Can you leave your car running overnight?

[CTyankee]

The reason I ask is because there was a Car Talk caller today who said members of the military stationed in Nepal used to leave a car running overnight during extreme cold weather and through some method transferred the warmth via the tailpipe to a cold car, enabling it to warm and then start up.

I find that odd, but I know nothing about cars. Wouldn't leaving a car running overnight harm the car? How long can you leave a car running anyway...I mean safely...?

[loli phabay]

1. my vehicle runs non stop 24/7 for four days at a time, not sure about the manufacturers

advice about this though.

[CTyankee]

2. Idling or in motion?

[loli phabay]

3. both, idles a lot as well as hard running, longest ive idled it was eight hours, almost ran outta ga

gas.

[CTyankee]

4. and it didn't do any damage to the car?

[Wounded Bear]

5. Running a car continuously....

is probably better for it than turning it off and on. Most wear actually occurs during startup and first operation, when the oil is not properly distributed around the engine and parts are not fully expanded from heat.

Obviously, it will use up fuel and not be good for air quality in the area, but for cold nights, it's an option. When operating, it can't freeze up from cold weather.

[TexasTowelie]

6. You could actually overheat your car engine if your air intake into the engine compartment is too

low.

[pipi_k]

7. Left ours running for

almost 3 days straight a bunch of winters ago when a huge storm blew through and knocked out the power, the road couldn't be plowed, and the generator crapped out.

The battery was hooked up to some sort of inverter and plugged into a special outlet in the house.

[hunter]

8. Electric engine heaters are cheaper than gasoline.

Better for the air too.

[kristopher]

9. Catalytic converters can cause fires.

We all know the warnings about not parking over combustibles, but I saw a van that had been left idling catch fire on asphalt pavement once. I don't recall the particulars that well but the cat caused the asphalt to burn and that spread to the van. It was pretty new so perhaps there was a defect in the cat or something but it wasn't mine, and I didn't hear the follow up.
I'd bet there's a good chance that vehicles in Nepal don't have cats.

[panader0]

10. One night a friend and I were drinking and smoking and playing guitar.

We ran out of beer so he headed home to get more. We're out in the boonies. He never came back. He had left his truck running, gone inside for beer and passed out. The next day, his truck was out front, still running.

[ConcernedCanuk]

11. Absolutely - the only governing factor is gas.

.
.
.

Barring any mechanical failure like fan belt, coolant or oil loss - yep - a gas engine can run for extended periods with no harm.

Most generators are gas, and they can run for days or weeks.

An exhaust hose such as they use in auto repair shops could certainly be used to funnel the exhaust heat underneath the engine of another vehicle to warm it up.

Another poster mentioned that most of an engines wear and tear is at start-up while the engine is cold.

This is true.

Vehicles' engines that run around the clock (like taxicabs and cop cars) last much longer than short commuter trips.

The only "safety" concern would be the exhaust - you wouldn't want the exhaust too close to a building where the fumes could enter a partially opened window or vent.

No danger of overheating as one poster mentioned, unless the car had some defect.

So - the only "danger" is running out of gas.

CC

[jakeXT]

12. In some places on earth you have to do it

If you thought it was cold where you are at the moment then a visit to the Russian village of Oymyakon might just change your mind.

With the average temperature for January standing at -50C, it is no wonder the village is the coldest permanently inhabited settlement in the world.

Known as the 'Pole of Cold', the coldest ever temperature recorded in Oymyakon was -71.2C.


Daily problems that come with living in Oymyakon include pen ink freezing, glasses freezing to people's faces and batteries losing power. Locals are said to leave their cars running all day for fear of not being able to restart them.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2266374/Oymyakon-coldest-village-earth-Temperatures-drop-71-2C-locals-wear-glasses-freeze-faces-school-shuts-falls-52C.html

[NoGOPZone]

13. i wouldn't expect it to cause a problem in the cold

But I've heard some stories of this causing problems in very hot weather.

I've also heard some trucking companies will idle vehicles overnight in extreme cold, although it may be illegal in some jurisdictions

[Gravitycollapse]

14. Contrary to what some believe, leaving an engine to idle can cause damage.

It depends on the engine but there is a potential for low oil pressure at idle which, even though there is a low engine speed, can cause damage if left to it's own devices for long enough.

There is also an issue of engine heat. In an excessively cold environment, this may not be a problem. But in a warmer environment, without the wind to replenish cool air around the intake, engine and exhaust, you run the risk of overheating in more than one way.

Since I've lived in the South West my entire life, I've never actually considered the idea of leaving an engine to idle for hours at a time to avoid a cold start. But it doesn't sound like a particularly great idea.

[Aristus]

15. During winter field exercises in Germany,

keeping the vehicles running at night was the best way to keep troops and vehicles from freezing.

[Casca2525]

16. Gas, diesel & propane

I am a Canadian, with 12 years in the reserves, 7.5 of that attached to regular forces as a trade level 2 vehicle tech doing armoured vehicle recovery, if no shelter was available, propane fueled vans ran non-stop on winter exercises, so did many of the diesel fueled equipment, others had what I believe were webasto heaters, I say 'I believe' as they were green and had a different name on the build tag, they were located in the engine bay, they were thermosiphon where the temp difference in the coolant caused it to self circulate the engine coolant so it stayed at operating temperature without the engine running, the coolant also circulated through the crew heater as well so the crew could stay in the vehicle as long as there was fuel in the fuel tanks, an other system I saw was in key lake sask. They had gas pickups owned by the mining company that had quick connects at the end of 20 foot hoses, when all the gas fueled pick ups were at full OT the hoses were plugged into matching connectors on the mining equipment in about 20 Min's the diesel engines were warm and would start as easy as on a warm day, the pick-up were all beaters worth maybe $1500 verses $15,000 for the engines in the machines, as to using the exhaust, I have never seen it done, were the cold vehicles tarped over to hold in the exhaust heat? otherwise it doesn't seem practical as exhaust isn't really hot enough to warm a wide open area if it isn't trapped around the cold vehicle

[guss]

17. welcome

hey new member great info.