Warm up procedure E36 M3

[Strike_Freedom]

I'm from the old school and was taught to let a car idle in order to get the oil warm and well dispersed before driving. Since I hardly drive my E36 M3 I start the car everyday and let it idle for about ten minutes or so.

My cousin has since told me that this is actually bad for a M engine and that I should start and drive the car warm.

Would this not increase the risk of spinning a shell or am I being paranoid? How do you guys warm up your E36 M?

 

[Rodney///Marsh]

i have heard that you should drive it warm but I would also like to understand the process

 

[Fuzz@tinyNET]

With my car, I'd idle it for a short while on start up (one or two minutes), before driving it warm...

But think about it this way - a car is meant to be driven, not idled so maybe it's best to drive it warm.

Also, a lot of guys focus on start up procedure, but many forget about idling the car a short while before switching off too. This is how I've treated my M car, and mechanically, it was sound, so maybe others have other advice.

:thumbs:


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[Dangz_335]

Personally I would say don't make your M lazy, drive it warm. At the end of the day its an M and driving will put a smile on your face.

 

[444YYY]

I agree with Fuzz.
Firstly, idling a car until the oil temp reaches 90 deg will take 30 minutes!
The idea is to drive it, with part throttle, to allow the oil to heat up faster (than the 30 minute idling time)

Why?
There are many theories out here, this is what I understand:
When the engine is not at operating temperature (i.e. cold), the metal components, like rings, bearings etc are contracted (due to thermal contraction). As a result there is more of a clearance gap between these metal components, and more clearance means more movement, which equals wear and tear.

When the engine is at operating temperature, these clearances are much smaller, hence less wear and tear. Note: Engines are designed for their operating temperature range, as this is where they spend most of their life doing the work they supposed to do.

So in short, use part throttle until the oil is > 85 degrees, then there after, have fun

 

[Fordkoppie]

Actually the only disadvantage of idling the car warm is that your oil gets contaminated/diluted faster with petrol. This also means the cylinder walls gets "flushed" so increased ring/bore wear.

Therefore, I would assume the best practice could possibly be that you let the car idle while you pull out of the driveway and close the gates, but thereafter (lets call it 1 minute from startup) simply drive it like 444YYY said - With small throttle openings and keeping the RPM below 2500 until oil temperatures have reached 70deg. Thereafter you can increase to 4000rpm until the oil is @ 85 deg C. Once at 85 you can nail it.

No need to idle before shutdown. Its not a fragile and temperamental silly turbo car

 

[Fuzz@tinyNET]

Actually the only disadvantage of idling the car warm is that your oil gets contaminated/diluted faster with petrol. This also means the cylinder walls gets "flushed" so increased ring/bore wear.

Therefore, I would assume the best practice could possibly be that you let the car idle while you pull out of the driveway and close the gates, but thereafter (lets call it 1 minute from startup) simply drive it like 444YYY said - With small throttle openings and keeping the RPM below 2500 until oil temperatures have reached 70deg. Thereafter you can increase to 4000rpm until the oil is @ 85 deg C. Once at 85 you can nail it.

No need to idle before shutdown. Its not a fragile and temperamental silly turbo car

I agree with start up, however, on shut down, do you think it's good to hammer a car and immediately switch it off, or let some oil circulate for a short bit before switching off?


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[Rodney///Marsh]

444yyy and fordkoppie.. that makes a lot more sense now. I didn't idle my previous cars warm. and don't really nail a car before the temp is up but when I started looking into purchasing the M3, I was told that they are prone to bearing failure. then reading about the bearing failure it was due to negligence and hammering the car when it is cold.

admittedly, it is concerning when you see an e36 M3 with high mileage that wasn't opened but still runs sweet. I ask the previous owner what his secret is and he says don't rape it, drive it hard but no need to murder it.

thank you guys for the advice.. makes a lot more sense:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs::thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

 

[Strike_Freedom]

Thanks guys. Will idle no more than one minute then drive it warm. This means that I now HAVE to drive it in order for the battery not to run down:joy:

 

[444YYY]

Thanks guys. Will idle no more than one minute then drive it warm. This means that I now HAVE to drive it in order for the battery not to run down:joy:

Consider a C-Teq maintenance charger for your car. Its an intelligent battery charger that monitors the condition of the battery and charges accordingly. You can get one for R800.00
People in Canada use them for when they are snowed in for up to 6 months!!!!

 

[E30 Freak]

I would usually start up my car, open the gates & drive off. It is usually more than a minute, but the temp does not even move in that time so driving actually heats up my car much quicker.

I usually only idle a few minutes after hard driving to allow the motor to cool down a bit & oil to sufficiently circulate. But normal driving I wont bother to do all that

 

[Auditor]

My procedure for warming up an M engine is as follows:

1. On initial start-up absolutely no touching of the throttle for at least 8 seconds;

2. Moderate throttle openings only with revs under 3000rpm until the thermostat opens as indicated by the needle settling at operating temp on the water temp gauge;

3. Full throttle only when the oil temp reaches an indicated 80 degrees.

In practice its been my experience that the oil temp takes 15km of town driving to reach 80 degrees in the S50B32 engine.

I don't believe that idling works, and I concur fully with Fordkoppie's analysis of the excess fuel washing oil off the bores of the cylinders.

 

[Drama]

Starting the car every day and idling it without driving it will also cause the exhaust to start rusting. The water sits in the exhaust since it isn't being driven.

(This is what I've heard from someone - it apparently has happened to him)

 

[AndreasSA]

Proceed with that and you increase the amount of tear and wear a lot....

Start the car and go with low throttle, let it warm up to approx. 80 degree OIL temperature and use the M for it was built...

If it became really hot let it cool down to normal tmeperatures before parking it. Especially valid for turbo charged engines!

 

[Strike_Freedom]

Thanks guys. Very insightful.

 

[DieselFan]

I would usually start up my car, open the gates & drive off. It is usually more than a minute, but the temp does not even move in that time so driving actually heats up my car much quicker.

I usually only idle a few minutes after hard driving to allow the motor to cool down a bit & oil to sufficiently circulate. But normal driving I wont bother to do all that

I would say it's better to take a slow drive for the last 5 mins than to just idle the car so you still have airflow. Atleast with a turbo that's the better route.

 

[Fuzz@tinyNET]

^^ best :inlove:


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[Strike_Freedom]

:thumbs:

^^ best :inlove:


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[Dangz_335]

My procedure for warming up an M engine is as follows:

1. On initial start-up absolutely no touching of the throttle for at least 8 seconds;

2. Moderate throttle openings only with revs under 3000rpm until the thermostat opens as indicated by the needle settling at operating temp on the water temp gauge;

3. Full throttle only when the oil temp reaches an indicated 80 degrees.

In practice its been my experience that the oil temp takes 15km of town driving to reach 80 degrees in the S50B32 engine.

I don't believe that idling works, and I concur fully with Fordkoppie's analysis of the excess fuel washing oil off the bores of the cylinders.

Don't auditors just look at how they did it last year??:rollsmile:

 

[Auditor]

My procedure for warming up an M engine is as follows:

1. On initial start-up absolutely no touching of the throttle for at least 8 seconds;

2. Moderate throttle openings only with revs under 3000rpm until the thermostat opens as indicated by the needle settling at operating temp on the water temp gauge;

3. Full throttle only when the oil temp reaches an indicated 80 degrees.

In practice its been my experience that the oil temp takes 15km of town driving to reach 80 degrees in the S50B32 engine.

I don't believe that idling works, and I concur fully with Fordkoppie's analysis of the excess fuel washing oil off the bores of the cylinders.

Don't auditors just look at how they did it last year??:rollsmile:

Definition of an auditor: "Someone who watches the battle from the safety of the hills and then comes down to bayonet the wounded..." :=):