heaters, if I were you.

Driving 85 mph to get the car "warmed up and ready for hypermiling" doesn't make any sense! Hypermiling starts when you turn the key, if not earlier. Choosing an adequate coat and gloves, so that you can leave the heat off until the engine is warm, is part of hypermiling. Is there another route that will give a few more low speed miles (but with minimal stoplights and stop signs)?
I'm used to a manual, so the high rpms for the first 10 miles of driving at +30's F (not very cold!) sounds really strange.

usually i just do about 85 for a couple miles

High speed driving can actually be detrimental to engine temp. If you have a failing coolant thermostat, that's one time you'll see the temp gauge (if you have one) dropping, due to efficient air flow throught the radiator.

Just outa curiosity, what's the posted speed limit where you're doing 85? MPH I assume?

It is hard for me to believe that it takes 10 miles to warm up unless a mechanical problem exists. Since mine is warmed up by 2½-3 miles, I would have to guess you have a stuck open or partially stuck open coolant thermostat. Also your torque converter will not go into lockup until motor temp is reached (about 195º)