5 Minutes of Terror? The TRUTH About Cold Start Wear (and How NOT to Blow Your Motor!)

They say most engine wear occurs in the first 5 minutes, is this true? We examine the causes of this accelerated engine wear to help you avoid the problem.

Ever start your car on a frosty morning and hear that gut-wrenching clunk-clunk-clunk? Or have you noticed the car starting to burn oil?

They say those first few minutes are a death knell for your engine, but is it just old wives' tales, or is there real science behind the myth of "5-minute engine wear"?

In this video, we're about to throw open the hood and dive deep into the cold, hard facts:

The Chilling Truth:

We'll separate myth from reality with comprehensive but easily accessible breakdowns of what's actually happening inside your engine during those critical first minutes.

Damage Breakdown: Witness the friction frenzy and oil starvation that can occur when you push a cold engine too hard. You'll learn exactly why those clunks or noises aren't just annoying – they're a warning sign!

Warm-Up Woes: Learn the best (and worst) ways to warm up your engine. Skip the myths and discover the scientifically proven methods that get your car purring without putting it under stress.

Idling Infiltration: Is letting your car "chug it out" idling in the driveway actually worse than hitting the road? We'll expose the hidden dangers of idling and show you how to avoid them.

Bonus Hacks: Keep your engine running like a champ for years with these pro-level cold start tips and tricks you won't find anywhere else!

Click play and join us on a high-octane journey through the science of cold start! You'll leave with the knowledge to keep your engine happy and healthy, no matter how eager your foot gets on a chilly morning.

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P.S. Don't forget to check out the video's end screen for exclusive access to our car care video guides!

Find out what is happening damage wise when you drive on a cold engine. We look at warm up and the dangers and problems when you drive hard on an engine before it has warmed up properly.

We also reveal the best ways to warm up an engine and the dangers that happen when you leave it idling on a driveway to warm up.
Share this video with your fellow gearheads! Spread the word about cold start wisdom and help save engines everywhere!
#coldstart #enginewear #carcare #automotivetips #fuelhacks #scienceofcars

Legal Notice: Unless we have inspected your car we can only provide generic theory. All information is provided without warranty, please check any recommendations made with a mechanic locally to verify it would be legal in your area or region and that it would be suitable for your car and your needs.

[kurticusmaximus]

This is why I roll my eyes when people say long roadtrips are hard on cars. A warm engine running steady state on the freeway is the easiest condition for a vehicle!

[Gruntsworth]

I'm terrified of cold starts and damaging my engine, so when I'm not driving it I just let it idle in the driveway 24/7. My Outback has been running nonstop for a year and a half now. Not going to be the victim of unnecessary engine wear.

[indridcold]

Now, there are vehicles that turn off by themselves, go to zero oil pressure, and turn back on by themselves, at a traffic signal. It is the most stupid design flaw ever.

[gyffjogofl]

When it's super cold outside, I keep my foot to the floor until I arrive at my destination because I am always running late.

[jack]

230k miles on a M57 diesel. Original turbo. Mpg matches factory spec. Get in and go gently until hot. Floor it now again when hot. Change oil annually. Can't go wrong.
Only idles for a minute or two when I have to scrape the windscreen.

[herbieschwartz]

My neighbor "warms up her car" by revving the cr## out of it for a couple of minutes. I made the mistake of talking to her about that and she went into total Karen mode "you think that just because I'm a woman that I don't know how to warm up my car". Her cars last about a year (one winter) before they start belching smoke.

[jarikinnunen]

In Finland engine laboratory did study for that. Results was: Cold start wear engine same amount than 600 kilometer drive the hot engine.

[NexiTech]

Great video! On my car I have installed diesel coolant heater and no more cold starts! No more scraping the ice of the windows and freezing inside car. It took me a 3 days to install the heater together with coolant flush but man what a beauty! Now when I need to drive I just press on the button on the remote and I wait 15-30 min depending of outside winter temperature and all the ice melts from a windows, engine is preheated to operating temperature and it's nice and warm inside the car. Best investment ever let me tell you! 😊

[bowen]

Another thing he did not mention is that the metals are more brittle when cold. Cracking is much more of a risk. One thing I learned studying auto technology is that you can think of melting starting from the cold temp on up. The metal “softens” and becomes more pliable: I.e. less brittle. And all the metals are selected/designed to be at their optimum size, shape and “softness” (for lack of a better term) at full operating temperatures. And his insistence about cold oil and first few seconds after start are spot on. After decades of auto work, and hundreds of hours working on and rebuilding engines and seeing the effects, I feel like I actually feel the scraping hard cold parts being beat up on first cold start of the day. I have a diesel with an engine monitor installed and never drive until the oil/coolant are at 100 degrees. And then only gently until over 130. And then only moderately until full temps are reached. I never have even the finest metal particles on my magnetic drain plug.

[wickertwm]

I am from Canada and at one point lived in Dawson Creek, B.C.
In the winter it is not uncommon to reach -40C. I remember one day leaving our office in a Ford Crown Vic with an outside temp of -40C. I hit the gas and the oil filter blew off as the oil we were using as still conventional. At these temps conventional oil wont flow at all however -40C however synthetic does flow. I used a pure synthetic in my cars and never had an oiling problem.

[tba]

5 minute warm up and 5 minute idle shutdown and my turbo engine has done 933, 000km. I’ll stick to my routine. As for coolant temp sensor, they are now mostly cylinder head temp sensors so it’s better indication of the engine temp.

[lamwaicheong]

Finally someone is talking about how to properly do a cold start, very nice 👍🏼

[adampancechowski]

my general warm up time is to let the engine idle until the revs drop from around 1000 to around 600.

[mikeydangerous]

Lived in Colorado half my life—we’re used to the warm-up period, albeit for windshield defrost and cabin comforts…

[BillC]

I can't tell you how many times I've watched some start their car and instantly put it in gear and go ripping down the road, when it's freezing temps outside.
I'll let run for a few minutes, the way I figure if the idle is still high the car shouldn't move. Then never above 3K rpm!

[DKSE]

The cold start terror certainly is not a myth, and it does happen . This is why I start my car & let it run a couple minutes before driving . Once I start driving, I go easy on the throttle until it's at least half way warmed up. I also drive in a conservative fashion unlike other idiots on the road . Those things along with a good synthetic oil, the horrors of a cold start are minimized .

[TheTexican]

Career auto worker of 22yrs. Engine builder for 11. Amateur racer for 10. Can confirm: everything he states in this video checks out.

Simplest solution: wait until your engine slows to its actual idle speed before driving the car, and drive it easy until the coolant temp (temp gauge) gets up to temp.

On cold days, it will take the motor longer to reach this target. Just be patient, work your phone or stereo while you wait. Your $6-20k motor will live twice as long (possibly more).

[thetruth]

A lot of wear occurs when an engine has not run for a long time, f.e. been in storage for more than a year. Best is to turn the engine a couple of times round via the crank pulley, afterwards remove fuel pump relay and let the engine cycle a couple of times via the starter motor. When the engine has not run for a REALLY long time, or it is unknown how long it has been? Use fogging oil in the cylinders. And change the oil and filters, yes filters, also fuel filter. Also on regular driven cars, change the engine oil BEFORE schedule. City driving, short distances = severe conditions. Usually interval is half of normal.

[largo]

Short journeys in cold / frozen places, also requires a short-term oil change to correctly protect the engine in cold starts.

[whiffy]

That’s how my dad destroyed his Ford Focus and has spent thousands trying to fix it.
It’s all in his driving, he always turns it on and immediately takes off for very short errands, brings it back, shuts it off and repeat. Tens of times per day, without a single heat cycle complete.
I warned him to no avail. He is currently looking to buy another car, to destroy it the exact same way.