Fuel consumption while idling my vehicle for extended times..

[SoulRaven]

How much fuel does a 4 cylinder fuel injected modern engine use per hour while idling. If I run my engine at idle for extended times, say a few hours at a time to either warm up the car or cool it off, charge or run 12 volt and 110 accessories by use of an inverter, how much fuel would I consume?
I am thinking about using the engine of the vehicle as a multipurpose generator, heater, air conditioner type of thing. In other words when I am in a cold environment I would start the engine to run the heater, and when hot to run the AC. And, I would have things plugged in to charge, cell phones, battery packs, and even a small 12 volt agm deep cycle using some sort of direct line to it at the same time.

Of course....... I wouldn't use it while sleeping. But I did install a remote start that I can just push the button during the night if I need the engine to run for about 20 minutes (which is the time the engine runs till the computer in the remote starter shuts the engine down) to either heat, cool or ventilate the inside of the vehicle. I would have the heater and ac controls preset to be on either heat or ac depending on what the weather is, with the blower set to low to medium.

Now, I know that it will put wear and tear on the alternator and engine, but I really don't care about that. It is a newer vehicle  and I am going to use it for my comfort and am not worrying about babying it.
I am just wanting to find out how economical it would be to use it for those purposes. I don't want to carry a portable generator either, I have no room for that and I don't want the aggravation of taking and maintaining and carrying along fuel for that. I am thinking that it would be so easy to just turn on the engine when I need some heat, cooling, or electric.

So, how much fuel would a 2014 Ford Escape  4 cylinder 2L engine use idling?

 

[TMG51]

Probably the only way to get a reliable answer is to try it and do the math. But I don't foresee idling being a very efficient means of heat/power in the sense that you should rely on it outside of emergencies.

 

[rvpopeye]

You said wear and tear is not a concern.
Fuel consumption should be less of a concern, no?
(Just don't let it run out!)
It's a new vehicle .
It should work as you hope it will.
It's probably your best option considering your space constraints....

I've seen LEOs and security personnel idling for extended periods.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

How much fuel does a 4 cylinder fuel injected modern engine use per hour while idling. If I run my engine at idle for extended times, say a few hours at a time to either warm up the car or cool it off, charge or run 12 volt and 110 accessories by use of an inverter, how much fuel would I consume?
I am thinking about using the engine of the vehicle as a multipurpose generator, heater, air conditioner type of thing. In other words when I am in a cold environment I would start the engine to run the heater, and when hot to run the AC. And, I would have things plugged in to charge, cell phones, battery packs, and even a small 12 volt agm deep cycle using some sort of direct line to it at the same time.

Of course....... I wouldn't use it while sleeping. But I did install a remote start that I can just push the button during the night if I need the engine to run for about 20 minutes (which is the time the engine runs till the computer in the remote starter shuts the engine down) to either heat, cool or ventilate the inside of the vehicle. I would have the heater and ac controls preset to be on either heat or ac depending on what the weather is, with the blower set to low to medium.

Now, I know that it will put wear and tear on the alternator and engine, but I really don't care about that. It is a newer vehicle  and I am going to use it for my comfort and am not worrying about babying it.
I am just wanting to find out how economical it would be to use it for those purposes. I don't want to carry a portable generator either, I have no room for that and I don't want the aggravation of taking and maintaining and carrying along fuel for that. I am thinking that it would be so easy to just turn on the engine when I need some heat, cooling, or electric.

So, how much fuel would a 2014 Ford Escape  4 cylinder 2L engine use idling?

I would be more concerned about carbon monoxide poisoning.

 

[Gary68]

a whole lot more then a small generator

 

[NeedAnEscape]

This isn't with any loads on: http://energy.gov/eere/vehicles/fac...umption-selected-gasoline-and-diesel-vehicles

I'd imagine the heater has minimal effect on the fuel consumption but the AC will increase it a good bit.

 

[mayble]

I saw a story not long ago (wish I could find it again) where someone experimented with running his vehicle vs running a generator to keep cool at night, calculating gas used.  IIRC, it didn't use an enormous amount of fuel - more than the generator, but not as much as I would have expected.

 

[Raven+Squid]

Scan gauge obd monitor can view gallons per hr of fuel and voltage output. It's worth getting one as it can monitor many other useful parameters. It'll help answer your question.
I think using your engine as a generator could be a viable option for some ,probably not ideal but sometimes what's available is the best option.

 

[Damian Rolling]

An idling car uses between 1/5 to 7/10 of a gallon of fuel an hour. An idling diesel truck burns approximately one gallon of fuel an hour.

To get more precise data for your vehicle you can fill the tank, idle for an hour, then see how much you need to refill it again.

Damian

 

[Gideon33w]

If idling for AC you will want an additional fan for the condensor. If idling for heat you may want to setup a throttle lock to keep rpms a little higher (to keep the motor at proper operating temp). - Keep track of hours idled and factor that into your maintenance intervals (instead of just miles).

 

[SternWake]

Years ago when I frequented Baja without solar I would idle to ineffectively recharge, and would notice the gas gauge move downward each time, and this is with a 35 gallon tank.

Later on I saw how ineffective this was regarding recharging, as my voltage regulator often would choose 13.8 instead of 14.5+, and I had not added a thick parallel circuit from alternator to house battery, which not only allows less voltage drop, but helps the voltage regulator choose 14.5+ more often and hold it for longer.

I was Idling for prolonged periods for 8 amps when the batteries could have easily accepted 60+.

Once I idled to reheat the Van, at elevation in a rest stop in virginia, but generally i avoid it.

 

[Gideon33w]

That's because alternator output is less than 25% of its rated output when it is ran at idle. Bottom line, a car makes a poor generator because it is designed to be a car and not a generator.

 

[MikeRuth]

I'm not sure about your car but I have a 2007 FORD  E-150 van and Occasionally I will let idle and run the heater to warm my hands for a few minutes after have been out in the cold.
Now with mine with the blower on high I am pulling 40 amps off the alternator and with a warm engine the voltage drops to 13.8 with out a slight rise in rpm.

How much fuel, I don't know but I can assure you that is a fair amount of wear on the alternator. I think most of us have at one time or another warmed up our vehicle prior to driving, it's really no different.
I think the fuel calc mentioned above of roughly 3/4 gallon per our is close.
Stern Wake didn't mention how long he ran his but for me at a total of 30 to 40 minutes I don't see a change in my fuel gauge reading.

 

[highdesertranger]

just remember while sitting there idling, no matter what vehicle you drive and no matter how fuel efficient it is you are getting zero miles per gallon. highdesertranger

 

[MK7]

Idling like this for a long time dirties up the engine oil faster. Parts are wearing out. No air is gushing through the radiator for cooling so the cooling system is working much harder, especially in the summer with A/C on. Then there's the wear on the heater core, which is a $300-500 job to change. Lots of little things that adds up. Cops and taxi drivers do this all the time, but they have fleet mechanics to fix and maintain their cars. A propane stove on low should keep a small car warm for a whole day for about $3-5 in propane and can be used to cook stuff.