Short trippers unite!

[oil pan 4]

I didn't think it would be an obligatory number of miles.
Just general guide lines such as "engine coolant does not reach operating temperature during trip" or "engine spends half or more of the drive below operating temp".

Even with my new thermostat it looks like I will reach operating temperature some where between 1/2 and 3/4 of my drive to work in winter depending on how cold it gets.

[serialk11r]

Maybe it's just the darned 10W-30 crap dino oil in my engine, but I seem to notice that the engine behaves a little differently after say a 20 minute drive vs. a 10 minute drive that just barely gets the coolant temperature up. (idle goes down to 680, usually it's more like 800-900, no idea why) Going by that I'd say 80% of my trips are short trips.

[Ryland]

Most owners manuals seem to define short trip as anything under 10-15 miles, depending on the age and brand of car and who wrote the owners manual, they include repeated short trips as part of the severe service where you need to change your oil at 3,000 miles instead of the normal 7,500 miles and where you figure everything is going to wear twice as fast.

For me the first 3 miles of my 4 mile trip to work my engine temp is still low.

The last time I bought 0w30 oil it said right on the bottle that it was safe for use in engines that call for 5w30 and 10w30 oil and the 0w part is only stating the thickness at 32F, the 2nd number, the 30 is the thickness warmed up and that is the number it seems like you should pay attention to if you have issues with your engine using oil.

[MTXA]

I've driven roughly 3000 miles in the seven months that I've owned the Scion. About 600 of those miles were driven in the fall when I was working overtime at remote locations.

The general consensus is short tripping is before achieving warm up sufficient enough to allow maximum efficiency and that is where I am starting my own projects. My goal is to artificially get the heat up in the major systems in a much more rapid period of time. The block heater I ordered will hopefully be here before the weekend.

Heating the oil pan with a pad heater presents a minor problem. The manufacturer directs you to adhere the heater with high temperature silicone. Silicone is a good insulator and during the summer I don't think I want the heater in place. I am going to install one with Velcro on the perimeter and coat the center portion with a thermal grease to aid in heat transfer. I need to do some studying to figure out the most effective way to try pre-heating the transmission. There doesn't appear to be enough flat surface area to use a pad heater.

I am in the study stage of pre-heating my intake air. I came across this excellent thread: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ant-21863.html (Thanks T Vago!) The airbox in my car is pretty small, so if I choose this route it is going to require a lot of searching for a core that will fit. I was thinking of making my own out of copper tubing before I saw this thread and still might have to if I can't locate an off the shelf core that will fit.

[brucepick]

Re. Pad type oil pan heater. I put one on my car 2-3 years ago. No issues since then.

Sicone will not be a problem. Pad has adhesive on back. Requires cleaning and degreasing the pan surface so it will stick.

Silicone goes around rim of pad to keep oil etc from getting in. That would loosen the bond.

I found smooth surface on outer side face of pan. Bought approx 4x5 inch pad to fit that. Bottom has stupid cooling ridges.

[MTXA]

Thanks for the info brucepic. Which brand of pad heater did you purchase?

[echo-francis]

here are my advice for the short trippers:
#1 complete grill bock
#2 engine isolation (belly pan, weather strip, blankets ect.)
#3 syntec engine and trans oil
#4 0w? oil
#5 all type of engine heater

[Miller88]

I'm not sure if my commute qualifies as "short" or not - 8 miles.

The problem is my Focus can't come up to temperature. I coast down hill for about a mile, then hop on the interstate for the rest of the drive. Part of it is 45 through the city, then back up to 60 or so.

This last week has been SUPER cold. By the time I'm getting to work, I'm finally getting some mild warmth (not even heat) out of the car.

The thermostat is good but this car just does NOT make enough heat.

If the car was out of warranty, I have a few things I'd like to try.

[pete c]

At a mile and a half, i suggest you get a comfy pair of walking shoes if you find riding the bike dangerous. If the most direct route is that dangerous for a bike, perhaps there is a longer safer way. Hell anything short of 5 miles is classified as a wussy bike commute anyhoo. Mine is 12+ with hills. Of course, I wimp out and take my truck way too often, esecially this time of year.

As for riding a bike after dark, I feel safer then than during the day. Very good LED lighting these days will light you up like a xmas tree and make you way more visible than during the day.

[MTXA]

Originally Posted by Miller88

I'm not sure if my commute qualifies as "short" or not - 8 miles.

The problem is my Focus can't come up to temperature. I coast down hill for about a mile, then hop on the interstate for the rest of the drive. Part of it is 45 through the city, then back up to 60 or so.

This last week has been SUPER cold. By the time I'm getting to work, I'm finally getting some mild warmth (not even heat) out of the car.

The thermostat is good but this car just does NOT make enough heat.

If the car was out of warranty, I have a few things I'd like to try.

Wow, that seems abnormal. I have three Focii in the fleet I maintain. Last night I picked up a 2001 SOHC in a remote lot two miles from my shop and I was getting some heat about 2/3s of the way back. It was single digit temps last night. You might want to see if you have a warranty issue or if there are any technical service bulletins for your model year.