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am i harming anything


AL

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If you never run it at operating temperature for half an hour or better, yes. You will need to take it on a longer trip occasionally to burn off all the moisture accumulating in your oil from all the short trips.

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If you never run it at operating temperature for half an hour or better, yes. You will need to take it on a longer trip occasionally to burn off all the moisture accumulating in your oil from all the short trips.

 

Precisely.

 

Ask a Northstar mechanic what kills these engines. Its short trips made by old people who never really get into the throttle. Carbon builds up, compression rings start to wear, engine starts burning oil, and you're done.

 

Google "italian tuneup."

 

You need to get some wide open throttle runs at operating temperature every now and then to loosen up any carbon that's built up in the combustion chamber or it will start causing problems. I would consider a remote start system so you can fire up your car before you leave and allow it to get 2 minutes or so to warm up a little.

 

Although, at 3.6 miles, I'd ride a bike, at least while the weather permits.

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short trips like this kills anything, given enough time.... unburned gasoline, acids, combustion byproducts and mositure will make your oil much less useful(and will have a much shorter life) unless it can get up to a high enough temp to burn off and get sucked up through the PCV system. your coolant temp is GENERALLY a good idea of what your oil temp is, especially when dealing with aluminum motors(heads help, but block as well is even more accurate).

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It has remote start and I use it regularly... But having it run 10 min and then drive for 50 seconds and park it... I drive to Toledo (1.75 hours) every weekend so I think that helps but lately its been in the 50s and rainy so biking isn't an option but what to do come winter time?

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It's fine.

 

During the winter, just use the remote start and let it warm up. Run errands after work so it can be ran for a bit.

 

 

For the last 2.5 years (before I moved into my home), I drove all of my vehicles 1 mile to work, and 1 mile home, daily. Most of the time when I did travel into the field, I either took a company car, or a rental. I just tend to run a lot of errands, so that helps.

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Haha, just saw this thread. I'm even worse. My trip to work 1 way is just under a mile. :redface:

 

Although I do enough driving the rest of the time to make up for it.

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