Idling for extended periods...harmful?

[superjuice]

I have a 97fzj and I'm working on the 150amp alternator mod (thanks photoman) with duel 31m platinums. This is for a 3000 watt prosine inverter/charger for backup power and blenders my question is weather it is bad for the engine to run for say 8 hours or more at idle. I have the hand throttle installed so I can hold the rpm's at maybe 1500 or so depending on the load. A read a few articles with mixed conclusions, generally its a bad idea due to low oil pressure at idle. Anyone know at what rpm's the piston oilers kick on? Any thoughts on this one would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[SBFJ60FIG]

Well...I think it was considered that the engine would idle when it was designed. Whether or not it's "bad" to do for a crazy long time? I'd guess and say no, other than pretty much anytime the engine is running it's "bad" as you're wearing it out.

But eight hours? Can you not install a battery isolater and run the one down and then fire the truck up to charge it? Seems to me if anything it's bad for your pocketbook, the environment, and yes it will shorten the life of your motor insofar as anytime it's running, as mentioned earlier, it's "wearing out," albeit negligibly.

 

[corsair23]

8 hours? For what? I assume this will be a regular event?

IMO, if you seriously need power for that long maybe buying a generator would be a wise investment to power whatever it is that you'll be powering for 8+ hours off the 80?

 

[nat88toy]

Toyota recommends you don't idle more then 20 minutes it bad for the cats

 

[sandcruiser]

x2 on the generator... do some math on the fuel consumption vs. wattage output and I suspect that the genset will start looking attractive after not-very-many of these 8 hour sessions. Regardless of the wear and tear on the motor (which will not be zero).

at the very least, up your oil change frequency to the "heavy use" time frame, whatever that is for a gasser.

I mean, what does a little Honda 1000 watt genny cost these days at Costco? Can't be much.
besides that-- 150 amp alt at 1,500rpm probably won't put out enough juice to keep the 3,000w inverter running at a very high duty cycle.

150 amp x 14.4v is only 2,160 watts. Assume 10% lost as heat (wiring/battery) and another 10% lost in inverter (optimistic) and you are looking at 1,750w.
Drop another 10% (optimistic) for running at "low" speed, gets you near 1,500w. You've probably got to lose some more due to loads in the car (dash lights, ECU, spark, etc).

That 1,000 Honda is starting to look like a pretty good (and portable!) solution.

 

[sandcruiser]

here you go: honeywell $350 for 900 watts. Buy two. Done. Costco - Honeywell 1000 Watt Inverter Generator

or, for better reputation, honda for $800. Honda Super Quiet EU1000i Generator

8 hrs @ 1 gal of gas (maybe 2?) vs. ... 10 or 20 gals? No idea how much fuel the truck would use, but I doubt 2 gals.

 

[aclos3]

I believe I read here once that the 1fz burned about .5 to .6 gallons per hour at normal idle (600 rpms or so?).

 

[Pinetop Cruiser]

x2 on 0.5gal/hr per my Scanguage on 96 LX450. As an aside, I also found out that a 91 with a 3FE will idle all night if say...maybe you start it while playing ball in the yard with kids thinking that it hasn't been started for a while. Then maybe it's time for dinner and you forget it was on. If that were to happen, maybe your son would say at breakfast, "What was that sound last night? I thought I could hear the land cruiser idling outside my window!" :whoops:

 

[superjuice]

Thanks for the replies guys, I honestly i just like playing around with electricy, and i do have a onan 6000 watt genset, and a 12 circuit transfer switch set up that works great. What i dont like is the noise that it makes, running at 2 in the morning it seems louder than during the day. My power doesnt even go out that often, i just like to be prepared. Definatly i could run the frig, tv, and some lights off of just the 2 batteries for quite some time. Maybe i can mod up my remote start setup to run the car when the battery voltage drops to a certain amount. Again, this is really just for amusement and not day to day usage. well thanks again guys, i'll do a write up when i get it all worked out

 

[95ToyCruiser]

My FZJ uses .47 Gal/hour at idle with little load, heater, lights, radio.

So around 48 hours.

 

[Brian894X4]

Engines generally love to run in one constant state. Whether it be idle or 3000 rpm on the freeway, it's easier on them because the you don't have fluctuations in temperature changes or metal contracting and expanding due to rapid changes in temp and condition.

It's a lot easier on them than going from idle to full power constantly, such as in city driving. With engine temps and conditions constantly changing.

The problem with running older carb engines at idle is that if they are not tuned properly, they can run rich and plug things up. Assuming the EFI is running properly, it should keep the engine running effeciently.

As mentioned the cat converters can't really get hot running at idle and that can cause issues with them, especially if the outside ambient temps are cold.

The 1FZs in forklifts, for example, run at idle or low speeds for days at a time.

 

[OGBeno]

You can run this engine 24/7 if you wanted to as long as petrol was provided.

 

[94SRUNNER]

Just don't let it idle in tall dry grass...then you have bigger problem!

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

I saw this listed in the HF flyer for $89 bucks yesterday

800 Rated Watts/900 Max Watts Portable Generator

 

[7schulz]

The oil squirters are alwasy "working" if you set the hand throttle to 1500 rpm there is plenty of oil pressure at that rpt to run all day long like beno said as long as your cooling system is up to snuff. Like another said change the oil more regularly b.c you don't have mileage to go by.

 

[superjuice]

I'm here on the ct shoreline waiting for Irene to hit, truck is running with a 1000watt pro sine inverter in the back. The inverter shows i'm pulling about 500 watts running the tv, cable box, router, and a two fluorescent lights. I set a netbook up in the truck streaming the voltage to my iPhone using an app called iCam. Set the throttle to 800rpm because the voltage was dropping at idle. I figure a full tank should get me 16hours at least, I have a 6600 watt generator in my shed and 40 gallons of gas for the aftermath but i can't run it without the shed doors open. Just wish it could run the A/C too Just though i'd share, liking the setup so far

screen shot from my phone

 

[photomike]

Those Honda genny's are super quiet.....

 

[Dave 2000]

I'm here on the ct shoreline waiting for Irene to hitQUOTE]

Good luck to you and anyone else in danger of getting caught by this monster.


regards

Dave

 

[SiRaDuDe]

I live in Puerto Rico and after Irene hit the Island turning into a Cat 1 Hurricane in the process, 1 million out of 1.5 million electric service subscribers were out of service within the first minutes.

Yeah, our electric infrastructure sucks, most were back up and online within 1 to 2 days, I was one of the lucky ones that were out of service for 6 days!!!

 

[Offroads4x4]

It's a forklift motor built to idle for long periods of time. I would very the speed every hour or so for 5 mins or so just to be safe.
Hope you and your family come out of this ok.