Running system while car is off

[TeamHT]

Heres a better idea, go to Walmart and buy a shitload of batteries and a stereo. Problem solved.

[AlexBryson]

Even at an idle ur not burnin that much fuel. I have a 5.9L V8 magnum and i've locked my keys in it before and no one could break into my car for me for 4 hrs. I barely lost any gas at all.

[canderton01]

Even at an idle ur not burnin that much fuel. I have a 5.9L V8 magnum and i've locked my keys in it before and no one could break into my car for me for 4 hrs. I barely lost any gas at all.

idling is not good for your car for extended periods of time though, it can be extremely taxing on the cooling system especially in the summer heat

[AlexBryson]

Even at an idle ur not burnin that much fuel. I have a 5.9L V8 magnum and i've locked my keys in it before and no one could break into my car for me for 4 hrs. I barely lost any gas at all.

idling is not good for your car for extended periods of time though, it can be extremely taxing on the cooling system especially in the summer heat

Good point

[rysc86]

i said don't have it turned up and to periodically start the car to charge the battery. you are getting 0 miles to the gallon with the car sitting there idling even if it only burns a lil bit so you are still wasting gas. Now if you want to demo your system full tilt at a carshow then by all means have the car idling but its ok to have it off at moderate volumes while you wash your car, grill some food in the backyard ect.

[TeamHT]

i said don't have it turned up and to periodically start the car to charge the battery. you are getting 0 miles to the gallon with the car sitting there idling even if it only burns a lil bit so you are still wasting gas. Now if you want to demo your system full tilt at a carshow then by all means have the car idling but its ok to have it off at moderate volumes while you wash your car, grill some food in the backyard ect.

That is a general statement with almost 0 factual information in there. You are also somehow COMPLETELY missing the point where the OP DID NOT say have it at moderate volume levels for short periods of time.

Even at an idle ur not burnin that much fuel. I have a 5.9L V8 magnum and i've locked my keys in it before and no one could break into my car for me for 4 hrs. I barely lost any gas at all.

idling is not good for your car for extended periods of time though, it can be extremely taxing on the cooling system especially in the summer heat

I disagree with this entire statement. An engine is designed to run, and to work, whether you are driving or sitting at idle. As long as nothing is wrong with your engine, and the coolant system works as it should, it will not be working harder. And with much lower engine RPMs and the cat cooling down, how is the coolant system working harder anyways?

[Tarball]

Even at an idle ur not burnin that much fuel. I have a 5.9L V8 magnum and i've locked my keys in it before and no one could break into my car for me for 4 hrs. I barely lost any gas at all.

idling is not good for your car for extended periods of time though, it can be extremely taxing on the cooling system especially in the summer heat

If your car has problems keeping the engine cool at idle...even in the summer time...there is an underlying problem that should be addressed.

[Robert8252]

I sat for almost 4 solid hours at Slamology this past weekend full tilt car at idle. Used maybe 1/8 tank all weekend if that.

[Will757]

Idling for long periods of time definitely isnt the best thing to do for an engine. a lot of heat builds up under that hood when its 90+ degrees out. Some cars do have better cooling systems than others though. My dad's F150 runs at the same temperature on the freeway that it does sitting in the driveway idling for a while. My car on the other hand, runs at about 160-180 when Im on the freeway, and just sitting there idling itll hit 210 or more if its really hot out. There is definitely an added strain on the cooling system. Thats part of the police package on cars. they have a beefier cooling system because police cars do a whole lot of idling

[canderton01]

i said don't have it turned up and to periodically start the car to charge the battery. you are getting 0 miles to the gallon with the car sitting there idling even if it only burns a lil bit so you are still wasting gas. Now if you want to demo your system full tilt at a carshow then by all means have the car idling but its ok to have it off at moderate volumes while you wash your car, grill some food in the backyard ect.

That is a general statement with almost 0 factual information in there. You are also somehow COMPLETELY missing the point where the OP DID NOT say have it at moderate volume levels for short periods of time.

Even at an idle ur not burnin that much fuel. I have a 5.9L V8 magnum and i've locked my keys in it before and no one could break into my car for me for 4 hrs. I barely lost any gas at all.

idling is not good for your car for extended periods of time though, it can be extremely taxing on the cooling system especially in the summer heat

I disagree with this entire statement. An engine is designed to run, and to work, whether you are driving or sitting at idle. As long as nothing is wrong with your engine, and the coolant system works as it should, it will not be working harder. And with much lower engine RPMs and the cat cooling down, how is the coolant system working harder anyways?

It's having to work harder because when the car is stationary and the engine is running, obviously the radiator is hardly getting any airflow hence why on hot days you hear the electric fans kicking on and off every 30 seconds or so(not all cars are the same however). This doesn't make for very efficient cooling.

Am I saying that you are going to cause your engine to overheat and blow if you were to leave it running for a while? Not at all. My point was continuously letting your car idle for long periods of time isn't the greatest idea. Not to mention unless you are demoing or doing something that requires the alternator, you are just pointlessly wasting gas.