Faster Warm Up Tip For Mk 1 Avensis

[dibber]

Now I know my 1.8 Avensis should be an economical car but the problem I have is I only do about a 2 mile journey in it each day. The best I have had is about 25 mpg whereas others on the forum get 40 mpg.

Its a pretty well known fact that the idle speed of the car will not settle out till the car is fully warmed up and by chance I discovered something yesterday..

As it was a warmer day I switched the heater to cold and the fan blower off before starting out on my short journey. I was amazed to discover the car warmed up more than twice as quick as normal. Usually its on the return leg of the journey, just as I am about to turn into my road, before the idle drops to what it should and yesterday I would say it was just under a mile for that to happen.

That has got to make a huge difference to my fuel consumption. Be interested to hear if anyone else tries this out and what they find.

[nick j]

Might be a bit tricky in winter....

[SAM LOVERS HER TOYOTAS]

Hi there...

Thank you so much for putting this post up...i am in exactly the same situation when you say "Now I know my 1.8 Avensis should be an economical car but the problem I have is I only do about a 2 mile journey in it each day. The best I have had is about 25 mpg whereas others on the forum get 40 mpg"...i said this on one of my other recent posts and got told by someone that i should sell my 1.8vvti 2001 51 SR hatch and buy a likkle yaris as im not making good use of my avensis by doing 2mile trips everyday!!!! So im glad im not the only one now lol!

Moving on...i will definitley try your idea tomorrow...bit confused though (sorry if i sound totally thick!) so i switch my heater setting to COLD...and keep the fan blower on OFF...but does this mean everythings off then ie no air blowing from anything???

Would really appreciate it if you would clarify this. Thanks mate

Sammy

[dibber]

Hi there...

Thank you so much for putting this post up...i am in exactly the same situation when you say "Now I know my 1.8 Avensis should be an economical car but the problem I have is I only do about a 2 mile journey in it each day. The best I have had is about 25 mpg whereas others on the forum get 40 mpg"...i said this on one of my other recent posts and got told by someone that i should sell my 1.8vvti 2001 51 SR hatch and buy a likkle yaris as im not making good use of my avensis by doing 2mile trips everyday!!!! So im glad im not the only one now lol!

Moving on...i will definitley try your idea tomorrow...bit confused though (sorry if i sound totally thick!) so i switch my heater setting to COLD...and keep the fan blower on OFF...but does this mean everythings off then ie no air blowing from anything???

Would really appreciate it if you would clarify this. Thanks mate

Sammy

Hi Sammy

The blower fan is not important.. its the turning of the heater control to cold that is the important thing. Just did it again today when I was out and car had fully heated up after 1 mile instead of 4.

[Jamesbelfast]

Inside the heater there is a small radiator (commonly referred to as a heater matrix or core) similar to the main radiator at the front of the car. Naturally like any radiator it will tend to disapate heat when air is blown across it surface. So by both turning the heater controls to cold and ensuring the heater blower is switched fully off of course the engine will warm faster. Conversely an engine under load will heat faster so the more elctrics used the faster the warm up time but also the fuel economy will suffer.

This does not stop the matrix from heating but reduces the loss of heat from the engine coolant system. Also in colder climates it is quite common for the main radiator to have a retractable blind which reduces the air flow thus improving warm up times. There is always going to be a compromise whereby you may save fuel but can't see where you are going.

For further info., - see the link below

http://www.howstuffworks.com/cooling-system10.htm

[t-spiritpete]

Inside the heater there is a small radiator (commonly referred to as a heater matrix or core) similar to the main radiator at the front of the car. Naturally like any radiator it will tend to disapate heat when air is blown across it surface. So by both turning the heater controls to cold and ensuring the heater blower is switched fully off of course the engine will warm faster. Conversely an engine under load will heat faster so the more elctrics used the faster the warm up time but also the fuel economy will suffer.

This does not stop the matrix from heating but reduces the loss of heat from the engine coolant system. Also in colder climates it is quite common for the main radiator to have a retractable blind which reduces the air flow thus improving warm up times. There is always going to be a compromise whereby you may save fuel but can't see where you are going.

For further info., - see the link below

http://www.howstuffw...ng-system10.htm

Hi to all, i've always done it and it makes good sense as you have found out ..... but try explaining that to my wife :D!! I wish I could fit a thermostaticly controlled radiator blind to my 2.2 D4D because especially in winter it can take up to 4 miles to get up to normal operating temp and this really does affect the mpg around town and that's without the heater on!

Best regards, Pete.

[SAM LOVERS HER TOYOTAS]

Further on guys...i tried this today...and amazingly it does truly work...i noticed my temp go up a mile down the road...thanks.

[Jamesbelfast]

In my experience many people don't bother their a$$ either switching off the heater blower or setting the heater to cold when they park a car up for the night. The fewer electrics running when you start the car first from cold the easier it will start plus you have to conciously decide on changing the heater settings the next time you drive.

It's always good practice to go through a proper switch off and parking procedeure each time you leave the car.:)

[Thermal]

It's only natural.

A small amount of water (fluid) warms up quicker than a large amount.

Apart from the contents of the connecting hoses, there are 3 main cooling fluid containers:

1. the car's radiator

2. the engine block, in spaces around the cylinders

3. the interior heater

When the engine is cold, the thermostat is closed and prevents the radiator contents from circulating, so the cold is kept out.

If you turn the heater to "Min", you prevent the content of the still cold heater to circulate through the system, allowing the small amount of fluid inside the block to warm up very quickly.

That only takes a couple of minutes to warm up and you're rewarded with a far lower fuel consumption in the first place, and once the engine has warmed up sufficiently and you turn up the heater, with nice warm air in the second place.

And on the subject of electricity usage:

I can only smile when I see people start their engines with the headlights on...

Just my €0,02. ;)

[dibber]

Further on guys...i tried this today...and amazingly it does truly work...i noticed my temp go up a mile down the road...thanks.

Good to hear it worked for you too Sammy. I did a fill up the other day so its going to be interesting to see how much a difference there is in fuel consumption.