Green means go?

[YarisFan007]

Hello fellow Yaris friends,
I have a few questions- After starting your engine do you guys wait until the temperature light goes away before you head out?.. Or do you disregard the light and just go anyways? Is it a bad thing to start driving after you fire up your engine without warming it up first?

Almost every time I start mine, I wait until the engine is fully warmed up and the temperature light goes away. I can recall maybe only 2 or 3 times I didn't wait for the light to go away because I was running late for something. But ever since the day I bought my Yaris I've tried to treat her well.

Just curious to know if everyone warms up their engines as well.

[Jeemee]

It's fine to drive it while engine is still cool. Just be easy. My old S2000 set the rev limiter to 6000 rpm until it warmed up, just a random fyi hehe.

[texkid]

Yeah, just take it easy while Cool light is on. I personally wait about 2 minutes or so and then head on out.

[mr9865]

I think the Honda fit is actually go.

[R2D2]

I would just drive gently until the car warms up. This is better for the car because it will warm up faster and better for your wallet.
The exception might be extreme cold starts, well below 0 F. Then I might let it idle a minute or two, depending on how the car acted.

The AT locks out 4th until the cold temp light goes out, apparently to facilitate a faster warm up.

[SailDesign]

Just think of all the gas you use sitting in the driveway. Turn the key and go, but be gentle until the light goes out.

[Yaris Hilton]

One of the hardest things you can do to an engine is to let it sit idling till it warms up. That builds up all kinds of sludgy glop and often leads to piston ring sticking. Many cars you see trailing blue clouds of smoke do so because people start them up and let them warm up before they drive away. Not to mention that idling wastes lots of fuel at exactly zero miles per gallon and puts out more air pollution than driving to warm up. As said above, it's best to crank it up and drive away, just being moderate in your driving till it warms up.

[nerp]

You're doing it the wrong way. Sitting and waiting for the light to go away makes the point in which most wear occurs last longer than it should. The ideal scenario is you start the car and drive off immediatley, making sure not to gun the engine until the light goes away. This will reduce wear (since the engine warms up faster). Just the time it takes for you to attach your seatbelt and turn on the radio is enough for the oil to pump through, even in the dead of winter.

[YarisSedan]

You will also notice if you drive a automatic the the transmission holds the shifts longer instead of upshifting at a lower rpm in order to speed up the warm up process faster. Once its warmed up it goes back to normal economy shifting mode.

[IllusionX]

you are supposed to hold it to 3000rpm until the engine is warmed up. Obviously, drive it...

In the summer is start and go. Winter? Start, 1min and go. I was driving a Pontiac G5 coupe when it first came out.. it had a digital oil temp reading. I noticed that as soon as i start the car and press the button to see the temp, it was already above freezing point, even at -40c outside.

[nsmitchell]

I think the Honda fit is actually go.
Damn Right! :wink:

[SaerinRhoe]

The 'cool' light on my car goes out within about 2 minutes. I start up and pull out within about a minute at the most and the light is out by the time I get to the end of the block.

Just be easy on it until the light goes out and you're golden. The car's just making sure you know how cool it is to have you behind the wheel. :biggrin:

S.R.

[staticorex]

I think the Honda fit is actually go.

Ha. :p

[paraganek]

One of the hardest things you can do to an engine is to let it sit idling till it warms up.

Absolutely agree. The most important is to warm up the engine fast and you do that by driving instead of idling.

[The little red pill]

I usually just redline it till the cool light goes out. It seems to warm up pretty quick that way.

[IllusionX]

I usually just redline it till the cool light goes out. It seems to warm up pretty quick that way.

ha.. been through that route... did that all the time with the company van..
it has some 80000+km now.. still not taking a drip of oil lol

[Yaris Hilton]

As long as the engine's got oil pressure established, the hazards of "flogging" a cold engine aren't really much if any worse than doing the same with a warm one. Deposit buildup is the big problem with slow warmups.

[twowheels]

Or do you disregard the light and just go anyways? Is it a bad thing to start driving after you fire up your engine without warming it up first.

I got lucky... when I bought my Yaris they gave me this really cool book with lots of pictures telling me all about the car! :thumbsup:



(I know, I'm evil)

[tomato]

I just start up and go. The car warms up really fast anyway, within a minute or so, so by the time I'm at the end of my block, it's good to go.

[YarisFan007]

Hey, Thank you everyone for your feedback... now I don't feel guilty driving my Yaris when the engine is still "cool" : )

[highwaypass]

usually,i take my breakfast in my car till the green lights goes off :biggrin:

[GeneW]

Hello fellow Yaris friends,
I have a few questions- After starting your engine do you guys wait until the temperature light goes away before you head out?.. Or do you disregard the light and just go anyways? Is it a bad thing to start driving after you fire up your engine without warming it up first?

Almost every time I start mine, I wait until the engine is fully warmed up and the temperature light goes away. I can recall maybe only 2 or 3 times I didn't wait for the light to go away because I was running late for something. But ever since the day I bought my Yaris I've tried to treat her well.

Just curious to know if everyone warms up their engines as well.

I let the car sit for about forty five seconds to a minute if the ambient temps are below freezing. I do this for the sake of the AT and not for the motor, especially if I have to go into reverse as the first motion of the car. Reverse is usually the toughest gear of an AT for mechanical reasons.

When it's warm I let the car sit at most ten seconds. If I'm not in a hurry.

Like everyone else has said, don't "jump on it" until the light goes out. The light will go out from 135 fahrenheit to 140 fahrenheit. I have no idea if the motor really NEEDS to be that warm for mechanical reasons or if the emissions control system needs it to be that warm.

Use some judgment. This isn't a hard and fast rule, but don't be passing Trucks and doing jackrabbit starts with the green light on.

Gene