Warm up before driving mini excavator out of garage?

[Carl_NH]

^^^ Similar to this were gathering bids to replace our FHW oil boiler in 2009 and one contractor left his new GMC Denali 2500 Diesel running for an hour in our driveway at 32*F while we were reviewing the scope of work for a fuel-efficient boiler (he was selling the "System 2000).

Needless to say we didn't go with him..

 

[CalG]

Hi,

Is it harmful for a mini excavator to be driven carefully out of a garage immediately after startup without a 5 min warm up? Warm up will fill the garage with exhaust or should I use a hose on the exhaust to get the fumes outdoor?

Thanks

Erling

count five, then drive! just no loading!

 

[RayIN]

I think we obsess way too much over warm up. I can't imagine there is any difference between sitting and running and driving slowly. I do try to warm my tractor up a bit before I do anything serious, but I drive it around and do light things right away.

I agree! Even Cummins engine says you may start driving immediately, but not to drive interstate speeds for 5 minutes.

 

[notaz3]

I've never been one to let things ideal; unless, it's carbureted and I'm waiting for the chock to kick off.

Diesel truck gets started up and I start driving even in when it's 7 outside. By the time I've gone through the gate and to the main road it might be ready to get on it.
Tractor is started and slowly pulled out while running loader up and down to help heat hydraulics. Real work doesn't start until things get warm.

 

[ning]

Do modern diesels (talking pickup trucks here) regulate the RPM during warmup (I've got a 2009 Mazda 3 which goes to high "idle" RPM for a short time after starting)?
My '97 idles at like 700 rpm or something which I doubt is enough to actually warm up an engine - I believe if you idle at that rate long-term you'll get wet stacking which tells me it probably isn't particularly warm; I do have an aftermarket mode that will bump the RPM to 1200 which I switch to for a warmup if it's actually cold-ish here (it's never cold here), or if I'm using the winch.

I park my tractor in a container and while it's backed in with the exhaust pointed mostly forward at the open door, I still don't want to sit there waiting for a warmup, so I usually start it, wait about 30 seconds, bump up the throttle a bit above 1000, then very slowly pull out, and in the next couple minutes I'm hooking up whatever I need to the tractor and occasionally bump up the throttle till it's about 1500 as I go where I'm going to be working. Usually a few minutes before I'm ready to work at the specific site which seems enough for a decent warmup.

 

[grsthegreat]

Have had 3 diesel trucks and a few diesel tractors over the years. North idaho = cold mornings 6 months of the year. All diesels are plugged into timers for block or radiator heaters. Done this for past 30 years.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I would let it idle for a minute or two until the white smoke stop and it run as it should then move it out and let it warm up properly there until it reach temp.

 

[hayden]

^^^ Similar to this were gathering bids to replace our FHW oil boiler in 2009 and one contractor left his new GMC Denali 2500 Diesel running for an hour in our driveway at 32*F while we were reviewing the scope of work for a fuel-efficient boiler (he was selling the "System 2000).

Needless to say we didn't go with him..

I think there is a big element of people pretending their truck is a "big rig". Little boys playing make-believe.

 

[Carl_NH]

Yes Hayden - small guy, big ego, big truck

 

[USN2TN]

MY opinion: #1 Small engines that don't have oil pumps use splash lubrication which cause them to take longer to warm up throughout. #2 Mini-Excavators have very slow travel speeds with little change from engine speed. All that said, start it, open the bay door, ease throttle just above idle & drive it outside. Light operations until the temperature gage registers movement and then operate as normal. Hope it helps.

 

[JsJs]

If your purpose is just to charge the battery use a charger instead. Solar panel if no power in garage. Otherwise start it and get outside at 1,000 rpm til warm then dig away.

 

[TCSavage]

Hi,

Is it harmful for a mini excavator to be driven carefully out of a garage immediately after startup without a 5 min warm up? Warm up will fill the garage with exhaust or should I use a hose on the exhaust to get the fumes outdoor?

Thanks

Erling

The question is - how cold?

 

[karlmagne]

My garage is far from the house, but it is deep with no doors close to the excavator parked rear end towards the rear wall. I may drill a hole in the wall and use a hose to get the exhaust out.
I avoid starting it in very cold weather. To charge the battery I have started it once this winter during a mild period with 2-3 degrees celcius.

My shop isn't deep but my tractor is in the middle of it. I have a fan on a bench that runs when I start it during the warm up time. That could be an option for you and hopefully eliminate putting a hole in your garage

 

[Bentrim]

You ay be doing more harm to the engine by leaving it "warm up" than applying a light load to it.
1 most wear occurs to the piston rings and bore due to the metal being cold. The longer until the are warmed up the more wear and oil dilution occurs.
2 rings seal poorly when cold allowing combustion gasses and unburned fuel to enter the crankcase.
3 it takes longer for an idling engine to warm up than a slightly loaded one. The longer warm up takes the longer it takes to properly burn the fuel.
I worked at a farm machinery dealership for over 20 years and no manufacturer recommended a warm up by idling the equipment. They all recommended starting the engine and starting work if you could do so slowly as it warmed the machine faster than just idling resulting in less wear.
Every vehicle I have ever owned I would start and slowly begin to drive/work until it was warmed up and ready to work.
I have even seen one farmer never touch the throttle, shut it down wide open and started it wide open.
Have seen another completely destroy an engine, after starting the engine and allowing it to warm up went to the milk house. His wife came running in asaid the combine is making som awful noise. When he went out the engine was completly destroyed--rod thru the block -- even the starter was broken as the rod hit it.
The only engine that I may give a slightly longer is a turboed engine then only a few seconds more after I see the oil pressure is up.

 

[topgun05]

Do modern diesels (talking pickup trucks here) regulate the RPM during warmup

Yes. Some may even load the trans in Park to help with warmup time