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another car question

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franksolich:
This isn't really a whine, because I have no idea; it might in fact be a good thing.

I got this new motor vehicle in late November, a 4-5-year-old Ford Taurus sedan.

About the same time I got it, was when the Sandhills of Nebraska were hit with a temporary cold snap--not quite as bad as the current temporary cold snap, but pretty cold anyway, for about a week.

I always used to warm up the motor vehicle before taking off in cold weather; depending on the temperature, for circa a couple of minutes on up to ten minutes.

The very first time I did this (shortly after getting the vehicle), I went back inside the house, and when I came back out about ten minutes later, the engine had shut off.  It started again, immediately, and with no problem.

Since this was a phenomenon new to me, I observed it.

The motor vehicle refuses to be warmed up; once started, if left alone, it automatically and routinely shuts off after about two minutes.  It always starts up immediately, and with no problems, when I turn the key again.

I finally decided this automobile "prefers" to warm up when the wheels are turning, going down the highway.

And it does do that; after about one mile, the thing is going as if it's a warm day in May.

I always thought one had to "warm up" an engine, most especially in extremely cold weather, but this one, once the key is turned in the ignition wants to get going right away.

Of course I take it easy (that first mile or so).  I am notorious for being "sensitive" to the limitations of motor vehicles (cars, trucks, whatnot), which is perhaps why I pay less in insurance than anybody else I know, and have fewer and cheaper mechanical problems.  Once the automobile determines itself ready to go slamming down the highway at 70 mph, I let it go.  But not before.

(Note: remember, I live in different circumstances than most people here; traffic is not a problem when one can drive for miles and miles without seeing another motor vehicle, and so one is pretty much free to use his own judgement, not having to worry about its effect on others.)

So any more, now I just go out, start the vehicle, and take off right away, even if it's -12 and windy.

The motor does NOT shut off when I'm at a stop for an extended period (long railway train crossing the road, flocks of wild turkeys taking their own good time ambling across the road, &c., &c., &c.).

Someone suggested that when I'm stopped, and the engine running, since it's still in gear, that's why it doesn't shut down.....and theorized that because I'm in "park" when warming up the engine, that might be a factor.  This was new to me; I haven't checked it out yet.

Is this a good thing, or might this be symptomatic of a problem?  Problems when caught early, or problems anticipated, are cheap to resolve.

 

RightCoast:
Never heard of such a thing.

Chris_:
Modern engines usually do not need to be warmed up for more than a couple of minutes.  Most vehicles perform fine until it gets colder than -20.  If I lived somewhere that cold, I would install a block heater.

If you're having problems with your car randomly shutting off, you might have another problem with it.  I had a Buick that would shut off when I stopped at traffic lights (I got to be real popular).  Everything else on the car worked fine and I had no electrical problems that I noticed.  Turns out it was the crankshaft position sensor, which GM was notorious for having bad ones.  Any mechanic should be able to pull the distributor shaft and install a new sensor. 

Carl:
It is a new fail safe thing in some vehicles so that if one starts the car and then forgets about it (think remote starting) it will shut off after a certain amount of time.

One way you could test it would be to park it when you get home and see if after a while it is still running.
Even that may not prove anything as the ECM is reading the coolant temperature and may override the shut down system.

Lord Undies:
It's a Taurus.  Maybe it's just being bullheaded.

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