well in the morning when i start my car i run my heater to the max, while waiting for the engine to warm-up. i noticed that the fans in the front turn on like every other minute or so, and dims my lights/shakes the car when the fans turn on. and whats weird is the fans turn on for like 5 seconds then shuts off. then a minute or two later it does the same. im not sure if it's just because my engine is cold, but i am going to try it after running my car for a while to see if it still does it. anyone notice their fits doing this?

 

What setting do you have your HVAC on? If you have either of the front windshield defrost settings selected, it actually kicks the A/C in...that's probably what's happening by the sounds of it.

 

acutually i do have it on the windshield.. ill try it without the windshield.. but thats the whole point to defrost it.. do you think its something to worry about?

 

Nope, it always does that.

 

Yeah thats completly normal. Mine does the same thing..

Tyler

 

If you have it on the windshield you are starting the AC compressor! The AC compressor will lug the engine making it idle funny. (unless you did the AC compressor defrost mod. Search for it.) I think all new cars start the AC compressor when using the defrost modes.

 

The compressor runs to dehumidify the air, this reduced windshield fogging. Pretty much all current car brands do this. This thread will tell you how to "fix" it https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...ight=defroster .

 

You realize you're actually putting more wear on the engine just letting it idle to warm up than if you just got in a drove it, right? Just sitting idling doesn't get the oil circulated as well/quickly as it needs to be in a cold engine, especially one that been sitting all night and has had most of the oil drain back into the pan. This means the oil's not protecting the parts like it should while it's idling, which means wear. Better is to just get in, start-up, and go -- albeit taking it easy until everything warms up. That way oil comes up to temp faster, gets distributed better/faster, and the time you have spent running the engine with minimal protection is reduced dramatically. I'm not pulling this out my ass either -- there's a thread or two on this here if you search. I only mention it b/c, more than the AC compressor kicking in like you asked about, the idling you're doing is what you should worry about.

 

When you start the car up, it'll idle higher much like older cars with the choke pulled out. Basically, it's dumping a bunch of gas into the engine, and running richer, than it would at normal idle once operating temperature has been achieved. Modern fuel injection is wonderful if you've ever had the pleasure of dealing with getting an engine started up where you had to deal with a choke (and don't forget to turn off the choke)

So when you have the defroster on, you're running the A/C as well. So while the engine is working hard to reach operating temperature, you're making it work harder.

Break out the ice scraper and keep your windows clean -- that'll do wonders. And you can always drive with your windows down, and if that's too cold for you, then man up! It totally sucks, but I've had to do that late at night during a nice Bavarian winter. In many other countries, it's ILLEGAL to let your car sit there and idle.

 

so its better to run your car when its cold, is what your saying? never heard that before

 

The fit has 2 fans and the secondary one turns on and off randomly based on the engines needs. Nothing to worry about.

 

What he said, you're not going to hurt your car by warming it up. I usually warm mine 30 to 60 seconds before driving. Or longer if I want to preheat the interior when parked outside in cold weather. You are wasting fuel though. I would recommend doing the "compressor mod" though, this way you can select if you want the compressor to run or not (by turning on or off the A/C switch). https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...ight=defroster

 

Yes. Give it 1 minute max to warm up... more than enough time to put on your seatbelt and adjust the mirrors and radio.

DO NOT blast the heat. Your engine needs it more than you do until it is warmed up.

Drive off slowly, use light throttle and shift at low RPM.

 

^^ alright kool. thanks alot.

 

Up here when it's -30C I let my engine warm up B4 turning on the heat. Have always done that but more so with the Fit so that it gets down around 1100 RPM. I never let the AT shift at a higher rev when it's that cold, esp. reverse gear.

Then I turn on the defrost and use 1 or D3 to get the trans warmed up b4 shifting on the hwy.

 

I just did a repost of KPS's post in that thread so people could find it easier and quicker...

FITFREAKS ROCK!!!

 

I do something similar to willmax. My RPM meter starts at 1.5k and moves downwards. And when it reaches 1.25k, I take it around the block under with my RPM being under 2K. During that time, instead of using the AC/heater blower, I just open the vent to see how well the heat is spreading through the whole system. It usually doesn't get below 50 degrees F around this area so I don't have to worry about freezing temps blowing back into my engine.

 

I vote for start it up and get driving sooner rather that later. It will get up to normal operating temp much faster if you are driving it, as opposed to letting it idle for minutes and minutes.

Even when it's -25 or -30, I rarely let the car idle for much more than a minute. I think the key is to take it easy while the engine is warming up. No need to be agressive or hard on the engine, tranny, etc., until everything is warmed up. When it's warmer than that, it's usually a case of start it up, put on the seatbelt, turn the CD player on and go.