Does it take a while for your LT1 to warm up. In 40* weather from a stone cold engine, how long does it take you to warm up to 180*? My car takes a while. I thought it was the thermostat being stuck open so I changed it out, and it's still the same. I also flushed the system. I'm just wondering how I compare to others. Thanks.

 

I dunno, takes about 5 mins to get up too 160 in the current 40ish degree weather...180 I dunno, I am usually driving around by that time..

 

I start it, let it run for about 2 minutes and drive about 10 minutes before I get to normal operation temp. Maybe I have another sensor issue thats bad.

 

yeah on a 40* day, it probly takes around 10-15 min. for it to get to 180*

i think its normal

 

These engines have large cooling systems, so they take a while to heat up. At least 5 miles or more on a cold day. My wife's Honda has a tiny 4qt cooling system, and is up to full temperature in a mile or two, even on the coldest day.

One thing us Canadians have going for us is that our F-bodies came standard with engine block heaters. Now that our mornings are colder, I started using mine. By setting it on a timer to come on about 3hrs before I start the car, it has a drastic effect on how quickly my car warms up. The coolant is at operating temperature in about half the distance now! This definitely will prolong the engine's life and improve my wintertime gas mileage (which usually sucks because of that long warmup time)

Another bonus of the block heater is that by having warm coolant, when I first start the engine the rpms only rev up to 1000, instead of 1300 like it does on a totally cold engine.

 

Thanks for your replies. I'm glad i'm in the somewhat normal parameters for time. I am going to consider a block heater only because I am in the Fire Department, and I don't have time for warm-ups.

 

Warming up the tranny/rear end is important as well as warming up the engine. I usually let mine idle for about 20 seconds then I just drive around trying not to go past 2k until my oil pressure drops to normal or my temp is up but the water temp usually rises faster than the oil temp to operating range.

 

Warming up the tranny/rear end is important as well as warming up the engine. I usually let mine idle for about 20 seconds then I just drive around trying not to go past 2k until my oil pressure drops to normal or my temp is up but the water temp usually rises faster than the oil temp to operating range.

 

I agree that you need to warm up the trans and rear end too, which is why I still drive my car very gently for the first few minutes after I start it, even with the block heater being used. I drive like a granny during this time, keeping the rpms below 1500 for the first 2-3min, and keeping the road speed relatively low too. I think this is one of the big factors in prolonging the life of your drivetrain.

 

Thanks for your suggestions. I will try that.

 

Here is some data from this morning's drive in my car.

Outside temperature was 45 degrees.

Block heater was plugged in on a timer, and came on 4 hours before I started the car.

I kept the rpms below 1500 for the first mile, then below 2000rpm for the second mile. Engine coolant reached 195F by the time I hit the 2 mile mark!

Block heaters are awesome! I should try using it in the summer and see how long it takes for the engine to warm up!