[FLCrosstrekker]

Some of us remember cars that had a manual choke. It would do the same without all the computers fuel injectors.

 

[MA Subie]

True, but with carbureted engines I would NEVER shift it from park to reverse/drive while it was still on high idle. I have a car with a '73 Pontiac motor and you pump it once and turn it over. It starts on high idle and you simply blip the gas pedal and it goes off of high idle and now you can shift it out of park. If I were to shift it out of park while still on high idle it will chirp the tires when going into gear (and you better have your foot hard on the brake pedal as well). Not good for the driveline.

I know today's cars have torque management built into the ECU programming to keep things like that from happening, but it's still hard for me to shift into gear at high idle. My Subaru is the first late model vehicle I've had that has such a pronounced high idle when cold.

Yes, I remember that carb cars would idle really fast when you first started them. That's because when you depressed the gas before starting, that would close the choke completely. Once the car started, the choke would open just slightly. Tap the gas then and the cam would drop to the next step which would bring the idle down a notch. Otherwise like you said, the car would buck like an angry horse.

 

[MA Subie]

Some of us remember cars that had a manual choke. It would do the same without all the computers fuel injectors.

Ha! I remember the original Honda Civics and Accords back in the mid-1970's had a 3 bbl carb with two manual chokes.

 

[AstroKats]

Ha! I remember the original Honda Civics and Accords back in the mid-1970's had a 3 bbl carb with two manual chokes.

The early Jag V12s had four Strombergs. That was fun...

 

[Phil76]

F: Turn off my high beams then realize they weren't on & it's just that stoopid same-coloured oil light thingy.

 

[yarpos]

Ideally, this is what I do. But, I'm a college student and that extra 3-8 minutes can really cost me sometimes.

What on earth does being a college student have to do with it?

 

[yarpos]

True, but with carbureted engines I would NEVER shift it from park to reverse/drive while it was still on high idle. I have a car with a '73 Pontiac motor and you pump it once and turn it over. It starts on high idle and you simply blip the gas pedal and it goes off of high idle and now you can shift it out of park. If I were to shift it out of park while still on high idle it will chirp the tires when going into gear (and you better have your foot hard on the brake pedal as well). Not good for the driveline.

I know today's cars have torque management built into the ECU programming to keep things like that from happening, but it's still hard for me to shift into gear at high idle. My Subaru is the first late model vehicle I've had that has such a pronounced high idle when cold.

Or you could just adjust the high idle down a bit on the carb car. Normally its a 1000-1500 judt like injected cars

 

[MA Subie]

Or you could just adjust the high idle down a bit on the carb car. Normally its a 1000-1500 judt like injected cars

Trouble is if you make the fast idle lower before you bump it down, it will be too slow after you bump it down and may stall.

 

[MA Subie]

What on earth does being a college student have to do with it?

College students are always running late?

 

[AstroKats]

College students are always running late?

Not just college students, LOL!

 

[sas-XV]

Not just college students, LOL!

SHMBO runs on her own time.
I have learned over the years to add in 15-20 minutes to any appointment time- and keep it to myself.

 

[AstroKats]

SHMBO runs on her own time.
I have learned over the years to add in 15-20 minutes to any appointment time- and keep it to myself.

Me three, LOL!

 

[johnv]

To make a long story short, I always wait for the blue light to turn off in the morning or if it is winter and the car was sitting in a parking lot for a few hours. In my opinion, if you want your powertrain to last, you have to wait for the revs to drop to idle levels.

Here is the long story:
My CrossTrek is now 6 years old and has 179K. No engine or transmission problems whatsoever and I believe that this has a lot to do with waiting for the blue light to turn off (kind of). If the car has been sitting for a long time during the winter, I always wait for the blue light to go off. Keep in mind that warming up the engine also warms up the transmission fluid and that helps a lot with the transmission life. It bothers me too that running the engine on 2K revs to warm it up is just burning gas without producing any valuable work but I use my CrossTrek as a work tool and burning a bit extra gas to keep it running for years to come saves me a lot more money than having to repair a transmission or replace the car early.
Having said that, I believe that the blue light does a bit more than checking the engine temperature. Sometimes, the car is warmed up and ran for a few miles. Then I shut it off for 10-15 minutes and when I start it back up the revs go to 2K again like it needs to warm up. My theory is that it is checking the catalytic converter or manifold temperature and it revs up to bring it to operating temperature. In any case, when this happens, I know that the car engine and transmission are warm enough so I just put it in gear and go.

 

[Ned Kelly]

Mostly B but by the time my electric sliding gate's open and I put it in gear probably D. I do not believe there is any need to wait for the blue light to go off. (or wait until it's at operating temperature) Unless you're prone to step hard on the gas and demand she revs hard, in which case I suggest you Do wait for engine to reach operating temperature. As it is the oils are soo thin even at low temperature there's no need to wait, ordinarily.

 

[warmwind76]

Some of us remember cars that had a manual choke. It would do the same without all the computers fuel injectors.

I remember it like it is today. Oh yeah, it is today 'cause my '76 Toyota has a manual choke. Did some chokin' just this last weekend.

 

[ronprice]

I live in the South Eastern US. It warms up very quickly here. I just get in it and go. I'm a cautious driver anyway, so I don't worry about taking it easy.

 

[AstroKats]

Mostly B but by the time my electric sliding gate's open and I put it in gear probably D. I do not believe there is any need to wait for the blue light to go off. (or wait until it's at operating temperature) Unless you're prone to step hard on the gas and demand she revs hard, in which case I suggest you Do wait for engine to reach operating temperature. As it is the oils are soo thin even at low temperature there's no need to wait, ordinarily.

Yep, if the blue light means you can't drive the car then they would be pretty clear about that in the manual. Similar situation here, by the time I've started the car, plugged in my phone, put on my seatbelt, opened the garage gate and got to the end of the alley, it's out.

I can't think of a real life scenario where you would be roaring down the freeway on a cold engine.

 

[MA Subie]

..........by the time I've started the car, plugged in my phone, put on my seatbelt, opened the garage gate and got to the end of the alley, it's out.

Exactly. I start the car, back out of the garage, close the garage door, put on my seatbelt. By that time, at least a minute or two has passed. Blue light is still on at that point, but I just drive gently until the light goes out. Only time I wait longer is if it's REALLY cold, then I wait at least 3 minutes from start-up as per the car's "time elapsed" indication.

 

[JRHAWK9]

I know this will come as no surprise. Since I've been treating it like a normal vehicle and not letting it idle till the blue light goes off, my fuel economy has increased by a decent amount. I have 230 miles on this tank now and I'm averaging 31.2mpg (according to the car, so I know it's less), using it for my daily commutes. Before I was seeing mid to high 20's by way of the car's display.

 

[MA Subie]

I know this will come as no surprise. Since I've been treating it like a normal vehicle and not letting it idle till the blue light goes off, my fuel economy has increased by a decent amount. I have 230 miles on this tank now and I'm averaging 31.2mpg (according to the car, so I know it's less), using it for my daily commutes. Before I was seeing mid to high 20's by way of the car's display.

Well driving does warm the car faster than idling. That means less time you're running a rich fuel mixture. Though unless your commute is only 5 miles, I find this dramatic a difference surprising. After all, the difference in warm up time would be 2-3 minutes at most.