Watching A Frozen Engine Warm Up With A Thermal Camera

Watching A Cold Engine Start With A Thermal Camera

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In this video we’re going to be cold starting the engine of my 2016 Subaru Crosstrek, and using a thermal camera we’re going to watch the engine heat up. The ambient temperature is about negative 6 degrees Celsius or about 22 degrees Fahrenheit. As far as metrics we’ll be monitoring, we’ve got overlays of the engine RPM, which will run higher when the engine first starts to help warm things up. We also have throttle position, the coolant and intake air temperatures, the temperature of where the thermal camera is centered, and a timestamp so we know how long the engine has been running.

If it’s freezing outside and you don’t want to get in a frozen car, no one’s going to fault you for warming up the engine and making sure it’s comfortable inside, as well as making sure the windows are defrosted so you’re ready to roll. In my video I was purely discussing what’s happening from a mechanical standpoint when you let your engine sit and idle.

Oil can actually flow at very low temperatures. You may be freezing, but for certain viscosity grades cold temperatures aren’t a huge deal. For example, my Honda S2000 recommends a 10W-30 oil, and it only recommends going down to a thinner 5W grade oil if ambient temperatures drop below minus 20 degrees C. Minus 20 degrees C! And this is logical based on SAE cold temperature viscosity ratings.

Now inevitably someone in the comments is going to say they live in an area with negative 40 degrees C temps and they always warm there car up for several minutes before taking off. A couple of things to note here: first, that’s obviously super cold, and I can’t blame you for wanting the interior to be warm. Second, make sure you’re using a viscosity grade that can flow in these conditions. 0W is designed for this. Third, with temperatures this low, it’s a good idea to get an electric engine block heater so your engine won’t have to strain so hard to get oil flowing throughout.

At about 5 minutes and 20 seconds, when the coolant temperature reaches 50 degrees C, you’ll notice the engine RPM starts to significantly drop, eventually getting down to 800 RPM when the coolant reaches 60 degrees C.

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[peter-kriska]

American using metric units, you're the real MVP :D

[GueVonez]

I usually just redline it as soon as i turn it on

[shconer]

A few things that you might not have thought about when operating in extremely low temperatures. While it is true that a 0w engine oil will flow reasonable well and warm up pretty quickly. Other fluids like the transmission fluid and power steering fluid on hydraulic steering systems will take a much longer time to warm up or never warm up in extreme cold situations. It is also more critical that you reduce the stress on these systems when you start driving. Grease and Fluids in the differentials, CV joints, ball joints, etc. can be very thick at -40C and not only are they less effective at lubricating but increase the load. It should also be noted that the engine oil should be whenever possible completely warmed up during the drive. Moisture in the crankcase gasses quickly condenses when the engine is turned off and will make its way into the oil. If the water does not get boiled out of the oil and pushed out of the crankcase ventilation system it can freeze components of the crankcase ventilation system causing further problems, reduce the effectiveness of the oil, cause corrosion inside the engine, and over time sludge build up. If there is an accumulation of white milky fluid under your oil cap then the engine is not getting hot enough. Avoid short trips and extended periods of idling.

[TheCarLovingSwede]

In Russia they just light a fire under the engine

[mriphone]

Had to enable notifications, this channel rocks!

[thebayleaf]

Not warming up your engine is like waking up and running a 200 meter sprint

[EternalyRandom]

You also have to think about the other fluids in the car. Like power steering, and transmission. I've noticed a big difference in how the car shifts and how easy it is to turn from when the car is still cold to warmed up.

[StacksSats]

try that test in Winnipeg, Canada when it's -45 degrees Celsius lol

[cbremer]

We have been to -20F here in the Twin Cities, MN this year. Unusually warm lately with temps near or above 30F. Usually January is more like 0F to -20F all month.

And Florida sucks. I can think of many other warm states I would move to WELL before Florida.

[MrJagfootball]

This is why I love your channel. Who else gives us this to type of content? Your videos are like a book of random facts that you don't think you need to know until you learn it. Keep up the great work!

[VasyaIvanovichPupkin]

This is awesome! I've been wanting to do that experiment for a couple of years now!

How about a comparison with a 30 sec warmup and a 2 minute drive VS this 7 minute warmup? I think it would be a nice visual of how things get up to temp.

[DavidHotrum]

I want to say congratulations to your channel. I just discovered your channel and already enjoy it. Watched a vid for 4 years ago and u have improved your ability to present the subject matter. I hope u can continue making great videos.

[jebbush]

Can you do a 'Things You Should Never Do in a Car in Winter'? There are so many misconceptions.

[iLeetProductions]

I've been wanting to use a thermal cam to see my engine heat up for a long time now. So thank you for this!! Flir One is out of my budget at the moment but in our -30C temps i'd love to see it heat up

[Krankie_V]

You seem to be forgetting that oil flow, fuel atomization, and comfort aren't the only reasons to warm your engine up. Consider metallic expansion. Aluminum pistons are going to warm up a lot faster than the cast iron or steel cylinder liner and the engine block full of coolant. It's better for the engine to warm up more slowly so the pistons and engine block expand at a more similar rate. When you start and just drive off, the piston expands much more quickly than the cylinder causing it to fit more tightly, and in turn creating more wear and in some engines even causing permanent damage. Just ask anyone who drove a V6 GM car in the mid to late 1990s who didn't warm them up before driving. They had a lot of piston failures due to this metallic expansion. It's still better to allow your engine to idle for 5-10 minutes before driving off in cold weather. Oil change interval should also be shortened a bit in this time due to the extra contamination.

[ClearGrillz]

I have always appreciated the fact how he does his best to break everything down into layman's terms! It's why i subbed to him couple year's back, glad he's still the same :)

[ib]

Nice video and I love the Thermo camera!

[MrDouchoid]

so you're standing in -6 degrees C without gloves and stuff?

[der_pinguin]

"Move to Florida..."

No. No, don't move to Florida, we're full, too many New Yorkers.

Go to Arizona, better Job opportunities there.

[electronicsNmore]

Cool video! I need to buy a Thermal Camera. They have MANY uses!