We’re going to be sleeping at the trailhead, and we’re thinking about leaving the engine running and the heater on all night so we’re not miserable. i have a 2005 pathfinder. any problems with this? thanks.
In days gone by, at idle(600 rpm), the valve lifters will not rotate at this speed (which is requires unless they are rollers) which helps them wear more evenly and prevents flat spots on the lifters which will wear out the cam. If it has a roller cam, let it idle!
Not sure how often you will do this but I advise against it. Just run it intermittenly.
My 2 cents.
gas can be an issue
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no air circulating through the radiator might not give you very warm air. Better than nothing, but you might have to go for a drive to heat er up good in the middle of the night
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LOL, I would get a rental car and do something like that. You will be burning fuel which you already know, you run the risk of breathing in the car’s exhaust fumes… My opinion is that it’s useless where and tear on your vehicle but if you want to… go for it.
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As long as your exhaust isn’t getting into the vehicle this is NO problem.
It won’t even burn much gas.
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Ive done similar, what i tend to do is make sure you are dressed warm or have warm covers, get the car nice and warm, cover the glass if possible with "curtains" of sorts, and start the car up when you wake cold. An 05 Pathfinder is very sealed, so if its warm to start with, it will stay warm for quite a while. Starting it once an hour for 5 minutes should sort you out. Whatever you do, DO NOT use a flame of any sort, like a camp cooker. The carbon monoxide will kill u very quickly and quietly, and takes out dozens of people every year. Happy holidays.
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I definatly agree with getting a rental car. I know that idling a motor for over 5 minutes can cuase an excessive wearing on the rings and what not. why dont you just get your self an electric blanket or two(one on bottem and one on top)
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An old servivor trick is when snowbound or stranded is 1 or 2 candles used to burn in the car and some good heavy blankets. Leaving a car running is not good because of carbon monoxide poisoning. You need to make sure the tailpipe is free of any obstructions like snow or ice and maybe start it once or twice to warm things up. DO NOT leave it running all nite cause ya may never wake up again
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An Army survival trick for vehicles snowbound or stranded
In days gone by, at idle(600 rpm), the valve lifters will not rotate at this speed (which is requires unless they are rollers) which helps them wear more evenly and prevents flat spots on the lifters which will wear out the cam. If it has a roller cam, let it idle!
Not sure how often you will do this but I advise against it. Just run it intermittenly.
My 2 cents.
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DON’T DO THIS YOU MIGHT KILL YOURSELF UNINTENTIONALLY…
this is like committing suicide, you can end up getting carbon monoxide poisoning with your car running all night, i would advise not to take a chance in doing this…
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Like some of the others said the obvious being the consumption of the fuel and if you have no exhaust leaks for fumes getting in vehicle, and your not inside any building or enclosed space, you shouldn’t have any problems.
Someone also said something about not enough air going through the radiator might not let it warm up enough. You don’t need to worry about that, your fan will pull enough air through it to maintain temp.
You could do like one said and run it a short time to just warm things up then shut off again and do that during the night.
I have done it myself but I was in a pickup with a diesel engine, so my fuel consumption wasn’t as much as a gas engine would be.
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Personal experience