Waiting: How to Avoid Idle Time

Hello!

"Since it's been very cold in the Sauerland region lately, I've been observing the pre-glow phase and the sound of my 3-cylinder engine..."

I've noticed that the engine sounds "more metallic" than usual immediately after starting (for about a minute). The idle speed is also higher.

Now I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to let the engine run for a minute in neutral before driving off, so that the oil can redistribute itself, or is it better to start driving immediately so that the oil warms up faster? (Pros/Cons)

I would appreciate any feedback...

Regards,

Aliendrummer.

Aliendrummer wrote:

Now I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to let the engine run for 1 minute in neutral before driving, so that the oil can redistribute itself, or is it better to start driving immediately so that the oil warms up faster?

The oil warms up pretty slowly anyway.
If you want to warm up significantly faster, you would essentially have to "beat" your cold engine.

I only stop for a few seconds after a cold start while I buckle my seatbelt. I think that's enough time for today's 0W and 5W oils to circulate properly throughout the engine.
After that, I'll immediately (carefully) start the engine so that it doesn't stay cold for too long.

The different sound of the engine is certainly also largely due to the injection timing, which is constantly being changed.

Connect a VAGCOM device and observe how the short-term fuel trim (STFT) changes during the first minute.

Or simply start the basic settings mode, and it should switch between very early and very late, and you'll hear many great sounds .
(I'm not entirely sure if all doctors do it this way.)

m;

Unfortunately, I don't have a VAG-COM.

Yes, it's cold in the Sauerland region...

"I think like Ulf and I agree with him. Often, I don't start driving until the instantaneous fuel consumption reaches 1.0 l/h. Depending on the temperature, it can be as high as 2.4 l/h right after starting the engine, but that only lasts for a maximum of 10 to 15 seconds. Anything longer is definitely unnecessary, and for environmental and noise reasons, it's probably not even allowed."

But nothing sounds metallic to me; below -15° Celsius, the whole thing sounds awful... at that point, I don't hear anything other than noise .

Hi!

Yesterday, while topping up the oil, I saw a brownish foam on the cap of the oil filler neck. Could this also be related to the cold weather?

Regards,

Aliendrummer.

This is usually a sign of a blown head gasket (water in the oil).

[Translating...]

shit ....

Hold on, how much are we talking about? Our A2 with the 1.4-liter engine had this problem from the very first kilometer.
There were also certain engine configurations, like the 1.6-liter gasoline engine with 8 valves and 100 horsepower (I think it was the AKE engine, but I'm not entirely sure). In those engines, the ventilation system was oddly positioned, directly under the oil filler cap. This area was always quite greasy. The same problem existed in the A2 model, but I believe newer models no longer have it. The oil filler cap was located in the service flap, and even there, this kind of residue would occasionally form.

Let's check the water level first; is it at the normal level? And does it smell? If so, there might be oil in it.

I just checked again. There's no foam anymore.
The water level is normal, and it doesn't smell oily.

I will definitely continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated on the latest developments.
Can this foam also occur if you drive a lot of short distances?

Aliendrummer wrote:

Can this foam also occur if you drive a lot of short distances?

Theoretically, yes.

For comparison:
I usually only drive routes of about 20km (twice a day) with my car. And with the current cold weather, the temperature gauge only reaches the 90°C mark at most twice a day (after a slight uphill section at the end of each trip, which is actually around 75°C).
Sometimes, even at temperatures around 65 or 70°C (estimated real-world values), it reaches its limit.

There are no signs of foaming on my oil filler cap...

I agree with Ulf.
At the current temperatures, a small amount of "foam" may form on the oil cap.
It depends on the crankshaft and engine construction.
Usually, this kind of thing only happens with extremely short distances, where the oil doesn't reach its operating temperature.

For a few years, there were issues with the 1.0, 1.4, 1.4 16V, and 1.6 16V engines (I don't know all the specific models affected; only gasoline engines), specifically with the frozen-up crankcase ventilation system. This led to widespread engine failures.
I still remember doing some recalls myself.

Quote:

For a few years, there were issues with the 1.0, 1.4, 1.4 16V, and 1.6 16V engines.

Not just "was". I just read in the Neuhaus forum about the first Golf V 1.4 with frost damage .

The same goes for the new Golf!
I would have thought VW would have learned something by now!

I also regularly experienced that foam issue with my air-cooled buses.
It doesn't necessarily mean anything.

Greetings,
dieter[/b]