Is it safe to run for extended idle times??

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Eh, I'd take the state trooper thing with a grain of salt, all law enforcement sit and idle a ton and any engine going from high load and high oil temp to idle is going to suffer low oil pressure and accelerated wear.
 

Gerald

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I also am baffled how constantly cycling the engine on/off for fuel efficiency (turned off on mine) could NOT cause excessive wear/tear on starter/ignition & also starve some of the engine for oil in some circumstances. It is all mechanical, starting & stopping over and over again has gotta be worse than starting & idling.......not worse for MPG, worse for mechanical wear

Agree 100%. Unless you're stopped for very long periods at a traffic light or something similar, the MPG benefit has got to be in the noise. I'm much more concerned with the wear and tear caused by the constant stop/start cycles. So I disbale mine each time I get in. Will likely employ one of the mentioned techniques to more permanently have it disabled very soon. But for now, I remember each time I get in to hit the button. But I am getting older........................memory fading......................
 

The Car Stereo Company

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these trucks turn off after a certain amount of time. i dont remember how long, but when i tune audio systems i have had these trucks turn off after some time
 

melvimbe

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Agree 100%. Unless you're stopped for very long periods at a traffic light or something similar, the MPG benefit has got to be in the noise. I'm much more concerned with the wear and tear caused by the constant stop/start cycles. So I disbale mine each time I get in. Will likely employ one of the mentioned techniques to more permanently have it disabled very soon. But for now, I remember each time I get in to hit the button. But I am getting older........................memory fading......................


I thought I read somewhere that you would need to stop for over 7 seconds before you'd see any MPG savings. If your stopping for less than 7 seconds, you're better off keeping the engine on.
 
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quikag

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I wonder why Ford turns the truck off automatically after a while? Safety/environmental issue in case you accidentally left truck running or because the engine doesn’t like extended idle times? I know some other truck brands will let you idle their trucks until the tank runs dry and it’s a non-issue...
 

JasonSTL

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I don’t believe the idle hours log when remote starting the truck. Someone here may know but I’m pretty sure they don’t.
 

GCATX

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I wonder why Ford turns the truck off automatically after a while? Safety/environmental issue in case you accidentally left truck running or because the engine doesn’t like extended idle times? I know some other truck brands will let you idle their trucks until the tank runs dry and it’s a non-issue...
Probably so you don't accidentally start it with the key fob while it's parked in the garage. Carbon monoxide.
 

GCATX

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I have let mine idle several times for over 30 minutes w/ no issue. One time I was trying to update Sync and left it running for a lot longer, maybe an hour or two, trying to get it to update over my home wifi.
Next day I went to drive off and solid white smoke out of the exhaust for a few minutes, didn't last long. Thinking back, I don't think I drove it anywhere that day. These trucks don't seem to build much heat at idle.
Most of the other times is when I arrive at a baseball field, my son gets out and I take a nap or whatever, usually about 45 minutes. Truck is already up to normal operating temp these times.
 

Badgertits

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Love your display name

Engine idle I guess includes stops at traffic lights, right? Gear not in park?

Does a engine hours include idle hours?

I'll post mine in 37 minutes

I think idle hours is tallying up ANY time the engine is running & the truck isn't moving regardless of what gear you're in. Has speed sensors obviously hence why the side mirror spot lights will shut off as soon as you hit 5 mph. Real question is whether or not it is tallying up the remote start idle time.....my guess is yes?
 
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