Maintenance Tip for Cold Weather Start-Driving w/Pro Cal

[Lion77]

I know there's been some discussion about cold start practices minimizing cold start / driving wear for longevity on a cold engine, but this can be a bit a chore especially with something like the Pro Cal upgrade since it more aggressively revs out even with a cold engine.

There's two primary reasons to limit RPM on a cold engine, 1. reduce load, obviously with more throttle it's going to wind out more and hit higher cylinder pressures, especially once getting into boost, which loads the bearings more on the power stroke 2. RPM alone will load the bearings at TDC and BDC due to mass / inertia, which is why engines have RPM limits period.

60% of engine wear occurs when operating on cold oil, so this is where driving habits come into play by having just a little bit of mechanical sympathy for the limitations of motor oil as it can be 5x to 6x thicker viscosity cold than when up to operating temp.

Why does that matter? Flow rates. Even with older G-rotor PVD pumps, you dont' get full oil flow rates on cold oil because the pressure bypass valve bleeds off excess pressure to prevent blowing seals and pump damage. Once in bypass, your flow rates drop even with PVD pumps. To my knowledge the 3.0L uses a variable geometry pump which is a vein style, so again you'll run into the same thing on cold oil with the safety bypass and more limited flow due to viscosity with vein style pumps.

What does that mean for rod / main bearings, cam lobes, cam bearings and turbo bearings? Reduced flow and localized overheating. Since the flow rates are much lower, what happens is you get localized overheating the bearing even on a cold engine that's being flogged, so the oil thins to rapidly because it's not replaced fast enough and begins to collapse, allowing for mixed mode and even boundary layer lubrication regimes instead of a fully formed hydrodynamic wedge. Parts wear much faster and you end up with problems.

Idling for warm-up on the other hand produces issues with excessive fuel dilution of the oil, which thins the oil considerably. Idling also does not fully support hydrodynamic operation of bearings, so your wear is higher on bearings during idle than when cruising at 2k rpm or even WOT. On modern engines, the best solution to minimize cold operation wear is to drive it at light loads with light throttle application.

1. Facilitates faster warm-up without overloading bearings.
2. Better fuel economy.
3. Minimizes fuel dilution of the oil, sludging of the oil (mixing of water and oil deposits), although synthetic base stocks go a long way to minise this even with moisture exposure.

So, given all that, I was playing around with the drive modes on my 24' RR w/Pro Cal and got the idea to use the Slipper drive mode after having used it in bad snow re got recently (which was actually quite fun to drive in with the Raptor!), because it dulls the throttle response so much.

Sure enough, it was MUCH easier to modulate the throttle when cold to keep the RPM's below 4k and the load fairly light on the engine without needing to be as irritatingly precise with my foot like in normal modes. If your concerned about long term wear, especially in the winter season and want to make life a bit easier when driving on a cold engine during warm-up, consider putting the truck in slippery drive mode, then just using the R button for your "daily setup" once it's warmed.

I prefer Normal + Sport Suspension + Sport Steering + Quite exhaust as my "around town / highway cruising" config. That balances road dynamics with comfort. I like sporty handling, but don't want the noise and when I'm just driving around, I want to save fuel so that's why I use that config.

For hooning on back roads, Sport mode all the way. And ya'll know the rest of the drive modes and their applications, sono need to go into that.

In the summertime I don't think this is necessary to use slipper for warm-ups since the starting temps are much higher, especially if its parked outside in the sun, but it definitely helps in the cold days of winter (10~20F), especially with the Pro Cal since the throttle mapping is much sportier than stock.

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[Chuck2001]

0W30 instead of 5W30 helps a bit, and block heater. The Mobil 1 AFE is good value and relevant to Ford spec.

Changing oil after 3 months is a good practice as well to mitigate fuel dilution issue.

 

[DanielRayJ]

So I have been reading and looking around for a cold start oil pressure solution. And the Baxter oil filter adapter is supposed to help eliminate/lessen the time it takes to get oil up into the engine after the engine has been setting for a while. Also I tried holding down the gas pedal while cranking the motor and seeing if the cranking speed is enough to pre-lube the motor and help eliminate the “rattle” that happens on a cold start. I will try to get another video and post it to help explain what I am talking about.

 

[DanielRayJ]

 

[Intercontinental_Ranger]

dang, I literally used remote start every day this winter thinking idling for warm up was the way to go to reduce wear on the engine

Thanks for the detailed post!

 

[CoastieN70]

I know there's been some discussion about cold start practices minimizing cold start / driving wear for longevity on a cold engine, but this can be a bit a chore especially with something like the Pro Cal upgrade since it more aggressively revs out even with a cold engine.

There's two primary reasons to limit RPM on a cold engine, 1. reduce load, obviously with more throttle it's going to wind out more and hit higher cylinder pressures, especially once getting into boost, which loads the bearings more on the power stroke 2. RPM alone will load the bearings at TDC and BDC due to mass / inertia, which is why engines have RPM limits period.

60% of engine wear occurs when operating on cold oil, so this is where driving habits come into play by having just a little bit of mechanical sympathy for the limitations of motor oil as it can be 5x to 6x thicker viscosity cold than when up to operating temp.

Why does that matter? Flow rates. Even with older G-rotor PVD pumps, you dont' get full oil flow rates on cold oil because the pressure bypass valve bleeds off excess pressure to prevent blowing seals and pump damage. Once in bypass, your flow rates drop even with PVD pumps. To my knowledge the 3.0L uses a variable geometry pump which is a vein style, so again you'll run into the same thing on cold oil with the safety bypass and more limited flow due to viscosity with vein style pumps.

What does that mean for rod / main bearings, cam lobes, cam bearings and turbo bearings? Reduced flow and localized overheating. Since the flow rates are much lower, what happens is you get localized overheating the bearing even on a cold engine that's being flogged, so the oil thins to rapidly because it's not replaced fast enough and begins to collapse, allowing for mixed mode and even boundary layer lubrication regimes instead of a fully formed hydrodynamic wedge. Parts wear much faster and you end up with problems.

Idling for warm-up on the other hand produces issues with excessive fuel dilution of the oil, which thins the oil considerably. Idling also does not fully support hydrodynamic operation of bearings, so your wear is higher on bearings during idle than when cruising at 2k rpm or even WOT. On modern engines, the best solution to minimize cold operation wear is to drive it at light loads with light throttle application.

1. Facilitates faster warm-up without overloading bearings.
2. Better fuel economy.
3. Minimizes fuel dilution of the oil, sludging of the oil (mixing of water and oil deposits), although synthetic base stocks go a long way to minise this even with moisture exposure.

So, given all that, I was playing around with the drive modes on my 24' RR w/Pro Cal and got the idea to use the Slipper drive mode after having used it in bad snow re got recently (which was actually quite fun to drive in with the Raptor!), because it dulls the throttle response so much.

Sure enough, it was MUCH easier to modulate the throttle when cold to keep the RPM's below 4k and the load fairly light on the engine without needing to be as irritatingly precise with my foot like in normal modes. If your concerned about long term wear, especially in the winter season and want to make life a bit easier when driving on a cold engine during warm-up, consider putting the truck in slippery drive mode, then just using the R button for your "daily setup" once it's warmed.

I prefer Normal + Sport Suspension + Sport Steering + Quite exhaust as my "around town / highway cruising" config. That balances road dynamics with comfort. I like sporty handling, but don't want the noise and when I'm just driving around, I want to save fuel so that's why I use that config.

For hooning on back roads, Sport mode all the way. And ya'll know the rest of the drive modes and their applications, sono need to go into that.

In the summertime I don't think this is necessary to use slipper for warm-ups since the starting temps are much higher, especially if its parked outside in the sun, but it definitely helps in the cold days of winter (10~20F), especially with the Pro Cal since the throttle mapping is much sportier than stock.

I agree with most of you post except the part of using the "Slippery Drive Mode." That drive mode puts you in 4H and is not meant for dry roads.
Other than that....

 

[Patriot_USMC]

I agree with most of you post except the part of using the "Slippery Drive Mode." That drive mode puts you in 4H and is not meant for dry roads.
Other than that....

Not exactly. Slippery puts the Ranger Raptor into 4A (4 Auto) which is perfect for pavement on slick days.

 

[srv256ss]

I know there's been some discussion about cold start practices minimizing cold start / driving wear for longevity on a cold engine, but this can be a bit a chore especially with something like the Pro Cal upgrade since it more aggressively revs out even with a cold engine.

There's two primary reasons to limit RPM on a cold engine, 1. reduce load, obviously with more throttle it's going to wind out more and hit higher cylinder pressures, especially once getting into boost, which loads the bearings more on the power stroke 2. RPM alone will load the bearings at TDC and BDC due to mass / inertia, which is why engines have RPM limits period.

60% of engine wear occurs when operating on cold oil, so this is where driving habits come into play by having just a little bit of mechanical sympathy for the limitations of motor oil as it can be 5x to 6x thicker viscosity cold than when up to operating temp.

Why does that matter? Flow rates. Even with older G-rotor PVD pumps, you dont' get full oil flow rates on cold oil because the pressure bypass valve bleeds off excess pressure to prevent blowing seals and pump damage. Once in bypass, your flow rates drop even with PVD pumps. To my knowledge the 3.0L uses a variable geometry pump which is a vein style, so again you'll run into the same thing on cold oil with the safety bypass and more limited flow due to viscosity with vein style pumps.

What does that mean for rod / main bearings, cam lobes, cam bearings and turbo bearings? Reduced flow and localized overheating. Since the flow rates are much lower, what happens is you get localized overheating the bearing even on a cold engine that's being flogged, so the oil thins to rapidly because it's not replaced fast enough and begins to collapse, allowing for mixed mode and even boundary layer lubrication regimes instead of a fully formed hydrodynamic wedge. Parts wear much faster and you end up with problems.

Idling for warm-up on the other hand produces issues with excessive fuel dilution of the oil, which thins the oil considerably. Idling also does not fully support hydrodynamic operation of bearings, so your wear is higher on bearings during idle than when cruising at 2k rpm or even WOT. On modern engines, the best solution to minimize cold operation wear is to drive it at light loads with light throttle application.

1. Facilitates faster warm-up without overloading bearings.
2. Better fuel economy.
3. Minimizes fuel dilution of the oil, sludging of the oil (mixing of water and oil deposits), although synthetic base stocks go a long way to minise this even with moisture exposure.

So, given all that, I was playing around with the drive modes on my 24' RR w/Pro Cal and got the idea to use the Slipper drive mode after having used it in bad snow re got recently (which was actually quite fun to drive in with the Raptor!), because it dulls the throttle response so much.

Sure enough, it was MUCH easier to modulate the throttle when cold to keep the RPM's below 4k and the load fairly light on the engine without needing to be as irritatingly precise with my foot like in normal modes. If your concerned about long term wear, especially in the winter season and want to make life a bit easier when driving on a cold engine during warm-up, consider putting the truck in slippery drive mode, then just using the R button for your "daily setup" once it's warmed.

I prefer Normal + Sport Suspension + Sport Steering + Quite exhaust as my "around town / highway cruising" config. That balances road dynamics with comfort. I like sporty handling, but don't want the noise and when I'm just driving around, I want to save fuel so that's why I use that config.

For hooning on back roads, Sport mode all the way. And ya'll know the rest of the drive modes and their applications, sono need to go into that.

In the summertime I don't think this is necessary to use slipper for warm-ups since the starting temps are much higher, especially if its parked outside in the sun, but it definitely helps in the cold days of winter (10~20F), especially with the Pro Cal since the throttle mapping is much sportier than stock.

I ordered my RR with the block heater to start at a higher base temperature for this reason.

 

[RaptorME]

Any tune only revs quicker if you give it more throttle. In fact with the extra power it can actually shift sooner so that point makes no sense. We have 4 tuned cars and just drive gently until up to temp. Some cars like my Audi and some BMW's actually reduce your redline until the car is warm enough. It would be nice if experts on warm-up and intakes would be specific with how many miles of premature wear these vehicles experience. If you bring it up it is always crickets.

 

[Lion77]

The Ford Pro Cal shifts at a slightly higher RPM than stock at the same throttle position. They do this for better response going into the next gear. So yes, the tune does change the shift points.

You can use less throttle to counteract that, but only to a point, it gets a bit hard to feather it that much, so I tend to prefer the Slippery mode for cold weather since it changes the throttle profile specifically for less power, giving you more control at light throttle.

It kind of acts like the ECO mode in a Prius. It detunes the throttle sensitivity, so you have finer control over the throttle on the low end to achieve better fuel mileage, but in this case we are more concerned about warmup, even though the Slippery mode was intended to dull the throttle for low traction conditions.

 

[Lion77]

dang, I literally used remote start every day this winter thinking idling for warm up was the way to go to reduce wear on the engine

Thanks for the detailed post!

Nope. Long idle times promote fuel washing of the cylinder walls. When cold, it runs rich for emissions. Also the rings shrink down due to temp, so they don't seal quite as well since they have less outward pressure from changes in diameter from being cold. Think of your piston rings as a spring that pushes outward to try and seal against the cylinder wall. Very cold temps reduce ring tension (as does wear form dust contamination of the intake).

Those two situations cause a lot of extra fuel in the combustion chamber that mixes with the oil in the crank case since it seeps past the rings, so then sitting there slow warming it up really causes a lot fuel to enter your crank case and dilute the oil (thins it). Also, since you're at such low RPM, most of the fluid films are in boundary layer, not in hydrodynamic.

Boundary layer lubrication regime is when the rotational velocity is too low to fully support a fluid wedge, so you have some metal on metal contact of bearing surfaces (partial fluid film). Once the velocity is sufficient, the fluid wedge thickens (think of skis on water, if you don't go fast enough, you begin to sink down into the water). Same thing happens when excessive heat thins the oil too much or if the oil becomes too diluted.

Basically, just drive it cold, but use light throttle and try to limit RPM to 4k or less, steady state cruising at ~2k rpm is ideal. (Block heaters are great for vehicles that see extreme temps or regularly see cold starts). There are two types of loads your trying to limit until warmed up:

1. Rotation alone, regardless of ignition, produces stresses at TDC and BDC, so even at light throttle, if you rev it out, the momentum of the piston / rod on the bearings is related to RPM at TDC and BDC. You want to minimize loading by light throttle which will limit RPM.

2. Heavy throttle at any RPM creates high bearing loads on the power stroke obviously because the cylinder is pressurized. At light throttle there's limited pressure.

3. Moderate RPM's also create more friction, so you warm up faster at 2k~3k rpm than at 750 RPM idling. So you get to optimal quicker.

4. You're also burning most of the fuel under light load vs. when just at idle. You can get fuel washing problems even on engines that are fully warmed up that see extensive idling (i.e., Police Cruisers, Utility Vehicles, Taxi's etc.).

Driving habits matter!

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