Clead
Mudrunner
Reged: 10/05/06
Posts: 469
Loc: Vancouver, B.C., Canada
|
|
Since I like to know as much as possible in advance, could you guys share your experience and let us noobies know about driving the diesels as daily drivers? My Pajero will be serving as a daily mixed freeway/city commuter, grocery-getter, and general weekend getaway vehicle. How short a trip too short? How long is a healthy warm-up from a cold/warm/hot start. I'm a big-city dweller, so on occasion my errands are all in one area, but require repeated stops. How bad is this for our diesels? I know keeping it running is ideal, but that's just not practical in one of Canada's worst car theft regions.
Any info is greatly appreciated. 
Thanks,
Duncan
--------------------
I am now officially a Pajero owner.  .
1992 Exceed w/winter pkg, roof tray, bounceys, the works :)
|
redbull
Body Damage is Cool
Reged: 04/28/06
Posts: 1410
|
|
Warm up info will be tough to provide, since it will depend on ambient temps, idle speed, etc.
Letting it idle too long is bad IMO, these aren't Peterbilt's running refrigeration units, like all my Cummins pickup driving neighbors seem to think. Some of them idle theirs for up to an hour in the winter!
Anyway, I start mine an let it warm up until the idle is smooth, then I drive away. If it's lumpy due to the cold start, I use the fast idle lever to keep it at 1000 or so. It will climb as it warms up.
Short trips (engine doesn't reach full operating temp) are hard on any engine. So, yeah, try to avoid them, but don't let the occasional short trip get you paranoid.
On starting, once it's warm, this thing starts better than any gas engine I've owned. 1/4 crank and it's running.
--------------------
1991 Mitsubishi Pajero XP TD LWB family hauler.
|
Clead
Mudrunner
Reged: 10/05/06
Posts: 469
Loc: Vancouver, B.C., Canada
|
|
Thanks for the info  ,
So would a 5-minute trip be considered "bad", or would it be ok as long as the engine reaches operating temperature? I live in a historic suburb where everything is fairly close, but too far to walk. If I was 10 years old again, I'd be riding my bike to the grocery store . Kinda hard to do now with a gallon of milk, 6 bags of food and the infant carseat! LOL  So is that an errand we should be taking the wifey's Subaru gasser on then?
--------------------
I am now officially a Pajero owner. .
1992 Exceed w/winter pkg, roof tray, bounceys, the works :)
|
vlad4d56
Getting the Wheeling Fever
Reged: 08/09/06
Posts: 56
Loc: Vancouver
|
|
I use my truck the similar way. It is ok. Sometimes I also prefer to drive my wife’s Accord. It is not because of short distances; just I am too lazy to spend 5 min. for warming Pajero. Short distances are not a big problem (once I drove it through garage-sales in Richmond for 3 hours, stopping every 5 min!) I think it mostly affects, and shortens the life of glow plugs, alternator and batteries, since it requires the huge current to heat the plugs when starting engine.
|
torquemonster
Body Damage is Cool
Reged: 01/12/05
Posts: 1537
Loc: Red Deer, Alberta
|
|
Quote:
Warm up info will be tough to provide, since it will depend on ambient temps, idle speed, etc.
Letting it idle too long is bad IMO, these aren't Peterbilt's running refrigeration units, like all my Cummins pickup driving neighbors seem to think. Some of them idle theirs for up to an hour in the winter!
Anyway, I start mine an let it warm up until the idle is smooth, then I drive away. If it's lumpy due to the cold start, I use the fast idle lever to keep it at 1000 or so. It will climb as it warms up.
Short trips (engine doesn't reach full operating temp) are hard on any engine. So, yeah, try to avoid them, but don't let the occasional short trip get you paranoid.
On starting, once it's warm, this thing starts better than any gas engine I've owned. 1/4 crank and it's running.
letting it idle doesn't hurt anything aslong as you keep the heat in the engine, if you have it idle with your heaters on full blast it will slowly suck the heat from the engine which is bad. but idling doesn't hurt anything. when it is -30 I let it run all day and a few nights I kept it running if it got really cold.
and for warm up, redbull is hurting his engine by only letting it warm up until the idle smooths out. I usually let mine warm up until the needle is 1/2 way up the guage and its blowing pretty decent heat, and I take it easy until its at full operating temperature. I owned a 2.6 so I know all about cracking heads and how to prevent it and the 2nd most common way of cracking those heads were driving them too cold, that aluminum sees too much heat too fast. the 1st reason was overheating them.
|
DonM
Mudrunner
Reged: 12/24/06
Posts: 315
Loc: Langley BC
|
|
You have to remember that in the lower mainland we don't get the cold like other parts of Canada, most of the time in the winter it is between 5 and 10 degrees. For the most part I start mine let it warm for 30 sec and then start to drive slowly out of my subdivision (RPM between 1000-2000) and by the time I am out on a main road my temp gauge is already reading so I go a bit faster but still take it easy until it is warm (about another 30 seconds). This motor warms up very quickly compared to some other diesels that I have had. If the temps are below 0 I let the engine warm up for a bit longer before heading out.
As far as the engine starting nice when it is warm, every diesel that I have owned has started extremely quick when warm.
--------------------
1991 MITSUBISHI PAJERO EXCEED
|
torquemonster
Body Damage is Cool
Reged: 01/12/05
Posts: 1537
Loc: Red Deer, Alberta
|
|
yes I love how fast it warms up...that is because mitsubishi is very smart and they have water cooled turbo's. my 1989 dodge colt turbo (mitsubishi mirage) is the same way. it has a water cooled turbo and literally 2 minutes after driving it with no warm up it is at operating temperature, I think every vehicle should have coolant going through the exhaust just to help warm it up. my pajero warms up very fast once im driving it. I drive a 2007 Ford F-350 diesel for work and it takes for flipping ever to warm up.
but even at 0 celcius not letting it warm up can hurt it, if there isn't a light weight oil in it then it can prematurely wear out bearings and causing failure later down the road. I am currently running 0W40 synthetic for winter and I am about to change it out for 15W40 for summer time, I think next winter I am not going to run this thin of oil because in my opinion it is too thin. I have a glue on oil pan heater and that should help alot with a little bit thicker oil for winter. or I may even break down and buy a webasto.
|
DonM
Mudrunner
Reged: 12/24/06
Posts: 315
Loc: Langley BC
|
|
Quote:
webasto.
What is this? How do you like your glue on heater does it help on startup or just quick oil pressure.
--------------------
1991 MITSUBISHI PAJERO EXCEED
|
torquemonster
Body Damage is Cool
Reged: 01/12/05
Posts: 1537
Loc: Red Deer, Alberta
|
|
a webasto is a diesel fueled engine heater. it runs off the diesel in your tank to heat the engine as it sits over night, they come with automatic timers so you can set it to go off at a certain time. VERY pricy units though.
I am quite pleased with my pan heater, it doesn't help with start up much, it keeps the oil thin and lets it crank over easier and has oil pressure alot sooner. don't think about the magnetic pan heaters as they are complete pieces of crap, they waste more energy then its worth.
|
Pajerist
Mudrunner
Reged: 03/03/07
Posts: 401
Loc: Vancouver, BC
|
|
If you used your turbine during the ride, after stop keep engine running for 3 minutes to let turbine cold down before turn the engine off.
--------------------
Fight for Right to drive from Right!
www.ivoac.ca
Stay away from Nic's Garage at 120 West 1st Ave in Vancouver BC!!!
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
