We all want Quadra to breathe easier, but we'll need to address some old habits and misconceptions as we gear up our anti-idling campaign. Let's "clear the air" so we can clear the air.
It is commonly believed that vehicles have to idle for several minutes before driving for maximum efficiency. That used to be accurate, but today's engines only need a few seconds of idling before they can be driven safely. The driving itself completes the job, because it warms up the engine, the catalytic converter and the other mechanical parts of your vehicle. Diesel engines can only be warmed up by driving.
In sub-freezing weather, using a block heater will warm your engine faster and improve your mileage.
It's also widely held that constant stopping and starting your vehicle wastes more gas than idling. Actually, you're better off shutting down if you've idled more than 60 seconds, except in traffic. Engines don't operate effectively at rest.
A related misbelief is that repeated restarting of your car or truck is rough on the engine and quickly drains the battery. That used to be the case, but newer vehicles have electronic ignitions and stronger batteries that tolerate it well. In fact, idling makes your engine run in a gas-rich mode that can eventually degrade its performance and reduce mileage.
Idling is also used as a reason to run the defroster. Although you wouldn't want to drive until you could see clearly, you can minimize idling by using a small ice scraper and cracking a window to vent out moisture.
Winter is the hardest time to address the issue of idling because we want to keep warm and safe. But if we start now, the rest of the year will be a breeze -- an easier-to-breathe breeze.