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Old 12-24-2008, 01:12 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jpnut
Thanks for the tips. What suggestions for how long to have all components "warmed up" maybe 15 minutes each segment of a drive? My commute is so short 2 miles and I can take the long way to work. Weather is 5 degrees in the morning recently.
You can get it warm enough to make heat for the heater in a few minutes. Any drive of 2 miles will never get the engine really hot enough, however. 15 minutes is better, but not by much. You need to go for a longer drive every now and then, to boil off the moisture that collects in the oil. All of this remote diagnosis over the web is subject to a fair bit of personal experience and opinion, so take it for what it is.

If you check your oil filler cap, you may find a white/gray semi-solid (like petroleum jelly) under the cap. That is a sign that you have too many short trips. Because of your 2 mile drive, and -15C ambient, and given that you have a 2003 model, I recommend you have the oil separator cleaned and serviced as a preventative measure.
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