Idling the car for air

[Nomadness]

Hi all.  I know that idling the car for long is not a good idea, but does anyone know how regularly or what length of time you can do it without hurting the car?  I realize every car is built differently, so I'm asking more generally.  Mine's a 2016 Toyota Corolla if it makes a difference.  So yeah, just looking for ways to stay cool - in Florida.. 
By the way, has tint made a big difference in staying cooler for you?  Thanks everyone!!
Nomadness

 

[JohnnyM]

Hi Nomadness,

Modern motor vehicles, like yours, have electronic fuel and ignition control to keep the engine happy at any engine speed. So in theory at least, your engine can idle indefinitely and smoothly without really hurting itself. The problem is that your engine is happier at a somewhat higher speed than idle, but in a normal, modern, drive-by-wire (the accelerator pedal is attached to an electronic device rather than to the engine itself) car, it's very hard for you to sit there and keep the engine steady at a high idle.

The large diesel trucks you hear parked at a fast idle in truckstops have an electronic override (like a fancy cruise control) so they can set the engine speed while in neutral, but you don't have this feature. Back in the days before electronic fuel injection (EFI), you could simply adjust the carburetor to whatever idle speed you wanted, but those days are long gone.

The other problem is that your air conditioner doesn't perform as well at a slow idle speed as it does at a higher engine speed. You may have noticed that you feel a cooler flow of AC air while you're driving than while you're sitting at a light -- that's why.

So yes, it's ok to let your car idle for a while to enjoy the AC, but to do it right requires you to sit there with your foot on the accelerator to raise the idle speed -- doable, but not easy.

Johnny

 

[B and C]

The other thing is the alternator needs cooling to. Pulling higher amps (fan, ac clutch, etc) with the engine idling might cause your alternator to overheat. When you are driving down the road, there is a lot of airflow for the alternator rather than the stagnant hot air when sitting idling.

 

[Elbear1]

No load builds carbon on pistons and valves. Not to mention the piston rings need pressure to seal causing crankcase contamination which requires more frequent oil changes. The real issue comes in with timing chain. Some toyotas have timing belts which are even worse. IDK if your model has one or not.

I destroyed a car doing this. I was working as a security guard on nightshift and idled for heat. 5 months the timing chain got so loose the chain skipped a tooth and piston smacked the valve.

It takes a long time for that to happen. At least several hundred hours. But we are talking about living in the vehicle here.

 

[lenny flank]

I dunno if it wrecks the engine, but I do know that if you're in town trying to be "stealth", running the engine all night is not a good thing to do.

My solution for hot weather is simple and low-tech---I'm not in the van during the hot days. I do all my housekeeping in the morning before it gets hot, then I spend the entire day elsewhere, at a library or museum or mall or whatever. If it's still hot in the van when I go back in the evening, I put on a wet t-shirt and aim a small fan right at me. It's like a swamp cooler but it puts all the evaporation right where it does the most good--on your skin. It's worked for me everywhere from Miami to Tucson.

 

[highdesertranger]

in many areas there are anti-idling laws. you could be ticketed. beside it's a real inefficient way to run AC unless you have a Prius. a few years back the EPA was really pushing this. they have somewhat backed off for now. here's a list of local laws,

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/CompilationofStateIdlingRegulations.pdf

highdesertranger

 

[Nomadness]

Thanks for the responses everyone!  I do appreciate hearing your thoughts and experiences.  Overall I'm thinking it's best to rely on 12v fans, reflectix and car tint, as well as spending time indoors when possible.  I gotta take care of my home (car).

 

[tx2sturgis]

hdr:

Respectfully, that entire list you linked is almost 100% in reference to diesel powered trucks, buses, and commercial motor vehicles over 10,000 pounds, over 14,000 pounds, or over 26,000 pounds depending on location.

State by state anti-idling laws almost never apply to private motor vehicles. 

Yes there are some local places (like neighborhoods in larger cities) where it is illegal to idle a car unattended in your driveway, but usually this is related to leaving a vehicle idling and unattended in a private driveway...and the EPA has nothing to do with it. It's usually related to local concerns over vehicle theft. Yeah you could get fined IF you left the vehicle unattended and idling in a driveway, if the cops got a complaint AND they warned the owner a few times. 

And actually, most of the anti-idling laws that apply to trucks and other heavy commercial vehicles have several exemptions or exceptions, and one of these is often, occupant comfort or safety.

I agree that idling a car for hours and hours is not good for the engine, but the anti-idling laws in that pdf file are generally applicable to large commercial trucks operating in the USA and have no relevance to someone idling their car or van on a hot summer day.

Lets help them, but without misleading information.

 

[highdesertranger]

Dang Texas I didn't know. I guess the LEO that got on my case was lying about it. highdesertranger

 

[tx2sturgis]

lol...yeah that can happen....but I thought you have said previously you never have any problems with LEOs....and yes, cops are allowed to lie during encounters with the public. I figure everyone knows that by now.

I can tell you a few stories about the EPA, local cops, and anti-idling laws...lets just say, they won.

 

[gabakusa]

get a Prius I leave my car on all night no problem
the engine only will kick in once in a while, the AC can run just using the battery in a PRIUS

 

[SheketEchad]

...now starts to dream about towing a Prius behind her van and using it for her climate controlled office space.

Seriously, I did not know this!   So if you don't go plug in the Prius, do you have to drive a lot the next day to recharge the battery to keep doing such a thing again and again? 
I'll be going up and down the East coast most likely, with lots of time in Florida and probably half boondocking half hanging at family and friends driveways/property.  So I'm not just asking for randomness   Right now I'm only planning to do Florida runs from November thru March, due to the heat issue.  This might be a valid future plan for me if I don't spend a gazillion dollars on solar that will run an a/c.

 

[highdesertranger]

you don't plug a Prius in. don't worry I made that mistake too. when the battery needs charging the engine starts automatically. this is when it's in the ready mode or something like that. so the engine will start several times to keep the battery charged. someone can problaby explain this all better than me. highdesertranger

 

[SheketEchad]

Really? Thanks HDR. My parents have one and I thought it had to be plugged in from time to time.  They also have a Leaf so maybe I am confusing the two.  I will have to ask them, although my mom is in total freak-out mode at the moment when I casually dropped the plans to her 0_0  I might need to wait a few weeks to ask

That's very cool to know, as I might hit up my step-dad when he goes to get a new one and see if he'd sell it to me for cheap.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

 . . . I know that idling the car for long is not a good idea, but does anyone know how regularly or what length of time you can do it without hurting the car? . . .

Also if you are idling your vehicle a lot you are putting 'miles' on that don't show up on your odometer, so you must do routine maintenance more often:
     oil changes, auto transmission service, air filters, etc. 

And things will wear out and need replacement sooner:
     things like timing belts, alternators, drive belts, etc;
     all the parts that are moving while the engine is idling will wear out faster.

 

[gabakusa]

prius will charge battery by itself when it kick the engine you don’t have to drive it